AN: here we go again. Can you guys like… review… please?... like seriously… please… review… I want to know what people think of this story.
…
Naruto collapsed to the ground, sweat beading his entire body. He tried to move even a finger but found that he couldn't. His arms were so red and literally smoking even though the day itself was hot. He screamed as he felt another wave of pain travel up his arm from his hand. There were red welts beginning to form on his arm from the abused chakra lines.
"That's what happens," Yamato muttered equally tired. He had his hands on his knees to support himself. "When a chakra you send into your sword is sent right back up shooting up your arm. It's similar to if a blood flow is suddenly reversed."
Naruto screamed into the air, a primal sort of scream filled with nothing but rage. He attempted to move his arm to grab his sensei's sword that lay a few feet away from him.
"Naruto…" Yamato muttered when Naruto paused to breathe. "You promised."
The blonde in the middle of taking a breath froze, the world seeming to stop with him.
They had returned to Konoha only a few days ago. Since then Yamato had begun to train them daily in grueling one on one sessions. They rotated each day, Sai, Naruto then Shiho. The ones who were being trained one on one always entered the forest. In Naruto's opinion Shiho had it the worst, coming out of the forest looking as if something had literally taken her in its jaws and chewed her. Sai was only a little better, coming out with minor wounds but still covered with sweat from top to bottom.
Then came Naruto's turn.
The first words Yamato had said to Naruto when they had reached the training area left the blonde speechless.
"Give me that sword Naruto."
"W-what?" Naruto thought that his teacher was kidding and he just smiled back. "Oh… are we going to train in something else today? Are you going to teach me what you taught Sai and Shiho?"
"No Naruto," Yamato held out a hand. "Give me the sword. That sword is too dangerous for you. I'm going to train you as a shinobi… but until we find a new way for you to use your Kenjutsu (Sword Technique) without hurting yourself you won't be touching that sword."
"Now give it to me." Yamato narrowed his eyes. "Now!"
Naruto 's eyes which were wide with shock turned into something ugly. "Come here and fucking take it woodman. This is all I have left of my Father. You think I'm going to lie down and let you fucking take it without a fight?"
"Then if I beat you…" Yamato's face was shrouded in shadow. "You'll give it to me?"
Naruto snarled. "If you can that is… the word Genin is but just a word." He drew his sword. "I'll show you the Dances of Dragon, Sky and Shadow. I've been holding back until now… you'll be sorry for angering me."
"You're strong Naruto." Yamato looked up, his eyes deadly. "But not nearly as you think you are!"
Then they battled.
Naruto collapsed to the ground, unable to take the pain from the chakra backlash.
Yamato gasped for breath looking around the clearing.
Every single tree within a thirty yard radius from Naruto had been cleanly sliced, making a ring around them. It wasn't just trees, everything that had been above four feet in height had been cut down as well.
"So this is your true power Naruto…" Yamato said as he regained his composure and began to walk over to the sword next to Naruto. He avoided the gigantic holes in the ground. The holes were about seven or eight feet in diameter and about fifteen feet deep. There were perfectly circular despite being engraved into the ground. There were large slashes on the ground as well, perfectly straight.
All these had been done by Naruto.
"Dammit…" Naruto began to cry. He wanted to punch something but he couldn't even move his arm due to the pain. "Why… why… please… that's all I have left of my dad…"
"You can get a new sword." Yamato said coldly.
"Please sensei… please…"
"Naruto!" Yamato snapped. "Look at your arm!"
Naruto paused looking at his arm as if seeing it for the first time.
Yamato gestured around them. "You're strong… way stronger than you have any right to be as a genin. But at too high a price. You've cut down every single tree in a thirty yard radius with one swipe of your sword. You've engraved the ground full of more holes and slashes than I've ever seen in one single battle. Each of those things done by a single swipe of your sword. But do you know how many times you paused because you couldn't take the pain Naruto? Yes your destructive power is great but… no. Not at this price." Steel entered Yamato's voice. "I won't let my student die… if you can get another sword that won't hurt you as much I'll allow you to use it. But not this sword until you are strong enough to use it without backlash." Yamato picked up the sword and left the blonde behind.
He heard the blonde beginning to wail.
When he felt as if he was far enough away from Naruto Yamato allowed himself to fall on a tree.
Then he spat up blood.
"Terrifying power…" He whispered. "My legs are still shaking… He didn't even use the Kyuubi's chakra at all. I could easily have lost a limb or two back there… or even my life."
He looked at the sword in his hand. "Naruto… I promise I'll return this to you. But for now it's hurting you too much. I'll give it to you as soon as you can handle it."
…..
Naruto woke up breathing heavily.
"Dammit it's been a month… just how many times am I going to have that dream…"
He grimaced and clutched his heart, hissing as he felt a sharp pain travel up his arm. Though it wasn't so bad anymore, his arms were still heavily bandaged from the burns he had received. He looked at his arms and shook his head trying to rid himself of the hated memory. He thought of Yamato taking his sword and hated himself for it. He didn't hate Yamato at all. The man was looking out for Naruto, doing it for his own safety. However he did hate something. That something was his own weakness… his own inability to control the sword.
He knew it was something that couldn't be helped. The sword didn't recognize him because he wasn't the one that defeated his master. He also knew because his chakra was radically different from his masters, hence the strong side effects. His master's chakra had been calm and warm, something like a pool of water. But on the other hand, Naruto's chakra was violent, erratic and cold. It was more like a raging sea on the night of a storm.
He walked to his bathroom, splashing some cold water on his face and looking at himself in the mirror. The marks on his face looked more as if some wild animal had mauled him with their claws or fangs. He took a quick shower and walked out of the bathroom, surveying the apartment that the Sandaime had acquired for him.
There was a single room and a bathroom. There was a kitchen and a living room. For someone who had never really lived in a house of their own before it was comparable to a mansion. Naruto went into the kitchen and grabbed a carton of milk, downing it in one gulp before moving to his room to get dressed.
It had been about a week since Yamato had taken away his sword and as a result Naruto had been forced to change his outfit a little bit more fitting of a Shinobi. He wore a sleeveless black v-neck shirt with mesh underneath. He had black pants tied off at his shins with bandages. Unlike other shinobi, he had a kunai holster on both legs. He didn't bother grabbing the Tanto that Sai had given him awhile back. It was the first gift from a friend and he didn't want to destroy it.
There was a reason why Naruto didn't use another sword in place of Flower Shadow. That was because Samurai Swords were specially forged to withstand monstrous amounts of chakra. A Tanto would simply shatter as soon as Naruto used a single technique. He decided to keep it as a memento more than use it as a weapon. Sai told him that he didn't really understand but told him that he would try to. Naruto left his apartment, wrapping the forehead protector around his neck.
He walked through the streets of Konoha. There were vendors on either side. Some greeted him, some just ignored him. He doubted anyone knew he was that 'demon' from four years ago. Naruto walked past the Ichiraku Ramen Store, a store which he favored when he was still in Konoha. He had walked through the streets enough times now to know where things were. Currently he was headed to a designated meeting spot with Sai and Shiho. They would meet up and walk to the training spot together, trading small talk and latest tips on their training.
"Naruto!" Shiho waved her arms from where she sat. "Over here!"
Shiho looked a bit more like a Shinobi now. She had cropped her hair short to her head though she still kept the glasses with the swirls tinted on them. She had a beige v-neck shirt with short sleeves. Beneath it she had a mesh shirt. She wore black shorts and over a beige mini skirt. She had ditched the backpack long before and had a kunai holster on one thigh. Over her right arm she had tied her forehead protector.
Sai dressed the same.
"You're late." Sai commented. "As usual."
Naruto sighed and hung his head. "Sorry…"
Sai and Shiho looked at each other. Naruto simply wasn't the same since he had lost the sword. The first couple of days had been the worst. Naruto couldn't even walk straight at first. He had lost any semblance of confidence that he possessed before. During a sparring session with Shiho, he tripped over his own foot and Shiho, now having some semblance of chakra control, managed to sit on top of him and put a kunai to his neck. Sai, when he returned, heard it from Shiho who was boasting the entire time. Sai nicknamed Naruto as the new weakling of Team 13. Naruto didn't even bother to contest it.
"Hey Naruto… how did your training with Yamato-sensei yesterday go?" Shiho asked.
"He taught me a new ninjutsu." Naruto answered as the three began to walk towards their training ground together. "But I'm not sure if it'll be of any use…"
"A weakling," Sai commented once more. "Will always be a weakling no matter what type of ninjutsu he learns."
Naruto showed his teeth, growling at Sai. "Shut it will you?"
"I'm sorry." Sai said taking out a book titled 'How to make friends fast' and beginning to read it. "I read it in the book that friends tease each other…"
"What jutsu was it?" Shiho asked purely out of curiosity. She wondered what kind of jutsu Yamato could possibly teach to a samurai.
"It was called Kagebunshin no Jutsu." (Shadow Clone Technique) Naruto replied, putting a hand on each of the kunai holster on his leg. "I don't know guys… I've been just practicing Kunai and Shuriken throwing lately. Does it really help? I feel like it's always better to have a sword handy. These blades are just so small."
"Sounds like your dick." Sai whispered.
"Sai!" Shiho yelled, blushing red.
"Oops." Sai sighed. "Did I tell it wrong again? That was a joke Shiho-chan."
"It was the type of joke that you messed up stupid…" Naruto said while peering at Sai from the corner of his eyes.
"Oh I see." Sai put the book aside and took out another book titled 'Proper Jokes for the Female Kind' and opened it to a certain page. "Just give me a second…"
Naruto couldn't help but feel a smile tug at his lips as he watched Shiho looked on horrified at Sai's antics.
"Oh look! It's that team Kiba was talking about!" Ino pointed at the trio that was walking in front of them, looking out from behind a sign post.
"I get that," Shikamaru said in a bored tone. "But why did we have to hide?"
"It's the principle of the thing!" Ino yelled at her teammate. She looked at Naruto and Sai. "Wow… they both look kind of cool…" She turned towards Shikamaru and Chouji. "Come on! We're introducing outselves! Shikamaru look awake! Chouji put away your chips!"
"Hey you guys! Wait up for us!"
Naruto stopped looking behind them. He heard Shiho gasp in recognition but ignored it, looking at the newcomers.
"Hey we heard you guys are a new team." Ino said as she approached them "We thought we should introduce ourselves since we're all the same genin and all." She put her hands behind her back and straightened her back. "What are your names? Besides Shiho I mean."
"I'm Naruto." Naruto cocked his head to the side. "This is our teammate Sai."
"This is Shikamaru," Ino gestured at the lazy genin who had his arms folded behind his head. "This is Chouji." Then she straightened her back again, pushing out her chest. "I'm called Ino…" She blushed.
"Pineapple head," Sai pointed at Shikamaru then Chouji. "Fatass."
Chouji opened his mouth. "WHAT DID YOU-"
"Heh heh heh…." Ino laughed, a tick mark on her forehead, simultaneously blocking Chouji's mouth and holding him in a headlock. "Sorry… my teammate's a bit sensitive."
"Blonde Flirty Hag." Sai said with a smile pointing at Ino.
Naruto buried his face in his hands talking to Shiho. "I'm not taking responsibility for this..."
"Chouji," Ino released the fat genin. "Kill him."
Chouji threw a punch towards Sai. Sai easily dodged it, letting it sail by him harmlessly. He grabbed Chouji's arm and twisted it, appearing behind him and holding him in an arm lock.
Shikamaru frowned at this, moving his hands together to form hand seals.
Naruto's launched an overhead kick, the heel hitting Shikamaru's hand. He continued with the kick and brought Shikamaru's torso to the floor, stepping on the genin's hand. Shikamaru looked up at the smirking blonde.
"Fast…"
"Now now," Naruto said giving the genin a 'I don't know gesture,' "Your side attacked us first you know."
Ino looked at both of her teammates completely immobilized by Team 13. Shiho looked at Ino and gave an apologetic smile putting her hands together.
"Sorry," apologized Shiho. "My teammates are a bit… hot headed."
Naruto put his hand in front of face, palm out.
There was the sound of metal sinking in flesh.
All the genins watching gasped in shock.
"Aiming right for the eyes…" Naruto moved his hand away from his face, a kunai stabbed into his hand, the other end visible from the back of his hand. "What rude manners."
Naruto released Shikamaru who got to his feet hastily and stood next to Ino. Sai released Chouji as well who went to his teammates. They just stared at Naruto's hand which was dripping with blood, their mouths gaping open.
"Naruto!" Shiho rushed to Naruto's side who flicked his wrist with enough force to rip the kunai out. A spray of blood accompanied it as the piece of metal clanged on the floor. Sai narrowed his eyes at the ones who had thrown the kunai and made a motion to grab his tanto with his free hand.
Naruto shook his head.
Sasuke jumped down from the tree where he had been sitting in. He held a kunai in his hand, twirling it with a single finger through the loop on its handle. "That was aimed towards your forehead protector…"
"Oh was it?" Naruto was still smirking. "Sorry, I'm kind of new at this ninja thing."
"Sasuke-kun!" A pink haired girl ran from behind him, standing next to him. She looked at the scene eyes becoming wide at Naruto's wound.
"Hey… why are you guys walking so fast?" A boy with light brown hair walked in. He had round eyes and his hair was parted in the middle, the ends spiky and pointing slightly upwards. He yawned stifling it with a palm. "Wait up for me." Then he looked at the scene.
"Uh oh." He whispered. "Sasuke-kun… what have you done this time…"
Sasuke ignored his lazy teammate. "Your name?"
"Uzumaki Naruto." He lifted his hand up, the palm facing him. "Next time can you get my name before you try to kill me? Manners and what not…"
"Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke folded his arms.
"Didn't ask." Naruto said with a smile. Sasuke narrowed his eyes.
"Kawasu, Sakura," He ordered. "Let's go." He turned on his heel leaving the two shinobi behind.
"I'm sorry! We'll make up for it later!" Sakura said as she turned around, chasing after Sasuke who was walking away rather briskly. "Wait up Sasuke-kun!"
"Always an adventure with those two." Kawasu sighed and folded his arms on the back of his head. He was wearing a long blue kimono. He smirked as he looked at Naruto. "A lot of people are out to get you Uzumaki Naruto. Not a lot of the genins like you. I'd be more careful about whose hands I step on next time."
"Well then we should be going too." Shikamaru muttered.
"Yeah." Ino shot a cold look at Team 13. "Let's go Shikamaru, Chouji." The three left not having much to say about what had happened.
"Naruto don't you need to bandage that?" Shiho said in a worried tone.
"I'm fine for now." He peered at Shiho.
Sai asked the question Naruto had wanted to. "Did we embarrass you in front of your friends Shiho-chan? My book says that-"
"What he means is that we're sorry." Naruto said with a laugh. Even Sai cracked a smile. "But you're teammates with us. What do you expect?"
Shiho sighed. "I guess I'll never be really popular since every other genin team hates us now."
"Girls value popularity." Sai said in a fake whisper to Naruto's ear.
"Oh shut up." Shiho growled. "Besides… I'm not alone anymore." She smiled at that.
Naruto looked at Sai while grinning.
For a second, for just a second he thought Sai's smile was genuine.
Naruto shook his head. "Come on we're late for training and if this gets any cheesier I'm going to hurl."
…
"Get up." Yamato ordered.
Shiho struggled to get up and fell down on her chest as her strength failed her.
Yamato, though at other times, was very mellow during training he turned into someone else. He didn't really endorse any type of weakness. Shiho wondered if he was this tough with Naruto and Sai. Sometimes she felt like Yamato was training her to be the ANBU. Thanks to his Mokuton (Wood Release) Chakra he was able to devise very interesting training strategies. Shiho for the first couple of days worked on basic strength. There was a training where wooden logs would explode out of the ground. At first Yamato had her dodging them but as the training progressed he would throw a round ball into the air. While dodging the wooden logs she had to ride on a couple of them to catch it. Then he started throwing dull kunais which gradually became sharper.
But all in all, Shiho was happy.
Shiho was getting stronger, visibly improving by leaps and bounds. Yamato had warned her that her chakra control and capacity wasn't the best and she would have to work ten times as hard to catch up to Naruto and Sai.
Shiho was willing to work even a hundred times harder.
She had been useless to her team. Being knocked out by Naruto in the fight against the Sound Ninja, being the only one to lose the spar against the iwagakure genin named Mumaru. Shiho didn't want to hide behind her teammates forever. She was going to become strong enough not only to protect herself but protect her teammates when they needed her too just like they did for her.
Gritting her teeth Shiho stood up.
Shiho formed hand seals and Yamato narrowed his eyes.
Shiho however had one talent.
Elemental Manipulation.
"Katon: Ippo no Jutsu." (Fire Release: One Step Technique)
Shiho's feet lit into flames.
"I can't keep the jutsu going for long… I just need to hit him once that's it." Shiho knelt down, her hands on the ground and her feet looking as if she was about to launch off running.
Yamato formed a hand seal and half of his body turned into wood and it split off from him, becoming a whole new Yamato. "Mokuton: Bunshin no Jutsu." (Wood Release: Clone Technique)
Shiho exploded off of the ground.
Literally.
The fire on her feet weren't for offensive purposes. She didn't exactly use her feet to kick since she wasn't adept enough at Taijutsu for that yet. Instead she used the fire to enhance her speed, like just now. The fire at her feet exploded and by timing it just right she was able to gain a tremendous increase in speed. Sai and Naruto couldn't even touch her when she used this technique. But it didn't take too long for them to figure out a counter. Since Shiho used an explosion to get an increase in speed, she couldn't switch direction in the middle. She didn't possess the necessary body control and chakra control to pull off the technique once more while going in the straight line. This technique would never allow her to have complete control of directions but Yamato had told her that as she got better at it she'd be able to travel in straight lines in all directions. Definitely in waves but in pure zigzags it would be a formidable weapon.
The Bunshin blocked. Shiho had covered the distance between them in less than a second, seeming to almost teleport. The technique was similar to Shunshin (Body Flicker) but its offensive capabilities far surpassed the technique that was made for simple movement. The bunshin took out a kunai and blocked Shiho's kunai in reply only for Shiho to puff into smoke.
"Got you." Shiho whispered as she appeared behind herself. Yamato had seen the rapid change of hand seals as she charged towards his own clone but his clone had been blinded by the speed and had only seen a fast blur move towards him. While charging his clone Shiho had formed hand seals sending a clone of herself in her place. The real Shiho performed her fire technique again and punched the clone in the stomach. Then her feet exploded once again. The strength from the jutsu actually allowed Shiho to lift Yamato off of the ground and into the air.
The real Yamato looked at the ground. There were footsteps in the ground outlined in faint flames. He looked at the two craters in the ground where Shiho had exploded off of the ground.
"She's getting stronger, though she's nowhere near Naruto or Sai's level. If nothing else she'll be able to hold her own when those two are in a pinch." He looked at the air with a smile. "You're not a burden anymore Shiho… training day and night paid off."
Shiho moved her body in midair, moving herself to behind the Bunshi. She placed both feet on the bunshin while forming handseals.
That was the weakness of the technique. The technique was named aptly, One Step. After one explosion she had to perform the jutsu once more if she wanted another explosion. She usually covered this weakness by using a clone or simply relying on the speed of her technique.
Her feet exploded.
The bunshin crashed into the ground turning back into wood while Shiho was sent further into the air. Yamato watched not worried at all as he turned around and began to leave. "That's it for today. Good job."
Shiho landed on the ground breathing heavily. "F-finally…" She whispered. "But that one was a lot weaker than the other ones… it didn't even bother to move out of the way…" She winced in pain in her legs. Her jutsu came at a price similar to Naruto's sword technique. Her legs and chakra points in her feet couldn't handle the pressure yet. Yamato assured her that she will get used to it with time.
"So three times the limit…" Shiho thought with a grim expression. She looked at Yamato walking away with not a single wound.
Shiho jogged a little to catch up with her teacher. "Sensei wait up!"
….
Naruto panted, his feet to either side of him and one hand on the floor. The other clutched two shuriken. Naruto had a scroll on his mouth. He was glaring at Sai who stood a little bit away from him. Sai had his tanto out. His other hand was inching towards his holster where his paint brush and paper was contained.
Sai threw his Tanto towards the blonde, sending it whirling end over end. Naruto threw his shuriken which bounced off of the Tanto. Sai sat down and already started to draw on his paper scroll.
"Shit." Thought Naruto. He ducked underneath the tanto sending it sailing by him harmlessly. He leapt backwards and took out three shuriken in both hands sending them flying towards Sai. He formed hand seals with one hand while the other one reached into his holster to grab more shuriken.
"Hand seals with one hand." Sai nodded grimly. Naruto usually didn't use two hands for those types of techniques. Something about Samurai training.
"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Justu." (Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique) Naruto muffled through the scroll in his mouth. The shuriken that he threw began to multiply the six that he originally threw becoming dozens. They hummed through the air flying towards Sai.
"Ninpo: Choju Giga." (Ninja Arts: Super Beast Imitation Drawing) Sai sent a herd of lions running towards Naruto. The swarm of shuriken hit the lions and dropped to the ground, covered in black ink. Sai soared into the air on top of a large bird that he had summoned along with the lions. Sai began to draw on his pallet once more sending herds of lions flying towards Naruto from the sky.
Naruto formed a hand seal. "Kagebunshin no Jutsu." (Shadow Clone Technique) A puff of smoke appeared on either side of him revealing two perfect copies of Naruto. The blonde grabbed their hands. "Henge no Jutsu." (Transformation Technique) The two blonde copies turned into shuriken, a large ring in the center and three flat blades pointing outwards. Unlike other shuriken these had completely flat blades. The shuriken was a lot larger than normal ones each blade being about four feet long.
Sai narrowed his eyes. "When did he-"
Naruto threw the blades one after the other forming hand seals once more. "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" He yelled. These shuriken multiplied into the dozens once more. However instead hitting the ink lions and falling towards the ground these held enough mass to cleave right through the swarm heading straight for Sai. The bird that Sai was riding on began to weave through the air dodging everything.
Naruto formed hand seals once more. "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." He whispered and the swarm of giant shuriken doubled in size once more, filling the air with a humming sound. Before there were gaps due to the lions changing their course slightly but now the sky was filled with shuriken, blacking out the sky for Naruto and hiding Naruto from Sai's view.
Sai cursed and leaped off of the bird as it was ripped apart by half a dozen shuriken. Taking out a kunai Sai blocked each shuriken that were threatening to cut him in half. Dodging the last shuriken by flipping he landed on the ground on both feet his kunai held in a reverse grip.
"Suiton," (Water Release) Sai gasped as he heard Naruto's voice from behind him. "Katana." Sai turned around to see the scroll in Naruto's mouth partially open with a large circular seal on it. From the seal came out a spout of water which suddenly coalesced into a handle of a sword. As if drawing it from a scabbard Naruto pulled his sword out of the scroll. The sword was transparent, clearly made of water yet when Naruto flicked it to the side not even a droplet fell from it.
Sai tensed his legs.
He knew from experience that Naruto had two types of sword techniques. The first was Dance of Dragons. This dance had techniques that involved a lot of chakra and were rather slow but powerfully destructive. Then there was the dance of sky which involved techniques that weren't as powerful, but just as lethal. The difference was that the Dance of Sky was instantaneous. While Dance of Sky had to do with cutting down only one person, the Dance of Dragons could be used to hit a whole area. The Dance of Dragon could be dodged but not blocked. The Dance of Sky could not be dodged but it could be blocked.
Sai narrowed his eyes.
"It's over." Naruto smirked, the sword of water at his side.
"Why's that?" Sai whispered.
Naruto nodded upwards.
Sai's eyes widened.
The rain of shuriken that Naruto had thrown into the air earlier all crashed towards the ground at once, stabbing themselves into whatever they touched. Sai danced through the rain of blades, dodging everything then stopped when he felt something cold press against the back of his neck.
Naruto stood behind Sai, holding his sword in a reverse grip the blade part of the sword made of water on Sai's neck.
"Checkmate." Naruto whispered.
Then Sai exploded into ink.
Naruto snarled as all of his shuriken exploded into smoke. He felt a kunai press against his neck.
"When I blocked your vision with the shuriken?" Naruto asked, releasing the water technique and letting the sword drip back into water and turn into nothingness. He grabbed the scroll from his mouth and put it back into his holster. "Man… I'm running out of techniques to use. Maybe I should ask Yamato-sensei to teach me some new moves."
"I have a question Naruto." Sai and Naruto sat down on a rock both of them pausing for breath.
Naruto raised an eyebrow in inquiry.
"Why don't you just have your Shadow Clones transform into a sword or form those swords of water from the beginning?"
"It's different." Naruto sighed. "The swords made of shadow clone aren't really the same as the sword because they can't handle the chakra that I push into them. They just disappear as soon as I start the technique. Same with the water sword. The best I could do it fight with them without using any of the dances."
"So you can't use the dances with the water sword?" Sai smiled. "So I got scared for nothing."
"I'm trying to figure out a way to make them sturdier but it's not working out so well." Naruto sighed.
"We're back." Shihon said as she and Yamato walked out into the clearing.
Yamato glanced at the training ground. There was ink everywhere and stabs in the ground from some type of large blade though they were all gone. He sighed and knelt down using his chakra to fill the earth again and remake the plants.
"We have a mission today." Yamato stood up finished repairing the training ground. Shiho went over to sit on the rock with her teammates. Yamato glanced at his team. They were growing at a faster pace every single day. Shiho was no longer the burden of the team that she was. Yamato knew for a fact that Shiho trained ten times harder than anyone else. Sai, already someone who had enough talents to enter the ROOT training division, was growing stronger and smarter each day as well. Naruto picked up ninja techniques with ease, his previous samurai training being applied with ruthless efficiency.
They were ready
"But first…"
"All three of you have separate missions." Yamato looked at each of them in turn. "Don't fail this. This mission is designed to not only test your strength but to see if you have what it takes to enter the Chuunin exams."
"Do other teams have to do this?" asked Naruto.
"No." Yamato shook his head. "But due to the nature of our team… we have to be tested apparently." He smirked. "I know you won't let me down."
"Isn't it enough that we have your word?" Shiho looked worried.
"Don't worry about it. I know that you guys will complete the mission with flying colors." He threw a scroll to each of his students. "Now go! Meet back here in an hour."
The three vanished.
….
The scroll took Shiho to the outskirts of the village. She looked at the scroll in her hands making sure that she was at the right place. She was at a mountainous place. The girl was forced to to grueling walk up a steep hill to get here. There were large rocks all around them and some greenery but the trees were yards away, too far to be of any use. She leaned on a rock and placed the scroll inside her pouch, looking over the cliff at the village below.
"It looks so peaceful." She gulped and looked at her hands, callused and wounded with the amount of training that she did. Shiho closed her eyes remembering Yamato's words.
"The Chuunin Exam." Even thinking about it sent an involuntary shiver throughout Shiho's body. She'd never seen real combat before. The closest to combat she had ever been in was that spar in the temple, then her spars with Naruto and Sai. She didn't really count those as real combat since the chances of her dying were almost slim to none. She didn't even count Yamato among them since she knew he wouldn't let her die. But the chuunin exams… she had heard stories of half the entrance examinees dying. The chances of her being alive was less than half.
Sure she had rapidly improved but had she improved to the point of being able to compete with chuunin?
Her fighting style was an explosive one, no pun intended. She could use her technique in succession exactly three times. After that she was reduced to little more than a normal shinobi who could barely get off a bunshin no jutsu. She would be forced to fight with kunai and shuriken, barely having enough chakra to stick to a tree. That was the weakness of her fighting style, there was no such thing as second wind. If she misused her jutsu even once, she was done.
Shiho sighed.
"You seem worried."
Shiho quickly turned around, a kunai in her hand when someone grabbed her wrist. She looked up to see a bearded man with a cigar in the corner of his mouth. He had spiky black hair and the chuunin vest over his dark blue ninja outfit. The forehead protector read konoha so Shiho relaxed in his grip expecting him to let go.
He didn't.
He lunged forward and placed a kunai on Shiho's neck.
"If I was your enemy who had stolen your comrade's clothing," He whispered. "You'd be dead by now."
Then he released her.
Shiho leaped away holding the kunai in her hand in a reverse grip. It was dripping with blood. Asuma flicked the hand that had been holding her wrist. She had twisted her hand at the last second and left a shallow, but long, cut on his forearm. He looked at her with an amused expression.
"If you were an enemy," Shiho muttered. "You'd have lost an arm along with my life."
Asuma narrowed his eyes. "I remember this girl… she was as timid as a mouse. Yamato… just how did you train her?" He looked at the sky remembering his father telling him that he had a special mission. Yamato was a jounin but he was still ANBU. Yamato knew how to measure strength but because he was so strong he might look down on the Chuunin Exam. That's how casualties happened. Teachers overestimated their students and underestimated the Chuunin exam. That was why they had to do this.
Asuma took out his trench knife. "This is your mission." He spat out his cigarette and stomped on it. "Survive."
…
Nauto's situation was a bit different.
A man named Kakashi was standing in front of him. He had spiky white hair and a forehead protector that covered one eye. He had a book in one hand and his other hand was in his pockets. He wasn't even looking at Naruto who had arrived to see him. Naruto simply sat down on the rock opposite of Kakashi's and waited glancing at Kakashi and the other newcomer.
The Sandaime was sitting on the rock as well.
And in Sandaime's lap lay a sword.
It looked a lot like Hanakage. It was a katana but it wasn't curved. It was still in its scabbard, perfectly rectangular with rounded edges. The guard, unlike Flower Shadow, looked like three bladed shuriken. Naruto immediately recognized the sword for being one of Samurai origins. But he didn't know where in hell the Sandaime could had got it from.
"You're agitated." Kakashi muttered.
Naruto snapped his attention to Kakashi from the sword. "That sword… is it?..."
"The Land of Iron sent it to us Naruto." The Sandaime said looking at the blonde boy. "It's yours."
Naruto nodded. "But you're not going to give it to me."
"I will… after this battle that is." Hiruzen nodded at Kakashi. "I want to see how much you've grown in shinobi skills. If I'm to send you on missions… you'll require a certain delicacy that samurai techniques lack. Especially if you were Musashi's pupil." He smiled at Naruto. "I believe in you though Naruto."
Naruto spat on the ground standing up. "Let's start then."
Kakashi stood up as well but didn't bother taking his eyes off of the book.
"Ready when you are."
Kakashi bent backwards dodging the barrage of shuriken that Naruto had thrown at him. He stood back up looking at Naruto with a bored gleam. However once he got a look at Naruto his eye widened in surprise.
Naruto stood right in front of him, a few puffs of smoke indicating that some jutsu had happened. He held a scroll in his mouth and a three bladed shuriken of gigantic proportions in each hand. The boy's cerulean eyes had a certain crazed look in them that made Kakashi put away the book. He gulped and stopped himself from reaching to raise his Forehead Protector and use the Sharingan.
"Hey old man," Naruto brought his arms together, crossing the blades of the shuriken. "What if I kill him?"
Sarutobi laughed. "Try your best Naruto."
"Next time," Naruto muttered through the scroll in his mouth. "I won't miss."
Kakashi nodded narrowing his eyes.
…
Sai landed in front of a chair, kneeling with one hand on his knee and the other a fist on the ground. They were in a dark room lit by a single lightbulb on the ceiling. ROOT usually met in rooms like these, dark, smelly and musty. Sai didn't particularly enjoy these meetings but he knew it was a necessary precaution when dealing with top secret matters. The boy bowed his head until he saw from the corner of his eye the gesture to rise. Sai stood getting a look at his master.
Danzo was a frail old man with a cane at his side. Currently he sat in a rickety old wooden chair. He had black shaggy hair with bandages covering his right eye. He had a X-shaped scar on his chin amplifying his square jaw. He wore a white shirt with a dark grey robe over it which came down to his feet. His right arm was underneath the robe close against his chest as if it was in a cast.
Sai smiled.
"Sai," Danzo's eye seemed nearly closed but Sai knew for a fact that nothing escaped the old man's attention. "Report."
Sai bowed once more before standing up straight. "The Uzumaki Boy is powerful. I have no yet been able to witness his full power but I saw the aftermaths once." He had surveyed the scene after Naruto and Yamato had their bout over Naruto's sword.
It had terrified him that such a young boy could do so much damage.
"He does not care much for Konoha. However he is very loyal to the idea of friendship and comrades. He despises those who pick on those weaker than themselves and is not above breaking the rules to do what he thinks is right."
"So he's a complete failure as a ninja." Danzo whispered, stroking his chin.
"That's not-" Sai began.
Danzo looked at him.
Sai hung his head, sweat beginning to bead all over his body.
Satisfied Danzo nodded. "I'm beginning to think that you are getting attached to your team and is forgetting the true purpose of why you were placed on that team." He tilted his head to the side. "Are you?"
"Observing the Uzumaki boy." Sai tasted something bitter.
Danzo nodded. "There's an additional mission this time." He continued watching Sai closely. "During the Chuunin Exams there is a rumor that Orochimaru will attempt to get his hands on the Uchiha boy."
Sai nodded giving nothing away.
Unseen to Sai, Danzo relaxed. "Keep that from happening."
"But that means I'll have to be separated from my team." Sai protested. "If that happens we might-"
"There is no such thing as we!" Danzo snarled.
Sai straightened once more stiffening.
"You are a ROOT member Sai! Nothing else! There exists no bonds! No Teammates! Above all you do not feel pity for your teammates or any sense of loyalty towards them! Do you know why?" Danzo stood up and put a hand on the young boy's shoulder and bent down to meet him eye to eye. "You. Have. No. Emotions."
Sai felt something crumble inside of him.
He kneeled in front of Danzo. "As you say… Danzo-sama. My loyalty is to the village… nothing else. There is no sense of self or sense of emotions. There exists only the mission."
Danzo nodded satisfied and turned around. "Dismissed."
"Yes… Danzo-sama."
….
Shiho ducked underneath Asuma's trench knife as it threatened to cut off her head. Asuma launched out with a knee and caught Shiho in the stomach sending her flying backwards. To the girl's credit she somersaulted with one hand, throwing a few kunai with the other and landing on both feet. She took out one kunai, holding it in a reverse grip and blocked a few kunai Asuma had thrown towards her. Shiho was breathing heavily although Asuma had nothing to show for the few exchanges that they had.
Shiho had a long gash on her arm though it wasn't deep. She kept the kunai in her hand looking at Asuma with death in her eyes. She seemed frustrated beyond reason. Asuma sighed. The frustration meant that the girl had tried everything she could. She had used Kawamari (Substitution) once and a bunshin technique once each. She had run up a rock's vertical surface once but now she looked tired. Asuma predicted that it wouldn't be too long until she passed out from Chakra Exhaustion.
"Almost there… just a little more." Shiho was beginning to near physical exhaustion.
But her chakra reserves were almost exactly perfect for exactly three techniques.
Asuma sighed and looked at the sky. "Yamato… what are you thinking sending this girl to the Chuunin Exams… she has little to no chakra and only average control. The only thing she's decent at is taijutsu but even then she's a little below average. She's only good at escaping. I applaud you for taking someone like her to this level but the chuunin exams? She'll be eaten alive."
Shiho began to gather chakra for the necessary techniques while Asuma was staring off into the sky. She remembered what Yamato had told her.
…..
It was while they had been returning from the temple. Naruto and Sai were sleeping in the room upstairs. Shiho couldn't sleep so she came downstairs to find Yamato quietly looking through the window while sitting in a chair. She looked at her sensei glad that someone like him who had patience and understanding was their teacher. Any other teacher would have punished Naruto for acting the way he did. But the blonde got off lightly with a little berating.
"Come here Shiho." Yamato said in an almost bored tone.
Shiho startled, surprised by the voice breaking the silence.
"I want to talk to you."
Shiho nodded and approached Yamato. As she did a chair came out of the floor for her to sit on. She sat down.
"You're weak." He said flatly.
Shiho's eyes widened.
"Naruto knocked you out when you guys were fighting with the Oto Shinobi didn't he?" He didn't wait for a reply. "Naruto and Sai, even by jounin standards, by all rights are geniuses. By now you are probably asking yourself what you're doing on a team with those monsters."
Shiho gulped.
"What a talentless girl like you is doing on a special team like this one…" Yamato smiled sadly.
Shiho was on the verge of tears.
Yamato was completely right. She had asked those questions throughout the day hundreds of times. She looked at Naruto and Sai who displayed more and more strength as they got to know each other better. She had not yet seen them bested or even tired yet. They seemed to have a bottomless pool of strength. They also had this air of confidence that brimmed with power. Just by being near them she felt safe.
But when she was by herself she was overcome with fear.
That she couldn't protect herself. She was afraid when facing that Iwagakure genin despite it being a spar and surrounded by her teammates. She was afraid to show weakness in front of her team, afraid to lose and pour muck over her team's strength. Shiho hated her weakness hated the fact that she had to chase after them, hated the fact that she had no talent and above all, hated herself for bringing them down.
"All teams have a specialty." Yamato looked at Shiho and began to count them off. "Team 8 is a team specializing in Tracking and Espionage. Team 7 is known for frontline combat. Team 10 is known for the Ino-Shika-Chou combination which specializes in disruption of enemy forces." He smiled at Shiho. "Guess what our specialty is?"
Yamato didn't give her a chance to answer. "Assassination."
Shiho's eyes widened.
"It took awhile for it to come to me." Yamato explained. "Your knowledge of seals could break open any defense seal rendering it useless. With Naruto's strength combat and the actual deed should not be a problem. Sai's techniques are perfect for stalling for time or for getting away from the site of murder." He tilted his head and looked at her in the eye. "Don't you think it's perfect?"
"So Shiho, don't worry too much." He got up leaving the girl in the seat. "You have a place on this team. As soon as we get back you'll be the one I concentrate on the most. Don't worry… if nothing I'll make sure you're not a burden."
Shiho looked down at her hands clenched on top of her thighs. "I have a place on this team…" She whispered.
"And don't forget," Yamato said as he walked up the stairs. "Your greatest weakness is your greatest strength."
…..
Shiho gripped the kunai tighter. "My weakness is my greatest strength."
Asuma sighed. "Let's start wrapping this up." He turned to the side as the kunai sailed by him harmlessly. "I appreciate the effort-" He stopped talking as Shiho finished forming her hand seal. He let her wondering what type of jutsu the girl had up her sleeve next.
"Doton: Ippon." (Earth Release: One Step) Shiho whispered and stomped the ground.
"Just how strong a jutsu could that girl-"
The ground that Asuma was standing on exploded and the jounin opened his mouth in shock. He unconsciously poured chakra into his feet to stick to the almost vertical surface. When Shiho had stomped on the ground the stomp carved out of the ground, the very rock tilting towards her and lifting up Asuma's foot like a gigantic Seesaw. It wasn't the fact that she used this jutsu that amazed Asuma but the sheer scale of the jutsu. He'd expect the jutsu to be this strong only if it was used by a chuunin but the fact that a girl who was helpless before him had used it shocked him to his core.
As a result he didn't even register that Shiho had completed another chain of hand seals.
"Katon: Ippon." The ground that Shiho was on exploded and when Asuma blinked the girl was in front of him.
He blinked again. "What the hell is happening-"
"This is the last time I can use it." Shiho used the momentum to strike Asuma in the stomach with an uppercut, filling it up with chakra and sending him sailing into the air.
Asuma looked at the rock that was almost standing up now and Shiho that stuck to it. Shiho leaped off of the rock and Asuma registered somewhere in the back of his mind that she had placed both feet on his back.
"There's no way… a girl that was so weak before…"
"Your underestimation of me," Shiho whispered as she formed hand seals. "was your undoing! Katon: Ippon!"
Her feet exploded into flames once more. Asuma felt intense heat and pressure at his back and before he knew it the ground was in front of him.
Shiho watched as Asuma slammed into the ground causing cracks to form around the area and rocks to rise up from the impact of the blow. She landed a few feet away wincing in pain at the impact that her legs got. She watched as the dust cleared revealing Asuma.
Asuma lay on a rock his body limp. There was a little bit of drool made of blood leaking out of the corner of his mouth. His eyes were unfocused but Shiho felt that approaching him would be dangerous.
"She purposefully showed only her weak sides to me… she pretended to have no chakra left. Then she poured all she had into that first jutsu to shock me. She knew that I'd watch her do the first justu… then she unbalanced me and while I was still in shock sent me into midair where I'd be helpless, unable to dodge. Then she got my back and used her strongest jutsu to land the decisive blow… if I was a genin I might be dead by now…" Asuma smirked freaking out the girl. "Good thing I'm not."
Asuma got up and dusted himself. Shiho's eyes widened as Asuma seemed to be almost completely unhurt despite the blood on his lips.
"You pass." He said with a smile. "You actually passed as soon as you punched me in the stomach but I guess you were frustrated eh?" His smile got wider. "Or was that acting too?"
"This isn't acting." Shiho collapsed to the ground face first barely conscious. "That was all I had…"
Asuma sighed and thought of his students. "They have their work cut out for them if they want to beat this team…"
…..
Naruto swung the shuriken in front of him, crossing his arms. Kakashi leaped backwards skidding on the ground. The blonde swung his arm back then threw the shuriken towards the copy cat ninja with all he had. However instead of throwing them sideways he sent the shuriken so that they flew vertically. Kakashi prepared to dodge when he saw Naruto forming hand seals.
"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Naruto's voice came out muffled through the scroll.
Kakashi's eye widened. "He's going to use that technique on a shuriken of that size? Hot many is he going to make? Two? Four?"
Kakashi was wrong.
Dozens and dozens of shuriken came into existence, filling the air with the humming of the air being cut by the blades. Kakashi had no chance to dodge but to move underground. He prepared to use his jutsu.
The first shuriken to pass by him exploded into smoke turning into the blonde. Kakashi realized a split second late as the blonde grabbed his hands from behind keeping him from forming hand seals. Kakashi panicked for a second, his hands disabled and the shuriken coming from the front. The jounin spun and dodged the swarm of shuriken weaving in between them and dodging every single one. When he had done so the shadow clone on his back disappeared into smoke.
Kakashi stopped and caught a regular shuriken that Naruto had thrown towards his forehead. He looked at the shuriken noticing that there was blood on it.
Naruto's thumb was bleeding. The scroll in his mouth opened up a bit showing two circle seals on one page. With a smirk Naruto swiped his finger horizontally over both of them. There was a puff of smoke on either side of Naruto.
On Naruto's right and left was a barrel full of almost fifty swords.
Naruto kicked the bottom of the barrel, sending it into the air. The swords fell out and all of them stabbed into the ground around the blonde who took the scroll out of his mouth and put it back in his holster. He smiled at Kakashi who looked shocked if anything.
"This kid is just full of surprises…"
Naruto picked up a sword in each hand. "There are exactly hundred swords." Naruto muttered.
Then he swung both swords in front of him.
"Ryu no Mai: Tsuin Ryu." (Dance of Dragon: Twin Dragons) Naruto whispered.
From each of the swords came out a dragon made purely of chakra. They were blue in color though they were reddish at the edges. Their jaws, while open, had to reach at least ten feet in height. The dragons roared at Kakashi as they rushed towards him, intertwining around each other and making grooves in the ground when they touched it.
Kakashi lifted up his forehead protector revealing his doujutsu.
Kakashi jumped upwards letting the dragons pass by him underneath. The dragons crashed into a rock sending it flying all over the place in splinters. Kakashi watched from above.
"That destructive power is no joke…"
The two swords in Naruto's hands cracked then broke into shards of metal.
He tossed them behind him, wincing at the pain in his arm. "Damn it… since the swords can't handle my chakra it's coursing back up my arm."
Naruto grabbed a sword in both arms again and pointed one towards Kakashi who was in mid air.
"Ryu no Mai: Shou Ryu Sen." (Dance of Dragon: Rising Dragon Flash) The sword instantly shot out a transparent image of a dragon, way bigger than the ones that he had shot towards Kakashi before. This dragon didn't even roar or head towards Kakashi. The dragon had appeared instantly and Kakashi was already within the swirling vortex of chakra. The dragon's jaws looked as if it could swallow two whole houses at once. The Sandaime watched as Kakashi crossed his arms in front of him only as his clothing became ripped to tatters. Tiny little cuts appeared on Kakashi's body.
The sword in Naruto's hand exploded into splinters.
Naruto winced as another wave of pain shot up his arm.
Then he stabbed the other sword into the ground. "Ryu no Mai: Kuro Ryu Syouten." (Dance of Dragon: Black Dragon Ascension) A black dragon exploded out of the ground, sending rocks scattering around the clearing. The dragon roared once while heading towards Kakashi, made completely of black chakra. It seized Kakashi's torso in its jaws before snapping shut.
Only for Kakashi to turn into a pile of splinters.
Naruto felt something cold touch the back of his neck.
He reacted with bestial instinct spinning around and picking up another sword and slashing the air in front of him. Kakashi pulled his hips back barely dodging the strike.
"Fast… usually people freeze when steel touches them. He reacted instantly… even if this was a real battle I wouldn't have been able to get a position on him." Kakashi's sharingan began to spin faster as Naruto picked up another sword and began to slash in front of him. Kakashi leaped away out of Naruto's reach when the blonde did something strange.
He twirled the sword in his hand in forming a perfect circle.
Kakashi's senses went into hyper drive and he leaped away as far as he could.
He looked back hearing the sound of something being pressed towards another.
The rock that had been behind him had a perfect circle in it. The hole's radius was the exact length of the sword's blade which crumbled as Naruto tossed it behind him.
Kakashi stared at the hole in the rock his eyes wide. "What the fuck… Yamato… what have you been feeding this kid?"
"Sora no Mai: Mangetsu." (Dance of Sky: Full Moon) Naruto whispered then he grabbed another sword and put it at the left side of his waist. "This time I'll show you more than just the Moon… I'll show you the Sun."
Pain shot up his arm like never before.
Naruto bit back a scream, snarling instead and dropping the sword. He moved his arm to grab the next sword and found that waves of pain pulsed from his hand to shoulder, making it painful to grip even the handle.
"That's enough Naruto." Kakashi muttered pulling the forehead protector back down to cover his eye. "I see the chakra backlashes in your arm. Let's stop this right here." He looked at Sarutobi.
The Sandaime nodded. "I've seen enough."
Naruto winced. "This wouldn't happen…' He said with flat eyes. "If I had a proper sword."
The Sandaime smirked and grabbed the sword by the scabbard.
Then he threw it towards Naruto.
The blonde caught it between his knee and feet, balancing it and then lifting it up into the air and grabbing it. To his surprise he found a small letter attached to the handle. He grabbed the sword under his armpit and opened the letter.
There was a flash of light.
"What the hell-" Naruto began then he felt the sword in his armpit disappear and a strange tinglr sensation on his left palm. He tried to shield himself from the light but it had blinded him nonetheless. He rubbed his eyes and opened his left palm to see what had happened.
There was a circular seal on his palm, the kanji Kai (Release) on it.
He looked at it with disgust then at the letter.
Dear Naruto-kun.
This is Mifune. It has been long since we last spoke. By now I suspect that you should be feeling the aftereffects of using Hanakage, the Flower Shadow. If you continue to use it I fear that you will lose your arms. I have sent you a sword, forged with remnants of your chakra mixed in. However I have placed a special technique into the letter that will seal the sword in your left palm. Until you have figured out the true reason for why I did this, the sword will not appear.
With Love,
Mifune.
P.S: Please send me a shipment of Konoha Sake. It's really cold here. Is it nice and warm in Konoha? Here it's always snow and ice as you know. I heard that the Sun rises everyday in Konoha. Is that true? Just send me the damned shipment of Konoha sake.
Naruto sweat dropped at the last part of the letter then at his left hand. Then he looked at Kakashi and the Sandaime both of whom were smiling.
"You guys are enjoying this aren't you?"
AN: Chapter end! Did you like this chapter? I know I said chuunin exams but I needed to handicap Naruto a little. Sorry about that. Do you like his fighting style with the scroll? It won't happen for too long but enjoy it while it lasts!
So please… review… please review… even just 'great' story is fine. I just need assurance that people are reading this.
