"Do you remember your mission?"
The mere voice of the figure alone sent shivers down the recipient's spine, despite their distance being over a hundred miles at the moment. However, instead of showing his fear, the figure grinned, revealing his fanged, pearly white canines to his employer.
"Yeah," the figure continued to grin, "it doesn't sound all that hard. And then there's the other part of the deal as well, right? If I do this, and happen to have to resort to that method… I'll really get the spot, right?"
The shaded employer nodded through the television screen they were speaking through, prompting the figure to grin even further.
"Indeed. Complete your mission while demonstrating the upmost loyalty and honor, and you will be well received upon your return home."
"Heh… loyalty? Honor?" the figure grinned, "Shinobi have no honor. I'll be sure to tell that to the Uzumaki when I see him."
The shaded being on the other side of the television seemed to scowl.
"Do not grow cocky, boy. Remember the outlines of your mission, and be certain you do not overstep your bounds."
The figure grunted.
"Yeah, yeah… I remember. I'm only here to observe whether or not that blonde is truly worthy of being Hokage, right?"
The television silhouette nodded.
"Indeed. But, if you'd recall there is a certain other clause beneath those priorities."
The figure's grinned increased, his fangs gleaming in the night as he recalled just what it was that the man was speaking about.
"Right… Clause 59B, right?" his grin increased, "In the event that I find Naruto Uzumaki incapable of being Hokage… I'm free to deal with him as I see fit. They used some loose wording there, but…" his eyes gleamed, "it's obvious what they all want."
"Oh?" the silhouette asked, "And what would that be, boy?"
"In the event Naruto Uzumaki is incapable of becoming Hokage…" the figure muttered, "I'll eliminate him and handle the job myself.
NARUTO: Path to Kage
Chapter Three
Tusk
Naruto yawned softly, shrugging his bag over his shoulder gently as he prepared for yet another day of classes.
Surprisingly, despite his words, Jiraiya had opted to let Sakura and Naruto off training after their run in with the Demon Brothers, which meant that the blonde finally had the opportunity to get a full night's sleep.
It certainly had helped he mused, after that rough week he had, Naruto wasn't sure sleeping through Iruka's class was going to be enough to get him through the day.
He mumbled something incomprehensible beneath his breath as he stepped into the kitchen, grabbing the small slice of toast he'd prepared while getting ready for school.
"Sakura," he called over his shoulder, speaking between bites, "are you ready yet? I want to get going soon!"
"Coming!" the girl replied quickly, trailing into the kitchen behind him seconds after he finished speaking.
"Ah. So you're already here." Naruto noted, gulping down the last of his breakfast and glancing at the pinkette, "Ready for your second high school debut then? Everyone's gonna have entirely different reactions to you now, especially after what happened with Ami."
"It's fine." Sakura replied with a smile, "Besides, this way I won't have to pretend like I don't know you. It'll be better for both my mission and your wellbeing."
They stepped outside in the fresh air, a soft breeze passing through as they began the long trek to school.
"Better for the mission huh…?" Naruto thought aloud, several questions forming in his mind at the words. "Hey, Sakura. I've been meaning to ask you…"
"Hmm?" the girl asked, turning to look at the blonde curiously, "What is it, Naruto?"
"I know you've been sent here to guard me and all, but just how long is your mission supposed to last?" he asked curiously. "I can't imagine the brass back in Konoha would be too happy leaving their shinobi out for too long, they must have given you some sort of time frame, right?"
Sakura rose a finger to her lips in thought. "Well… I suppose you're right about that, but I guess you wouldn't know since you're still getting reacquainted to life as a shinobi." She turned towards him, waving the same finger gently as if she were lecturing someone, "While it does happen less than it did in the past, it's not uncommon for shinobi to be stationed away from their homes for years, if not decades!" she smiled, "At any rate, you won't have to worry about me leaving anytime soon, Naruto. My mission parameters state that I'm to remain as your escort and bodyguard until such a time that all threats to your person have been neutralized. With all the rumors about this Akatsuki organization floating about, it's likely I won't receive any changes until the entire organization has been destroyed or otherwise incapacitated."
"I see." Naruto replied, a small smile pulling at his lips. "So she'll be here for a while then…"
"Anyway," Sakura intruded upon his thoughts, moving in front of him and placing her hands on her hips, "Why'd you feel the need to ask me a question like that anyway? You wouldn't be trying to get rid of me would you?"
"Eh? Of course not." Naruto smiled back at her for a moment before allowing it to fall from his face, "To be honest… I've been getting a bit worried. These "assassins" Akatsuki has sent so far have all been either incompetent or weak… but Pervy Sage says they're likely to start sending more again soon. What happens when they send someone who we won't be able to keep up with?"
Sakura listened to his words quietly, placing a hand on his cheek only after he had finished speaking.
"Hey," she told him, "that's why we're training with Jiraiya-sama, to make sure you'll be ready in the event we come across an opponent stronger than ourselves. Besides, you're living under the same roof as a Sannin! As drunk and lecherous as he may be, I know he won't let anything bad happen to you, and neither will I for that matter."
She pressed her forehead against his, as if willing her feelings on the matter to get across.
"Yes… this time Naruto… I definitely won't run away, no matter what the situation."
Naruto smiled lightly, pulling away from the girl after he felt they'd been connected for some time.
"That's good and all Sakura," he replied smoothly, "but don't get ahead of yourself. There's no way I'm gonna just sit back and let you do all the work. I'm the one who's gonna be Hokage after all!"
"Hai," Sakura smiled back at him teasingly, "I definitely won't allow you to slack off, dobe-kun."
Naruto's lips parted slightly, his eyes widening in surprise as his mind registered what Sakura had just said.
"E-Eh? Hold on, what'd you just call me?"
Sakura just continued to smile, leaping away from him teasingly as they continued down the path to school.
"You better keep up, Naruto," she said, starting to create a little distance between them, "you wouldn't want to be late for school after all."
"A-Ah! Wait up, Sakura!" the blonde shouted, quickly making to run after her at full-speed.
From behind them, a small puppy watched them from the corner of the street through a pair of squinted, half-shut eyes. Behind him, a young man about Naruto's age grimaced, lowering the binoculars he'd been using to watch the two.
"Che… those guys…" he muttered, biting his thumb in annoyance, "they're just fooling around."
-School Entrance-
"-and goal!" Sakura exclaimed eagerly, kneeling down to look at the blonde who had been trailing behind her. "Oh come on, don't tell me you were tired out just from that little bit?"
"Hardly." Naruto sighed, staring at the girl in mild annoyance, "Mind telling me what that was about? It's not like you to want to run off all of a sudden."
"Oh please. I can be playful sometimes too, Naruto." Sakura explained, still grinning at him eagerly, "That being said, I will admit it did have its purposes." She glanced downward at a watch Naruto could have sworn she didn't have on her before. "We got here pretty quickly, even with us taking the "civilian" route. It only goes to show that Jiraiya-sama's training really is doing you some good. At the rating we're going, that half-hour walk to the house will be condensed to ten minutes in no time!"
"Ah… but Sakura," Naruto murmured, "I really don't mind the walk-"
"Oh, Sakura-chan, there you are!" a nameless girl from their class greeted, quickly making her way over to the pair with a bunch of other females from the class.
"E-Eh?" the pinkette asked, surprised by the sudden wave of attention she was getting.
"Sorry to interrupt," she apologized quickly, "I just hate breaking in on you reunited childhood friends and all, but we really need to borrow Sakura-chan for a moment!"
The girl's grabbed Sakura's arm forcefully, catching the pinkette by surprise as she was suddenly dragged off along with them.
"Eh? No, hold on one moment- Naruto-?"
The blonde smiled knowingly, waving after them as they began to approach the school doors.
"Don't worry about it Sakura. They're probably just going to ask how it felt to punch Ami." He pointed out, already knowing how the students worked. "We'll talk in class, alright?"
"What-?" Sakura asked, squirming amongst the female grips as she was pulled into the school along with the crowd, "But-? Hold on- I wasn't done talking to him yet-"
It was futile.
If there was one thing that not even a fully trained kunoichi could avoid, it was gossip.
Naruto sighed, watching the school doors close shut behind them as he lowered his hand.
"She'll be fine." He told himself, a small bead of sweat running down the back of his head, "Probably. Either way, Sakura was right about one thing. There's still quite some time before I'm needed in Iruka-sensei's class, so I guess I'll just go find Sora or something-"
The blonde closed his eyes, adjusting his school bag accordingly before making to follow the rest of the crowd inside the school.
Unfortunately, a pair of feet in dark blue sandals cut him off, standing in front of him provokingly as the entrance courtyard began to empty.
"Not so fast, Uzumaki." The owner of the feet announced, prompting Naruto to look up.
He frowned, finding himself gazing into the eyes of a boy his side; two red fang-like markings running down the side of his face.
"I'm not about to let you get away so easily." The boy grinned.
Naruto stared at him for several seconds, taking in his appearance.
Short, spiky hair? Check.
Sharp, canine-like teeth? Check.
A dark grey hoodie loaded with black fur? Check.
Yes. It was obvious that this person was-
"Sorry… who are you?" Naruto deadpanned, staring at the boy in confusion.
The teen face-planted in surprise, grimacing as he slowly crawled back to his feet.
"A-Ah… not bad. You're just as skilled as they said you'd be… but, it'll take more than not being recognized to bring me down!" he exclaimed, pointing at Naruto dramatically.
"No. Seriously. Who are you?" Naruto continued to deadpan.
"Heh…" the teen grinned, showing off his fangs. "The name's Kiba. Kiba Inuzuka! And you should prepare yourself Uzumaki, because from this moment on, we're gonna be mortal enemies!"
"Inuzuka?" Naruto thought, his eyes narrowing slightly in recognition, "Isn't that one of the Konoha Clans? What's he doing all the way out here?"
Kiba's grin darkened, "I can tell by the look on your face that you're confused. Well, let me spell it out for you. You see Uzumaki, some of the higher-ups aren't quite sure you've got what it takes to become Hokage, so they sent me down here to clear things up! Hmph, it was obvious that it was just a waste of my time." The teen crouched down on all fours, as if preparing an assault. "Get ready Uzumaki, because me and Akamaru are gonna- eh? Akamaru?"
The tension that had been in the air seconds earlier suddenly seemed to drain away as Naruto's would-be assailant leapt to his feet, glancing around for any sign of his wayward companion.
"C-Crap!" Kiba exclaimed, reeling back in shame and humiliation as he spotted his partner enjoying the attention he was being given by a pack of high school girls. "Akamaru, what're you doing? This is a really important mission here!"
"Looks like you're having problems with your pet." Naruto nodded, glancing at the Inuzuka with a disappointed look on his face, "How about we continue this later? Besides, as a Konoha shinobi you shouldn't be so eager to break one of the laws, right?"
"G-Guh…!" Kiba grimaced, glaring at the blonde angrily, "J-Just you wait Uzumaki! This is far from over!"
Before Naruto had a chance to reply Kiba had pulled a small sphere from his pocket and smashed it into the ground, enveloping the area in a thick, black cloud.
The blonde coughed, wiping away the soot as he heard several of the girls scream in surprise behind him. His eyes narrowed to adjust, but to no avail.
Both Kiba and the small dog were already gone.
Naruto frowned, glancing at the small remains of the smoke bomb that littered the grounds as the mild disturbance was noticed. He sighed after a moment, glancing up toward the sky in thought.
"What in the hell… was that about?" he thought aloud, shaking his head in confusion several times before disappearing inside with the rest of the slightly bewildered students.
He needed to tell Sakura.
"Eh? You were attacked by a shinobi?" Sakura asked wide-eyed, leaning beside Naruto's desk in thought after having had the situation explained to her.
"Yeah… he called himself Kiba Inuzuka… ring any bells?" Naruto asked.
"Mmm… nothing in particular." Sakura admitted, "But the Inuzuka Clan is part of the Konoha Group! Why would they send someone to attack you?"
"That's what I'd like to know." The blonde sighed, "Actually… now that I think about it, that guy may have said something about some higher-ups wanting to make sure I was qualified for the position… You don't think this is some sort of test or something, do you?"
"Hardly." Sakura mused, "While such situations have arisen in the past, all of them involved ninja who had been informed beforehand of the attack, and received written instructions on what was expected of them. I should know, it's how we get promoted after all."
"You're certain they just didn't decide to switch things up for once?" Naruto asked her, receiving a firm nod from the girl in reply.
"Konoha isn't one to switch things up for the heck of it. I can't be certain, but with Yondaime-sama incapacitated some of the less desirable members of the Council may be doing as they please… we should tread carefully, just in case."
"Agreed." Naruto nodded.
"So… what are we talking about?" Sora asked, butting into the conversation upon his arrival into the classroom. "Man, talk about surprising, that's twice now you've shown up on time, Naruto. Huh?" Sora paused, turning to stare at Sakura for several seconds, "Hey, you're that girl who-"
"Yes," Sakura sighed, "I'm the one who punched Ami. I'll tell you about it later, but right now I'm trying to have a private conversation. So if you wouldn't mind…?"
"Ouch!" Sora grinned sarcastically, clapping Naruto down on the shoulder, "talk about painful. Does she treat all your friends this way, or is it just me?"
"Ah…" Naruto laughed sheepishly, "Sorry, sorry. Sakura, Sora. Sora, Sakura."
"E-Eh? You know this person Naruto?" Sakura blinked in surprise.
With everything that had happened yesterday, she hadn't really gotten the chance to study Naruto's high school relationships.
Sora grinned, slinging his arm around the blonde much to the latter's annoyance.
"That's right! We're best buds! Been hanging out ever since middle school!"
Sakura frowned at that, turning to stare at the dark-haired teen before glaring at him piercingly.
"I see." She thought, "Then that makes you… my rival!"
A bolt of lightning flashed between them, and the pinkette chuckled for a few seconds.
"W-Well, that's nice and all, but Naruto and I bathed together when we were little!" she exclaimed, setting a hand on her chest as she spoke.
Naruto's eyes went wide as saucers, and he quickly stood to separate the two before things could get any stranger.
"O-Oi! Sakura, what do you think you're saying?!" Naruto whispered hurriedly, turning to see how the class had reacted to her "little" outburst.
As expected, many of the boys in the class had taken to glaring at him, no doubt thinking he had defiled the poor girl in some way, shape, or form.
They couldn't have been further from the truth.
Even so, what surprised Naruto the most was the response they were receiving from the girls in the class. Of course, Ami and her two friends had taken to glaring at the two, the girl's face still sporting a dirty bruise from where Sakura had punched her the day before. However, their response was drastically different compared to the other females. Many of them the blonde had recognized from that morning, the same ones who had "kidnapped" Sakura for the morning gossip.
Their eyes were sparkling with adoration and awe.
"Oh that's so romantic!"
"We're cheering for you, Sakura-chan!"
"U-Uh…?" Naruto frowned, "What's up with this response…?"
"Alright class settle down." Iruka stated, stepping into the room, "It's time to begin lecture. Ami, good to see you were able to make it to class." He glanced subtly between her and Sakura, "I take it there won't be any more problems like there were yesterday?"
"Of course not sensei!" the two replied in unison, appearing far sweeter and good-natured than they felt.
Iruka nodded, taking their word for it.
"Good," he spoke slowly, "then everyone take your seats, and I'll begin roll."
The class's murmurs dimmed down to small whispers as they did what the man asked, returning to their seats so that he could begin class.
Seating herself in her acquired desk behind Naruto, Sakura began writing a small note addressed to the blonde, passing it toward him with the upmost stealth and precision.
Naruto blinked as he stared at the words on the page.
'So, what are you going to do about the Inuzuka?'
The blonde ran a hand through his hair, thinking it over before scribbling a response.
'I'll wait and see. Do you think he'll prove to be a big problem? From what I've seen so far he seemed kind of… how do you say, stupid?'
Sakura stared at the note silently, rubbing her chin in thought before sending the blonde a reply.
'That only means you should be even more wary of him. You know what they say, "Beware the idiot shinobi who wears his intentions on his sleeve. For while he may appear foolish and incompetent, you may never know what secret he may hold." In other words, just because he appears to be a bumbling buffoon doesn't mean he really is one.'
Naruto sighed.
'Fine, I got it. Really though, I'm not sure this Kiba guy is all that dangerous. He couldn't even bother to attack me like a proper ninja would… and his dog got distracted by some girls….'
Sakura stared at the note for a few seconds before sighing, writing back one last response.
'Listen, just… be careful alright? We still don't know what this guy is up to.'
The blonde looked as though he was about to write something else, but Sakura jabbed him with her pencil lightly, cutting him off. He glanced back at her through the corner of his eyes, watching her shake her head. An unspoken conversation passed between them.
"Not know. We'll finish this discussion later. Class is about to start."
Naruto sighed, dropping his head onto the surface.
So even Sakura wanted to study.
Great, just great.
-PtK-
Despite Sakura's intentions, Naruto was rendered unable to get a word in with her due to the constant, nagging presence of the class's gossip girls.
Due to yesterday's events, the pinkette had become something of a celebrity amongst the classroom, known as the one who finally gave Ami what she had coming. It had been humorous at first, watching the girl deal with the sudden attention she was used to avoiding, but after three class breaks, it had become incredibly irritating.
Class had finally let out, and still Naruto couldn't hold a private conversation with her!
He grunted in mild annoyance as he watched the girl glance at him apologetically, attempting to drive off her surprisingly powerful fans.
The hallways, the roof, it didn't matter where they went.
Somehow, someway, someone was always there!
It was maddening.
"Having some problems?" Sora asked him curiously after Iruka had left the class for the final time, dismissing lecture for the day.
"Yeah… I never knew the school's grapevine could be so demanding… they're really going at Sakura-chan. Can't even so much as talk to her without someone butting in."
"Ah, well… what do you expect when dealing with someone who punched Ami of all people?" the dark-haired teen grinned, clapping his pal on the shoulder soothingly, "Anyway, don't worry so much about it. You know how things are, they'll likely let up on her and find something else to gossip about in a day or two. But I do have to say I'm surprised…" Sora mumbled, rubbing his chin in thought, "I never took you as the kind of person who'd bathe with another…"
"G-Guh…" Naruto sweatdropped, grabbing Sora by the collar and throttling him angrily, "Shut up! We were five!"
"Oh?" Sora questioned, gaining a suave look to his face as he gave a calculating response, "Getting in close while they're still young huh? Not a bad plan."
Naruto whacked him upside the head.
Sora cried out in response, gripping his head lightly while continue to smirk at the blonde.
"A-Ah… you wound me…" he stumbled backward dramatically, tossing his head back and allowing his hair to drift through the air, "But… don't think I'll let you get away with a free hit again, you little shit!"
The two of them slammed their foreheads together angrily, glaring fiercely as they grabbed each other by the scruff of their neck.
"What'd you just say, you bastard-!"
"Little prick, you wanna go-?!"
The two glared into each other's eyes, both knowing they weren't going to get anywhere. It was common for the two to act in such a way every so often, though it usually only happened after Naruto made a scathing remark about Sora's latest attempt to pick up a girl.
The door opened behind them.
"Heh, so you're still just fooling around and having fun, eh Uzumaki?"
The words snapped the two boys from their heated battle, both turning in unison to glance at the source of the voice. Naruto's eyes widened slightly in recognition.
"You are-"
It was Kiba.
The hoodie-wearing shinobi grinned eerily, his small dog seated atop his head at it too stared at the two boys, ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
"Huh? Naruto? You know this guy?" Sora asked, pointing at Kiba lamely.
All signs of their earlier irritation with each other was gone.
"Yeah… you could say that." Naruto replied, a small bead of sweat rolling down the side of his head.
Kiba continued to grin, "You've been holed up in here all day, but I knew you wouldn't be able to hide forever. Now that your class is over with, I'm gonna deal with you promptly!"
"Ah, before all that," Sora butt in, pointing to Akamaru "I have to ask… what's with the dog? You know pets are prohibited on school ground, right?"
"Shut up!" Kiba snapped, howling at the boy angrily, "Akamaru's not a pet! He's my partner! Ain't that right boy?"
The dog on his head yipped once, giving a firm nod of its head.
"That's right…" Naruto frowned, thinking back to what he knew about the Inuzuka Clan, "Each of their members are supposed to partnered up with one of the Clan Canines when they're little. They spend all their time together… growing up to be the perfect tag team!"
Quickly, the boy glanced toward Sakura's last known location, only to be greeted with the sight of an empty chair. His frown darkened.
Damn.
Those girls must have already removed her from the classroom. The one time something important was happening-
"Sora," the blonde spoke solemnly, "Do you mind hanging back for a bit? This guy and I have something to discuss."
"Huh? Well, I guess I can…" Sora muttered, tilting his head toward Naruto curiously, "But… are you sure you don't want me to get a teacher or something? This guy looks like some kind of delinquent."
"What was that?" Kiba asked, raising a brow as he threw on an unamused look, "I'll show you a delinquent you little-"
Naruto cut him off.
"Nah. That sort of thing won't be necessary. I just have some unfinished business with him is all."
"Heh, glad to see you're as eager to settle things as I am," Kiba grinned, "Now, how about we go somewhere private?"
"Yeah." Naruto grimaced, "I know a place."
Kiba grinned, and he followed the blonde out the room.
Sora watched the two leave with a small frown, tilting his head at the blonde's back as he disappeared out the door.
"Naruto… you've gotten involved with weird people, haven't you?"
-Later-
It didn't take long to arrive at Naruto's intended destination. If he was going to deal with this person, it was only obvious he'd want to do it somewhere he knew, somewhere he'd have the advantage.
And what better place was there than where it all began?
And so, the two shinobi found themselves on the rooftop just beneath the construction site, the same location where Naruto had defeated Mizuki a week prior.
Kiba grinned, his arms folded eagerly as he faced the blonde from across the roof.
"Not bad! I'll admit I was a bit worried when you said you knew a place, but this… it's quiet, isolated… the perfect place for shinobi like us to do battle."
Naruto's eyes gleamed darkly, dispersing the Henge that hid his uniform as he glared back at the Inuzuka.
"Isn't that my line? For a shinobi you sure aren't all that worried about breaking the secrecy clause. What were you thinking, approaching me in the front of the school like that, are you an idiot?"
Kiba just grinned in reply, setting a hand on his hip as Akamaru leapt down beside him, bristling in preparation for a fight.
"Of course not. That scene of mine was just a distraction to make sure everything was proceeding as planned. In case you're wondering, it has. You're here alone now, aren't you?"
Naruto's eyes widened a fraction of an inch. What did he mean by that? Had this all been part of his plan from the very beginning?
"I can see you're confused." Kiba smirked, raising a hand in explanation, "What? You don't think that those girls would've been that interested in that bodyguard of yours on their own, did you?"
Finally, it made sense.
The reason why they had always shown up whenever he tried to discuss important things with Sakura, why they continued to drag her around against her will! They were civilians, so of course using shinobi techniques to escape them would've been highly frowned upon… but, how?
"You-!" Naruto grimaced, his eyes steeling somewhat as he fell into a battle position, "What did you do?!"
"Heh…" the Inuzuka grinned, "Genjutsu."
"Genjutsu…?" Naruto thought, "An illusion…?"
"There's tons of abilities out there that can affect another's mind and body," Kiba explained, sliding his hands down into his pockets boringly, "my sensei knew a rather interesting one that intensified the interest someone has in a person or object. It was child's play casting it on those ignorant girls. Right now, I'd say that Sakura chick's about the most interesting thing happening in their world right now. They're not likely to take their eyes off of her for quite some time. Which of course means, that she'll have a much harder time keeping her eyes on you. And so… here we are, on this rooftop, you, alone and isolated. That girl won't be able to protect you."
Heh.
At that moment Naruto realized he had severely underestimated the person before him. He'd actually put some thought into it, and created a plan designed to isolate his target and keep him away from any source of help.
The blonde leaned down, clapping his knees to keep himself steady as a small laugh escaped from his lips.
Kiba frowned at the sound, a fierce glare forming in his eyes as Naruto leaned back upright.
"Ah… not bad." The blonde laughed, "You're a lot smarter than I gave you credit for. I guess Sakura-chan was right when she said I should be careful. But…" he steeled himself, glaring at the Inuzuka fiercely. "If you think I'm gonna go down easy, you have another thing coming."
Kiba grinned at that. The words for battle had been spoken.
"We'll see about that!" he grinned, kneeling down and forming a tiger seal. "Let's go Akamaru!"
The dog yipped, leaping on top of Kiba fiercely as his eyes zeroed in on Naruto's form. The Inuzuka grinned, a small gleam shining in his eye.
"Imitation Art: Beast Human Clone!"
A wave of blue force erupted around the two, the chakra required for the technique becoming visible. A small plume of smoke erupted seconds later, and when it cleared, the small dog was gone. In its place was a Kiba clone, looking just as ferocious and eager as the original.
They both opened their mouths to speak at the same time.
""So, how do you like our cloning technique? The Beast Human Clone, a specialty handed down through the Inuzuka Clan for ages! Face it Uzumaki, with Akamaru on my side, there's no way you can keep up with me!""
Naruto smirked. Certainly, the idea was interesting enough. Training an animal to use ninja techniques. But, Kiba was far too cocky! If he thought creating a single clone was impressive, just wait until he saw what Naruto could do!
"Sorry to disappoint you, Kiba." Naruto muttered, "But, you have it backwards. Even with Akamaru… there's just no way you'll be able to keep up with me!"
He formed the cross seal, and Kiba's eye narrowed.
""I don't think so!"" the two Kiba howled, dashing forward in an impressive display of speed.
They tore through Naruto's location like a wild storm, their claws ripping through the air in an attempt to dissuade the blonde from using any techniques. In light of their movements, Naruto had to agree. They had arrived before he could even gather chakra for his jutsu, and he was forced back.
"Tch… too fast huh."
""We told you, there's no way you can keep up with an Inuzuka!"" one of the Kiba grunted from behind the blonde, sweeping him off his feet.
Naruto's eyes went wide, his body sailing in the air as he began to fall.
"T-They're fast-!"
Quickly slamming his hand to the ground to shift himself into a handstand, Naruto swung his leg out to the side, catching one of the Inuzuka by the cheek.
Kiba grunted, crashing to the ground before leaping back up just as quickly.
"Get him Akamaru!" the boy howled, his clone moving into position.
Naruto's eye gleamed, and he turned around, only to receive a slashing claw against his face, pushing him back even further.
"G-Guh…" he hissed, touching the area briefly before pulling his hand away.
Somehow he had managed to avoid the full blow.
"You understand yet Uzumaki?" Kiba asked, "You can't keep up with Akamaru and me! Give up on being Hokage, and I might spare you an early grave!"
"Che…" Naruto grunted, steadily reaching for his ninjato. "Give up?" he asked, narrowing his eyes angrily. "What are you going on about…? We're just getting started!"
Kiba trembled in rage, "Why you-! Fine! Akamaru, we'll finish him with this!"
The Kiba clone nodded, and they again dropped on all fours, sprinting toward Naruto full force.
Their claws gleamed as they neared the target, and at that same moment, Naruto too sprang into action.
The cold, concise swipes of his blade trailed through the air, as did the path the Kiba claws took. The three of them landed on opposite sides of the roof, their backs turned to one other.
"You're quick," Naruto muttered, "but you telegraph your moves."
Kiba winced, feeling the small stinging sensation as the center of his hoodie was torn open, revealing a small cut. He stumbled forward a single step, but didn't fall.
"Che…" he grunted, "That's my line."
Naruto too stumbled forward a step, his left leg tearing open from a claw mark he'd received from the pair's attack.
Akamaru yipped.
The three of them turned at the same time, their eyes gleaming dangerously as they launched toward each other for another attack.
They clashed in the center of the roof, steel meeting chakra-enhanced claws that made such contact possible. Naruto turned, swinging his blade to the right along with him as Kiba leapt back, allowing Akamaru to take the lead.
The Kiba clone grunted as he knelt down beneath the blow, swiping at Naruto's midriff only for the blonde to leap out of range as well. The blonde had only just landed when he tossed several kunai out toward the pair, forcing them both to make a hasty retreat.
Naruto wouldn't let them.
Having attached a rope to one of the kunai, he swung upward, changing the arc it flew in at the last second and watching it wrap around the Kiba clone's leg.
He pulled.
With a loud cry, the Man-Beast clone crashed back into the roof floor violently, prompting Kiba to cry out in rage. The Inuzuka landed gracefully before launching himself forward at Naruto angrily, swinging at him several times before finally forcing the blonde to leap away yet again.
"Akamaru!" Kiba shouted, "You alright boy?!"
The small dog staggered back to its feet, the transformation having been thrown off by the sudden impact. It waited a moment, before giving Kiba a firm, determined nod.
The Inuzuka grinned, leaping back down beside his partner.
"Good!" he began, reactivating the technique, "Then I think it's about time we took this a little more seriously."
He withdrew a small batch of pills from his pockets, keeping his eyes on Naruto's focused form at all times.
"Those pills… what are they?" Naruto wondered, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Kiba grinned, and then tossed a pair to Akamaru, allowing the clone to munch on them hungrily before taking a pair himself.
Almost immediately another wave of chakra overtook them. Their already animalistic features grew even more feral, their bodies crashing down on all fours as if they were truly no more than beasts.
Kiba grinned up at the blonde, knowing he had no clue what was going on.
He certainly wasn't going to explain.
Again Akamaru leapt up on top of Kiba, and together they formed yet another hand seal.
"Heh, I hope you're ready Uzumaki, because now you're really in for a world of pain!" Kiba explained, "Let's go Akamaru, Gatsuuga!"
The second he said the word a great wind funneled around them, masking them in a swirling, tornado-like substance. Both Kiba and Akamaru began to spin in place for several seconds, the wind around them only increase with each rotation before taking off like a great storm.
They tore through the concrete of the roof like it was nothing, spinning and swirling their way upward toward the crane where Naruto stood.
The blonde's eyes went wide.
They were upon him before he even knew what had happened.
In a single moment the one of the tornadoes plowed into him, shredding into him and driving him off the crane back toward the roof. His back slammed into the floor, blood flying from his lips just before the second appeared, bashing into his exposed right arm.
He cried out in pain, the tornado fading to reveal a larger, fiendishly red Akamaru who bit deep down into his skin.
"You… damn mutt…!" he grunted, pulling up reserves of energy to swipe at the dog with his blade.
Akamaru leapt back quickly, avoiding the edge by a hair's breadth. He landed back by Kiba, growling at Naruto angrily.
The Uzumaki panted softly, steadily climbing back to his feet before readying his blade yet again. His right arm hung loosely by his side.
"Damn…! What was that…? I could barely keep up!" Naruto thought, squinting his eyes toward the pair as they rushed him yet again. "My right arm… useless!"
He felt the sudden blow of a punch crash into his chin, knocking him upward.
Slowly, Naruto began to descend, his body falling back as his vision blurred for a brief moment.
"Eh…?"
Despite it all, he saw a large figure suddenly appear above him.
"Take this Uzumaki!" Kiba howled, driving his feet into the blonde's gut and smashing him into the ground below.
The two remained there for several seconds, neither saying a word.
Kiba's lips curled upward.
"It's my win, Uzumaki."
The blonde dispersed into a shattered log.
"!"
"Damn!" Naruto thought, glancing at the pair with wide eyes as he hid around the corner, wrapping his right arm in a wrap torn from his kunai holster. "That could've been the end of it if I hadn't been paying attention!"
"Uzumaki…!" Kiba grunted, glancing around the area angrily, "You think you can hide from me?! Fat chance! We're Inuzuka you know! We can smell you! We know you're still here!"
Naruto grimaced.
"He's right. I won't be able to keep up at this rate. So… while I'm hidden here I'll…"
He exhaled softly, and formed the cross seal.
"Damn that Uzumaki…" Kiba grunted, scanning the area for any sign of him, "He thinks he can just run away…?! Akamaru, how about you? Have you seen anything?!"
The dog whined, bending down and covering its nose in confusion. It didn't understand what was happening.
Suddenly, two shadowy figures leapt out from behind them, each brandishing a single kunai.
The two Inuzuka turned quickly, swiping their claws at the assailants and knocking them into the open.
"Che… so he made a clone." Kiba growled, glancing at the two Naruto that now faced them.
"Yeah, that's right." One of the Naruto smirked, "And this one doesn't need some mutt as a base. Anything you can do I can do better."
"Why you-? Don't insult Akamaru!" Kiba scowled, rushing forward with is partner close at his heel.
Again, they disappeared into a swirling mass of wind.
"Gatsuuga!"
The Naruto smirked, leaping back slightly before being nailed with the dual combo.
He faded away with a soft 'pop'.
"Damn! So that was the clone?!" Kiba snarled, turning around and racing toward the other one. "Then you-!"
He swung his claw out vibrantly, tearing through the second Naruto and smirking.
That blonde faded as well.
"Both of them?!" Kiba asked in shock.
Akamaru again whined.
"!"
Kiba glanced up, watching as a horde of Naruto suddenly leapt out from their hiding places, swarming the pair from all sides.
""Didn't I already say it Kiba?"" they all asked, ""Anything you can do, I can do better!""
And the blondes charged.
Kiba and Akamaru grunted as they attempted to deflect and parry the blows to no avail. There were just too many of them.
"How did he make so damn many?!" Kiba thought, grimacing as he felt another crushing blow slam into his side. "And even worse, they're all solid! How in the hell-?"
His thoughts were cut off as one of the Naruto swung their leg around in an arc, catching Kiba by the chin and kicking him to the ground.
"G-Gah!"
Akamaru growled, lunging toward the blonde who managed to nail his partner only to be knocked aside from an attack from the side.
""Give up Kiba, there's no way you can keep up with all of us!"" the Naruto mob mimicked, repeating words from earlier.
"L-Like I'd give up that easily…!" Kiba scowled, wiping the blood from his mouth with his sleeve. "Let's go Akamaru! Once more!"
They both leapt to their feet quickly, the tornado again appearing as they spun around in a circle.
"Gatsuuga!"
The many Naruto cried out as they were blown away by the sheer force of the technique, several dispersing upon impact with different parts of the roof.
One last Naruto appeared at the edge of the roof, glancing at the pair solemnly.
"It's over, Kiba." Naruto exclaimed, "I've seen your move three times now! I know just how fast it goes, and how long you can use it… You won't be able to hit me again."
Kiba growled, taking a step toward the blonde, "What'd you just say?!"
"You heard me. There's no way you'll be able to hit me with that again."
"Heh, wanna bet?" Kiba grinned, raising his hand confidently.
Again, streams of wind began to wrap around him.
Naruto's eyes narrowed. So he was going to try anyway. That was fine. It was why the blonde had made sure to stand right where he was after all. Given their distance, and how long Kiba seemed to be able to keep up the technique…
"Gatsuuga!" came the Inuzuka's howl, the twin tornadoes rushing toward them, masking Kiba's and Akamaru's presence.
Naruto's eyes gleamed, and the blonde leapt upward, allowing one of the tornadoes to pass beneath him…
Right off the edge of the building.
Kiba's eyes went wide as the technique faded, and he found himself watching Akamaru descend from the building toward the streets below.
"No! Akamaru!" he shouted, leaping after the dog.
"!"
It was strange, how it happened.
The three lay over the edge of the building, hanging for their lives as Akamaru whined from below.
Kiba had managed to catch the pup before he was out of reach, but only barely, and at extreme risk to his own life.
It had only been on a whim that Naruto had caught the boy by the ankle… probably.
"Idiot!" Kiba squawked at the blonde, struggling to get out the grip, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Shut up!" Naruto countered, tightening his grip on the Inuzuka's ankle despite the pain coursing through his right arm, "Do you wanna die?!"
"What was that?!" the Inuzuka roared back, "What business do you have trying to save me anyway?! I just tried to kill you a minute ago you know?!"
Naruto remained silent for a moment, pondering the thought in his head. The Inuzuka did have a point. He could have just as easily let the teen fall, and no one would have blamed him. He closed his eyes, before tightening his grip once more.
Like he'd do that sort of thing.
"Yeah, you're right." He said instead, "You did just try to kill me. But, you said you were from Konoha, right?"
Kiba's eyes narrowed, and he stopped struggling as much.
"That being the case," the blonde continued, "no matter how much you roar and complain about it… that still makes us comrades. And as someone who plans to be Hokage… I just can't sit by and let a subordinate die without doing anything, now can I?!"
Kiba's eyes went wide in surprise.
Loyalty… Honor… he had thought ninja were above such things.
He had forgotten.
"Heh… Uzumaki, you're really something, you know that?" Kiba asked, hanging limp as Naruto slowly began to heave him up.
The blonde grunted in annoyance, leaning back with all his might to pull the Inuzuka back to the edge.
"And you're…really…heavy…!"
The two sighed in relief as they fell back onto the solid concrete, panting heavily as they stared up into the night sky.
Neither said anything for several seconds.
"So… you really plan to do it huh?" Kiba asked finally, earning an annoyed glance from Naruto. "You really plan on becoming Hokage."
The blonde exhaled softly, continuing to catch his breath. It looked like the battle was over.
"Yeah. I do."
"It's a long road." Kiba told him, "There'll be others like me, tons of people who will get in your way."
Naruto leaned upward, thinking things through once more before glancing at Kiba confidently.
"Who cares about all that stuff? If there's an obstacle in my path, then I'll just break through it. If there's something I can't do, I'll figure it out anyway, because I will become Hokage. It's my dream…" he reached out toward the sky, closing his fist as if catching it with his fingers, "and I will make it a reality!"
Kiba smiled lightly, closing his eyes after listening to the blonde's words.
"Your dream huh?" he thought aloud, leaning upward. "Fine, I got it. I'll put in a good word for you."
"Eh? What?" Naruto asked.
"Don't make me repeat myself." Kiba grunted, "But yeah. I'll… say you did good. You managed to best Akamaru and me after all, and not just anyone can do that." His eyes narrowed, "But you better not start slacking off, you hear me? Because Akamaru and I will be right behind you, watching you like a hawk! And if we see your skills slipping…" he crushed his palms together, "we'll definitely be there to crush you!"
"Yeah… whatever?" Naruto deadpanned.
"What the hell's up with response?!" Kiba shrieked, quickly climbing back to his feet. "Whatever. I'm leaving… come on Akamaru!"
He began walking to the exit, the small dog limping behind him.
"Ah, hold on a second!" Naruto called after him, making to stand as well.
Kiba raised a brow, stopping at the door.
"What?"
"Those girls… you still have to release that Genjutsu!" Naruto exclaimed.
Kiba stared at him for a couple seconds before breaking out into a small laugh.
"Oh? That?" the Inuzuka chuckled, "I just made that up. There's no way someone who specializes in Ninjutsu like me could perform such a complicated Genjutsu. High school girls are crazy man, you should know that."
He walked down the stairs, giving the blonde a nonchalant wave before leaving the scene.
Naruto stared after him for several seconds, the impression of a competent, powerful shinobi shattering in his mind.
"That guy…" he muttered, "he really is… an idiot."
-Chapter Three-
END