Disclaimer: Great God of Fanfiction! I implore thee to here my call! I don't own Naruto or World of Warcraft! Please, might you make it so?
'No'
Damn.
Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!
'italics' denotes technique names and thoughts—they aren't shouted out anymore, as a reviewer made me realize how stupid that is. They are now thought.
"Wow."
"Wow, what?"
Ino turned and gave Sakura a sharp, sly look, her lips twisted into a half-amused and half-annoyed smile. Her clear grey eyes quivered, as if she was stopping them from rolling on their own.
"Don't give me that," the blonde girl said, taking a sip from the steaming teacup in front of her. "You know exactly what 'wow' I'm talking about."
Sakura paused in the midst of scratching behind Tsuwabuki's ears. The vixen had been with them ever since they had departed the Hokage's room, several hours earlier, and had gone in search of food and Naruto's strange friend—Benedictus. They had given up eventually, deciding that he'd find his way back somehow, and had sat down at a small teashop. They had just received their tea when Ino uttered the three-letter word, and gave Sakura that unnerving look that told the clever girl that she was going to be treated to one of Ino's gossip sessions.
"I don't, honestly, know that you are trying to say," Sakura retorted, sipping her own tea and glancing away from the Ino's gleaming eyes, full of a Faustian hunger.
"He's hot."
"What?" Sakura looked back up in an instant, meeting Ino's eyes head on.
"Naruto," Ino said. "He's hot. Really hot, from what I can see. Wouldn't you say so?"
"Sure, why not?" said Sakura, suddenly dismissive. She immediately looked away from Ino, and began attending to Tsuwabuki, who was watching the conversation (and likely listening too, as both recalled that Naruto had said she could understand human speech). But Ino wouldn't let it go so swiftly or so easily, and dragged Sakura's attention back to her and the topic.
"He looks a hell of lot manlier, don't you think? And he's taller too. Way taller. He was pretty cool back when he was shorter than both of us, but now that he's taller—just wow, wouldn't you say?"
"I guess," said Sakura, again with the casualness of a discussion about weather or the time of day. She seemed fixated on Tsuwabuki's eyes. They were beautifully amber, and she told the fox so with a soft whisper. Tsuwabuki preened at the attention, nuzzling Sakura's face, though all the while giving her what could only be described as a perfectly knowledgeable, almost frank look. It was obvious that she was quite aware of what Sakura was trying to do, though this too, Sakura ignored.
Frustrated, Ino stopped talking for a moment and stared at the pink-haired girl for a while; thinking of a way that she could get Sakura's interest back in the conversation. It came to her suddenly, and she felt a little ashamed for not thinking of it earlier. It would have certainly been easier for her.
"So hot," she said, "that I may try a hand at him. Don't you think he'd be impressed by my womanly charms?"
"If he were completely brainless, I suppose," said Sakura, sending a mocking look at the other girl, who twitched.
"You're no fun, forehead girl. You're almost as bad as Hinata at making gossip."
"I just don't see the point," said Sakura. "Yes, he's gotten a little hotter, I guess, and he has gotten taller, I suppose; and he has gotten a better fashion sense, yes, and he must be a lot stronger, true, but I just don't…" She stopped, blinking, and frowned at Ino, who sniggered. "That was unfair."
"You said everything, forehead girl," said Ino. "So have your feelings changed?"
Sakura didn't respond.
"I'll take that as a maybe."
Sakura sighed. "Whatever."
"You don't seem to have much opinion on this either way. Aren't you happy to see him?"
"Of course I am!" Sakura said, with particular force that was almost startling. She then shook her head. "I guess it just hasn't sunk in yet. I mean he just appeared so suddenly. I guess the shock hasn't washed off yet." She shook her head. "Though I'll admit it's amazing how much he has changed, isn't it?"
Ino sipped her tea. "Yes. We'll have to gather everyone, and tell them that he's back. They'll be interested in seeing how much he's changed, too."
Sakura smiled, and nodded. Kiba would be chomping at the proverbial bit to find and challenge Naruto to a fight. The dog boy had grown up a bit, no doubt, in the time that Naruto had been gone, but Naruto's sudden presence would no doubt bring back that fiery competition that he felt. And, Sakura thought, amused, with Naruto's new friend, the fox that currently lay by her chair, Kiba would be quite impressed. Or shocked, though the difference would be negligible when the time came. She could almost hear Kiba's first words to Naruto—"It is you, Naruto! I though I smelled you! Let's fight, I want a rematch from last time!"
But the others would be happy as well. They had, after all, devoted much of their time in the past few years to becoming as good as they possibly could, so that when Naruto got back, they would not be so far behind him. Shikamaru and Chouji would be glad to have their friend back, and would likely treat Naruto to a hotpot of some sort when they found out he had returned. Shino—if he were able to recover from not being recognized by the blonde (for she had no doubt that Naruto would find it hard to remember Shino, covered as he was in layers of cloth), would likely try his hand at fighting Naruto at some point too. She had no doubt that Hinata would faint upon sighting Naruto. She had gained much more confidence, but Naruto had the effect of liquefying everything one planned to say or do upon sight or sound of him—and Naruto's changes would definitely have an effect, especially on one as innocent and shy as Hinata.
Lee would jump for joy upon sighting the boy, and he and Gai would proceed to terrify Naruto out of his wits with bad puns and loud exclamations of exultation, usually accompanied by a series of poses, strange backgrounds, and two pairs of gleaming white teeth and upturned thumbs. Tenten would likely greet Naruto with a wave and a laugh, never having spoken much to him anyways. Neji would be silent, but would honor Naruto with a bow or a slight smile—perhaps of challenge, for Sakura guessed that he, like Kiba, was burning for a rematch.
But like them, she just couldn't believe he was back; so silently and unannounced, he had just appeared in Tsunade's office. Though she knew how he had returned, she knew not why he had returned with that man, Benedictus—though she could guess.
Naruto had told them that he had arrived a little over three days prior, in the middle of the desert of the Wind Country. It had not been so far from the Hidden Sand, though Naruto had been too excited to be back to visit beforehand. He had returned thanks to an ingenious device of the gnome's invention—a two-way portal that effectively connected the two worlds together. It allowed people from the other world to go to her and Naruto's world, and vice-versa. Not even Naruto knew the specifics of it ('too many big words indeed' she thought), but all he knew was that he had returned.
And that was enough.
She then turned her attention back to Tsuwabuki, as she sipped her tea. While her mind was on the topic, she could not help but wonder whom the man Kakashi wanted him to meet was. Apparently her former teacher (who was now her comrade, as Team Seven had officially been reformed, and with her being the student of the Hokage and a chuunin, and Naruto being an official student of Jiraiya, Kakashi could not be classified as their teacher any longer) had asked this someone quite a while ago about the training necessary. Tsunade approved of him, as did Jiraiya, so Sakura didn't believe it could be anybody too bad.
Still, it made her curious, and she wondered who exactly had the power to help Naruto train the power supposedly uncontrollable—the chakra of the Kyuubi.
"Who's this guy anyways?" Naruto asked, as Kakashi led him through the streets of Konoha, which were now filled with far more people than previously—young couples or large families going out for a night on the town, something Naruto had never had the privilege of doing himself. The sun gleamed behind them, a fiery red, as the sky darkened and the stars began to show. They had only just left the Hokage's office—Naruto and Kakashi were now alone, for Jiraiya had pranced off saying something about "research" (both knew what this meant; one lamented and one was overjoyed), and Tsunade had remained in her office and would be completing the official paperwork for Team Seven's reformation.
"An acquaintance, of a sorts. An old friend from my ANBU days," said Kakashi, and did not elaborate further. Naruto glanced at him, frowning. Whenever Kakashi did something as such, Naruto would always grow even more interested. It was like the jounin took a sweet, carnal pleasure in stringing Naruto's interest along, never giving him more information than was necessary, until Naruto was ready to explode with excitement. He could almost hear Kakashi's silent mental cackle; so smug it could have darkened the sky.
Naruto fell silent, and to distract himself from Kakashi's personality (which at first had been refreshing, and had now relapsed into being as it always had been—annoying), set himself to absorbing the atmosphere of the village once again. The cool air, the sounds of the surrounding forest, the smells—they continually assaulted him, and just made him realize more and more that he was home.
What made it all the better was that every person they passed—whether man, woman, old or young—gave him a sideways glance, not of hate, but of thinly veiled interest. Some obviously recognized him, from the way their eyes would light up or their mouths would fall slightly open, but the looks never quite frosted over with that frightening hate that he had suffered his entire childhood. It made him smile, to know that they had in at least some way changed their opinion of him.
They left the industrial district of the city, and went out into the sparsely populated surrounding areas—where most of the larger clans had their residences. Naruto kept his eyes out for the Hyuuga compound, but before he saw it, they arrived at a small wooden house, barely bigger than a tool shed. It looked sturdy and well enough off, and sat alone in the middle of a particularly large garden. Naruto glanced around, surprised at how similar the area was to the night elves' forest groves. Though there were far less trees—indeed, only four trees surrounded the house, one at each corner. They stretched high into the air, and were a brilliantly emerald green, so much so that they made the other trees look withered and grey.
The door had a simple knocker, and beside it was a small plaque that simply said "Home", in small, neatly carved letters.
Kakashi walked straight up to the door and gave a single knock. It took but half a moment after the knock for the door to suddenly open, and there appear what was doubtlessly the only occupant of the small house—a man of about Kakashi's age, with deep black hair and big, powerful eyes. He had a straight nose, a smooth, sculpted face, and his height was again about that of Kakashi's. He wore a simple white tunic and black pants. He yawned and rubbed one eye when he saw Kakashi, though the other completely remained alert, and darted between the two visitors, and the area surrounding them, in quick succession.
"Kakashi-san? What's up?" he asked, his voice soft.
"You were sleeping?" said Kakashi, raising his visible brow.
"I just got back from a mission," the man said, defensively. "I was tired."
"Ah," Kakashi retorted, seeming unimpressed. "Tenzo, I have someone for you to meet." He pointed at Naruto. "Uzumaki Naruto, meet Tenzo. Tenzo, Uzumaki Naruto."
"Nice to meet you," said Tenzo, smiling and giving Naruto a small bow.
"You too," said Naruto, bowing but still frowning at the man. This was the guy who was going to help him train with the Kyuubi's chakra? How?
"Kakashi-san has told me something of you, and has expressed a wish for me to help with something, I gather? Let's discuss it inside," continued Tenzo, and waved the two past him, into the small house. Kakashi went in immediately, while Naruto followed. Inside, there were some steps, which Naruto and Kakashi descended. Naruto blinked a few times as he remembered how quickly Tenzo had answered the door. He looked back at the man, who smiled at him, and wondered if he had been waiting by the door that entire time.
At the foot of the stairs, there was another door, just as simple. It was ajar, which made Naruto rethink his previous conclusion; but it all stopped when he went through said door, after Kakashi, and into one of the most impressive sights he had ever seen in Konoha.
Within was a gigantic room, rectangular in shape, made entirely of the smoothest, lightest wood, Naruto had ever seen. But what was more was that everything in the room—from the chairs, the tables, the bookcases and desks, as well as the many doors on all sides—seemed to have grown right out of the wood, as if the furniture had grown from seeds like small shrubs. The room itself was smooth and bore nothing that looked like it had been crafted by human hands. The walls and floor were solid wood, as if they too had grown from the earth surrounding the room. The walls were decorated with many scrolls depicting various landscapes and people, painted by a famous artist that Naruto remembered hearing about when he was younger. A fire burned to their right, in a small, tidy fireplace. Naruto frowned, wondering how a fire could be contained in a house made of wood.
"Rather extravagant for one, wouldn't you say?" Kakashi said lightly, gazing at one of the outgrown chairs in passing interest.
"Maybe a little," said Tenzo, scratching the back of his head and grinning sheepishly. "But it's home."
'A really weird home,' Naruto thought, peering in interest at a bookcase, which appeared to have grown out of the wall, to his left. Thankfully the books and rolled up scrolls that adorned it were real. He looked around again, feeling a gentle warmth course through him. Though housing only one place, it did not seem a lonely place. The man, Tenzo, must have been perfectly content with his life, for the room to exude such a homely feeling.
"So Kakashi-san," said Tenzo, sitting himself in one of the chairs, which surrounded a small circular table. "What is it exactly that you wish me to do?"
Kakashi took a seat as well, shifting around a little to get comfortable. Naruto did so as well, finding to his surprise that the chairs were actually rather comfortable. The wood was as soft as a cushion.
"Well," began Kakashi. "As you already know, Naruto is the vessel of the Kyuubi no Yoko. For the past two years, he has been on an extended training trip of a sort, and during that time, that seal weakened greatly, but was thankfully repaired. Unfortunately, it was repaired in a way that renders it difficult for him to use it properly any longer." He looked at Tenzo simply. "Therefore, I come to you, to help him in this area."
"But wouldn't it be better if it remained unusable?" Tenzo asked softly, glancing once at Naruto. "The Kyuubi—no, all of the bijuu, are extraordinarily dangerous. Their powers are something that we cannot hope to master, or even begin to fathom. In my opinion, it would be better for it to simply stay like this—can he not simply train using his own chakra?"
"You're forgetting," said Kakashi, in that languid, passive way, "one of the most important rules of being a shinobi—that it is necessary for one to use all tools…every weapon at his disposal." Kakashi glanced at Naruto as well, his single eye lingering over Naruto's belly. "That is the reason the jinchuuriki were created. Naruto may have to face immensely powerful opponents in his future, and it would be best for him to have some semblance of control over the Kyuubi's chakra. You're essentially his only way of even coming close to that, unless he wishes to spend the rest of his life training. I guarantee you that Naruto is a quick learner. I may have a way also of vastly increasing his training speed; though in order to do this, it would be best to have some control over the demon's chakra." He leaned forwards, his single eye piercing into Tenzo's large powerful ones. "Besides, you should know well this rule, shouldn't you? After all, were you not given a powerful, yet detestable, tool yourself?"
Tenzo stared a little longer into Kakashi's eyes. Then, he sighed, and sat back, frowning. The chair seemed to bend with him, to Naruto's surprise, and so he was leaning quite far back, despite there being no hinges that allowed the chair to move in such a way. But Kakashi's words made Naruto look at the man even harder, trying to strip and peel away the wooden exterior that was Tenzo's face. He suddenly had a desire to know exactly what this man was—though something stopped him, and no matter how he tried, he could not look past the man's eyes, so like knots in the trunk of a tree.
"I was," Tenzo finally said. "And I have no qualms in helping him out; but I don't have the time, Kakashi-san. As an ANBU, I have duties every day, and there is still a considerable backlog of missions that must be taken care of. I don't know how I'm going to find time…"
"Time isn't an issue," said Kakashi, smiling at the man, who blinked in surprise. "I've already asked the Hokage—she's going to assign you to this as a special mission. I don't know when, probably when you've finished your other duties. But the point is that she wants Naruto as in control as possible, when the time comes for him to return to active duty."
"Is that so?" Tenzo said. "If that's the case, then I'll––"
"Wait a minute!"
Both men turned at once to Naruto, who treated them to a fierce glare that made Kakashi want to chuckle, though he contained himself at the risk of Naruto getting even angrier.
"Who the heck is this guy, anyways, Kakashi-sensei? You haven't said a thing about him, other than his name, and how the heck is he going to be able to help me with the Kyuubi?"
Tenzo looked at Kakashi, who merely stared back, and gave him a slight nod. Tenzo sighed, and turned back to Naruto. This time, Naruto saw a glimpse of something beyond the dark eyes, but could not make it out.
"I was gifted," he said, finally, his face stern, "with certain abilities. One of them," he gestured at their surroundings, "was this: the ability to manipulate the element of Wood—something that no other shinobi can do. The other is a little bit more complicated. It is the ability to control, using a certain medium, the power of a demon. Specifically, the bijuu, one of which lurks inside of you. Thus, I can suppress, and with my own chakra and willpower, control thatforce inside of you."
Naruto's eyes searched the man's face a moment longer, before he nodded and sat back. "Didn't know there was such an ability."
"It's not at all common," said Tenzo. The strange look crossed his face again. "It's a kekkai genkai, if you will."
"In any case," said Kakashi, "we just came by to tell you that. I have no doubt the Hokage will inform you when the terms of your mission begin." He stood, prompting the others to rise as well.
"Of course," said Tenzo, smiling. He looked at Naruto and gave a small bow of his head. "I look forward to working with you, Naruto-kun." His face then darkened considerably, becoming ghoulish, like a frightening wooden mask used by old superstitious women to scare away children or evil spirits. His eyes went wide so suddenly that Naruto leapt back in terror. "But know that I'm a bit different from Kakashi—I am not above using fear to motivate my students."
Whilst Naruto clutched his chest, still staring in horror and the man, whose face returned instantly to normal, Tenzo then looked at Kakashi. "Are you sure you can't stay?"
"Shouldn't you be asleep? I thought you were tired?" Kakashi retorted.
"Well," Tenzo said, sheepishly. "It's rare that I have visitors. Perhaps you'll stay for a cup of tea, or something?"
Kakashi glanced at Naruto, and stared at him in a way that Naruto first thought questioning, as if asking him if he wanted to stay, but before he could answer, Kakashi turned back to Tenzo, and gave a small shake of his head. "Sorry," he said, "but Naruto's going to need a good night's rest. Besides, he needs to get his apartment back, don't you, Naruto?"
"Oh yeah…" the blonde mumbled. He had hardly given it, or its kindly occupants, a thought since he had reentered the city. On that note, he realized that he hadn't even seen Ichiraku's, and felt horrified because of it. So it was with this guilt and primordial hunger that Naruto left Tenzo's home, with Kakashi by his side. The young man waved them out, smiling serenely the entire time. Naruto decided that he liked the older man, despite his strangeness and frightening face. He was now interested in seeing how this man could help him with his training.
Kakashi followed him back to the city center, stopping when Naruto could smell the familiar scent—so long denied to him—of the wondrous Ichiraku's Ramen Stand, where Naruto had spent some of the best days of his childhood. The smells—of boiling water; of cooking meat, chicken and shrimp halfway between soft and rare and delicious and juicy; vegetables that smelt as fresh as spring; of a plethora of spices—some hot and spicy which tingled the nose, others mild which made the mouth water, others sweet which made the eyes twitch and the body shiver; even of the sweat—the manly musk of Teuchi and the sweet perfume of Ayame, as well as two other scents (which he could not identify); the smells made him close his eyes and remember everything that had occurred there, and it was only Kakashi's voice which prevented him from launching himself towards the site of these wonderful scents, like distant dreams of the utmost pleasure.
"I need to head back," said Kakashi, setting a hand on Naruto's shoulder. He smiled down at the blonde, his one eye curved into a sideways crescent moon. "But before you head off to gorge yourself, you should know that I'm glad you're back, Naruto." He gave Naruto a pat on the head, making the blonde raise an eyebrow at the strange gesture.
"You should also know," said Kakashi, suddenly turning and walking away. "That we'll be having our first team meeting tomorrow—same time, same place. Don't bother eating breakfast. Good night!"
He was gone before Naruto could say much else than a simple "good night". But his words, like so many others today, awoke within him a memory, of long ago. It was a very specific one, and one that he cherished among all the rest as special. He grinned to himself, as he turned and walked towards Ichiraku.
They would definitely not lose this time.
Undrig grimaced, a look that the monstrous tauren, Kaine, mimicked beside him. The dwarf possessed a dark, bushy beard and powerful eyes of the same color. His face was shaped like crudely cut granite, and was adorned by a small scar across his forehead. He wore shining, polished armor and a tabard depicting a glittering silver fist, clenched and raised like a general's gauntleted fist at the commencement of a charge; a hammer, forged of a slightly darker metal, hung by his side. His hair and face dripped water from the pouring rain, which made pinging sounds off his and his companions' armors. They stood at the shoreline of a place where Kaine and Undrig had been quite recently; when neither had ever held any hopes of returning. For, despite its recent liberation, it still remained as more a graveyard than a place fit for any sort of habitation.
Theramore.
He looked sideways at Kaine, who was still surveying the area with the same distaste that he had been previously. Kaine was big for his age, even as a tauren; his body was the color of redwood bark and his hair that of a nightsaber's fur, and it was tied into two tails which adorned each side of his head; two horns, curved and sharp, sprouted from just above his floppy ears; and his eyes were of dark amber. He wore a big, black tunic with immense pauldrons, with a tabard of the Horde over it, and black and silver leggings that ended above his hooves.
"This place gives me the cr…croo…cri…creeps," Kaine rumbled in a low voice, stumbling over his limited knowledge of Common and glancing at his companions, ten of which were tauren, and half that orc. They continually glanced at the Undrig's party, consisting of eight humans and eight dwarves. The leaders of both parties were becoming increasingly aware that the nature of those glances was never entirely friendly.
"Aye," Undrig agreed. "Not a pleasant place, indeed." He would ignore it for now. They had more important things to do.
"Lord Thrall said that this would be a coballora…collabora…collaborative process between us. He said that we should build the settlements near each other. But I don't think I'd want to use this place, do you?"
"Strategically," grunted Undrig. "It's the best in the 'ole marsh. It gives us immediate escape plans, and full view o' the coastline. If we were gonna build anythin', I'd think it'd be best ta' do it here. It'd take some work, o' course."
"Some?" mumbled Kaine; the thought of boring manual labor appalled him.
"Aye, some, lad." Undrig glanced around again, wiping some rain from his eyes. They had all of the materials necessary to begin construction right away, and a sufficient number of people to do it. He was supposed to report back to Kira and King Magni on a regular basis, letting them know when to send troops to garrison and man the settlement they were building. Kaine was supposed to do the same thing for Thrall and his grandfather. In Undrig's opinion, construction shouldn't take long. The tauren had brought druids and shamans to manipulate the wood and earth, and the dwarves and humans had brought the supplies—wood, metal, and already cut stone used to construct houses, repair existing ones, and rebuild the small castle that Jaina Proudmoore had once resided in, during her tenure on the island.
But, that begged the question—did they want to remain in this place, so stained in blood and memory? Though not superstitious, Undrig felt something…off, about the land around him. He did not know if it was simply the lingering death and decay, which had cleared some since Onyxia's death, or something else, which he could not explain. Either way, he did not know if placing a settlement here would be worthwhile. Yet, when he thought about it, there was nothing to suggest that he wasn't simply being foolish. Nothing lived in this place anymore, and therefore it was perfectly safe.
With that in mind, he turned back to his group. "We'll be stayin'. Unload the boats and set up camp, we'll start work when this rain lifts up." He glanced at Kaine. "Alright wit you?"
"Yeah," Kaine said, after a pause to understand the dwarf's accent. He turned to his own group, and said in Orcish, "all right, you guys too. Once the rain stops, we'll get working."
Both groups responded without qualm, taking one last look at each other, before departing in their respective directions. Kaine sighed at the sight of them.
"Geez, can't they just get along?"
"Takes a long time, lad," began Undrig, turning to follow his own group, "to overcome grudges. Just our luck that we have few, eh?"
"Yeah," grinned Kaine. "Seeya later, shorty."
"You too, steak."
"Steak?"
Undrig laughed as he walked away. He began to speed up, to catch up to his group, when something on the ground caught his eye, even though it shouldn't have been out of place.
It was a pair of footprints, freshly made in the muddy ground. It took him a moment to realize what exactly was wrong with them. For, rather than a steady procession of them across the ground, as a man's (for the size could be nothing but a man) should have been, there was but a pair of them, in the middle of the ground. No footprints surrounded them—for the other footprints of Undrig's companions were far off to the side, where he had been heading. They were simply there, as if someone had dropped from the sky, landing without a sound, and then departed the same way. He blinked at them a few times, and then looked around sharply. He saw nothing, and felt no presences. The footprints were fresh—for already, they were being filled with water from the constant downpour, and would fade in time.
The feeling of wrongness returned, as he walked back towards the boats, a hand upon his hammer with every step.
"A settlement. So close to HQ-1. Do we report?"
"Doesn't matter. When the time comes, we'll finish them off. The preparations are almost complete. We must return—we have to mobilize a hell of a lot sooner."
"Agreed."
"We thought we'd find you here," said Ino, smirking.
Naruto swiveled his head, his mouth so frightfully full of noodles that it looked like an inflated puffer fish with big blue eyes. It made Ino nearly double over in laughter upon seeing it, while Sakura attempted in vein to smother her own guffaws, to little effect. The two girl's reactions confused Naruto for a second, before he swallowed the ramen in his mouth, and glared at them both.
"What's so funny?" he asked, squinting and frowning at them in a way that reminded Sakura immediately of his younger self; with his petulant whine and vulpine eyes. Her laughter died away (while Ino's continue for a moment longer), but she still smiled at him, for a moment lost in her memories. This distraction allowed Ino to answer for her, whereupon she likened his previous face to a porcupine who'd had a little too much for dinner. He huffed at her words, muttering, "Geez, so now you can't enjoy ramen without being made fun of…"
"Oh stop teasing him, you two," a voice called from inside the restaurant. Ayame appeared—with her pretty brown eyes, smooth unmarked face (a remarkable feat for being surrounded by such unhealthy, greasy food all the time), wearing her red and white uniform, and smiling widely at Naruto—wider than she had smile for either of the two girls during their constant visits in Naruto's absence. "Naruto-kun hasn't been here for over two years! Let him enjoy his ramen without animalizing his face, okay?" She giggled at Naruto, who gave her a mock glower. "How does it taste, Naruto-kun?"
"If Heaven does exist," he whispered, the entire world his bowl of ramen, "then this must be a piece of it…or something—It's awesome!" He attacked it again; making Ayame giggle and the two other girls roll their eyes.
"That's the spirit, Naruto-kun!" another voice called—that of Teuchi, Ayame's father. Teuchi had a kind, wrinkled face with permanently squinted eyes and a broad grin. His voice, not unlike Naruto's, was loud and powerful, and he overflowed with affection and cheer—it was no doubt due to his favorite customer returning. "Tonight, it's on the house! Eat as much as you like, okay kid? You girls want something?"
Taking seats on either side of the blonde, Sakura and Ino nodded to the old man.
"Chicken," said Sakura.
"Vegetable," said Ino, drawing a mystified look from Naruto, as if wondering how anybody could dare to get the vegetarian option. The only time he enjoyed such things was when there was no other choice—such as the emokanda of the tauren, which contained nothing but vegetables. But he kept this to himself, as no doubt Ino would reply with something like "needing to watch her figure".
Teuchi nodded to the two of them, and walked off. Tsuwabuki, who lay at the foot of Naruto's stool, yawning widely, turned up to her companion then.
'Do you know how much I had to listen to these two talk about you?' the fox groused.
Naruto blinked, chewing, as he looked down at the fox. "A lot?"
'Beyond that. They just wouldn't shut up. The only reason I stayed was for the petting and the food they kept giving me.'
"Yeah, food is good."
Sakura and Ino stared at the boy and the fox he was conversing with. It was rather odd listening to someone seemingly converse with himself, while eating as much ramen as he physically could. They simply waited and watched as Naruto and Tsuwabuki recounted their days to each other. They found out (and subsequently discovered that it had no effect on either of them, for they had no idea who Tenzo was) whom Naruto would be training with, and when. Sakura would remember later to ask who this person was, as she felt curious as to what kind of person he was.
"You're going to have to find everyone, and tell them that you're back," said Ino, looking sideways at Naruto a little while after she and Sakura received their own steaming bowl's of ramen.
Naruto swallowed another mouthful of his fourth bowl of ramen, and nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I haven't seen any of them for ages! I definitely want to know how they've been doing since I've been gone." He then rubbed the back of his head. "And Gaara, too. I should have seen him when I first got back, but I was too excited. I'll should go see him sometime later."
"Yes," Sakura agreed, almost absently. "You should."
They lapsed into silence for a while, as they ate. But soon conversation picked up once more, as Sakura began to tell Naruto about everything that had happened since he had left. He had heard some of it from Gamakichi, though it was nothing close to the full story. When it arrived on the topic of the Chuunin Exams, Naruto was both delighted and dismayed to find that all of his friends—including Sakura—where now of Chuunin rank or even higher.
"Wow, even Shikamaru doesn't seem as lazy as before…" Naruto said, shaking his head.
"He's shaped up a bit," said Ino, grinning. "He's still the same lazy bastard as before, but he's got a lot more responsibility now. He's even been keeping up with Chouji and I, as we felt just as much need as Kiba, Neji and Lee to keep up with you. He's had duties as an Academy instructor, Chuunin Exam proctor, and he was even made part of the special task force that Hokage-sama created—the Niju Shotai. He's been a lot busier than most of us, though to be fair, he probably has to be or else he wouldn't do a thing."
Naruto nodded, laughing. "And Neji's a jounin! That's amazing! Geez…" he suddenly sagged in his seat. "I'm the only guy who's still a genin, aren't I?"
"Yep!" said Sakura, patting him on the shoulder. "But don't worry. So's Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon—you'll have company!" She laughed at the scrunched face Naruto gave her, like a petulant child ready and willing to cry.
"That's harsh," he mumbled, lashing out with his chopsticks and snatching a fishcake from Sakura's ramen. "Take that!"
Sakura sweat-dropped. Maybe he wasn't so mature after all…
Naruto chewing his stolen prize then asked the two girls where Benedictus had gone.
"We don't know," said Ino, frowning. "Hokage-sama asked us to find him, but so far nobody's remembered seeing a strange old man in golden robes anywhere in the city. He might have left…"
"Nah," Naruto muttered. "He's got some important business here with Tsunade-baba. He can't leave until that's finished."
"Quite right," said Benedictus, to Ino's left. "And for your information, I was merely familiarizing myself with the city. It's quite beautiful, and everyone here is so friendly! Ah, miss, might have I some of that soup, as well? It smells delicious!"
While Ayame did so, frowning slightly, as she didn't remember the old man being there before, the other three processed the old man's casual, yet sudden, appearance each at their own speeds. At around roughly the same time, just a few seconds after Ayame had placed a bowl of chicken ramen in front of Benedictus, all three suddenly shouted out in surprise, and whipped around to face the old man. He stared at them perplexedly, a spoonful of noodles mere inches from his mouth, wondering exactly the nature of their sudden outburst.
"Where the hell did you come from?" was approximately what each person had reached, with varying degrees of profanity and volume.
"As I said, the village—and such a wonderful village it is! The hot springs are quite divine, I must say, though I there was a loud ruckus in the woman's side while I was there. Some poor man, I think, was brutally ejected from there for a reason I cannot fathom." He shook his head. "Women can be so violent!"
Naruto rolled his eyes, knowing that the "poor man" so violently ejected was probably his former teacher. Sakura and Ino reached that exact same conclusion, though Sakura's had the added statistical probability of it being Jiraiya (and the percentage was quite high).
"As for my important business," said Benedictus. "You need worry not. I have already set up a time with your Hokage to discuss it. It shall be sometime tomorrow, and I'm hopeful that she will be receptive of the idea."
"She will," Naruto affirmed, grinning his grin and returning to his ramen, while Sakura and Ino exchanged confused glances, not knowing what the two were discussing. Sakura would have asked, but Benedictus took that moment to stand.
"Well, I'll be off. See you tomorrow, Naruto I hope that you will join when I meet with the Hokage, if that is possible. It concerns you just as much as I. Good night!"
The man departed, leaving an empty bowl and three severely confused teenagers behind. Naruto sighed, placing his head on the counter and wondering how it was that he knew so many crazy old men. Sakura stared, frowning, after Benedictus; did Naruto just attract strangeness, or was it just coincidence? Ino simply yawned, and stood up off her stool.
"I'd better head to bed as well. See you two later. I'll be sure to tell Shikamaru and Chouji when I next see them that you're back!" She bent down and gave Tsuwabuki a final pat on the head and a scratch behind the ears, before walking off, her hips swaying attractively with each step. Sakura frowned after the blonde girl, and stole a glance at Naruto, who had returned to his ramen after saying goodbye to the girl. She smiled at that, and finished her own ramen.
Finally, it came to a time when Naruto had finally eaten his fill, and let out a relaxed sigh. "That hit the spot, old man, Ayame-chan! I missed you guys so much."
"You mean you missed our ramen," giggled Ayame. "But we get the point. We missed you too, Naruto-kun. We had Sakura-chan and the rest of your friends to keep us company, but it just hasn't been the same without you." She smiled. "Thank you for returning."
Naruto grinned at her. "Thanks for waiting! I'll be back tomorrow, so have a bowl ready, okay?"
Teuchi laughed; a great, booming sound that rang of exultation and amusement. "Just remember it isn't free tomorrow, Naruto-kun! Seeya later! And goodnight to you too, Sakura-chan."
Sakura said her goodbyes as well, as she, Naruto, and Tsuwabuki left the little stand and walked down the street—now completely black, save for the scattered streetlights and lighted windows in the many apartment buildings around. They walked side by side, with Tsuwabuki padding behind them, sniffing at everything she encountered, and then commenting on it to Naruto, who would either ignore her or laugh. Sakura stayed mostly silent, but as they got closer and closer to Naruto's apartment, she grew increasingly anxious. It was the perfect time, she realized. She glanced towards Naruto, who, as he had been doing since he arrived, was reveling in the sights and smells of the city—his city, in his world.
"Naruto," she suddenly said, unable to hold it any longer. "I have something to tell you."
Naruto blinked, and looked sideways at her. Her tone was serious enough to send a nervous chill down his back. It was not the chill he got when he had said something wrong to her—in fact, he wasn't sure exactly what caused it. What she was going to say was not something trivial or something to begin a conversation—indeed, it did not even feel like what she said was something such as confessing her feelings or asking him on a date (though he thought both such things had a one-in-a-million chance of happening); she had something much more important to tell him, and she sounded almost afraid to do so. In the back of his mind, a fear lurked like a monstrous predator, silent and swift. The fear, though beaten back and wounded severely by the many feelings and experiences Naruto had had in Azeroth—still remained, alive in the many shadows of his subconscious. Her words had given it back some strength, and her tone, which sounded almost frightened, and he wondered if what she had to say would finally unleash it; or completely destroy it.
"Yeah?" he said, wishing he had some ramen to swallow, to hide a dread-filled gulp.
Sakura stopped for a moment, unsure of how to go on. But a moment later, she gulped and said softly, her voice ringing in the silent, even though it was barely a whisper, like the beating wings of a raven, taking flight into the late night sky:
"I know."
There was a sound of twinkling bells—sweet and memorable, which sent shivers of excitement down the spines of Naruto and Sakura. For it called back memories of a time which seemed lifetimes ago—when they hadn't been a team, but a jumble of inexperienced fools ready to commit to one of the most dangerous lifestyles in the world.
"Remember," said Kakashi, his eye steady and hard like obsidian. "You have to come at me with the intent to kill, if you think you can get these bells from me. There's still two of them—but I expect both of you to be able to get them." He looped the bells on his belt, just beside his weapons pouch. He then looked at Naruto. "Where's your fox?"
"Hunting," Naruto said. "'Sides, I wanted to do this myself, and she knew that."
Kakashi smiled.
Both teenagers were tensed like predators preparing to strike. Both had adopted similar looks as well—eyes as hard and determined as Kakashi's, but filled with a fiery power that could only be described as youth: something Kakashi no longer had. It made him smile, beneath his mask, seeing both his students in such a state—because, like them, he remembered the first time he had given them this task. He remembered the determined, yet nervous and frightened stare of Sakura, who as soon as he had mentioned "intent to kill", had seized up and looked like a deer ready to bolt. He remembered, too, the annoyed, smoldering, and petulant glare of Naruto—someone filled with immense potential, who had raised himself by his own morals and code, but who hadn't any clue of how to begin a fight properly, especially against a man obviously superior to him in strength. And he remembered how they had both fought: apart, independent, both without relying on each other or even contemplating banding together. Now, he noticed that both stood in almost similar stances, and seemed two halves of the same whole. Kakashi knew that if he attacked one, the other would come to the rescue.
But even more was the presence of something else, a bond that the two now shared, that hadn't been present before this very morning. Kakashi realized that something had to have happened between when he had left Naruto, and when he had met both on the bridge that morning. When he had seen them, they had been resting on opposite sides of the railing, silent until he walked up and barked in tandem how late he was. Nothing had seemed different at first, yet between them there seemed to be an understanding that Kakashi could not identify. He would ask them, once this was over, what had happened—though already he had a suspicion creeping in the back of his thoughts, like a great shinobi preparing for an assassination.
Yes, he decided, both had changed.
Now it was time to see how much.
"One more thing," he said, slipping into a ready stance himself, his legs bent and spread apart. He then reached up and to both their surprises, pulled up his hitai-ate, revealing his left eye; where the crimson, whirling Sharingan iris filled it.
"I won't hold back this time. Now, I'll come at you with the intent to kill."
Kakashi suddenly vanished, and the battle began.
Naruto and Sakura leaped away from each other, for that was where Kakashi immediately struck. A kunai, as fast as a card in a magician's trick, flickered into the silver-haired man's hand, which he stabbed at Naruto. But an instant later Naruto's kodachi, Magni's Pride, literally flew into his palm and deflected the iron dagger with such violent force that Kakashi was nearly unbalanced.
Naruto kicked at the man in that instant, striking him in the stomach. Kakashi gasped, flying back, only to burst into smoke and disappear. A log struck the ground in his place, causing Naruto to silently swear. He looked about, his nose twitching; it was nowhere nearly as good as Tsuwabuki's, or even Kiba's, but it did well enough. When he finally caught a whiff, he had only time to shout, "Sakura-chan! Below!"
In another second, he realized he had reacted a second too late—not in alerting Sakura, but in realizing she already knew.
The ground burst apart in the most violent explosion Naruto had seen in quite a while. For nearly four meters in each direction and almost three meters deep the ground was reduced to rubble by a single, monstrously powerful punch. Kakashi, approximately three meters deep beneath the earth, gawked at Sakura's attack; but nowhere near as much as Naruto, who stumbled back from the force of the punch, his eyes wide and his jaw gaping a meter long. Sakura thought nothing of it—though she would later lament how weak it was, in comparison to Tsunade's usual strikes.
"Naruto! Go now!"
The shout brought Naruto back to reality, and he leapt into the new crater, his blade now sheathed. Kakashi recovered just in time to block Naruto's fist, which had nearly struck his face. He twisted it to the side, intending to cause pain, but suddenly realized that he couldn't. Naruto's arm, for that instant, seemed to have turned to solid stone. It allowed Naruto yet another opening, in which he suddenly struck Kakashi in the chest—his fist became but a blur, hitting Kakashi so many times that his ribs nearly cracked.
But, being a jounin, Kakashi was not so easily defeated. Before Naruto could hit him just one more time, his hand shout out, blocking the hit. Then, using his entire body weight, he leaned to the side and heaved Naruto away from him. The blonde flew past Sakura, who dashed at Kakashi and struck at him with another fist, filled with such chakra that it would finish what Naruto had started in a single punch.
Kakashi ducked the punch, so that it caught naught but a tuft of his hair, and then struck upwards with his own fist, sinking it into Sakura's stomach. Leaving her bereft of air, Kakashi grabbed her arm and threw her in Naruto's direction.
But Naruto was not there.
'Amazing,' gasped Kakashi, his Sharingan whirling and searching, all of his senses open for signs of his loudest student. 'His speed is amazing and that earlier hardening technique…he's still full of surprises.' He clutched his ribs. 'He got sixteen punches in, all within a few seconds. And Sakura's power is unbelievable. It'd take only one hit from her to go down.'
The bells tinkled in the wind, still attached to Kakashi's belt. Kakashi suddenly turned, his Sharingan sighting his quarry. He lifted a hand, just in time to block a particularly strong punch from Naruto, enough to numb his arm. In the same instant, he turned his head, crossing his left arm over his right to make a hand seal.
'Kage Bunshin no jutsu'
Two more Kakashis appeared, blocking hits from two more Narutos. All three blondes cursed in unison at their failure, as Kakashi and his clones thrust them away. Kakashi pursued the original Naruto, delivering a powerful kick into Naruto's stomach. Not given enough time to harden it in the same way as before—using the technique taught to him by Thrall, and the basis of the Earth Style—Kongou, Naruto flew backwards, letting out a violent spasm of coughing.
But Sakura appeared again, having recovered from Kakashi's earlier attack, punched at the jounin repeatedly, in an attempt to catch him with just one. But Kakashi's Sharingan saw each one, and since none of them were comparable to Naruto's amazing new attack speed, he saw them as if she was punching through molasses, slow and perfectly predictable. He caught her arm, twisting it successfully, and aimed to jab a finger into the back of her neck, where a pressure point would render her unconscious.
But seconds before he did, he heard the sound of twinkling bells.
He released Sakura, pushing her away, and then jumped up, barely avoiding Naruto. The boy's hand was outstretched, attempting to grab the bells; instead, he sped beneath Kakashi, and grabbed hold of something very different.
It was soft and round, about the size of an apple, and very warm. Yet, it took both Naruto and Sakura half a second to realize what had happened, and unfortunately (for Naruto), it was Sakura who reacted first.
"PERVERT!"
A drop of sweat rolled down the back of Kakashi's head. One moment both his students were fine, in the midst of an important battle, and the next Naruto lay nearly comatose on the ground, while Sakura clutched her hands to her chest, her face as red as her shirt.
"Geez, you kids know how to destroy such glorious tension, don't you?" he muttered. "The effect is now totally lost."
"Tell that to Naruto," said Sakura, waspishly. "And here I was thinking you'd gotten less perverted, not being around Jiraiya-san."
"But it was an accident…" Naruto mumbled with his face still firmly implanted in the dirt.
"Do you guys plan to continue?" Kakashi asked, raising an eyebrow. "I could get the book out, you know."
Naruto turned his face up, frowning at Kakashi. "When did we stop?" And vanished in a puff of smoke.
Kakashi's eyes widened, as a group of Naruto doppelgangers appeared around him, as suddenly as a gust of wind. His Sharingan saw them as they rushed up, but their speed was so amazing that he still could barely register them; it was the ultimate defense against the prediction power of the Sharingan, something Gai and Lee always put to great effect. Naruto, moving not quite as fast as Gai at his best, was still fast enough for even the most skilled of Sharingan users to be wary of. Kakashi could see evidence of chakra manipulation in the technique, but it was slight, only enough to enhance the muscles. Whoever had taught Naruto the technique had taught it well—well enough that even someone with such naturally poor chakra control as Naruto could master it.
But still, his Sharingan saved him. In the scant seconds before they could attack, he thrust his hands together in another seal, he released a controlled burst of chakra summoning the water from the nearby pond straight to him.
'Suiton: Suijinheki!'
The water coalesced around Kakashi in a perfect hemisphere, dispelling some clones as it rushed from the pond to the area surrounding Kakashi. The rest were unable to attack, and were dispelled a moment later, as Kakashi leapt from the barrier and slashed them to ribbons with a pair of kunai.
But his students had vanished.
'Hah, so they've gone into hiding, huh? They have definitely changed. Hiding isn't Naruto's style.' He shook his head. 'And that Kage Bunshin surprised me. I thought I'd be able to tell the difference, but he must have used Kawarimi so quickly that I couldn't register it.'
He looked around again, his breathing beginning to slow. "Well, if it's hide and seek, then I'll play," he said, and in a flicker of movement, was gone.
"Ouch," mumbled Naruto, clutching his stomach. "He's faster than I remember."
"He's using his Sharingan," whispered Sakura, glancing about. They were hidden within the foliage of one of the trees surrounding the area they had just fought in. Sakura was perched at the very end of a large branch, using her chakra to keep her balance, while Naruto sat against the trunk, frowning.
"If we had kept going, we could've gotten those bells easily."
"We couldn't have kept that up for long," said Sakura. "Well, maybe you could have, but Kakashi-sensei isn't that foolish. He'd retreat and try to gain a surprise attack."
"He's good at that," Naruto agreed, running a hand through his hair and frowning even harder.
"He's more than good," said Sakura. "But we'll have to be better than that to get those bells, especially with that eye of his. He could even see through that technique of yours—the one you use to gain all of that speed."
"Kazaashi," Naruto said, nodding. "I can't use it for long, 'cause it'll start draining my stamina like no tomorrow, but it's probably the only thing I got against that stupid Sharingan." He grinned suddenly. "…Right now, at least."
Sakura glanced back at Naruto, who met her eyes squarely. They then shared a small smirk that only teammates could. Kakashi had been right—they did have an understanding.
'I know. About the Kyuubi.'
The words that Sakura had spoken the previous night had revived Naruto's most awful fear for a moment—a moment where he had never felt so afraid or vulnerable in his life. He had had no idea what she was going to say or do. Hurtful words? Disgust? Outright hatred?
Or the worst of all: those unbearably cold eyes from his past?
But none had occurred. She had turned away from him, and began to walk off.
'S-Sakura-chan?'
Stopping for a moment, she looked over her shoulder.
'Idiot, what were you expecting? I don't care about that, and never will. But don't expect some candy-coated words or sympathy—'cause I know you don't need either. We're friends, Naruto—teammates. And you always will be. I know who you are, we all do. You having some stupid giant fox in your stomach isn't going to change that.'
She was smiling.
Though he did not know how long it had taken her to come to that conclusion, her words had struck him with the force of an arrow. It pierced straight through to his subconscious, and in one blow felled that awful fear he had harbored for so long. Left standing there by himself, Naruto had felt a joy: an unbelievable, unexplainable joy that had seemed to carry such power as to lift him from his feet and into the air. He had heard the words directly from his friend, his teammate—and she didn't care. She would not look on him with fear or disgust; her eyes told him that much. Though neither had said a word about it the next time they had met, they had come to a new understanding. As a result, both now felt like proper teammates—there were no more secrets between them, now. No fear clutched at him now, and he knew that when the time came, he'd tell his other friends.
And it had all been done with but a few simple words—no tears or overflowing emotions—just words, and that smile and those eyes that he knew he could trust with everything he had.
There was no only one thing missing from the picture; but that would return in time. Naruto had promised it.
"Right now," said Sakura, in the present, "we need some way of surprising him."
"I've got something that'll make me practically invisible," Naruto said, frowning.
Sakura shook her head. "He'll see it. If it uses chakra, then he'll be able to use his Sharingan to see right through it. We need something else…"
Naruto thought a moment, before his eyes lit up. He gave her a wide grin and said, "I know what to do…!" He gave a soft cackle of delight then. "Don't worry about finding him either, I got that covered. We just need to be really quick about it, okay?"
"Right," said Sakura, leaning in. "What is it?"
'They've gotten better. Even Naruto has gotten pretty good at keeping himself quiet and out of sight,' Kakashi thought, leaping from the branch he was on and landing upon another a few feet opposite him.
In the forest around him, he could find no sign of his two students—a remarkable feat, in his opinion. They had completely evaded his senses, and it was coming to the point where he would consider summoning Pakkun and his other nin-dogs to come and aid him. But he was curious. He wanted to know how they would play this out. They had a scant amount time before he would call the whistle on them, for he didn't intend to let them take forever in their plan; but he was curious as to how they would go about this, in taking the two bells that now hung, jingling with every leap, upon his belt.
He suddenly stopped. There was a rustle of trees beneath him. Frowning, but not foolish enough to go himself, he summoned a Kage Bunshin, and sent it into the bushes below.
There was a sudden popping sound, as his clone was dispelled, and a second later Kakashi leapt from the tree, and away from the bushes. He hadn't quite caught sight what had killed his clone, though he suspected that it had been Naruto, using a new trick he had learned in the other world. He glanced around, now at his level, searching for Sakura—where Naruto was, she wouldn't be far.
Something streaked below him, faster than he could turn to see it, and not even his Sharingan was able to catch even the slightest sight of it. It was fast. Naruto, indeed.
The next branch, or rather the tree itself, he landed on suddenly shook madly. In another second, it began to topple backwards, and Kakashi, wishing to confront his student, fell with it. When it landed, with a crash that sent perched birds flying into the skies above the forest, Sakura attacked.
Her fist splintered the trunk of the tree Kakashi had been standing on, in a cloud of wood dust and shards. Kakashi dodged the punch with ease, cartwheeling away from the pink-haired girl, and flinging a cloud of shuriken as he did. Sakura back-flipped to avoid the iron stars, and charged at Kakashi again. Kakashi drew a kunai and ran to meet her, just as something large and silver appeared at on his right, where his Sharingan could not see.
Kakashi's eyes, red and black, became wide.
Tsuwabuki charged at Kakashi, slashing with one razor sharp claw at his legs. He leapt back to avoid it, as well as Sakura's sudden punch, landing on the soft mossy earth. He lifted a kunai from one of his pouches, twirling it as she rushed towards him—it was then that he realized, however, that he had been tricked. He thrust the weapon with killing force at the girl, letting it fly from his hand and strike her in the heart.
She was gone in a puff of smoke.
'Kage Bunshin again! I didn't notice it at first, because Naruto's gotten much better at using it—and that henge masked its true presence, so where…!'
The answer came to him with a shout, and the sweet sounds of tinkling bells.
"Oi! Kakashi-sensei! Time's up, we win!"
He whirled, to find Sakura and Naruto, with Tsuwabuki behind them, standing it what appeared to be a puddle of shadow. Naruto was just stepping from it, and in his hand he clutched a single bell, while Sakura clutched the other. Both had identical smirks on their faces, and even Tsuwabuki seemed to be grinning in triumph at her companion's victory.
Kakashi blinked, touching his belt, where the bells no longer rested. He looked at the two teenagers again, stunned for but a moment—before he broke into a warm grin, almost hidden by his mask.
"Hunting, huh?" he said, raising a hand to pull his forehead protector back over his left eye.
Naruto grinned. "I didn't say what kind of hunting, did I?"
Kakashi then laughed out loud, unable to control his amusement, or the absolute pride he had in his students, who had surprised him time and time again.
"How the hell did you get in here?"
Tsunade was standing, both hands flat on her desk, her eyes staring with considerable force into Benedictus', who stood at the door to her office, smiling benignly. Tsunade twitched at the man's indifference to her own anger (though somewhere in her mind she acknowledged that she should be more civil to such an important visitor; yet she had not forgotten what had happened yesterday) and scowled as he walked up and took a seat in one of the two chairs before her desk.
"I walked," the old man said, quite reasonably.
"There are guards…"
"…who were perfectly willing to let me in. Now, pardon my rudeness, but as I said, I came here to discuss something with you." He crossed his hands across his lap, and waited.
Tsunade twitched again. The man's arrogance was disgusting, yet he knew that Naruto would not have brought him here without reason. As much as she was beginning to dislike this man, she decided that it would indeed be in her best interests to hear what he had to say. Besides, any chance for her to skive work was a chance worth taking.
"Fine, I'm listening."
Tenzo lifted a small letter, left at his door and around eight that morning. He had opened it long ago, and its contents were displayed across a smooth wooden table in the middle of his room. His large, chocolate eyes scanned its contents for the twentieth time that hour. It was a simple description of his newest mission, which would begin in a week. He nodded, whispering to himself the entire time.
"Yamato," he said. "Yamato. Yamato. Yamato.
"My name is Yamato."
"It's time to begin."
"Already? Damn, we just barely finished preparing, don't you wanna hold off a bit?"
"No. We must begin now, if we are to achieve our goals."
"Where do we start?"
"You each have your duties—complete them to the fullest, and we will finally have what we set out to claim. Nobody must fail."
Good chapter, I hope? Sorry it took me a while, but I wanted it as perfect as can be. I hope its not too confusing to follow.
For all those who don't know—Tenzo is not an OC. As you find out at the end—he is Yamato. His house probably doesn't look like that, but I wanted it befitting of its his secretive character. You'll find out later why he was given the codename Yamato right now, when Naruto knows his real name. (It's a stupid reason, but it's the best I could come up with, okay?)
Look forward to more battles in the future, and Naruto meeting his friends again. Then, of course, the beginning of the first true arc of this new story—though it won't be like any other arcs!
See you next week. The chapter may be late again, as I'm heading home next week. But I'll do my best to get it out by Sunday or Monday, if that's possible.
Seeya.
General Grievous
I'm a bananaphone. That is all.
-Noz
Replacing Spellbook is:
Scroll of Seals:
Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Encampment Wall): Surrounds person with wall of water.
