AN: Due to the tremendous success in acquiring attention, I thought that this next chapter ought to be my number one priority. With that in mind, I'd like to thank all of the readers for the surprising amount of attention the first chapter did receive. It's greatly appreciated. So I hope you'll read on and continue to enjoy the story. Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, surprisingly. Otherwise, there would hardly be any plot to it and there would be a lot more epic fighting. Also, chapter title comes from Slaughterhouse's album Welcome to: Our House.
Chapter 2
Place to Be
"What's Konoha gonna be like, Shizune nee-chan? I've never been to an actual hidden village before, like you and Tsunade have."
Shizune turned her head to the side, looking down at her much shorter walking companion. They'd been traveling this way mostly due to Tsunade's preference of comfort over speed, but it gave Naruto the time needed to let everything he'd learned sink in. It was an awful lot to have put on him at once. This was the first thing he had said to anyone since he'd learned about his past.
"It's big. Much bigger than every other village around here. It's at least twice as big as Kusagakure. Do you remember us staying there? It was close to winter so we had to wear those itchy robes while Tsunade treated the Daimyo's wife there."
Naruto's eyes squinted as he thought back, but they widened again when the recollection of memories hit him. "Yeah! You were healing my fingers all the time back then because I wasn't good enough at it yet. And Kaa-chan made me wear that stupid hood so I wouldn't get a cold… Or was it because she didn't want anyone to see me?"
Shizune saw Naruto slip down a train of thought and immediately tried to break him out of it. If he started to believe that Tsunade hadn't had his best interest at heart, then trust would be lost. So she decided to bring up a different subject and get Naruto's mind on something else.
"Did you ever finish that super secret technique you were working on, Naruto? The one with your hands?"
Naruto's head whipped back around to lock onto Shizune, before he started answering "That's not just something you can finish, Nee-chan. It's never gonna be truly finished, at least I don't think it will. I haven't found any research or notes anywhere that indicate otherwise. But if you're asking whether or not it's practical to use, then yeah."
Shizune nodded, mildly interested in seeing what all Naruto could accomplish with his developing skill. Even if it bothered her how the whole thing came about, she was still proud of what Naruto had done with his medical training. He was making it his own.
"Konoha is warm and busy, no matter what time of the year it is. There isn't much rain there, but the weather is always nice out. It's surrounded by beautiful forests and lots of flowers. What really makes Konoha special is the people. The people in Konoha are always in bright spirits, always helpful and smiling. It's my favorite place in the whole world." Shizune continued, keeping Naruto busy listening to her.
"Then why'd you leave?" Naruto asked. Shizune was making the place sound wonderful, because he knew she wasn't exaggerating or deceiving him. She was always truthful with him, which was something he did in return. When they weren't messing with each other, at least.
"I…guess I wanted a break. The war was still going on back then and my gennin squad leader had died in an Iwa ambush. My squad was being disassembled and I was going to be placed in the hospital's current program. Tsunade was there at the time and she noticed me, offering pointers on what to do and how to handle certain patients that were always giving me fits. I enjoyed working there. I made a lot of friends and everyone was nice to me, even though we were always busy."
"Sounds like you were happy though. What changed?" Naruto questioned.
"My uncle died. Dan, who was currently courting Tsunade at the time, died on the battlefield. Tsunade was there and tried to save him, but couldn't. That's when she developed her fear of blood. Not soon after, she announced she was leaving the village indefinitely. I originally planned to seek her out and ask her to stay and teach me, but when I saw her, I chickened out. She offered me the chance to learn under her as an apprentice, so long as I always listened to what she said. So I agreed. The next day we left Konoha and never went back."
Naruto's gaze softened and he looked farther down the road, where Tsunade and Jiraiya were talking quietly. "She was really hurt over all that, huh? I remember when she called me Nawaki on accident and cried the rest of the night. Now she's going back home and she's gotta face all those old memories again… We've gotta do something for her, Shizune. I don't know what, but I'm not letting her down. She wants me to get stronger, right? Then I'm gonna get started training as soon as we get to Konoha!"
The declaration got a snicker out of Shizune, making Naruto look at her and question.
"Oh it's nothing. You just reminded me of my old gennin team is all. One of my squad mates got all fired up whenever we got our first C-ranked mission outside of the village. The only problem with that mission was that we were supposed to find this crazy cat that belonged to some hideous woman and had slipped outside the gates."
"I won't have to do lame stuff like that, will I Nee-chan?" Naruto begged. He hated cats and they hated him in return. And he'd heard stories while passing through smaller ninja villages about infamous D-ranked mission. They were all menial labor and chores. No way would any of those types of missions make him stronger.
Shizune pondered on the question for a moment before answering "I don't think so. If Tsunade was to enroll you in the shinobi forces like she plans to then you would probably be placed as a Chunin at least. Sure, you'd have to get into shape physically, but as far as chakra arts, you'd be well above most others your age."
"Chunin don't do D-ranked missions?" Naruto asked. Tsunade had taught him a lot of things outside of medicine, mostly just because it was practical to make Naruto knowledgeable. That didn't mean she went into a lot of details about every subject.
"No, they do mostly C-ranked mission or occasionally B-ranked missions if they have a squad of other Chunin to back them up. Jonin are allowed to do solo B-ranked missions and even A-ranked missions if they are skilled enough."
"What about S-class? Those kinda missions are the ones that Kaa-chan would always tell me about. They were always cool and there was a lot of fighting and danger. Explosions and bad guys. That sorta stuff."
Shizune gave Naruto a look that he hated. It was one of those 'You know you can't do that' looks. Shizune always gave it to him whenever there was something dangerous about and that could seriously hurt Naruto. She was a very protective older sister, overbearing at times, but no one cared as sincerely as Shizune did.
"Those types of missions are saved for the best shinobi the village has to offer. They are extremely dangerous and shouldn't be taken lightly, Naruto." Shizune scolded. Naruto playfully stuck his tongue out at her, which she smiled and returned in kind. While the two were making faces at each other, a call came out from Tsunade telling them "We're here! Act your age, you two! The first time we come home in years and my two apprentices are acting like children. How shameful."
Shizune had the decency to look shameful as the two took in their surroundings. In front of them were the massive pair of gate doors that lead to Konohagakure no Sato. Outside were two gate guards sitting in a booth, wearing standard Chunin garb. Jiraiya began to chat animatedly with the two men as Naruto nudged his sister figure and whispered "I'm not gonna have to wear that stupid uniform, am I?"
Shizune shook her head before whispering back "What's wrong with the uniform? I like it."
Naruto snickered before shooting back "I'm not surprised. It's just as boring as your regular attire."
A slap to the back of the head stopped his snickering before Shizune hissed a sharp rebuttal "What's so boring about what I wear? I helped you pick out your outfit anyways."
Naruto looked over his attire of blue shinobi pants wrapped with medical tape at the ankles and matching sandals, a black shirt with a dark red spiral on the back, topped with his traveling coat. It was identical to Tsunade's only orange and with the kanji for 'Legendary Winner' on the back instead of 'Legendary Sucker'. The reason being was that Naruto had the absolute opposite of his sensei's luck at gambling and had made a fortune before Shizune had forbidden that he gamble any more.
"Mine's stylish and sticks out. You just blend in. It's no wonder you can't get a boyfriend." Naruto jeered, but before Shizune could argue back, the gate doors opened and the group of four travelers were met with a wall of sound.
Cheers from screaming villagers, shouting their joy at one of their legendary Sannin returning home after so long away. Praise for the returning of the Yondaime's lost son and cherished successor. Pride at Konoha finally having a Jinchuuriki to put it at equal standing with other hidden villages again.
It made for a heart stopping memory for Naruto, who never would've expected something like what he saw. He looked at Tsunade, who was smiling, watching him out of the corner of her eye while waving back at the exuberant crowd. Naruto smiled, before imitating his teacher and waving back at some younger children who were screaming over the return of the Fourth's son.
It would certainly be something to get used to. Going from being near anonymous on the streets to village celebrity would be a strange change. But Naruto could already tell he'd like his stay here in Konoha. Already it was starting to feel like home.
In front of the four, a group of shinobi were parting the crowd to allow the group to proceed, the Hokage's Tower their obvious destination. The crowd followed them the entire way and some of the shinobi even took to the rooftops to keep up. Naruto watched them with particular interest, wondering just how strong each one of them were and how he would fall in scale next to them. It was a pointless endeavor, but one he did anyways.
One girl in particular caught his eye. She was around his age, but Naruto couldn't get a good look at her features from the distance they were at and the way she was moving to keep pace with his party. She had her eyes looked onto Tsunade and they never slipped off the woman. It was almost creepy and made Naruto wonder what the girl's problem was, or if she was some sort of assassin after her target. Naruto brushed the thought off when the girl finally took her eyes off of Tsunade and they landed on him.
Naruto immediately got the feeling the girl didn't like him. A pit formed in his stomach at the dislike Naruto could feel coming off of the girl in waves. The girl stared down at him in an unspoken contest as to who would look away first, the chicken of the two. Naruto nearly fell out of step with his group, but caught himself and looked away from the girl. An uneasy feeling settled into his stomach as he thought to himself 'I just got here and already someone doesn't like me. We haven't even spoken yet and I can already tell she hates my guts.'
Maybe hate was a strong word, but it certainly chipped at Naruto's good mood. The four arrived at the base of the Hokage Tower and the crowd scattered, no longer able to see their celebrities. The tower interns and lackeys all snapped to attention when they saw the group, who merely continued onwards up a set of stairs and to the Hokage's office.
'Tsunade-sama's office, soon.' Naruto thought to himself as a grin worked its way on his face.
Jiraiya seemingly vanished into thin air as Tsunade knocked on the door, making Naruto wonder where the sage had slipped off to. Surely he'd want to stick around for the meeting that was about to take place. Nonetheless, the three remaining medics entered inside the room when an old voice beckoned them in with a warm greeting. Naruto, being the last one in, shut the door and took in the sight of the room.
It was smaller than Naruto expected, but still large in it's own way. The room was lined with bookshelves on one wall and windows on the other. The room was furnished with a large, solid desk that was the Hokage's personal desk. Tsunade's grandfather had made it, if he remembered right. Two twin chairs were aligned in front of it and made for comfortable seating if Naruto guessed right.
Standing in front of his desk was the most important object in the room. Naruto didn't recognize the old, withering man, but knew him immediately as the Hokage, even if he wouldn't have been wearing his proper attire. Naruto could sense his chakra and the radiance of power that seemed to belie the old man, but Naruto knew that this man wasn't Hokage for nothing. This was the God of Shinobi, who had trained his sensei and Jiraiya, even the traitor Orochimaru, into the legends they were now. The old man smiled widely and spread his hands out wide, greeting them happily.
"Tsunade-chan, so good to see you after all these years. I was afraid I wouldn't get the chance to again before these old bones gave out on me. And I see you haven't aged a bit since you left, you sly girl. But who is this you have with you? Shizune-chan as well. My, you've grown up so nicely. I'm sure you've had your hands full keeping my old student in check. She was always and handful when I was raising her and I'm sure she hasn't changed much."
Shizune giggled at this, to which Tsunade shot her a dark look. The Sandaime didn't seem to notice and continued on in his cheerful mood, telling the two how happy he was to see them back in the village again. Tsunade then pointed something out that made Naruto want to stomp her toes.
"You forgot about Naruto-kun here, Sensei. He must've slipped your senile mind, you old coot."
The Sandaime sent her a mock scolding look before focusing in on Naruto, whom Shizune pushed out in front of her. Naruto slipped a small kick to the shin back to her, which connected and made her wince. The Hokage pretended not to notice and smiled largely at seeing the boy.
"You certainly have gotten a lot bigger since the last time I saw you, my boy. You were only just beginning to get around back then. Now I think you could out pace me by a good margin."
"Not true, Hokage-sama." Naruto interjected, but cut himself off. Interrupting the Hokage was stupid and incredibly bad mannered. Tsunade would kill him later, he was sure.
"Modest, huh? You certainly didn't get that from Tsunade. But a little birdie stopped by this morning and told me that you have learned something from Tsunade after all of years with her. I want to let you know, that as Hokage you have my explicit permission to assist in any way you desire at the hospital. I think that with the general knowledge of who your teacher is, that no one would turn down your healing services. Quite the opposite in fact."
Naruto nodded, face warming up a little at the compliment. Praise wasn't something Naruto was used to with Tsunade as his mentor. When she began to teach, she was as stern and mean as they come. But Naruto accepted what little praise he got as if it were something to be treasured. Seeing a man far his superior praise him despite the fact Naruto hadn't done anything to deserve it was embarrassing.
"Naruto, I also heard that you have become aware of your heritage, as well as your status as a Jinchuuriki. While I believe the crowd outside shows you the public's view on you, I'd believe it best to assign a squad of Anbu to watch over you, at least until things have settled down in the village. I hope you don't mind."
Naruto shook his head and the old man decided to continue.
"I know that you probably have a lot of questions to ask about your parents and even what it means to be a Jinchuuriki. It's a lot to have placed on your shoulders at such a young age. I knew your parents, watched them grow up and fall in love. And I watched them love you, even if the didn't get the chance to know you. So please listen to an old man when he tells you that your parents loved you deeply, Naruto and it hurt them that they couldn't be here with you today."
Naruto nodded his head, not trusting his voice as he pushed back on his emotions and felt his throat dry up.
"It's ok. I like life just the way it is with Tsunade-sama and Shizune nee-chan."
Sarutobi looked up and caught Tsunade's eyes, which were beaming with pride at her surrogate son, who didn't even know she was looking at him. The two veteran shinobi exchanged a glance before he asked "Naruto, I've heard that you want to enlist as a shinobi of the Leaf. While I have no problems with this and would be honored to have you serve my village, I want to know what surname to put on your ninja identification card. I understand if you don't want to take up your father's surname yet, or at all after the burden he put on you, and official Konoha records have you listed as Uzumaki, but it's your choice."
"Senju." That was Naruto's answer. Short. Eloquent. Deep and meaningful.
Sarutobi stared down at the blonde boy, who stared right back up at the Hokage, a firm look in his eyes at his decision. "Naruto, it regrets me that the political system in Konoha is this way, but if you were to take on the Senju's surname with Tsunade's blessing, I wouldn't be able to allow you into the Namikaze homestead nor allow you to access anything on the property. All monetary funds would be replaced into charity and items of worth would be sold off to the highest bidder at an auction you wouldn't be allowed to participate in. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
The sharp blue eyes that were eerily similar to his successor flickered for a moment. Sarutobi watched the boy make his decision, as it would be a life-altering one. But when Naruto answered, he was firm and securein his choice.
"Yes. I'm not the Yondaime's son, or at least not the one he wanted me to be. I'm a doctor, not the kickass ninja he was when he was my age. And I know he has a lot of jutsu and techniques stored away in his house that would help me with my Akatsuki problem, I think I'd rather stick with my real family on this. I think my dad would understand."
A hand wrapped around Naruto and pulled him backwards into a one-armed hug, smothering the poor boy in his surrogate mother's bosom. A muffled 'Quit it!' was heard before the Sannin finaly released her pupil.
The old man smiled at the two blondes, before something caught the corner of his eyes. Sighing, he suggested "Konoha hasn't changed too much since you left, Shizune-chan, so if you would, take Naruto out and show him around his new village. Tsunade and I need to stay here and catch up, I do believe."
The brunette nodded and grabbed Naruto's hand, tugging him out of the office and down the main stairway. As they left, Sarutobi went to his window and opened it, allowing his second student to slip in the office. The Sandaime had long since given up reasoning why his student always entered his office through the window and could only pray that it wouldn't pass down to other generations. He turned serious as he eased down into his plush chair, bones cracking and popping as he did so. When he finished sitting down, he looked to his students with a grim expression before asking "So tell me about your encounter with Akatsuki."
Shizune all but dragged Naruto through the lobby of the Hokage Tower, chatting with him on all of the stores and shops they should stop by. "We should go see if that sweet shop is still in business. Oh, they made the best licorice there. I would go there as a girl and spend nearly all of my pay from D-ranked mission on licorice."
"Licorice is nasty, Nee-chan. How can anybody eat that stuff is beyond me."
A quick warning squeeze of his hand let Naruto know to quit bad mouthing Shizune's favorite treat. She had an gleam in her eye that deterred Naruto from testing her on the subject any further. The two stepped outside and almost immediately there was a crowd on them. Mostly civilian women, screaming for Naruto to take their daughter's hand in marriage. Flabbergasted, the two apprenticed medics were nearly swallowed up by the crowd when a man stepped out of it and warded the raving women off.
He was a shinobi, a Jonin from the looks of him. He was dressed in the standard Konoha military uniform and had most of his hair covered by a bandana, asides a few strands that framed his face. The most noticeable thing about him was that he was chewing on a long toothpick, that on second look, was actually a senbon. His slack posture and demeanor made Naruto want to immediately label him off as a jerk.
"Shizune-san. So you really are back. I was headed up to the Hokage to report that the crowds has finally simmered out and that everyone would be in the village square tomorrow for the big announcement. It's good to see you." The man spoke with a laid back drawl, furthering Naruto's label of him.
Shizune seemed caught of guard for a moment, before something caught on in her mind and she squealed happily before wrapping the man in a hug. The man was stiff for a moment, before loosening up some and hugging back with one arm.
"Genma-kun! It's really you! Oh, you've grown taller than me! I remember when you were still so short and cute, but now you're all big and strong. You're a Jonin! Takama-sensei would be proud." Shizune calmed down some and stepped back away from the man, who had a softer smile on his mug now.
"Yeah. They promoted me and Raido a few years back after a really ugly mission out in Yugakure (Land of Hot Water). A Raiton jutsu went wrong and he got the worst end of it, but they gave us these cool jackets for it afterwards."
Shizune bit her lip at that, but tried to cheer up and asked "Are you on any particular assignment? I'd like to catch up with you all sometime. While I was out traveling under Tsunade you guys were out getting stronger and stronger. I bet you have all sorts of stories to tell, just like Sensei did."
Genma's hand slipped back behind his head and scratched at his hair beneath his bandana, before he answered slowly "Well, they have me on patrol with a few other Jonin watching over things while the village prepares for the Chunin Exams coming up. It's a real hassle, but I'm free for a little bit after I turn in this report."
"The Hokage's busy talking with Tsunade-sama right now, isn't he Nee-chan? Your report would probably have to wait until they finished." Genma looked down to Naruto, who'd finally made himself known to the older man. Naruto was content with sitting back and listening to Shizune talk, planning on grilling her over it later just to pick on her.
Shizune flashed him a grateful smile, before introducing her fellow apprentice. "This is Naruto-kun, Genma. He's been traveling with me and Tsunade for a while now and he's soon to be our up and coming medical expert. He's also-"
"I'm sure he's heard enough about me already, Nee-chan. Why don't you ask Genma-san to show us around? You probably don't remember much of anything about the village, plus Genma and you can catch up while he shows us around. He's got nothing to do for a while at least."
Shizune stopped mid-sentence and gave Naruto a look, questioning him. It wasn't like him to try and manipulate others, unless there was something he really wanted. And Naruto was playing it smoothly, being nonchalant and non-offensive when he brought up the idea of Genma showing them around. What was he trying to pull?
Naruto just smiled at his sister figure while Genma added "I'm game." to settle the matter.
Shizune turned to her old gennin squad mate and nodded. "Lead the way."
Naruto grinned to himself as the two older shinobi began to walk and talk, heading down the street towards a busy part of town. Naruto had seen enough village layouts to know that would be where most of the restaurants and small shops were. From there, ninja supply stores and specialty vendors would slip in and the streets would get smaller. Eventually, close to the walls of the village, residential sections would pop up. Naruto, in theory, could find his way to nearly any destination in the village just by knowing that.
So Genma leading them around was only a chance for him to pick on his sister. He'd have to think of something to embarrass her around Genma. It wouldn't take much. Shizune was easy to embarrass in front of others. The better she knew someone or the better the impression she was trying to make, the easier it got. Genma, unknowingly, was making Shizune the perfect target.
Naruto ignored most of his sister's and Genma's conversation as he looked around and soaked up the sights, trying to memorize where certain shops were placed. He noticed how some people were still poking their heads out of windows or doorways to look and see if it was really him. It was an odd feeling, knowing he was watched by strangers. He hoped that he got used to it, or maybe the stares would stop.
When he was younger, he used to wonder what it felt like for Tsunade to walk into towns and people recognize her. She was a world renowned medic of unparalleled ability. People thought highly over her, more than other shinobi of her class. She was a doctor after all. Who could hate someone who healed the sick and injured?
Naruto, though, he was the son of a legendary shinobi famous for single-handedly wiping out battalions of Iwa shinobi. He was also the container for an evil monster fox that had nearly destroyed the village he was walking in and had killed his father in order to defeat it. Yet still the people of Konoha stopped and starred at him. Maybe that was a good thing?
The two shinobi he was following stopped mid-street and Shizune squealed again. She was doing that a lot today. Naruto was starting to wonder if she still thought about that silly pig they almost got. Thank goodness they didn't. No way would that thing have survived living with Tsunade.
Naruto focused in on Shizune and Genma again and caught the tail end of Shizune's exclamation. "-still here! After all this time!"
Naruto followed Shizune's line of sight and saw a small, old shop that was out of place alongside more modern booths that lined it on either side. But Naruto peered in through one of the windows and saw that the place was lined with candy. Naruto backed away from the window and looked to his sister, asking "Is this the candy shop you told me about?"
Shizune nodded while Genma questioned with tone "You told him about Konoha's candy shops above all else? I guess your time with Tsunade-sama hasn't changed you that much."
Shizune's head swiveled from her glare at Naruto to a frantic glance at Genma. With that way Genma said that, Shizune most assuredly felt terrible. Being gone for so many years, then told that she hadn't changed much was hurtful in her eyes. She had left with insecurities and had come back as a skilled medic who had accomplishments to be proud of. But in front of Genma, she was still the same little girl.
"It's a good thing, Shizune. I was worried when you left that you would come back bitter, like Tsunade-sama was. I wanted to tell you not to change any, when you left, you know. But me and Raido overslept after training the night before you left and we missed seeing you off. Sorry for that."
Shizune's face brightened some, in a way Naruto liked. She was happy when she was like this.
"I thought for so long that you guys didn't care that I left, that maybe you were glad I was gone. That I wouldn't drag you down on missions anymore."
Genma's face turned to one of surprise, his senbon flaring up and out instead of drooping per his normal mellow mood. "No. We never thought that you-"
"Hey, hate to interrupt and all, but we've been blocking the door for a while now. Can we go inside to get out of the way at least? I wanna see what Shizune daydreams about all the time." Naruto jested, earning Shizune's ireful sneer while Genma was focused on opening the door.
Inside the shop was all the candy Naruto could imagine, then some. The store was bigger on the inside than it appeared. Candy lined the aisles, filling the place to the brim. There were more kinds than Naruto would dare count, each one different. Wrapped in bright colors and eye-catching logos, the place was a sweet tooth's heaven.
A quick glance at Shizune made Naruto want to burst out laughing, but refrained from doing so. He had an image to keep as Tsunade's apprentice and he couldn't fail to uphold it, regardless of how funny Shizune looked. She was standing in front of a large wheel of black licorice that was mounted on the wall behind the shop's register. A large woman, probably distant Akimichi if Naruto had to guess, was steadily turning the wheel at Shizune's insistence. The glaze that had covered Shizune's eyes and the drool that had lined her lip was hilarious, but Naruto saved the image for later and went to explore the shop more.
Farther back, the candy got more and more exotic. Chocolate tea leaves from Cha no Kuni (Land of Tea), flavored ice from Yuki no Kuni (Land of Snow), and even sweetbread covered in honey from Mitsu no Kuni (Land of Honey), which was supposed to be incredibly hard to get outside of its native country.
Naruto wandered farther and farther back, looking the shop over and began to hear voices. Stopping for a moment, he distinguished them as two girls, probably around his age. Peeking around the aisles' end cap, Naruto saw two girls that were indeed his age.
One was a blonde, a lighter shade than himself. She wore it in a ponytail down her back, over her purple sleeveless top and matching skirt. She had a majority of her legs wrapped, mostly for decency's sake, he assumed. The other girl was wearing a much more modest red battle dress with knee shorts underneath. Her pink hair stuck out to him as odd, but Naruto didn't doubt it was her natural hair color. He'd seen weirder.
The two were engrossed in some debate over what kind of candy was better. It struck Naruto as an odd argument, as most of the girls he had met his age worried about dieting. Listening in further, he heard what they were really arguing about.
"Sasuke-kun would like this one better, Billboard Brow! He hated the caramel you got him last time. He obviously likes nougat the best. And no one eats candy that has fruit fillings in it now-a-days. You're so out of date, it's almost unbearable sometimes."
"Oh whatever, Ino-pig. I'm on his team so of course I would know what he likes best. Sasuke-kun actually likes fruit. I saw him eat an apple for part of his lunch just yesterday."
The Ino girl, who was the blonde girl, deflated a little at the pinkette's mention of her being on the same team as Sasuke, whoever that was. What interested Naruto the most was that these two were supposedly kunochi.
'Tsunade-sama would have a stroke if she saw these girls arguing like this over a boy's taste buds. Pitiful.'
Naruto knew that Tsunade wouldn't show any leniency to those two for being so…girly. Maybe they were more serious when they were on active duty? He hoped so, for their squad mates' sake.
Before he could leave the girls to their debate, the topic shifted and he heard something prick at his ear.
"I wonder what kind of candy that the Yondaime's son likes? What was his name, Sakura? Nakumo or something like that, wasn't it?"
The pink haired girl, now identified as Sakura, clicked her tongue before stating "His name is Naruto, you dummy. And why do you care what he likes? He's probably already got some beautiful princess promised to him. No way he'd be interested in a pig like you. Besides, I thought you were Sasuke's one true love? Or have you given up in the face of my obvious success in capturing Sasuke's attention?"
The blonde snorted, sounding almost like her namesake before responding to the bristling insult. "Don't get delusional on me, girl. I was just curious. Don't get me wrong or anything, Sasuke's still a hunk, but this Naruto guy is cute too. He's been trained by Tsunade, he's the Yondaime's son, and he's holding back a giant monster fox. He seems waaay more sociable than Sasuke is, that's for sure."
"Do we have to talk about the fox? Here? Can't we just get some candy and leave, Ino?" Sakura whined. The mood was suddenly sour and Naruto slipped back down the aisle, moving back towards the front of the store. He shouldn't of been eavesdropping on the girls and now his good mood was gone, just like Sakura's. Ino bringing up the fox was that much of a mood killer.
Shizune and Genma were still at the front of the shop, rambling around. Shizune had a large amount of licorice in hand with some leading up to her mouth that was chewing away rapidly at the nasty stuff. Naruto just faked a smile at her, before asking "Are you guys ready to leave? Genma, I'm sure you are."
Shizune half-heartedly swatted at her little brother's shoulder, which was swiftly avoided. Genma just twitched his senbon up and down before opening the door. Naruto was mid-stride in slipping out of the door when he heard a girl's voice.
"Wait! You're him, right? You're Naruto! Oh my gosh, Sakura, come on and say hi! Where are your manners?" It was the Ino girl from the back of the shop. Shizune watched Naruto's face pale as he turned around to smile and politely greet the loud platinum blonde. Seeing her chance to pay Naruto back and then some, Shizune slipped in and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Naruto, you didn't tell me you already made friends. And cute ones, too. Why don't you introduce me?"
Naruto's neck made a funny creaking sound when it slowly turned so he could look into his sister's perfectly masked expression. Oh, Shizune was good at putting on facades and acting. Real good. She was declaring war with this. Naruto told her as much with the burning look he gave her before turning back to the girls and saying "We haven't met yet. I'm sure they've just overheard of me thanks to Tsunade being back and all."
The blonde girl took that short interlude to step closer and introduce herself along with her companion.
"I'm so sorry, let me introduce myself. I can't believe I just called you out like that and you don't even know my name. I'm Ino Yamanaka and this here is Sakura Haruno."
"Hello, Naruto-san." Sakura chimed, putting on a pleasant face, even though Naruto could tell she was uncomfortable with being introduced to such an important person like she was.
Naruto merely dipped his head in a nod for greeting, but decided to fully introduce himself when he felt Shizune start to subtly pinch his neck. Damn his sister and her incredibly painful and sharp nails!
"I'm Naruto Senju, as I reckon you've heard. And this here is Tsunade's other lesser skilled and lesser mentioned apprentice, Shizune."
The pinch was nigh unbearable, but Naruto kept a straight face through the pain. It was worth it. The two girls in turn nodded their greeting to Shizune and Naruto was about to utter out an excuse for them to leave, but Shizune interjected and destroyed his plan.
"Listen girls, I hate to burden you so quickly after meeting, but my friend and I have an errand I just remembered I need to tend to, and it would mean the world to me if you two could take our place in showing Naruto-kun here around the village." She finished, pinching on Naruto's check.
Externally, Naruto smiled at the idea, only offering a "If it's no trouble to you girls." to what Shizune outlined. Internally, he was ready to wring his beloved sister's neck. Oh, she was soo going to get it later. She was evil, plain and simple. Sure, she was sweet and kind and unbearably polite at times, but still evil. It was a core virtue she kept hidden extremely well. She must've picked it up from Tsunade or maybe she was naturally that vindictive. But Naruto would concede defeat in this battle. He still the rest of the war to pay her back.
Ino was near vibrating with joy at the chance to show Naruto around, grabbing the boy's hand and near crushing it in a bone grinding grip, before pulling his arm nearly out of socket in her rush to get out of the store before Shizune could change her mind. Sakura waved goodbye to Shizune before taking of in a fast walk to catch up with her friend, who was nearly out of sight in her eagerness to show Naruto around.
Genma gave Shizune a quizzical look as they finally left the shop, prompting Shizune to give him a "What?"
"I can't believe you just did that. That was cruel, Shizune. You lied and then baited two young girls with your own little brother."
Shizune had the decency to turn a flaming red, but managing to mewl out "It wasn't like that." in her defense. Genma gave her another looking, trying to get her to explain. Because from his point of view, Shizune had just thrown that boy out to the sharks after marinating him in lamb's blood.
"He was pestering me and was trying to embarrass me in front of you. First with the candy shop, then when introducing me to those girls. He started it!"
The man just shrugged, before asking "What now?"
Shizune took a step closer to her guide before asking "I don't know. Why don't we go find a place to sit down and share stories. I don't care what you say, 15 years is plenty time for you to get some good stories. Is there anywhere around here that you frequent that we could get a quiet table?"
Genma pondered on the request, his senbon waving around to mimic his thoughts. Finally, something came to him. "There's a Jonin bar I could get us in that's pretty quiet this time of the evening. We could get us a nice corner there. Plus, there's a chance we could run into some of our other colleges."
The idea sounded good to Shizune, who nodded her agreement. The two then set off down the street, Genma leading.
"This isn't a date, is it Shizune? This is just a 'as friends' thing, right?"
Shizune giggled at the sudden question, her hand swinging awfully close to Genma's own. "I guess you haven't changed that much either, Genma."
After spending the next hour or so being caught up to current standing in the village and relating what had happened to her the past decade or so, Tsunade finally moved onto a point that had been long in the making.
"Sensei, correct me if I'm wrong, but Naruto's standing as my apprentice and him taking the oath with my last name like he has, he won't be allowed a Jonin sensei to train him for the month before the Chunin Exam will he?"
The Sandaime nodded before answering "Unfortunately, no. I can't assign him a tutor, either, with as shorthanded as we are preparing. I'm truly glad you came back to the village in time, Tsunade. We will need this show of strength in order to keep our enemies at bay and our position as the strongest nation secure. It's also a pleasant boon that we have such a remarkable crop of rookie gennin participating in the Exams. A child from every major clan, including the last Uchiha the village has. It will surely make for a good show on Konoha that we need."
Tsunade nodded before the man continued on with the topic. "Why start him as a gennin in the first place? From what you've reported, I wouldn't mind giving him a vest today, maybe even make him Tokubetsu Jonin if you agree."
Tsunade shook her head negatively. "I want him to start out as a gennin to make sure he understands that he's not being handed anything. Naruto will have to work to get what he wants in life and I don't see why his ranking in the ninja system should be any different. He'll start as a gennin, breeze through the Exams, then we'll see where he goes from there. As a Chunin and on good standing with the village, I can really start pouring some of the older and more prized medical scrolls into him. He's made amazing progress already in standard medic-nin practice and some incredible innovations with the more irregular techniques. I honestly don't know what all he's capable of. I do know that he needs to get his hands on that Oomi-te scroll we have lying around in the village library somewhere."
"The Long-Blade Hand style? If Naruto's a medic, why would he need that? That style is only useful if the practitioner were to deliberately abuse their hands until they were calcified enough to deliver debilitating chops or, if one believes the stories right, stab straight through someone with their hand. Hence, the long process of destructive finger training. Damaging his hands could be a major liability to someone who's main skill set relies on hand seals."
Tsunade just smirked before answering "Naruto's already been unknowingly training himself for this style ever since I taught him the concept of bones hardening back even stronger after being broken. The stupid brat went around for the next week or so breaking as many bones as he could. And this was before I taught him how to heal something that drastic. He did it even more when he could finally mend himself more and not beg Shizune to do it. He even developed a jutsu that harnessed some of the calcium that had built up in his kidneys to use as a source for his mending bones. He only drank milk for a year or so until he finally started to see the calcification hardness taper off. His hands are possibly three times harder than what they should be."
Sarutobi's eyebrows were raised at this, before they lowered and a tone crept into his voice. "The idea that he would hurt himself so much for stronger bones is a bit unnerving. I'm sure you've been giving him psych profiling as he progressed along, correct?"
"Yes. He's passed all of them well. It seems he has a really large interest in learning. Even things that aren't related to medicine. He soaks it all up like a sponge. It's almost reminiscent of-"
"Orochimaru." Jiraiya finished. He was still around, listening in on everything. He was the village's number one informant, after all. It was important for him to know these things.
Sarutobi sighed, before letting the subject shift yet again. "What of my wayward student, Jiraiya. I know you've been keeping an eye on his movements of late, as they suggest something is up."
Jiraiya nodded, his face grim. "Indeed. I've all but confirmed he's working with the Kazekage and planning an attack on the village during the later stages of the Exam. The Kazekage is sending his children to the Exams as participants. The youngest is the Ichibi's container. He's incredibly unstable and we will need to keep him away from Naruto at all cost. I don't care how confident you are in his skills, Tsunade. This kid is crazy and his seal is loose enough for him to be a danger to anyone lesser than upper Jonin class shinobi. The only thing we have to bank off is that he doesn't know you've returned yet. By the time he does learn of your return in the village, it will be too late for him to make any major changes in his plans."
A smirk formed on her face before the busty blonde replied "I'd love to see the look on his face when he realizes what he's got himself tangled up in now. If he really does try to attack, there's no way he's coming out of this place alive. But what shall we do with Sunagakure? If they truly intend to break our alliance, then we'll either have to break them off after the attack or take them under as our own pocket country until they rebuild under us."
Sarutobi's eyebrows clenched in a furrow as he contemplated his course of action. "I will more than likely be required to kill the current Kazekage in the attack. If he commits, then he won't stop until he's dead. I will see to that. From there, we will let Sunagakure do as they must, so long as they pay for the damage caused by the attack, ransom for any of their shinobi we take captive, and then a gesture of good faith. I'd imagine a scroll or two their famed wind techniques would suffice. Asuma would certainly enjoy that."
"So you'll just leave them to govern themselves after you cut their government's head off?" Jiraiya intoned, questioning his leader's choice.
"Sunagakure and Kaze no Kuni (Land of Wind) as a whole are still mindful of the large amount of assistance we gave them in the last war. I'm sure that among themselves they can elect someone who is willing to comply with us, so long as we give them the necessary mercy."
A knock at the door ended the conversation as the three legendary ninja fell silent. Sarutobi called for the knocker to enter, showing that Tsunade's students had returned, both looking disheveled.
"Rough tour?" Tsunade questioned, crossing her arms under her bust in an inquisitive stance. It wasn't like her students to let something as simple as walking around disrupt their attire and even their hair, in Shizune's case. Nothing could harm Naruto's stubborn spiky locks.
Neither answered, but Tsunade caught the hint of alcohol carried in on their scent and knew that there was a story waiting to be told. Seeing that her business was done for the day, the Sannin turned to her Hokage and asked "I assume I'm still allowed to reside in my grandfather's home? The council hasn't auctioned it off yet, have they?"
Sarutobi chuckled before replying "No, they haven't pushed for that yet. I took the liberty of allowing some of my personal maids clean it over the years. It should still be in prime condition upon your arrival."
"Thank you, Sarutobi-sensei." Tsunade then exited, her students following shortly after bowing in respect to their village leader. The old man then turned to his closest student and said "Konoha is going to have a much brighter future now, Jiraiya. This village has a lot to look forward to, despite the hardships that lie ahead."
The sage was silent as he opened the window and clambered out, but called out before he left "So long as this village has hot springs, there will always be a bright future here!"
With that, the pervert left the Hokage to his private affairs. The man gave a gesture to seemingly no-one, summoning his private Anbu. She appeared in front of him in a blur, a cat mask adorning her face to compliment her Anbu attire. "Cat, I believe I'll retire home for the night. Please see to it that the scroll detailing the Oomi-te style arrives at the Senju mansion by morning. That is all."
Tsunade's march from the Hokage Tower to the near outskirts of the village was in silence. Both apprentices knew this was bad. The forest that they had entered was dark, now that light was failing them and the sun was setting out of sight. It was hard to see the near overgrown path that was leading them to the famous Senju abode. It was one of the most secluded spots in the village and one of the most well protected. Rumor had it that it was one of the top five most secure places in the entire village.
Tsunade led them to a large set of metal gates that was the only entrance to the grounds, if the giant wooden wall was anything to go by. Naruto pounded on the wood, testing to see how thick it was. The sound it made was impressive and it was hard enough to make Naruto's hand ache some. Tsunade just shook her head at his silly inquiry and smeared a bit of blood from her thumb on the lock pad of the gate.
Healing the small cut in a mere moment, the gates swung open for Tsunade who urged her students on through. "We'll add you to the security system later. That'll save me a few headaches." With that, she ushered them in the house, which was just that. A house. The infamously secretive and esteemed estate that once belonged the first two Hokage was only a wooden home. Granted it was a beautiful and well designed home.
"Grandfather didn't care much for decoration. It'll do until I move us in to the Hokage's residence. Now that's a house."
Tsunade opened the front door similar to how she opened the gate and led them into a small foyer. The trio slipped their sandals off at the door as the only real Senju in the group showed them around. The kitchen, a small library and study, bathroom, and then finally the bedrooms. The first one would be Naruto's, the next Shizune's and the master bedroom Tsunade's of course.
In Naruto's room, the blonde was sitting at the foot of his bed, listening to Tsunade explain to him and Shizune that tomorrow she would be announced as the Sandaime's successor and as the Godaime Hokage. They would have to be on their best behavior, per usual, to reflect well on her. Tsunade finished her list of expectations and decided to settle in for the night. Naruto got off his bed and hung his traveling coat on a hanger in the small closet connected to his room. It was his one piece of clothing that he took pride in, mostly because it looked like Tsunade's.
When he did, the large nasty red mark made by Shizune's earlier pinching became noticeable and Tsunade immediately freaked. Clubbing Naruto over the head with a blow that sent him to the floor in a daze, she screamed down at him "What is that?! What is a hickey doing on your neck, young man? You've been in this village for one day and already some girl has been all over you! Who did this? Who's responsible?"
From the floor, groaning in pain, he pointed a weak, shaky finger at Shizune, who was at a loss of what happened. "It's her fault, Kaa-chan. She made me go with those girls around the village. I'm sorry. I was trying to be nice to them and the next thing I know I was in an alleyway and there was a whole gang of them. I tried to stop them and not to look at what they were showing me, but in the end…"
"I'll kill them all! Give me names, Naruto! I'll have their heads before the night's up. No one molests my son until I marry him off for money! And you!" Tsunade hissed, turning to face her older apprentice, who was terror stricken now at the rage-filled Sannin. "You are going to pay for abandoning my little Naruto-chan to hussies that would just use him to get famous as the girls that had their way with Tsunade's Senju's boy!"
Stammering, Shizune could only meekly pray to something up above for safety as she said "Tsunade, I didn't know! We were at a candy shop and those girls saw him. They seemed nice enough when they ran up to us so I offered to let them show Naruto around. I didn't imagine they would show him 'that' on his way around."
Naruto, who was still on the floor with a large knot on his head, was silently laughing so hard he was shaking. Payback was rich. Things had gone perfectly, even if he did get hit really hard in the process. He was holding back his mirth the best he could, rolling around in pain as his guts pleaded for him to open his mouth. He rolled and hit a dresser with a loud thump, catching Shizune's attention while Tsunade was ranting about evil girls and precious children.
Watching Naruto laugh brought something back to mind as she exclaimed "Tsunade-sama, he's lying! That's no hickey! It's a mark I left from pinching him for teasing me in front of Genma-kun."
"Genma-kun? No, never mind. Naruto, come here."
The blonde in question paled as Tsunade picked him up, locking a firm grip on both his arms and holding him in place as she looked at his neck. Indeed, it was only a pinch mark like Shizune said. Angry as she was, Tsunade could only take so much without hitting something. So she hit the nearest thing she could (Naruto) with the only weapon she had available. Naruto was sporting a busted nose when she tossed him on his bed, groaning in pain and clutching his bleeding sensory organ, hands already glowing green from channeling healing chakra.
Tsunade walked out of the room with a "Hmph.", but once she was out of sight, she rubbed her forehead. Man, that boy had a hard head. Shizune stuck around long enough to stick her tongue out at her surrogate brother and say "That's what you get, Naruto-chan. Good night!"
With that taunt, Naruto was left alone for the night, having nothing to do but look forward to tomorrow, when his nose would hopefully stop hurting.
AN: So I hope you guys liked it. I did. We are now in Konoha and there's still a lot to do. I introduced some plot threads that I'll continue later, but this was mostly a socializing chapter. I had a lot of fun writing Shizune and Naruto pestering each other and I think that a Naruto without the village to prank would turn to teasing whoever was around him. Thus, the sibling war of one-upness. I hope you guys enjoyed it, as I'll be doing it every now and then to make sure Naruto and Shizune, heck even Tsunade, are still a tightly knit family. That's important to me for this story. Vital, even.
I apologize in advance for any misuse of -chan and -kun. I know I'll screw that up a lot. But some will be deliberate, like with Shizune at the end, to tease Naruto. Or like with Tsunade, to symbolize Naruto being precious to her, like a girl.
Thank you, Savidge-Hokage, for pointing out a huge mistake on my part. Do it again if you see another. I appreciate that, and all other kinds of reviews as well. I can't promise when the next update for this will be, as I didn't expect to write this so quickly. Hope you all can be patient. Until then, Big Willis, out!