Chapter Three :
Promise of a Duel.
"One of the Legendary Sannin taking on a snot-nosed genin… I oughta be ashamed of myself."
"It's because to be Hokage… is your dream… isn't it Naruto? One last time… just one last time… I place the odds on you."
Ignoring the voice in her head Naruto continued to run through the forest. Words that played through her head meant nothing if she couldn't understand them nor know who spoke them.
They were simply there.
But lately she's been getting some of her memories back, mainly about about someone she used to call Iruka-sensei and connecting the dots she concluded that the man was her teacher once upon a time. Though judging by her memories of Iruka always chasing her it wouldn't be far-fetched to assume that she gave the man a lot trouble.
It was sad that she couldn't really remember much about Iruka. He seemed like a great guy, what did he think of a troublemaker like her?
"Stop acting like a baby! You want to know what I really think of you?! I think you're one of my most precious students… and… you're like a little brother to me."
A smile graced Naruto's features as she broke into a run. She had a mission to complete, namely to steal a scroll from some Senju squad that was out on a retrieval mission. If she recalled correctly there was a warning about one of them being a sensor.
But it didn't matter to her. After all, she glanced down at the blue crystal that was attached to the necklace around her neck, she could erase her chakra signature or pass off as a Senju.
Now how was it possible for one to erase their chakra signature?
Easy, Naruto was the apprentice of Death himself for centuries. She picked up a thing or two in stealth soul gathering.
'Or not,' she thought feeling one signature briefly flicker in alert.
Impressive.
But even if she was caught she wouldn't fail her mission. Even Death himself knew that Naruto Uzumaki didn't give up, she didn't run away because that's her...what? Her what exactly? Oh, well. Feeling a wave of mischief Naruto started humming an eerie tune once she was in the Senju squad's hearing distance. At the same time she conjured up five other clones, now it was six Naruto and six Senju.
Without meaning to Naruto started adding words to the song.
"Deep, deep, through the forest~ The lambs hide from the pre~da~tor, never knowing there's no escaping."
She sensed them tense and stood in a protective circle.
Her clone continued the song.
"The lightning suddenly strikes, the tensed lambs jump in fright~" on cue a lightning bold tears through the sky and Naruto feels the six Senju's alarm.
Her second clone chuckles using the hiding like a mole technique to quickly get bellow the Senju while her first clone continued.
"Surprisingly the lambs are rather prideful, choosing not to run...or maybe accepting death? Ah~ Who cares~ It just makes it easier! My will isn't like the earth, it can't be shaken~"
Naruto winced when her second clone blew herself up in order to make a small earth quake, but it was rather fun. Really exciting making six men so riled up.
"Ah, they've fallen to their knees, beggin' for their lives~ The fleeting wind sending shivers through their spines!"
Naruto giggled but summoned a gust of wind towards the Senju squad, her clone knew how to have fun. She felt like a proud mother.
"Drip-drip-drop, the sounds of rain pattering on the ground soothingly warms my heart~"
This time it was Naruto's third clone that focused her water affinity to produce rain.
Naruto softly sighed, this would probably tax her reserves a bit, but feeling a spike of fear through the Senju made it worth it. It wasn't common to make strong clans like them feel fear after all. Naruto jumped up as high as she could weaving through some hand seals.
"As the rain begins to perish, I set fire to the rain."
"Fire style : Great Flame Technique!"
And she spat fire towards the Senju members whom all dodged.
She smirked.
It wasn't often someone could dodge her techniques.
"Protect the scroll!" one of the Senju barked.
Naruto stood leisurely in the middle of the burnt field eyeing the six Senju. They were all alert as they circled around her.
"Who sent you?" one questioned.
Naruto tilted her head to the side cutely, "What're you talking 'bout mister?" she purposely made her voice more high-pitched. She concentrated on her chakra trying to make it imitate the Senju's. The necklace she wore around her neck made it easier for her.
"Her chakra...!"
She blinked, mildly impressed that one of them noticed it so fast. Her eyes landed on a boy. Younger than Madara. White hair. Stoic. Kinda like the Senju version of Madara.
"Grown-ups are idiots. If they really want to bring an end to this endless fighting, they need to sit down with one another and reach a truce…"
"Saru, you must protect those who have faith in you and who love the village, and train up to those to whom you can entrust the next generation… from tomorrow, you will be the Hokage…!"
"My brother believed that the village was something that demolish the boundaries between clans. Well in the end it wasn't that simple… My brother was too soft… and Madara too dangerous… My role as Second Hokage was to mediate between them while protecting and reinforcing the village."
Her eyes landed on the scroll at the boy's belt.
She licked her lips in anticipation.
"This will be fun!" she exclaimed dashing towards the boy with a kunai in her hand.
Her mouth curled up into a smirk when the boy deflected her kunai with his sword. She was impressed. Most wouldn't be able to block her attack without their weapon breaking or being pushed back.
"May I know your name?"
It's been a long time since she's had a good fight.
"Tobirama Senju," the boy surprisingly answered, putting some force.
"Tobi-kun, eh?" Naruto shortened the boy's name, she didn't like overly long names after all.
She saw the boy glance to his other clan members who were all occupied by her clones before glancing back at her.
"Those are solid clones."
"I praise your observation skills, Tobi-kun," Naruto sarcastically said.
"What's your name?" Tobirama asked, narrowing his eyes at her.
"Ah? Asking my name on our first meeting? How forward!" Naruto joked aiming a kick at Tobirama whom responded by sending a kick towards her stomach.
Caught by surprise that he chose to attack as well instead of dodging Naruto took the full force of the attack and fell on her butt.
Her eyes were wide in shock, but she managed to block Tobirama's sword with her kunai. She chuckled, catching Tobirama by surprise as she rolled away from him. Once she stood up she stared at the boy in front of her with renewed interest. A cough escaped her as she stared at the blood on her hand.
Her blood.
"It's been years since someone has managed to land a blow on me, I'm impressed. I'm happy. I'm excited!" she cried out in happiness flinging herself towards Tobirama.
Tobirama, of course, met her head on with his sword.
"What do you want in return?"
Tobirama's eyes narrowed, "Your death."
"I'm afraid I can't die yet, even if you do manage to stab me with your sword I may not stay dead," Naruto happily informed.
"Then leave."
"No can do~ Hey Tobi-kun, you're pretty strong. Almost as strong as Mada-kun, but he hasn't landed a hit on me yet, so you've got a lot of potential. It'd be a waste to kill you, and it'd just be cruel of me to kill your clan members."
"You're rather confident."
"Just stating the truth, so, I'll let you live. Train and get stronger and stronger and stronger until you can make me go all out, ne?"
Tobirama didn't respond, his eyes were glancing between Naruto and his knocked out clansmen. If he surrendered both him and his clan members will live, but if he doesn't? He didn't want to find out.
"Fine," he relented.
Before he could blink a pair of lips were on his own.
It was brief, maybe only lasting three seconds. But he could've have died if his enemy wasn't serious. Damn, he needed to get faster.
But in his shock he could only stare at the blonde's grin.
"Then it's a promise! The remembrance being your first kiss."
How did she even know that?
"What's your name?" he asked instead.
"Naruto Namikaze."
Fish-cakes.
What an odd name.
Chapter end.
Questions:
1. What do you think of Tobirama?
2. Favorite Senju?
Edited: 25/6/2017