Here's chapter 2. Please read and review.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Tazuna and his family, along with a single worker stood across from the party of ninja on the bridge linking the country to the mainland. The bridge which had been the only hope of their nation had, after so long, finally been completed and it was time for the leaf shinobi and the two missing nin to say their goodbyes to the recovering nation.
"I'd like to apologize again for aiding Gato." Haku said, bowing his head slightly.
"No problem, that's all water under the bridge. Thanks to all of you, in the end we completed the bridge and our land is free from that tyrant's clutches. But, it's sad to see you guys go." Tazuna said, resting his hand on Inari's head. "Thanks for everything."
"Don't worry, we'll be sure to visit." Naruto grinned.
"You… better…" Inari said, shaking with the effort of holding back his tears.
Naruto's smile fell as he too struggled to hold back tears before his expression returned to a grin, though he continued shaking. "You sad Inari? It's ok to cry, you know?"
"I'm not going to cry!" Inari yelled. "But you can cry if you want to."
"Fine… later." Naruto replied, turning his back on Inari. Looking back at Naruto, one could see that, like Inari, he now had tears streaming from his eyes.
Sakura looked at Naruto with a slightly annoyed expression. 'Geez… they're like twins!'
'This kid's got a long way to go before he becomes a true shinobi…' Zabuza thought.
"That boy… he changed Inari's heart. And Inari changed the people's hearts. That boy brought courage back to this nation." the bridge builder said as he watched the ninja's retreating figures.
"Oh, yeah. We need to name this bridge, don't we?" the worker asked.
"Well, I have a perfect name for it."
"Oh? What is it?" Tsunami asked her father.
"How about… the Great Naruto Bridge?" Tazuna replied. The smiles from the others told him they agreed.
That night, Team 7, Zabuza and Haku rested at a small camp, sitting around a campfire.
"What's Konoha like?" Haku asked, glancing around the camp fire. "You said they see Kekkei Genkai as valuable?"
"That's right, the philosophy is that every true Konoha shinobi must love, believe, cherish and fight for the village's sake, as many previous generations had done before them. Bloodlines are seen as a valuable tool for the shinobi possessing them that allow them to better protect the village, and as such are seen in a more positive light than in Kiri, where it's believed they exist solely to wage wars." Kakashi explained.
"I see… I must admit, I'm looking forward to seeing this." Haku said.
"I still find it hard to believe that your Hokage will give us a chance just like that." Zabuza spoke.
"Don't worry about it. You'll see, the old man's sure to help you guys." Naruto assured them confidently.
"Naruto." Sasuke's voice was heard the first time since they left Wave. It surprised team 7 even more, since Sasuke rarely spoke to the blonde, out of all people
"Huh, what do you want, Sasuke?" Naruto turned to his teammate. Sasuke seemed to be more condescending to him than usual. Naruto was unaware of the reason behind it - Sasuke believed Naruto was becoming stronger than him, part of him found it unacceptable while the other side refused to acknowledge the possibility.
"How did you beat Haku?" Sasuke asked. Naruto stared into the campfire, trying once again to recall the events of the battle in vain.
After a moment, the blonde replied. "… I don't know."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed and Sakura's raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "What do you mean? How can you not remember winning the fight?"
"Just that… after it looked like Sasuke died, I blacked out. I guess that was the same time my bloodline activated… When I came to, I was about to kill Haku. Everything between that time was a blur."
"I believe he instinctually called upon the genetic memory of his dojutsu. It overwhelmed him and he fought purely on that instinct." Kakashi explained his theory.
"Huh… never heard of something like that happening with a dojutsu before." Zabuza commented as he turned to the copy ninja.
"Neither have I." Kakashi agreed. "But it's the only explanation I can think of."
"What did it do to him?" Sasuke asked the older boy, wanting to learn more about Naruto's power.
Haku's eyes narrowed, not wanting to think back to his near death. "… A few moments after I put you into a false death, he stood up, already overwhelmed by his bloodline. He was suddenly able to keep up with me, most likely by channeling chakra into his legs, though I don't think that alone could account for the difference in speed. I think his eyes allowed him to follow my every move and he had access to jutsu I'd never seen before."
"What jutsu?" Sasuke inquired.
"I saw two, possibly three. The first he used to create a barrier of some sort. My needles were useless. The second allowed him to pull me in. I tried to reach one of my mirrors when I suddenly found myself pulled through the air towards him. I was powerless to defend myself at that time. The third, though I believe it may have been a variation of the barrier, sent out a wave of force strong enough to shatter one of my mirrors. I believe it was the same technique you used to save us." Haku explained, turning to Naruto at the last part. Sasuke's hands clenched. This dojutsu of Naruto's may even be as strong as the Mangekyo!
"Do you know how you did that, Naruto?" Kakashi asked.
Naruto looked down at his hand, remembering the power he felt and shook his head. "No…"
"Well, I must admit, I'm curious about this bloodline of yours." Kakashi mused. "Perhaps Lord Hokage will know more about it."
At their position guarding the gate of Konoha, Kotetsu sighed as he looked out to the empty road. It was another lazy day for the two chunin who usually guarded the gates. Though Izumo was perfectly content with this, Kotetsu was a little irritated at the monotony of guarding a gate day in and day out and was considering suggesting they take a mission for a change.
"Looks like another boring day on guard duty." Kotetsu said.
"You shouldn't complain about it. The pay's good and there's no real risk. Besides, would you rather we be under attack or something?" Izumo replied.
"I guess you're right. Still, I wish something interesting would happen for a change."
Minutes later, Team seven along with Zabuza and Haku approached Konoha. As the group was walking towards the gate, the guards at first moved to greet them, but stopped when they saw Zabuza and instead stared in stunned silence of the infamous demon ninja of the Mist.
"Hey, guys, what's up with you?" Naruto looked at them with raised brows. These were two people he knew fairly that didn't see him as a demon.
"You guys know who that is behind you, right?" Kotetsu asked, slightly on guard.
"Yeah, he wants to join the village." Naruto replied.
Both looked down at the blonde in shock before Izumo voiced their thoughts. "Are you serious?"
"Hmph, nice to see my reputation precedes me, but do you think I could fool someone like Kakashi that easily?" Zabuza said.
"Believe it or not, he's being sincere. If the Hokage's willing, he and his protégé here will be joining our village." Kakashi said. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we really should give our mission report. As you can see, we have a lot to talk about." 'And I'm going to be scolded for not coming back or asking for reinforcements when the mission was upgraded to an A-rank…and for bringing Zabuza here, knowing how Kiri will take it… oh, and probably for teaching them so little too… joy.'
With that, the group headed off towards the Hokage tower. The guards were so stunned they didn't even question Naruto's sunglasses.
"Well, you got what you asked for." Izumo said, still a little shocked.
Kotetsu blinked before looking to the sky. "Yeah… think it'll work if I ask for a bonus?"
Izumo shook his head. "Not a chance."
Kotetsu sighed before propping his arm on the table and resting his head on his hand. "That's what I thought."
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, known as the Professor and the God of Shinobi, the only one to hold that title since the Sage of the Six Paths, for his prowess and mastery of the ninja arts, sat at his desk facing a never ending battle against the most persistent enemy of all Kage… paperwork. While it wasn't as bad as most believed, it still took up a lot of their time.
"Uh… Lord Hokage?" his assistant, a kunoichi in her early twenties with black hair stepped into the room, seeming slightly nervous.
Hiruzen raised a brow as he noticed how tense she was. "Yes… what seems to be the matter?"
"Team 7 has returned." She replied. His expression didn't change since that didn't answer his question - that wouldn't be enough to make her nervous. "And… Zabuza Momochi's with them… it seems he wishes to join Konoha." the old man's eyes widened at this. How could they have encountered someone like that on a C-rank mission. And why would Kakashi believe he would be a loyal Konoha ninja?
"I see… send them in." he ordered as he sat back in his chair, hands clasped on his desk. She gave the group the okay to enter and left the room after they did.
'That's the God of Shinobi? He looks like he should be in a retirement home.' Zabuza thought. 'Then again, that says nothing about his skill. Haku doesn't exactly look menacing either…'
"Hey, old man." Naruto said, grinning as he saw his grandfather figure.
"Welcome back, Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and you as well, Kakashi." the old man said with a smile which fell into a more serious expression as his gaze turned to the missing nin. "I must admit, I was a bit surprised to hear you wish to join our village."
"Yeah, make that two of us. Part of me can't believe I'm actually here." Zabuza replied.
"I'd imagine so, Kiri and Konoha are very different, as you may find out soon enough, depending on the outcome of this meeting. Kakashi…I have to ask how you came across the demon of the mist and this boy, who I assume is with him?"
"Yes, well… it seems Tazuna lied to us about the scope of the mission… it was more like an A-rank." Kakashi explained. Hiruzen's eyes hardened when he heard that.
There was a tense pause before the professor spoke up, "I'm sorry, I must have misheard you… I thought you said this mission was upgraded to an A-rank."
"Heh heh… I'm afraid you heard right." Kakashi gave a nervous eye-smile.
"I'm going to have to ask you to elaborate." the Hokage said. A while later, Hiruzen sighed at having heard the full scope of the mission, and why Kakashi decided to give Zabuza a chance. He should have known something like this would happen, things with Naruto always seemed to become complicated. "… How did all of this come from a simple C-rank mission…?" Hiruzen sighed again. "Although I have to disagree with your course of action, what's done is done now."
"Huh?" Naruto started, surprised. He had thought that the old man would be proud of them. "But they couldn't afford anything else. You can't be saying we should have just left them to deal with it."
"Of course not. Had we known about the state of their country, we could have worked out some way for them to compensate us in the future. Perhaps an I.O.U. to be paid when the country was back on it's feet or a trade agreement, rather than risking the lives of three newly graduated genin. At the very least, we could have sent back up."
"Wait, these three are fresh out of the academy?" Zabuza gestured toward the genin, obviously surprised. "Kakashi, what did you teach them?" he'd been impressed that Sasuke was able to hold his own against Haku, even forcing him to use his trump card, and that Naruto had actually managed to pull one over on him. To hear they were fresh out of the academy was startling.
'Here we go…' "Well… tree climbing… and some teamwork exercises…"
"… Is that all?" Zabuza asked incredulously and Kakashi eye smiled and chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. Both Zabuza and the Third stared at the man.
"Kakashi… that's all you taught them and you brought them on a mission of A-rank difficulty?" the Third asked.
"Well… actually, I taught them tree climbing in Wave…"
"You've gotta be kidding me…" Zabuza shook his head and face palmed while Hiruzen glared at the silver haired jonin.
"Kakashi… we will have to talk about your teaching methods…" the Hokage said before turning to the former mist ninja. "In the mean time, tell me why I should consider your request, considering your previous actions."
"Apparently, Zabuza staged his coup in an attempt to halt the Fourth Mizukage's bloodline purge." Kakashi said and Hiruzen raised a brow.
"Ah, yes… it's true, those sordid affairs did occur around the time of your betrayal…" Hiruzen mused, stroking his beard in thought. "I take it the purges were as bad as our information would suggest?"
Zabuza scoffed. "Probably worse. Yagura managed to convince everyone that bloodline holders may as well have been true demons in human form. If a bloodline holder was found, they would be ruthlessly slaughtered, whether they were ninja or untrained civilian carriers. You could kill an infant if he bore a bloodline and get fifteen minutes of fame. I've seen that happen, firsthand." The three genin looked in horror at that, while Hiruzen and Kakashi's eyes narrowed and Haku cringed, going back to the day his mother was murdered. "Not only was it an atrocity, it was tearing our country apart. Those who could see the truth began to rebel against the Fourth Mizukage's regime. I just happened to be at the forefront."
Haku stepped forward. "As you have been told, I bear the Ice element Kekkei Genkai and am quite possibly the last of the Yuki clan. My mother hid herself as a civilian and married my father, a simple farmer. We were happy, until I discovered my bloodline and my father discovered us… he led the people of my village to murder me and my mother… I watched him kill her and then try to kill me… I survived only because my bloodline activated subconsciously and killed everyone left in the house. We lived on the outskirts of the village. I escaped before the rest of the villagers knew what happened and wandered the country until Zabuza found me and took me in."
"Do you have any idea what led the Mizukage to act in such a manner? My encounters with Yagura beforehand led me to believe he was a kind and just man." Hiruzen said.
Zabuza's eyes narrowed as he thought back to those days. "That was the odd thing. No one does. The change was gradual, but there was something odd. He definitely wasn't the man we once called our Mizukage when the purges began. Some thought he was being controlled, maybe by some powerful genjutsu, but as far as I know there was never any proof."
Hiruzen was silent for a few moments, closing his eyes as he considered what he'd heard before opening them and looking at Zabuza. "… What you've told me matched what I've heard. In light of this information, we will have to discuss those events further at a later date, but I will give you a chance. Though Zabuza will have a six month probationary period and will be unable to take missions outside the village for the span of one year, you will be allowed to join the village." Zabuza nodded and Hiruzen turned to Haku. "As for you, since you were not an official ninja, but were loyal to one, your probationary period will be half your mentor's and, if you wish, you will be allowed to restart the Yuki clan here."
"Thank you, Lord Hokage." Haku bowed.
"We will have to gauge your skills later to see exactly what rank you will receive." Hiruzen said to the androgynous teen who nodded. "Were there any other note worthy events over the course of this mission?"
"Yes, Sasuke activated the Sharingan during the mission… but Naruto also unlocked a dojutsu I can't identify." Kakashi said and the Third blinked.
"I see… that's a surprise… I assume that's why you're wearing those sunglasses?" the Hokage responded and Naruto nodded. "Well… let's see it." Naruto removed his sunglasses and opened his eyes, revealing the purple, ringed doujutsu to the Hokage. Hiruzen gasped, his eyes wide as he stood up in disbelief at the sight before him. "That's… I don't believe it…"
"What is it? You know what they are?" Sakura asked.
"Yes… the Rinnegan." the Hokage replied surprising everyone present, aside Naruto who had never heard of that.
"The same eyes as the sage… are you sure, old man?" Zabuza asked.
"I'm sure." Hiruzen nodded as he sat behind his desk again.
Naruto looked slightly confused. "Wait, what's so special about my eyes?" he asked, not understanding why they were such a big deal. "And who's this sage?"
"The Sage of the Six Paths. He was the first, and supposedly, most powerful Shinobi who ever lived. He created the ninja arts and was a bearer of the same dojutsu you have." Kakashi answered. "But though I assumed the eyes were real, I believe the man was just a myth."
"I assure you, he was real, but he lived over two thousand years ago… there is little known of him now." the Third said. "Naruto… the Rinnegan is the greatest of the three great dojutsu. Certainly one of the most powerful bloodlines in existence."
A grin grew across Naruto's face and he pumped his fist. "Really! I knew I was awesome, I-"
"Naruto!" Hiruzen interrupted. "This is no laughing matter. If word of this reaches the other villages or… certain individuals, they will stop at nothing to kill or capture you." That stopped Naruto in his tracks, freezing in place with wide eyes. "The fact that you posses those eyes is an S-rank secret. Understood?" All the ninja present nodded.
"Lord Hokage, Naruto can't change his eyes back." Sakura said. "Is there some reason why he can't or…"
"Unfortunately, from what I know the Rinnegan is permanently active. Once awakened, there is no way to return the user's eyes to normal." Hiruzen explained.
"What? You mean my eyes are going to look like this forever?" Naruto asked, surprised.
"I'm afraid so." the old man replied.
"Lord Hokage, how did you recognize the Rinnegan?" Kakashi asked.
"A student of mine, Jiraiya, trained a Rinnegan user in Ame years ago. He told me about it. That aside, I'm not called the Professor for nothing. I know of many legends and though there are various different accounts on its abilities, its description is constant in all the legends." the Third replied and Naruto looked excited.
"Wait, if these bloodlines travel through families, then we must be related! Can you contact him for me or…" Naruto said, excited about the possibility of meeting family for the first time, only to be cut off when the Hokage shook his head.
"I'm sorry Naruto… I was told he died many years ago, before I even knew of him." Hiruzen said sadly. Fearful that certain elements in Konoha would find out, such as Danzo, Jiraiya had kept knowledge of his Rinnegan bearing student to himself until he heard of his death. The blonde's mood immediately dropped.
"Oh…" was all he could say. It tore at the old man's heartstrings to see his surrogate grandson's hopes rise so, only to be dashed by reality.
"I wasn't told much about the Rinnegan's abilities. I'll ask Jiraiya to return to the village to aid you. According to my information, he was planning on returning around the time of the Chunin Exams anyway."
"Chunin Exams?" Sakura parroted.
"Exactly what it sounds like, a series of tests meant to see if your worthy of being promoted to chunin. I intend to nominate you for them." Kakashi explained.
Hiruzen glared at the former ANBU captain. "Not if that's all you've taught them so far. From the fact that they survived this mission, I'm sure they've improved on their own since they graduated, but that alone isn't enough to prepare them." Kakashi cringed slightly at that.
"Well… at least I have two months to make up for that…" Kakashi said, ignoring Naruto and Sasuke's scowls for almost costing them the chance to progress. Sakura was significantly less upset.
"So, who's this Jiraiya anyway?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi turned to the young Jinchuriki. "Lord Jiraiya, along with Lady Tsunade and Orochimaru, are known as the three legendary Sannin. They're Lord Hokage's former students."
Zabuza shook his head in disbelief. "I can't believe you don't even know of renowned Shinobi of your own village. Those are three of the strongest ninja alive, but years ago, Orochimaru betrayed your village."
The Third Hokage sat back in his chair as he thought of his scattered students. "Yes… he was my star pupil… but he was always ambitious. His lust for power and immortality eventually consumed him and he committed unspeakable crimes against the village. It's common knowledge that Jiraiya runs our spy network and… as for Tsunade…" he said, sighing at the end. "Though she is not a missing nin and is still loosely affiliated with us, she left the village and currently has no intentions of returning for reasons that are her own." he then looked up. "If there's nothing else, I must have… words… with Kakashi. Zabuza, might I make a request? I want you to aid Kakashi with teaching these three while you're on probation, at least until the exams begin." Hiruzen then turned to Kakashi. "It's not that I've lost faith in your teaching abilities, Kakashi, but with Sasuke possessing the Sharingan, your team will be a target to other villages and people like my wayward student. Even more so if and when knowledge of the Rinnegan gets out and you seem to be a good teacher, considering the skill young Haku has. Rest assured you will be compensated."
"I understand, Lord Hokage." Kakashi replied.
"Hn… not like I'll have anything better to do and I do owe them I guess." Zabuza said. Naruto looked excited to learn from another powerful ninja, Sasuke smirked slightly, sure this would help him fulfill his goal and Sakura paled at the thought of being trained by the demon ninja of the mist.
"Wait a minute… old man… what do you know about my family?" Naruto asked. He had asked the old man before, but he had always told him he couldn't tell him. "You always said you couldn't tell me… why? Was it because of my bloodline?"
"Your bloodline had nothing to do with it. Suffice it to say no one on either side of your family ever exhibited this dojutsu before. You were never told because your father made many enemies… if word got out you were his son, the same individuals would stop at nothing to kill you for revenge." He said before considering the new developments, specifically Naruto's dojutsu. "Though with your other secrets, that wouldn't change much to be honest… Very well. Naruto, I was planning to wait until you were sixteen, but if you pass the upcoming Chunin Exams, I'll tell you everything about them, is that alright?"
"… Yeah… I guess that just gives me more reason to pass. You'll see, in two months, I'll be the awesome ninja I'm meant to be, and then you'll tell me everything."
Hiruzen smiled. "Good, now, you are all dismissed-" his smile was replaced into a glare worthy of his title as his eyes turned to the copy ninja. "-except for you Kakashi." He then looked to the ex-mist ninja. "Zabuza, Haku, my ANBU will find you and take you to an assigned apartment. Here are your new forehead protectors." Hiruzen said as he handed the pair leaf village forehead protectors. "Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke. Since your team brought them here, I'll ask that you show them around the village." The three nodded, Sasuke obviously unhappy about the order, and left. Kakashi paled slightly as he was left in the room with the second God of Shinobi, who was glaring daggers at him.
In the absence of their sensei, team seven along with Zabuza and his apprentice stepped out of the administration building, the ex missing-nin now wearing Konoha forehead protectors. Having no where to go, Zabuza swept his eyes over the village, unlike when he had been on his way to the Hokage's office, where he had noted defenses and the ANBU following them, he truly took in the sight of the village.
"Well, this place is a hell of a lot more peaceful than Kiri, that's for sure." Zabuza noted.
Sakura turned to the man, who still intimidated her a little. "What do you mean?"
Zabuza shrugged. "Even before the Fourth Mizukage went bat-shit on Bloodline holders, there was always a tenseness, a sense of threat that Konoha doesn't have."
"So, let's get started. There's a lot to show you." Naruto said.
With that, the three genin showed the two new citizens of Konoha around their new home. Over the course of their tour, Zabuza and Haku, of course, noticed the looks of shock they were getting, but were more surprised at the looks that were directed towards Naruto. Haku was reminded of his time in Kiri, remembering the glares directed at him by those who knew he held a bloodline. Zabuza on the other hand, remembered similar looks directed towards the Fourth Mizukage. As they were walking down a particular street, Zabuza glanced at the blonde. There weren't many other reasons why a child would be treated this way in his own village, especially one as peaceful as Konoha. Just about every ninja knew of the Kyuubi's attack and the boy in front of him seemed to be the right age. It added more substance to his theory when his hearing, honed by his mastery of the art of silent killing, overheard whispers of 'fox-boy' and other similar names from the villagers. He had to admit, he was intrigued if he was right. The power of a Jinchuriki combined with the Rinnegan? There would be no limits to the boy's potential if his suspicions were correct.
Sakura and Sasuke also noticed the glares the blonde received. They rarely saw him outside the academy or team meetings, so this was the first time they'd noticed how the people of the village looked at him. Sasuke was slightly intrigued but for the most part didn't care. Sakura found herself curious as well about why he was being glared at, though she soon dismissed it as the result of one too many pranks.
"Hey, kid. Are there any good places to eat around here?" Zabuza asked as their tour neared its end.
Naruto grinned, the thought of his favorite food was almost always enough to lift his mood. "I know a great place. Hey, how about we all go there to celebrate."
Sakura smiled and turned to Sasuke but before she could say anything, Sasuke scoffed and turned away. "Not interested." the Uchiha said as he started towards his compound, his hands in his pockets and aloof expression on his face. He wanted nothing more than to return to his home. The revelation that the Sharingan wasn't the most powerful dojutsu in the village anymore (he was certain his clan's dojutsu was superior to the Hyuuga's Byakugan, and vice versa), let alone that the more powerful dojutsu belonged to the dead last of all people, not to mention the events in Wave, had increased his desire for power tenfold. He was determined not to let Naruto surpass him, Rinnegan or not.
"Come on, Sasuke, It's my treat." Naruto called out.
Sakura turned to the blonde, obviously surprised. "You actually want him to come with us?"
Naruto looked to the ground and narrowed his eyes. It was obvious he didn't particularly want Sasuke to come along. "Well, he did take about a hundred needles for me. I think I kind of owe him." Naruto replied. Haku looked away nervously at that.
Sasuke didn't seem to care. "Hn, first of all, why should I waste my time. Secondly, if you owed me, I wouldn't squander a favor on something frivolous like this anyway."
Naruto glared at Sasuke's retreating figure. "Fine then, be that way." he then turned to Sakura hopefully. "Sakura, want to come?"
"Well…" Sakura began.
"Hang on a moment." A familiar voice called out. The three genin, Haku and Zabuza turned in the direction of the voice to see Kakashi appear in a Body Flicker.
"Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said.
Zabuza smirked behind the bandages the masked his face. "Heh, old man done chewing you out, Kakashi?" the other masked ninja didn't respond to that.
Kakashi nonchalantly turned to his fellow masked ninja. "Huh, you say something Zabuza?" Far away, Gai felt the urge to curse his eternal rivals' hip attitude and challenge him once again. Zabuza simply scoffed.
Sasuke turned away. "Unless you're going to suggest we start training, I'm not interested."
Kakashi turned to the last Uchiha in Konoha. "Hold on, I've got something I need to say to all of you." Sasuke, stood still for a moment before turning around and facing him. Naruto and Sakura were already giving him their attention. "Alright, listen up. I know I haven't been… serious about teaching you until now. By all accounts, I should have taught you the tree climbing exercise long before our trip to Wave. Lord Hokage made it clear he won't tolerate that kind of negligence on my part anymore and… I'm sorry for neglecting you the way I have." the copy ninja said, pausing for a moment and letting his words sink in. "Starting tomorrow, your training will begin in earnest. There won't be much time to devote to team building exercises, but I want you three to work as a more cohesive unit. I think spending more time together, or any time together at all, outside our training would be a good start." He then turned to Sasuke, the look in his eye leaving no room for arguments. "So, we will be getting something to eat together, and no Sasuke, this is not negotiable." Sasuke simply scoffed, but returned to the group. "Good, now…" Kakashi then turned to the Rinnegan bearer, giving him his eye-smile. "Since Naruto was so kind as to offer, our meal will be on him, so the least we can do is let him decide where we eat."
Naruto grumbled and Sakura smiled and playfully stuck her tongue out at him. Zabuza smirked under his mask and even Sasuke grinned slightly at the blonde's misfortune.
Zabuza raised an eyebrow. "A ramen bar?" Naruto had led the group to his favorite eatery, the Ichiraku Ramen Bar.
Kakashi sighed. "I should have known… he practically lives off of this stuff…"
Naruto ran into his favorite eatery with his toothy grin. "Hey, old man. How've things been?"
"Naruto. Good to see you." Teuchi smiled at his favorite customer.
His daughter, the ramen waitress Ayame joined him, smiling at the return of the blond, who she considered family. "Hey, Naruto. Where've you been? Did you just get back from a mission?"
"Yep. Me and my team are showing these guys around the village." Naruto said, gesturing towards the others who were entering the bar behind him.
Teuchi looked surprised to see Zabuza. He may not have known who he was, but it was obvious the man was a powerful ninja. "That so? Well, what do you think of our village so far?"
Zabuza shrugged. "Nice place. Though it doesn't have the feel of a ninja village, if you ask me. It's too relaxed around here."
Kakashi turned to his fellow jonin as he entered the bar. "Well, that's some of the appeal of our village."
Ayame, curiosity overcoming her, had to ask. "So, is there any particular reason why you're the ones showing them around?"
Naruto was first to answer the question and soon he, along with Sakura and occasional input from Kakashi, Zabuza and Haku began to explain the details of their mission, leaving out some sensitive topics such as Naruto's eyes of course, as the stand owners took their orders and brought their food. By the time they were finished with the explanation, three of the teens were halfway through their first bowls, Zabuza and Kakashi had somehow finished theirs and replaced their masks quickly enough so that no one could peek and Naruto was on his fourth.
"Wow, you're just starting out and you get a mission like that?" Ayame asked in shock. It was obvious to anyone, ninja or not that the team had gotten in over their heads.
"Yep, amazing huh? Our first real mission and we save an entire country. I always said I'd be an awesome ninja." Naruto grinned.
"Well, congratulations. To celebrate, and to welcome our new citizens, all of your first bowls on the house." Teuchi announced.
Haku looked up, slightly surprised by Teuchi's generosity. "Really? That's very generous of you. Are you sure that's alright?"
Teuchi waved off his concerns. "Don't worry about it. Like I said, it's my way of welcoming you to the village. Besides, Naruto will more than make up for it."
Zabuza glanced at the blonde, who had just started his fifth bowl with no less enthusiasm than his first. "Yeah, and then some. You weren't kidding about him living off of this stuff, I see."
"Hey, Kakashi." Sasuke spoke up for the first time since they got there. "What're the Chunin Exams like?"
"Well…" Kakashi began, his students looking at him anxiously. "I can't say."
"What? Oh, come on, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto complained.
Kakashi chuckled and eye-smiled at the blonde. "It wouldn't be very fair if I told you, now would it?"
Naruto turned to Haku. "I take it you never took one of the exams did you?" the older teen replied that he hadn't and the blonde turned to the demon of the Mist. "Well, what about you then, Zabuza? Any info on what we'll be up against?"
"Even if I wanted to tell you, kid, I wouldn't know. The exams are always different and vary depending on which village it's held in." Zabuza replied.
"I guess it's to be expected they're not the same every time." noted Sakura, slightly disappointed. Though she wasn't particularly enthusiastic about it, if her teammates, especially Sasuke, wanted to go through with it, so would she. "Wait, it's not always in our village?"
Kakashi shook his head, "Most allied or neutral villages send genin to participate in the exams. They should arrive just before they begin. The exams are held in one of the participating villages. You're in luck, it's our village's turn this time around."
"Why are we taking our exams with foreign ninja?" Sakura asked.
"That'll be explained during the exam." Kakashi replied.
"How are exams in the same villages different?" inquired Sasuke.
"Well, the proctor, a jonin or special jonin from the hosting village, decides on the tests. Of course, different proctors means entirely different tests and they make sure to never give repeat performances." Kakashi replied. Sasuke nodded, satisfied by the information. "I can tell you this much. Everyone sent to participate in the exam will be skilled ninja in their own right. Many elites among genin from all over the Elemental Nations will be participating. It won't be easy for you." Sakura looked a little nervous while Naruto looked excited, as did Sasuke, though one could only barely tell. "Fortunately, I intend to make sure you three are ready when the time comes."
That night, Sasuke walked into the secret area in the Naka Shrine, his clan's secret meeting place.
He had to admit, he was a little anxious to do this, to see the secrets of his deceased clan. Itachi had instructed him to discover those secrets on that terrible night all those years ago, but he'd been unable to. It hadn't taken him long to figure out the Sharingan was necessary to decipher what was written there. For years, the information contained on it eluded him, but now, now he finally had what he needed.
As he stepped into the secret meeting place in the Naka shrine, he briefly glanced at the tapestries on the walls of the room before his eyes turned to the tablet that held all the secrets of his clan.
He grinned as he activated his Sharingan and began to read, soaking up the knowledge left behind by his nearly extinct clan. Minutes later, his expression fell into a scowl. Though many of the previously indecipherable secrets of his clan were now clear as day to him, a lot was still impossible to read.
Apparently, the basic Sharingan could only translate so much. He'd need the Mangekyo to read more, though what he had discovered had been interesting, to say the least. The Sharingan possessed a power he'd never suspected.
The power to control the Nine Tailed Demon Fox. It also revealed some facts about the beast. Most notably, that it couldn't truly be killed. So then, how did the Fourth Hokage defeat it?
Not that it really mattered to him. That power would be of no use against Itachi, who had a more powerful Sharingan, anyway. Still, it made him curious how his clan was linked to the fox.
Naruto stood in his apartment bathroom, looking at his reflection, the purple ringed eyes he'd have to live with for the rest of his life staring back at him. Channeling chakra them, his vision once more became black and white as his eyes activated. He raised his hand and looked at his arm, faintly seeing the chakra coursing though his arm and seeing it clearly around the extremity like blue fire.
He deactivated his eyes, letting color return to his vision, and thought about everything he had learned over the course of the day. He thought about the offer made by the old man he considered a grandfather, pass and become a chunin and learn about his family. As he thought about that, his mind flashed back to the academy, his constant losses and his and Sasuke's battle with Haku and he grimaced. Alone, he allowed his mask of confidence fall as he recalled his failures and how completely outclassed he was by Haku.
He couldn't afford to risk screwing this up. One of the things he had always wanted to know, the truth about the family he never had, was at stake. Starting tomorrow, he would take being a ninja seriously. If he let this chance pass him by, he'd never forgive himself.
Zabuza and Haku stepped into the apartment they had been assigned after finishing the first of several interviews they would have with the Hokage, which would end in full mental and physical evaluations. They would be allowed to keep some things to themselves, but they would have to reveal several secrets of their homeland and basically everything about their time wandering the nations, but this was to be expected.
The two ex missing ninja inspected the home with a critical eye as the ANBU who had shown them to it departed. It was a decent two bedroom apartment.
"Well, it's better than sleeping in the woods, that's for sure." Zabuza noted and Haku nodded. "So, this place everything you hoped it'd be?"
"Yes. From what I've seen, the village is much like they described." Haku answered.
"Yeah, from what I've seen, you should feel right at home. This place fits your ideals." Zabuza replied. It was a bit too peaceful for him, but he'd adjust. It was better than wandering from place to place with no real future.
"Although…" Haku began and Zabuza glanced at him. "The way they looked at Naruto… it reminded me of the glares I received that day…" Zabuza knew he was referring to the day his parents died. "This land is much more peaceful than our homeland, and its people seem welcoming. Why would they treat the boy in such a way?"
"… I have a hunch." Zabuza replied. "It's become common knowledge for those around at the time that around twelve years ago, the Nine Tailed Demon Fox attacked this village. It could be that he's the same as Yagura." Haku's eyes widened in shock. "Well, either that or his old man did something he's being blamed for. Either way, if it matters, we'll find out soon enough."
"You have a point. Though, it's depressing to think such prejudice exists, even in a village like this one." Zabuza didn't respond as he continued inspecting the apartment.
The next day, the three genin of team seven, Zabuza and Haku, all stood around the posts of the third training ground. Zabuza leaned against a tree with his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed in annoyance.
"We've been here for half an hour. How long does this bastard expect to keep us waiting?" Zabuza growled.
"You should probably get used to it... Kakashi-sensei's always like this." Sakura commented.
"Yeah, he'll probably be here in an hour or two with some lame excuse like 'a black cat crossed my path'." Naruto added.
"… You're joking." Haku stated as he and Zabuza looked skeptically at the genin.
Sasuke scoffed. "If only. Between this and his antics, I had a hard time believing the guy was a jonin until I saw him fight."
"Well screw waiting around." Zabuza said, as he stepped away from the tree. He then grabbed the hilt of his sword. "I was planning on testing you three to see exactly what I was working with anyway. Since Kakashi can't be bothered to be on time, let's get started right now."
Sakura paled while Naruto grinned and Sasuke smirked. "Good, I've been waiting for this since we left wave." Naruto said.
"Do you want me to participate?" Haku asked his father figure.
"No, Haku. Just watch and analyze their abilities." Haku nodded and vanished in a burst of speed, reappearing on the branch of a tree, placing his hand on the trunk as he looked at the four. "Alright, show me what you three can do. Don't expect me to hold back just because you're brats."
Kakashi arrived at the training ground, about two hours earlier than he would have prior to his admonishment at the hands of the Third, to find Zabuza standing over the fairly beaten forms of Naruto and Sakura, with Sasuke trapped over the nearby stream in a water prison held by a clone, glaring at the real former mist jonin.
Zabuza sighed. "… You guys have a long way to go… still I suppose two of you could make it through the exams as you are now… if you're lucky." The missing nin then turned to Sakura, who was still laying on the ground. "You on the other hand… Unless you work your ass off for the next two months, you won't have to worry about passing. You'll be more concerned about surviving."
"Looks like I arrived at a good time." Kakashi commented, ignoring Zabuza's glare as he strolled into the training field.
"Where the hell have you been? You kept us waiting so long, we got started without you." Zabuza growled, annoyed with Kakashi and with how much work two of the genin would need. As he said these words, his clone dispelled, falling apart into water along with Sasuke, who, as he hadn't mastered water walking, fell into the water and began to swim to his team.
"Well, a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way. From there, I'm afraid I got lost on the road of life until I found myself here." Zabuza's eye twitched in annoyance. "Anyway, I got something that I thought would be useful on the way. So, how'd they do?"
Zabuza scoffed. "Quite frankly, Kakashi, they suck." He then gestured towards Sasuke, who had just reached the shore. "The Uchiha brat's alright. He's got a good balance of ninjutsu and taijutsu and his Sharingan let him follow my moves. Lot of good that does if he can't keep up with his opponent, though. He's lucky Haku tried so hard not to kill him back at the bridge." Sasuke, who had just climbed out of the water, grit his teeth but knew he was right.
Kakashi nodded as the two dry genin of his team sat up. "You're thoughts on Sakura?"
Zabuza deadpanned. "She's a fan girl who's completely useless in a fight. I really have to question your village's standards for letting her graduate. She has no unique talents and her taijutsu's pathetic."
"Hey, take that back!" Sakura yelled indignantly, insulted enough to voice her objection, despite still being slightly afraid of the man who almost killed her team.
"Yeah, don't say things like that about her!" Naruto yelled. Although she found him annoying, Sakura was grateful Naruto had her back.
"Girl, the other two at least put up a decent fight. You didn't last five seconds once I turned to you." Zabuza said simply. "Do you train at all outside of what Kakashi required of you, which from what I've heard has been minimal? Have you really tried to improve yourself as a ninja at all since you graduated? Did you actually contribute to your team at all back at Wave?" Sakura looked crestfallen as she couldn't refute his statements. "I rest my case. Listen closely, they say a team is only as strong as its weakest link. Although that's not entirely the case, when one individual has mediocre skill, the rest of the group has to make up for it, lowering success, and more importantly, survival rates. Ninja like you tend to bring the whole team down, either by not contributing, or being targeted and likely captured when the enemy recognizes their lack of talent and singles them out. Unless you improve, you're a liability that could get your entire team killed one day." Sakura's mood continued to sink like a stone in a vast ocean of despair.
Kakashi quickly decided to reassure his student. "Now, now, don't worry, Sakura. You can still become a splendid kunoichi. It'll just take some work."
"Yeah… a lot of work." Zabuza added bluntly. "Alright, what are her strengths?"
"Well, she has an untapped talent for genjutsu and natural near perfect chakra control, she was able to get the tree climbing exercise on the first try. She also had the highest written test scores back at the academy and has decent analytical skills." Kakashi explained. 'Though those tend to go out the window whenever Sasuke's involved…'
Zabuza scoffed. "Those tests mean nothing in the field. Although, we could work with that intellect."
Haku stepped forward. "If she is good at memorizing facts, I could teach her what I know of the human body as well as medicinal herbs. I'm sure she'd also excel in the creation and use of poisons. If you know of someone with the talent, if she manages to memorize the human body, she'll likely make a good medical ninja. A field I myself am interested in, but was never able to find a proper teacher for."
Naruto looked slightly confused. "Medical ninja? What, you mean first aid? Why would she need a teacher for that?"
"A medical ninja is someone trained to use chakra to heal injuries. The most skilled among them can even heal life threatening injuries in moments on the battlefield, though it consumes a lot of chakra." Kakashi explained. "I was also thinking she could make a good medical ninja… she reminds me a lot of one I knew…" Kakashi trailed off, remembering Rin, which led him to think about his lost team. His years as a shinobi and natural aloofness allowed him to perfectly mask his sense of melancholy that came with them.
"Wow, that sounds awesome." Naruto grinned. He knew he wouldn't really need something like that, even he knew his healing wasn't normal. But he could see how useful such an ability would be.
"Hn, you might go farther than I thought..." Sasuke spoke up, Sakura was torn between being happy Sasuke thought there might be hope for her or sad that he obviously thought little of her current abilities. She decided on the former, as Zabuza's earlier statements had made her somewhat realize that, at the moment, she was indeed largely useless.
"Of course, we'll have to work on her stamina, too…" Kakashi said.
"As for the blond brat-" Zabuza gestured towards the Jinchuriki. "The kid has an knack for coming up with unpredictable strategies and his taijutsu's… passable, but aside from that and the clones, his stamina and his dojutsu, which he doesn't know how to use yet, he's got nothing going for him, not to mention the fact that outside of strategies, he's not the fastest deer in the forest."
"Hey!" Naruto yelled indignantly, raising a fist into the air.
Sasuke, blunt as ever, stated, "Naruto, you're the dead last of our class. Weeks ago, I remember you didn't even know the proper spelling of 'chakra'."
Naruto growled but Kakashi spoke up before he could respond. "Yes, well, I have something in mind that will take care of that."
"Well, I hope whatever you've got in mind works. Kid's not going to make it far as a ninja at this rate." Zabuza commented before turning to Naruto. "And why didn't you try using those eyes of yours?"
Naruto, still irritated at Zabuza's evaluation, replied, "I can't use them and clones and the same time and I don't know how to use their powers yet. I figured I was better off sticking with what I knew."
"Maybe you're a little smarter than I gave you credit for. Using a power your not familiar with is a good way to wind up dead. " Zabuza's eyes narrowed after giving the back handed compliment. "Wait, what do you mean you can't use them and your clones?"
Naruto shrugged. "Whenever I use them both, I see out of my clones eyes too. Seeing everything like that makes my head spin."
Kakashi stepped forward, intrigued. "Is that so? Interesting. I want to see this. Activate your dojutsu and create a shadow clone." Naruto nodded and closed his eyes, channeling chakra into them, before opening them. He then made a cross shaped hand seal and called out the name of his most used jutsu, causing a single clone to appear in a poof of smoke. The two Naruto's already seemed slightly disoriented, though not enough that it would keep them from fighting, and the others looked on, obviously interested in finding out anything about the eyes. "Now, close your eyes, just the real you." Naruto did as told. "Now, tell me, how many fingers am I holding up?" he said, holding up two fingers, when the clone opened his mouth, Kakashi stated, "The real you."
"Two." Naruto immediately said, despite having his eyes closed. Kakashi raised a brow before holding up four fingers. "Four." he said as Zabuza picked up a rock. Kakashi put down one finger. "Three." Zabuza then threw the rock at the blonde's head. Naruto saw it through his clone's vision and caught it, opening his eyes and glaring at the former Kiri ninja. "Hey, what gives, Zabuza-sensei?"
Zabuza smirked beneath his mask. "Just another test for ya, kid." Naruto's glare intensified. "Besides, I was hoping to show the usefulness of that ability. So, do you see how this could increase your effectiveness?"
"Huh?" Naruto replied, before thinking about it. "Well… I guess if I could get used to it, I could see the battlefield from different points and see the enemy, even if they're in my blind spot... Or I could use them to scout ahead and spy on enemies."
Zabuza nodded approvingly. "Good. Were it not for that and the stunt you pulled back when we first met, I may have dismissed you as a lost cause by now."
Naruto glared at the demon of the Mist before Kakashi spoke up. "Though I wouldn't be as harsh as Zabuza, I remember how you told me even you had to admit it was foolish to enter Haku's ice mirrors without thinking as you did. You can't deny you could stand to improve your mind, though that's always a good idea. You could also stand to learn the value of patience." Naruto looked slightly dejected at that. "Fortunately, as I said, I have an idea for how to catch you up in that respect, and every other for that matter."
Naruto's expression brightened at that. "Really? What is it?"
"Let's hold off on that until we begin training. Now, before we move on…" Kakashi began, reaching into his pocket and pulling out five slips of paper. "... we may as well get this out of the way." he said
"Ah, you're going to test their affinities? Not a bad idea." Zabuza stated.
Naruto quirked an eyebrow. "Affinities?"
"Yes, your nature, or elemental, affinities." said the copy ninja.
"You don't remember? They explained this to use in the academy." Sakura said, raising her hand and pointing her index finger to the sky as she began to explain. "There are five basic elements: water, earth, lightning, wind and fire. Obviously, Sasuke's fire style jutsu or Zabuza and Kakashi's water jutsu are good examples. Everyone has a predisposition towards a single element."
Naruto smiled. "Oh, I get it! So, you're going to see what our elements are, Kakashi-sensei?"
"That's right. You're going to channel your chakra into these. How your chakra affects them will depend on your affinity. For example…" he channeled his chakra into the paper and they all watched as it wrinkled. "My affinity is lightning, so my chakra will cause the paper to wrinkle. Fire natured chakra will cause it to ignite and turn to ash, water will cause it to grow damp, earth will turn to dirt and wind will cause it to split in two."
"But, what about Haku's ice element?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi gave a nod. "Good question. Haku, if you don't have a problem with it." he said as he held out another piece of chakra paper to the boy.
"It's no problem." Haku replied before taking the paper and doing as Kakashi did. The paper split in half and grew damp. "My ice element Kekkei Genkai allows me to combine the water and wind elements to create ice."
"So, no one else can use it because they don't have both affinities?" Naruto asked.
"Well, there's more to it than that." Kakashi replied. "Even if you have both affinities, it's very difficult, if not impossible to combine the two elements together unless you have the Kekkei Genkai for it. Although, the Third Tsuchikage possesses something more advanced."
"What do you mean?" Haku inquired.
"Ah, yeah, Onoki of Both Scales." Zabuza stated. "He uses the Dust Element, a Kekkei Tota or Bloodline selection. It combines the fire, earth and wind elements to manipulate molecules, allowing him to reduce his opponents to dust." the black haired jonin explained, shocking the younger shinobi.
Kakashi nodded, "The Dust Element was taught to him by the Second, who he had no relation to as far as I know, implying that all one needs to use it is the proper training and the three affinities, although, possessing two of the affinities is very rare outside of bloodline holders." Kakashi explained. "There are also the ninja of the Land of Snow, who use the ice element. Though in their case, rather than combining elements to create ice, all they can do is use their chakra to manipulate already existing ice and snow. Their abilities can't compare to the real thing." Haku seemed slightly surprised that there were other ice elements users, even if they didn't hold the bloodline. "In any case, let's get started. And just to be safe, we'll test Sasuke's too."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed and Naruto looked slightly confused. "Why? I mean, don't we already know his element?"
"No, we know he can use fire jutsu. I can use jutsu of all the elements, although I only have the affinity for lightning. The affinity makes it much easier to learn to use the element and its jutsu and few ever truly master more than two, their affinity and one other. The only reason I can use so many is because I've copied jutsu of the other elements. I'm not known as 'the man who copied a 1000 jutsu' for nothing." he said with an eye-smile at the end, reminding the others that, despite his attitude and laziness, he was one of the village's strongest jonin. "The Uchiha take pride in their affinity for fire and teach all their members to use it. They even view learning the Fireball technique as their 'coming of age' test, so it's doubtful they actually tested his affinity, did they Sasuke?" He turned to the Uchiha, who glared but said nothing. "As I thought. Now, ladies first." he said, handing a slip of paper to Sakura.
Sakura took it and channeled chakra into it. In moments, the slip of paper turned to dust and crumbled away. The pink haired girl looked at her now empty hand. "I have the earth element?"
Kakashi hummed. "The earth element… with it, one can harden and strengthen anything they channel it into, increasing its defensive and destructive power. You can also manipulate dirt and mud and move through the earth in various ways." he turned to Sasuke with an eye smile. "Like when I buried Sasuke up to his neck." Sasuke glared at his sensei before his gaze turned the jonin's hand as he handed him his own piece of paper. "Your turn."
Sasuke closed his eyes and snatched the paper from the jonin. He glanced at it as he channeled his chakra into it… and his eyes widened in shock as the paper wrinkled. "What the?" was all the Uchiha could say.
"Well, well, what a surprise. It seems you don't have the fire affinity after all." Kakashi commented.
Sasuke continued to stare at the paper in shock. "But… my entire clan has the fire element…"
"Yes, well, clans are never completely uniform in affinities outside of those with elemental bloodlines. I guess you're just one of the unique ones." Kakashi mused.
Naruto snickered. "Too bad, Sasuke. Looks like you're the black sheep." If looks could kill, Naruto would have been reduced to a smoldering corpse by Sasuke's glare.
Kakashi said. "Now, your turn."
Naruto grinned. "Finally." he took the piece of paper and did as his teammates had and watched the piece of paper grow damp. Before anyone could comment, an unexpected series of events left everyone's mouths agape.
The damp piece of paper wrinkled before splitting in half, one half then burned to ash while the other turned to dust.
Zabuza's brow furrowed. "The hell?"
"K-Kakashi-sensei. I thought you said it was rare that anyone has more than one affinity." Sakura said.
"Hmm… well, I guess this is proof that his eyes are the real thing."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
"It's said that the Rinnegan grants its bearer the ability to master all five elements and virtually any jutsu, not counting those that require bloodlines. I guess that would include possessing all the affinities." Kakashi explained.
"So, I can learn every element?" Naruto asked excitedly. Sasuke once more glared at the blond, seeing another example of the Jinchuriki's growing power.
Kakashi nodded. "Yes, though it will take time."
"Do you think I could learn to use Haku's Ice Style, too? You did say 'any technique'."
Kakashi cupped his chin and hummed in thought, looking to the sky. "Well, that's what the legends say… and since you have all the elements, considering the Dust element is similar and requires no such bloodline, it's possible. In theory, anyway. We'll have to be sure and explore the possibility." he said before looking back to the genin. "Now, I figured Zabuza would get impatient and get started before I got her, so I brought lunch. Let's get started once we've finished eating."
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his office, once again taking up his endless battle against paperwork while taking the occasional puff from a pipe in his mouth, when he heard a knock on his door. Hiruzen raised his head and quirked a brow. "Come in." he beckoned.
The door opened to reveal his former friend and rival, Danzo Shimura. Hiruzen's eyes narrowed. In their youth the two had been competitive, but they had been on good terms, but as they grew up, many of their philosophies, specifically, how the village should be run, had changed and were now nearly opposite. They were still on decent terms and, so long as nothing went wrong, Danzo rarely interfered with the way he ran the village beyond voicing his own, conflicting opinion, still, the man rarely came to his office without a reason.
"It's been a while, Lord Hokage. It's good to see you're still managing." the war hawk of Konoha said.
Hiruzen gave a slight chuckle. "I still have a few years left in me. But don't you think you should worry more about yourself? You're almost as old as I am."
"Indeed this is true." Danzo said, turning to the window and looking out the village both loved and desired to protect in their own ways. "Time will soon pass us by. I can only hope the next generation lives up to the challenge." he said before turning back to his old rival. "And hopefully, they don't take the teachings of the Senju to heart." Hiruzen's eyes narrowed slightly. "It would be better if they found their own way, based on their experiences."
Hiruzen nodded, inhaling deeply before breathing out a plume of smoke. "Enough beating around the bush. What has brought you here?"
"I have heard that you have allowed the infamous Demon of the Mist a chance to join our village." Danzo replied. "I merely wish to inquire why you would give him a chance."
"It's a long story, the short version is that the purpose of his coup was to stop the Mizukage from destroying their nation with his prejudice against bloodlines and he was vouched for by two people who's intuition I trust, one of whom being Kakashi Hatake. Know that I am keeping him under observation and intend to speak with him more on these matters."
"Do you intend to have him interrogated? With his knowledge, several of the Land of Mists secret arts could be ours." Danzo inquired. "And perhaps it would be wise to have some… insurance in case he decides to use our trust to get back into Kiri's good graces. I believe his student is young and quite skilled. Perhaps he would benefit from my old teaching methods. If we could insure his loyalty to our village, I'm sure keeping Zabuza under control would be a simple task."
"No. While I do intend to give him and his apprentice the standard interviews and evaluations one would expect, I will not force him to reveal his village's hidden jutsu and he will be allowed to keep some things confidential. And we will certainly not use the boy against him, that isn't how this village operates."
Danzo's eye narrowed. "Once more, your sentimentality prevents the tree that is our village from growing stronger. It is a shame that you follow your sensei's views so wholly." Hiruzen met his glare before Danzo turned towards the door. "In any case, I can rest easier now." the man said, turning to the door. In truth, he intended to make his own observations as well. He already knew how the former Kiri nin was working with Kakashi's team and believed it foolish that Hiruzen had allowed the man to get close to the last Uchiha in their village and their Jinchuriki. Though, with Kakashi near and Zabuza's own skill, he likely wouldn't be able to spy on their training, he would make sure the man wasn't doing anything that could potentially harm their village. And if he did… Danzo was interested in restarting Orochimaru's experiments on bloodline transfusion. Even if he was not allowed use him against the demon of the mist, the man's protégé would provide a powerful new bloodline for the village and his followers in particular, provided his experiments were successful and if not, he could still acquire the genetic material needed to restart the clan in Konoha.
After the ninja finished their meals, the genin stood before the jonin and Haku.
"Alright, I'll focus on Sasuke right now. Haku will take Sakura while Zabuza trains with Naruto. But first, you're going to learn a more advanced chakra control exercise." Kakashi said. Reactions among the genin were varied. Sasuke looked indifferent, Naruto looked glad to be trained by a jonin who was equal to his sensei, but more serious, and Sakura looked relieved. "Now, as for the idea I spoke of earlier. Naruto, I want you to create ten shadow clones."
"Huh, why?" Naruto asked.
"Tell me, have you ever noticed anything odd anytime you've used that technique?" Kakashi inquired.
"No… I mean, I don't think so." Naruto replied and Kakashi sighed.
"I guess I should have seen that coming… you rarely use them outside of a fight. Ok, Naruto listen closely." the blond nodded. "Whenever a shadow clone dispels, any experience or knowledge they gained is transferred to the user of the technique, understand?" Sakura and Sasuke's eyes widened in shock at that, while Naruto just looked blankly.
"Huh?" Naruto responded dumbly.
Sakura groaned. "Ugh, I can't believe you graduated…"
Zabuza face palmed. "Kakashi… I hope this works…" he said, already seeing where Kakashi was going with this.
"Yeah, you're not the only one…" Kakashi replied. "Alright, look at it this way. Let's say one of your clones were to read something." Naruto nodded. "When it disperses, you would learn what it read, understand any better?"
Naruto looked excited. "Yeah!" before he took on a confused expression. "But, why didn't I notice that sooner?"
"Like I said, you've never used them outside of battle. What they experienced was too similar to what you did for you to notice." Kakashi explained as he pulled out a scroll from his vest "Now, as I said, I want you to create ten shadow clones. While we work on this new exercise, your clones will work on improving your mind." he then opened the scroll, revealing ten books, including a dictionary, one book on anatomy, one book on math and the remaining a few on the finer points of being a ninja.
"Could I use this to learn jutsu faster?" Naruto asked excitedly.
"I think it would be best if you limit their use to gaining knowledge and catching up to your other classmates. This method of learning causes a great deal of mental strain." Kakashi replied. "Besides, considering you were able to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu in a single night, I doubt that that will be necessary."
"Alright! At least I'll be able to get all this without all the boring reading. Sucks for my clones though." Naruto grinned and did as he was told, his clones groaning at being forced to read, while Sasuke scowled.
"Kakashi. Why does the dead last get this special treatment? Couldn't you teach us this jutsu so we could train like this, too?" Sasuke asked, more concerned about his own training than Sakura's.
Kakashi shrugged. "It's not special treatment. Naruto has unusually large chakra reserves. To be more exact, his reserves are massive, even compared to mine. Only someone with reserves as large as his could benefit from training like this; creating enough clones to really take advantage of this method would cost anyone else too much chakra. Even I wouldn't be able to gain anything from it." Sasuke's scowl deepened. "Now, before we begin training in earnest, we're going to teach you three to walk on water."
"What? Are you serious, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked.
"I take it this is more difficult than tree climbing." Sakura commented.
"That's right. Due to the shifting surface of the water, you have to constantly calibrate the chakra, rather than maintain a steady flow, or you'll fall in anyway. Allow me to demonstrate." Kakashi said. They'd seen it before, but it was always during the heat of battle. The masked ninja casually walked over and onto to the stream, the water rippling at his footsteps as he walked to its center before turning to face them. "Alright, your turn. Let's see if any of you can make it to me."
The three genin nodded before running forward, focusing on their chakra until . Naruto and Sasuke immediately noticed how much more difficult it was. Naruto made ten steps before failing and falling into the water. Sasuke made it farther but soon suffered the same fate as the blond. As they both resurfaced the looked over to see Sakura standing next to Kakashi, a looking triumphant. "That was easy."
"Well, well. Looks like I underestimated the girl." Zabuza commented.
"Well, this certainly causes a sense of déjà vu, doesn't it?" Kakashi commented, his gaze turning to his two submerged genin. "It seems you've once again been outdone. At this rate, you may not make it to chunin. After the tree climbing exercise, I expected you to work on your chakra control without my need to say so, but I guess I was wrong."
"I'd thought an Uchiha would know how important control is, but I guess, like most of your clan, you're all talk." Zabuza smirked beneath his mask as Sasuke's eyes, blazing with fury, turned to him.
"And Naruto, how will you ever live up to your end of the bargain you made with the Hokage at this rate? Don't you want to learn about your family?" Kakashi's statement added fuel to Naruto's determination. "Now, Sakura, you'll move to the next step."
"Next step?" Sakura inquired.
"Yes, I'll let them take care of that." Kakashi responded, walking towards his two soaked students as Sakura's eyes widened as they shot to the mist jonin.
Zabuza's smirk widened. "Good, as entertaining as it is to watch genin fail miserably, this is far more amusing. It's a lot more difficult to maintain control while in a fight, so you'll be sparring with Haku until controlling your chakra becomes second nature to you."
Sakura paled as Haku stepped onto the water, an apologetic look on his face before several senbon appeared in his hand and he fell into a combat stance. "Prepare yourself, Sakura."
And that's the end. Hope you liked it.
Also, if anyone's worried about Naruto getting sub-elements, don't. They find it's impossible, even for a Rinnegan user. He could learn artificial ones like the Dust Element, shame Onoki would never teach him.