Chapter Three
A Shinobi of the Leaf
Night had fallen and the black curtains had all been meticulously drawn. Not a single particle of light could penetrate the room. The darkness was so dense that it was impossible to see the calm rise and fall of the chest of a peacefully sleeping teenager, nor was it possible to discern the silhouette of the silent compulsively shaking man who was crouching next to his bed.
Minato wiped the moisture off his face with the back of his hand, gritting his teeth so there could be no chance of him waking up Naruto. He clenched his jaw and placed his palms on the wooden floor, hoisting himself to his feet as quietly as he could. He winced as he did so, realising a little too late that he had been still in the same position for too long.
He stood motionless next to the sleeping form of his son, mesmerised by the sound of the even breathing pattern. He even managed to produce a small smile when Naruto started mumbling some nonsense about ramen and other types of food. But as soon as it appeared, it vanished.
Minato balled his fists in anger as he crept soundlessly towards the door. He exited his son's provisional room and closed the door softly, with the quietness of a trained assassin. Folding his arms behind his back, he leaned on the wooden surface. Minato raised his head and stared up at the dimly illuminated ceiling and let out a weary sigh. Suddenly, his eyes started to narrow and his upper lip began to curl, releasing an angry and frustrated growl.
Determined, he glided through the corridor until he reached the almost empty living room. As he ran, he flexed his knees and propelled himself upwards. He bent his left arm backwards as he bared his teeth and pummelled the unsuspecting sofa in front of him with all his might.
Immediately, he regretted his actions. Not only was his arm now stuck in the hole he had just created, but he had risked waking up Naruto. Heart pounding in his chest, he sharpened his ears, waiting to hear any sound coming from his son's room.
"It seems that not even an earthquake can wake him up. How very much like his mother," he murmured, shaking his head as he freed himself from the sofa's clutches in one swift move.
Minato walked briskly towards the kitchen. He needed a large fix of his most characteristic vice. When in need, overdose on tea; that was Minato's motto.
"Where is it? Where is it? Don't tell me I went through all of it already -" he muttered almost frantically, ransacking the entire kitchen. "I found you!" he exclaimed in relief, as he held a metal box close to his chest.
"Why don't I have a Fire affinity? This would be so much faster if I had it," he grumbled nonsensically as he waited for the water to boil, his left foot tapping the floor impatiently. He huffed in annoyance as he poured the steaming water into a pot and waited for the tea to colour it.
He sat down on a high stool in front of the black marble table in the middle of the kitchen. He rested the side of his face on his left palm and extended his right index finger towards the pot. Infusing a small amount of his Wind chakra to its tip, he rotated it clockwise, the water falling in synch.
Not for the first time in his life, he wondered what on earth possessed him to want the position of Hokage. If he hadn't strived to reach that high, perhaps things wouldn't have got to where they were. But then again, he thought, it could've been much worse.
Thinking back about the little reunion for the umpteenth time, he got the feeling that Naruto hadn't really believed him when he had made his promise of finding a better way to keep the Kyūbi from ever coming back. It was as if either his son truly did not mind sacrificing his soul, or as if he simply was resigned to that fate. The former option, Minato could neither accept nor understand. Perhaps it was a tad hypocritical coming from him, as he had been more than willing to forfeit his life and soul all those years ago to the Shinigami when Uchiha Madara attempted his coup, but it was one thing to surrender your own soul, and a very different one to accept your child doing the same.
He hated to admit it, but Naruto did have a point. But the fact was, that did not just apply to his son. Minato had heard about the kinjutsu Nidaime Hokage had developed, Edo Tensei or Impure World Resurrection. As far as he knew, the technique had not been revived, but he was not naïve enough to believe that there weren't people out there foul enough to defile the memories and peace of those long gone. He shivered at the thought of legendary shinobi such as Shodaime and Nidaime Hokage being brought back to life in order to create a powerful force of immortals. If he was honest with himself, he knew he was more than skilled enough for the ruthless, amoral shinobi that prowled the lands to seek for the revival of his own soul long after he was gone. Needless to say, the effects could be devastating.
The tea was already done, he realised, and he proceeded to pour some into a mug. He cupped it in his hands, relishing in its warmth and sniffed it, its smell soothing him as always.
He exhaled loudly. Perhaps Naruto hadn't truly believed him when he had sworn he would find a better way. He wouldn't say it again; but his child was truly young if he thought he would give up and let him do it. He also believed that Jiraya-sensei would help him in this matter without a second's hesitation. For all of his tough act, his old sensei truly loved Naruto.
"What am I going to do with you, Naruto?" he asked himself absent-mindedly, as he sipped his tea.
There still were many things he wanted to know about his son, as their meeting had been cut short the previous day. What were his hobbies? What kind of books he liked to read? Did he have a girlfriend? Oh wait, Minato thought, turning into several shades of grey instantly. Naruto had said that he was into boys. Minato started hyperventilating. How on earth could he relate to his son and give him fatherly advice about romance? He didn't know the first thing about courting other men. Not that he knew much about courting women, since it had been Kushina the one who kept pushing him. But still. At least in that case Minato could have still said a couple of wise words and managed to look cool in front of Naruto.
Minato wondered how was it that in the mere presence of his son he was reduced to the mind of a silly teenager. Honestly, wanting to look 'cool'… It had been so long since he had felt the need to impress someone he couldn't even remember it.
It was silly, and yet still refreshing.
He stood up, mug still in his hands and approached the balcony to his right. The sun was beginning to rise, staining the winter skies with a tinge of crimson.
"You can come up, Tsunade-senpai."
A second later, accompanied by a slightly-scented swirl, the woman famed to be the most beautiful kunoichi alive stood in his kitchen in her Jounin attire, an eyebrow arched and arms crossed over her chest. Despite her eternal defiant pose, Minato could read the expression behind her eyes. Something was wrong.
"What is it?" he asked seriously, slipping into his Hokage-façade with uncanny ease.
"The Sanbi has been captured, my team and I failed to seal it," she said grimly.
"Akatsuki?"
Tsunade nodded curtly. "A team of two, composed by Deidara of Iwagakure and a man behind a swirling orange mask that goes by the name of Tobi," she gritted her teeth, "I'm ashamed to admit it, but I have to acknowledge that I had expected too much out of my team. They weren't ready."
Minato sighed and walked up to her, patting her on the back. "I'm positive that if you couldn't do it, none else could have as there are precious few who have such mastery over chakra," he reassured her, although he truly believed it. "Don't blame yourself, Tsunade-senpai. I'm at fault here, I should have gone there with you. It was foolish of me to think the Akatsuki hadn't figured out the location of the Sanbi."
Tsunade walked over to the nearest cabinet and picked one of his mugs. Turning towards him, she extended her index finger in the direction of the teapot, silently asking him for permission to pour herself a cup. Minato nodded instantly. Tsunade then went back to the cabinets, and Minato suddenly felt the urge to strangle Tsunade when he saw her defiling the tea by dropping sugar cubes in it.
Unaware of Minato's bizarre anger, Tsunade leaned back on the sink, a pensive look on her face. "The masked man bothers me."
Minato frowned. "What do you mean?"
Tsunade bit her nails, a nervous-angry tick that appeared every time something troubled her. "I cannot explain it, as I can make neither heads nor tails about it," she furrowed her eyebrows in annoyance and then took a sip of her drink, "I could just feel it. It was like an echo from the past, like a resonance. Every single fibre of my being told me that man was a bigger threat than the rest of them."
Yondaime's heart skipped a beat. Could it be…? After all that time, could it really be him? "Tell me," he whispered, "Did you see his eyes?" he asked shrewdly.
The Slug Princess shook her head. "That mask covered his entire face except for a small hole around his left eye, so it wasn't easy to see it. On top of that, I was busy dealing with the blond terrorist twit," she narrowed her eyes at him. "Why?"
Minato sighed and dragged himself to sit again on the stool. "Perhaps this is a bit far-fetched, but you may have encountered Uchiha Madara."
Tsunade blanched. "What? What makes you say that?"
"Like I said, this may be a bit of a stretch, but you do know about the pseudo-mythical enmity between the Senju and Uchiha Clans; the inexplicable, unearthly drive to clash with each other -"
"You can't be serious, Minato…"
Minato scratched the back of his head, abashed. On second thought, it wasn't just fanciful, but downright paranoid. "Sorry about that. I've been stretched a bit too thin lately. And all the tension with the Uchiha Clan isn't helping at all."
Tsunade placed her mug on the counter softly, her hard, determined trademark look leaving her eyes to be replaced by a soft, sympathetic one. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gripped it firmly. "Jiraya filled me in."
"All of it?" he asked tiredly.
She nodded grimly. "Don't worry, kiddo. We'll think of something. That brat is going to live a long life and become Hokage one day, just like you always wanted," she said determined, her eyes crinkled and a kind smile playing on her lips.
He placed his hand on top of hers and gave it a small squeeze before releasing it. "Arigatō, Tsunade-senpai."
"Don't mention it. Speaking of which," she said, moving away, "Where is the little horror?"
"Still sleeping," he answered as he glanced dejectedly at his now cold tea. "Although he should be up soon," he added, nodding his head vaguely at the dawning skies. "We are going to test his skills today. You are more than welcome to come and watch."
"Oh? And who will he be fighting? Kakashi?"
Minato grinned. "No, he won't be fighting any of us, he knows us too well. Instead, it will be Uchiha Itachi."
She blinked. "You think that is wise?"
Yondaime nodded. Standing up, he walked towards the sink and emptied the mug's contents. "I have no doubts about Itachi-san. Furthermore, it would do him some good to gain a new friend, one who is impartial to the Uchiha Clan."
Tsunade did not press the matter any further, but it was clear to Minato from her rigid stance and narrowed eyes that she was not entirely convinced. It saddened him that she could not see beyond his last name. But then again, she did not know Itachi-san as well as he did.
"Do you want to have breakfast with us? I'm sure Naruto will be happy to see you again."
She shook her head. "There's a pervert tied to a wooden post that still needs to be dealt with," she said cheerfully. Minato sweatdropped. His old sensei would never learn. "However," she added, grinning in mischief, "Since you said that he should be getting up soon, I might as well give him one of my trademark wake-up calls," she finished, cracking her knuckles in anticipation.
Minato groaned, resigned. There were some things that would just never change. But then again, there was a comforting edge to that familiarity, no matter if it had monstrous strength and wielded the capability of making him nervous, and if he was honest with himself, a bit scared.
He dragged himself to the bathroom to wash his face. He was exhausted and drained beyond belief. Looking into the mirror, he realised that he looked awful. His skin was pasty and he had dark bags under his eyes. It was to be expected, though, after all, he hadn't got a wink of sleep that night.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
A blond blur zoomed past him nearly knocking him over as he was about to exit the bathroom. Turning to look at the direction in which the yellow bullet had come from, he saw a smirking Tsunade with her hands on her hips, looking very smug and pleased with herself. His heart went out to Naruto, it really did.
"What's the big deal, Baa-chan?" exclaimed Naruto, hands on his knees, panting lightly. "What the heck did you do that for?" he asked angrily, balling his fist in a threatening pose. Then again, perhaps he would have looked more imposing if he wasn't in his pyjamas.
Uh-oh, thought Minato. Now you're done for.
Surprisingly enough, Tsunade did not beat him to a bloody pulp for calling her 'granny', as Minato had feared. She simply glared at him, and he was relieved to know that he wouldn't have to save his reckless son.
"That's what you get for coming back and not dropping by to say 'hello', you brat," she retorted, walking in ample strides towards Naruto, who was already stepping back, apparently not wanting to push his luck. "Now come here and accept your punishment."
Naruto pressed himself against the wall, eyes open wide almost comically. "No thanks, you crazy woman. N-no, stay back! Stay back!"
Tsunade kept smirking at him as she closed the distance between them. Naruto was sweating at a frightening intensity, leading Minato to believe that if this kept going on, he would lose his only son to extreme dehydration. Tsunade's left hand went to her pocket, and grinned evilly as she watched Naruto getting more and more nervous, no doubt wondering what terrifying weapon he thought she was about to draw.
Naruto nearly passed out when she saw her hand coming out of her hand only to reveal a – a handkerchief?
"What's going on?" he asked, bemused.
Tsunade laughed as she wiped his forehead and then poked it with her finger, still grinning. "Silly boy," she said, raising her other hand to cup his chin. She then lowered her head and kissed his forehead. "Welcome home, Naruto."
Naruto then gave a new definition to the phrase "to blush like a tomato".
Tsunade chuckled merrily. "Ja ne!" she said, before vanishing.
Legs shaking, Naruto rose to his feet. "Man, pretty women are bad for my health," he stated as he realised how badly he smelled; he wouldn't be surprised if flies started zooming around him. "Oi, Tō-chan, mind if I take a shower?"
"Go ahead. There are spare towels in the cupboard under the sink," he answered, and then walked back towards the kitchen, thinking that it would be a good idea to make some breakfast for the two of them. After all, it was the first morning Naruto was at home, so it ought to be something special.
Minato blanched. "But I have no idea how to make anything other than tea…"
Truthfully, no matter how hard he had tried ever since that cursed night when he lost Kushina, for all of his incomparable skill at the field and brilliant mind, he had never been able to cook anything other else than simple salads. And even those were a daunting task. He had the scars on his fingers to prove it.
After a few very embarrassing visits to the hospital in order to treat several burns and wounds – he'd never forget when the medics asked him how he had got such extensive injuries, all of them picturing some epic battle in their minds, only to look at him as if he had sprouted another head when he confessed he had been trying to cook something. After the seventh failed attempt, he all but gave up and chose to eat out or buy pre-cooked meals. He'd be damned if an oven were to become the one enemy to to succeed at taking him down.
"Oyaji, why are you sending killing intent at that toaster?" asked a confused voice behind him, snapping him out of his reverie.
Naruto was standing there donning a two-piece black nin-uniform, the face that still didn't have any of his masks on bearing a flummoxed expression, wet hair plastered to its sides. Minato scratched the back of his head, embarrassed at being caught in his plight. "Er, it's nothing really. Say, what do you usually have for breakfast?" he asked warily, hoping his son wouldn't be the kind of person who had a bottomless pit for a stomach.
As soon as Naruto's face brightened at the prospect of food, Minato knew he was doomed. His plan to impress his son was really going to the dogs.
"Well, you shouldn't have too much to eat, Naruto. After all, we are going to put your skills to the test right away," he said hastily, showing the palms of his hands in a placating manner at either side of his chest.
"Huh?" asked Naruto as he sat down in front of the black marble table.
Minato nodded, inwardly pleased to see his son's attention diverted from the thought of food. "Indeed. We need to know what you are capable of before giving you are proper rank."
Naruto grinned impishly. "Are you sure about that, Tō-chan? After all, I might amaze you all so much that you would just have to name me Hokage right away!"
Minato smirked in return and ruffled his still wet hair. "Well, that's a relief. I was hoping someone would take up on the job soon enough. I hate all that paperwork," he teased before turning serious. "There is one thing I want to ask you, though."
"Hmm? What is it?"
Minato exhaled loudly as he rubbed his neck, wondering which would be the best way to put his thoughts into words. "You are a younger version of myself, Naruto. Anyone who has seen my face would immediately make the connection between you and I," he explained seriously before adding hastily, "I am not saying that I do not wish to acknowledge you as my son, for, believe me, I want to shout it from the rooftops -"
"I know, Tō-chan, don't fret," he cut in, waving a hand dismissively. "I intend to keep both my mask and hood on during this test of yours. However, should the mask fall, I learnt how to do this – now watch and be amazed!" he said enthusiastically as he closed his eyes tightly in concentration.
Minato was wondering what he was supposed to be amazed at until he realised that his son's hair had turned an electric blue. "What the -?"
Naruto laughed. "If I focus a tiny bit of chakra into my head, this is what I get," he said, and then furrowed his brow before smiling. "I haven't managed to do the same with my eyebrows, they are still blond, but perhaps it's for the best."
Minato arched an eyebrow at him and then shook his head. "Your mother would have been so proud of you just right now," he muttered to himself.
"What's that?" Naruto asked, his eyes scanning the kitchen, his thoughts back to what really mattered: food.
Minato's face turned slightly green, remembering the past. "Nothing, nothing at all," he said quickly and his son just shrugged his shoulders and pulled himself off the stool, hunger etched on his face. Soon enough, Naruto was raiding his kitchen like a depraved hunter, the growls his stomach emitted so loud Minato thought there would be a storm forecast in Sunagakure.
"It took a while to do the blue hair thingy. I actually only managed to do it recently," said Naruto distractedly, his hands moving at top speed constructing what had to be the world's largest – and most bizarre – sandwich. "I got the idea after I took control the Kyūbi's chakra. Turns out that when I tap into that energy, my eyes go red, my hair goes red, and I look much more like a demon-fox human than right now. Yeah, I know," he added, misreading his father's expression, thinking that Minato couldn't even fathom him looking more inhuman than he already did.
Of course, Minato's thoughts revolved more around guilt and self-loathing than anything else, but Naruto was just too – too Naruto, to notice that. Many years into the future, he would eventually understand the meaning behind his father's expression; when he himself would bear the same lines on his skin, lines of regret and self-doubt, intangible scars brought by the pain and burden of his own decisions. But that future had not yet come to pass, and for the moment, Naruto remained blissfully young.
"So what are you going to make me do on this test of yours?" he asked, as he held the obscenely huge sandwich in his hands, its countless ingredients threatening to spill. "I thought the Chunnin exams wouldn't be take place for several months."
"That would be too flashy, and too late. Apart from that, I suspect that you are way beyond the average Chunnin," he said dryly. "There is also the fact that I intend to keep you as safe as possible, and displaying your skill for the whole wide world to see would be pretty much against that intention," added Minato, shaking his head, as he tried to steer his gaze away from the sight of chocolate and pickles mixed together. "I intend to pit you against one of the best Konoha has to offer."
Naruto, who had been in the process of opening his mouth to an impossible width, with bits of saliva rolling down his chin, halted in his actions immediately as a serious frown etched itself on his forehead. "And you trust this person?"
Minato didn't hesitate. "Yes, I do."
"All right, that's good enough for me," he stated, devouring his most revolting snack in the blink of an eye. He gave out a contented sigh and rubbed his belly. "So, shall we get a move on?"
Minato nodded, "Ikuzo!"
Naruto followed his father readily, as they hopped from rooftop to rooftop through the snow-covered village, his forearm protecting his eyes from the early winter sun. Never slowing his pace, Naruto watched transfixed as the community of Konohagakure shook off the remnants of the night with a healthy growl, as the early risers that inhabited the shinobi town exited their homes and got lost in the wynds of the town, twittering with the customary hustle and bustle of a lively village. Billows of smoke rose from the chimneys, carrying with them the scent of wood and bread and just – home.
"Mesmerising, isn't it?" Minato asked softly, looking at Naruto from the corner of his eye, smiling proudly at his son's wonder.
"Yeah, it is," answered Naruto absent-mindedly, almost slipping on the thin ice that coated some of the tiles.
"You'll have all the time in the world to explore it later, Naruto. C'mon, we are almost there."
They reached 'there' quicker than Naruto had thought, the site where his skills would be evaluated graced with the presence of several ANBU shinobi, a beat-up Jiraya that sort of resembled a purplish-blue Dalmatian, a popping-vein-on-forehead Tsunade and the ever porn-reading Kakashi, who was leaning nonchalantly on a metal fence, a sign to his right stating that beyond the grille lay an ominous 'Forest of Death'. Naruto couldn't have possibly known, but a Konoha shinobi exam wouldn't an exam if the Forest of Death was not involved at some point.
Naruto scowled at his father. "I thought this was going to be a test, not some freak circus attraction."
Minato actually managed to look somewhat apologetic. "Sumimasen. Couldn't resist it. If it's any consolation, most of the ANBU here gathered are to provide security to the area," he explained, trying to appease his grumbling son.
"So, ready for the big test, brat?" asked the purplish-blue Jiraya, patting Naruto on the back. That wasn't the wisest course of action the perverted sage had ever taken, as he winced immediately after the gesture. Tsunade was very thorough when she put herself to the task of beating up her old teammate.
"Sure, if I were a stripper. All this attention is wrecking my nerves," Naruto said bitingly, comforted by the fact that at least Kakashi still had his eyes glued to his little porn books. At least some things never change. "Seriously, this feels like some sort of parade. Am I supposed to start doing cartwheels or juggling apples?"
"He's a teenager. Difficult phase," said Jiraya to Minato, somewhat exasperated. "They don't make too much sense at this point. Life's just one big drama after the next."
Yondaime snorted. "Believe me, I know," he retorted, sending a cursory glance at Kakashi.
"Don't get all high and mighty, oh fearless Yondaime Hokage," grinned Jiraya maliciously. "After all, I still remember your dreadful puberty years as well as your most bizarre childhood, when everyone thought you were a girl. Ah! That barmy old hag at the orphanage used to dress you in frilly dresses and parade you, 'the prettiest orphan girl of Konoha' all around the village. Your face back then – priceless," Jiraya snickered, completely oblivious to the asphyxiating killer intent Minato was exuding.
"WILL YOU TWO IDIOTS STOP IT ALREADY?" snarled Tsunade, her fist raised and glowing with chakra.
"Perhaps you should leave the reminiscing for later…" said Naruto, scratching his masked chin bemusedly, trying to get the image of his father in a dress out of his head. Forget all the Kyūbi-induced trauma, that mental image was by far the most scarring thing he'd ever had to deal with.
It seemed that Tsunade's firecracker personality was good enough to bring the men back to the matter at hand, and soon enough, after the Hokage gave the order, the ANBU shinobi gathered there dispersed – all except for one.
Naruto cocked his head to the left, staring curiously at the ANBU in front of them, guessing that this was the shinobi he would have to fight in order to prove his skills. The ANBU's appearance was completely nondescript: male, dark long hair in a loose ponytail, about an inch or so taller than him, his face hidden behind an animal-like mask that could have depicted anything between a weasel and a pterodactyl. Naruto scratched the back of his hooded head. In all honesty, those masks baffled him. However, what did stand out about the otherwise seemingly unremarkable shinobi was the long wakizashi strapped to his back, which could only mean that his opponent was a kenjustu expert.
Naruto groaned. His kenjustu skills were abysmal. If the ANBU he would be facing turned out to be a genjutsu genius too; father or not, Namikaze Minato would be at the end of his most infamous left hooks.
He was startled by Kakashi, who had snapped his fingers in front of his face to pull him out of his morose reverie. "We're going in," he said succinctly.
The Forest of Death had been aptly named, Naruto thought. The trees were beyond wide and tall, cloaking the skies above with their dark leaves, their branches gnarled and warped, as if they were warning you against getting any closer or they would happily strangle you. Even the smell that saturated the air seemed to be able to make the lungs collapse; so thick, hot and moist it was Naruto could've sworn that each time he breathed in, large amorphous chunks were slithering up his nostrils and rolling all the way down to his trachea.
Naruto sighed as he hopped over a massive root. He really ought to stop coming up with such disturbing mental images lest his poor brain decided one day it had had enough and went into a vegetable state.
The company marched in silence with the Hokage leading them and Kakashi bringing up the rear into the heart of the forest at a steady pace, only stopping for a moment when the Hokage halted to activate several kekkai fūinjustu that would hide them behind a temporary set of wards. As he did this, Naruto cast a sidelong glance at the masked ANBU, trying to read his body language. If the shinobi was surprised at the precautions the Hokage was taking, he didn't show. Naruto, however, thought that the ANBU must have been inwardly rattled as it was not a normal procedure to use an ANBU to test an aspiring Leaf shinobi, much less have the Hokage present and placing barriers around.
Still, Naruto reckoned that said ANBU must have made quite an impression on his father to trust him with what probably were one S-rank secret after the next. Oh, he was curious, all right…
"How come there are no animals around?" Naruto asked, bewildered. In such a daunting and gloomy forest, Naruto would have expected to find obscenely huge and vicious creatures around.
The masked ANBU, who had been walking a couple of feet ahead of him, cleared his throat. "The area we entered through is mostly clear of autochthonous fauna as animals tend to avoid it. One of our tokubetsu jōnins uses this section of the forest to train herself quite regularly, and even the most mindless beast that dwells here is wise enough to keep away from her," he explained with an unexpectedly grave and friendly voice.
Kakashi placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder, as his face appeared above it, giving him one of his trademark one-eye-crinkled smiles. "Ah, Mitarashi Anko, our local dominatrix," he butted in good-naturedly. Raising a finger as if he were about to give a lecture, he continued, "Whenever you meet her, be warned: if you talk about Orochimaru – you are dead. If you mess with her dango – you are dead. If you ask her out – you are dead. Poor Shiranui Genma knows this last one only too well," he said nonchalantly, still smiling, as if he were just discussing the weather in Hi no Kuni.
Naruto gulped. Why did women have to be so violent?
"Foolish little lovebird," the ANBU said, not without a hint of amusement in his otherwise stoic voice, "As if their mutual hatred of Orochimaru meant they were destined to be together."
"Ma, ma. No need to sound so mean," said Kakashi, his palms up in a conciliatory manner.
Shortly after that, the Hokage, still at the head of the group, stopped in his tracks. "This is far enough," concluded Minato. He spun on his heels and raised his left hand, beckoning Naruto and the ANBU with his finger, who immediately obliged as Jiraya, Tsunade and Kakashi took a step back, soon disappearing into the forest.
"Sate, we will begin this test shortly. However, a few things first," said Minato, a serious look on his face. "This is a trial to test our newest addition's skills. Therefore, anything goes. That being said, I'd appreciate if you didn't kill each other," he added, without the tiniest bit of amusement in his voice. Turning his eyes to look at Naruto, he fixed a stern gaze upon his son, looking nothing like his father and everything like the supreme commander he was. His tone and face were stern, leaving no room for nonsense. "Naruto, Itachi-san here is one of my most trusted and capable shinobis. His identity as an ANBU, his skills, fighting mannerisms or any weakness you might find are not to be discussed with anyone outside this group. Understood?"
"Aa, wakata," retorted Naruto seriously.
Minato nodded before turning to Naruto. "Itachi-san, same goes with you. Anything you learn about Naruto is to be treated as an S-rank village secret."
Itachi bowed his head. "Hai, Hokage-sama."
"Very well then, I shall take my leave. Jiraya, Tsunade, Kakashi and myself will be watching the both of you and we will not interfere." Minato nodded and he shot them a couple of piercing glances, satisfied that his words had sunk in. As an afterthought, he added, "However, your assessment of his prowess, Itachi-san, will also be taken into consideration as the four of us are a bit biased towards our new comrade," he finished, before disappearing in a whirlwind on leaves.
Naruto turned to Itachi-san, wanting to ask him how to proceed only to find a vacant spot where the ANBU had been previously standing. He blinked, stunned at his opponent's silent retreat.
He's good, he mused. He's going to keep me on my toes. I'd better be careful.
Pumping a bit of chakra to his legs, he jumped onto the nearest sturdy-looking branch. Crouching, with his right hand on the knotty bark of the trunk, he hid himself amongst the moist leaves. He narrowed his eyes, trying to extend his advanced sense of smell and hearing – grâce au Kyūbi - to discern whether the other shinobi was close to his location or not.
He was no professional tracker like one of those clans that had ninken as their closest partners, but it was still pretty hard to fool his senses in a pretty decent radius. But then again, Itachi-san was a high-ranked ANBU; underestimating him would be foolish and costly. Unable to perceive anyone, Naruto pulled his hands together and formed a cross hand-seal with the index and middle fingers of both hands. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
Instantly, about thirty copies of himself materialised out of thin air, all of them spread and huddled in the surrounding trees.
"Scout the area, look for the guy if you can, but first and foremost search for traps. I have the feeling that he's one heck of a cunning and sneaky shinobi," he ordered his serious-looking clones in a grave voice. "One of you, stay with me and gather shizen energy. San!"
All the clones scattered faster than you could say "Rasengan!", a sudden gust of wind hitting Naruto's face as they did. He gave a nod to the one next to him, and his doppelganger sat down, balancing himself into a meditating position.
Naruto remained vigilant in his spot, covering for the clone that was gathering the natural energy he needed for his Sage Mode. Using senjutsu would be the quickest and safest way to find Itachi-san. He could accumulate the shizen energy he needed all by himself, but if he did that, bearing in mind that senjutsu required deep meditation, he would be susceptible to an attack. Even if he had a clone defending him, it wouldn't matter as they weren't as resilient as the original. In fact, Naruto believed that Kage Bunshin was not a combat move, but a reconnaissance technique of sorts.
Just then, he heard a loud explosion in the distance and felt the memories of two of his clones slither into his mind. He had been right, that Itachi guy was one heck of a sneaky bloke. The other shinobi had caught two of his replicas in a well-formed trap of kunai and paper bombs. The clones were able to dodge the weapons without any hassle and escaped the brunt of the explosion, but the shockwave that came subsequently was enough to make them explode.
He frowned slightly. Hadn't he been using his clones and had his skills been any lower, those traps might have done him in. But then again, he reasoned, Itachi-san must have thought that they wouldn't have used an ANBU shinobi to test a wannabe Leaf ninja if his ability were on par with a genin.
His eyebrows shot up as more images filtered through his brain, coming from clones that had popped. It seemed that he was not the only one using Kage Bunshin, as he had received the recollection of three fights in different locations. He smiled faintly; his doppelgangers sure did know how to squeeze information before they burst. He now knew that his opponent was capable of water and fire releases and was very proficient at genjutsu. Itachi-san was fast, skilful, and did not waste any time with the usual derogatory banter that normal took place among two opponents. Naruto smirked, while he had been getting information about his adversary's abilities, Itachi-san hadn't got anything about him as his clones were only dodging instead of attacking.
There was no-one better at using Kage Bunshin than Namikaze Naruto, if he said so himself. He felt the urge to pat himself on the back, but he resisted the impulse. Ero-Sennin was watching him after all, and Naruto knew only too well how much the old pervert liked to embarrass him.
"There are four – no wait, three of him," a voice to his let said, startling him. "One of us has just taken a clone down."
Naruto turned to his replica, who was still in a meditating position and in full Sage Mode. "How many of us left?"
"About ten – no, eight."
"Any of them fighting now?"
"All of them," answered his clone, his eyebrows stitched together in a frown. "One of them is taking them out fast. I'm guessing that is the original one."
Naruto nodded. "All right, we're leaving," he said commandingly, rising from his huddled position, his knees cracking uncomfortably. "I need you to pinpoint the location of the one you believe is the original. And stay a distance behind me; don't get mixed in the fray."
"Ossu!"
Soon enough they were on the move, jumping from branch to branch. Looking over his shoulder, Naruto was pleased to see that his clone was nowhere in sight and had taken his words seriously. He only had one of his Kage Bunshin gathering shizen energy, he wasn't about to have it dispelling at a bad time. He wondered whether he should create another two or so clones to protect the other one, just in case.
Naruto grunted. This forest was a suffocating, never-ending maze. Even the upper branches seemed to be participating in the construction of the claustrophobic labyrinth, the twisted limbs contorting themselves and snaking around each other until a leafy canopy was formed above, blocking any sunlight from reaching the ground.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
Naruto dived to the ground, dodging the great fireball that currently encase in a haze of flames the unsuspecting tree that had been next to him as he glided forward, the flames consuming the leafy ceiling above, allowing some sunlight to filter through.
Crouching, his left fingers kneaded the wet grass as his right hand shot straight to his leg-pouch, drawing a kunai out.
Itachi-san was standing right in front of him, still as a rock. Naruto had to give it to him, the other shinobi excelled at stealth. Naruto rose to his feet; knees bent, he placed his right leg in front of his left limb, an ample space between them.
"I wonder; are you a Kage Bunshin, or are you the original?" Itachi-san asked calmly.
Naruto shrugged. "Beats me. Guess you'll just have to find out," he retorted offhandedly before springing at him.
Itachi-san drew out his wakizashi immediately, just in time to block the kunai that Naruto sported four inches away from his face. "You are fast," he complimented.
"And you have good reflexes," Naruto commented before rotating his hips to the right, his left leg rising to place a well-aimed kick on Itachi-san's head. Itachi crouched speedily beneath Naruto's limb, his sword aiming for Naruto's right leg, who immediately lifted and bent it in mid-air, ready to lay a heel kick on Itachi-san's shoulder.
His foot, however, connected instead with the ground leaving a nice dent on it. Itachi-san had used the Shunshin no Jutsu to teleport himself.
"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!"
Without thinking, Naruto bent his knees and pushed forcefully against the earth below, using a bit of his chakra to soar, avoiding the volley of unpredictable medium-sized fireballs that had been aimed at him. Unfortunately, Naruto remembered that "Fire Style: Art of the Dragon's Breath, Phoenix Technique" was a jutsu that created flames that were directed and controlled by the user, which meant that he had no other option but to counter them. So much for keeping his abilities a secret as long as possible.
Almost reluctantly, he brought his hands together: dragon, tiger, hare. "Suiton: Mizurappa!" he yelled before blowing out a small waterfall from his mouth, putting out the flames that were coming his way, effectively cancelling Itachi-san's technique. The fact that he had also soaked his opponent – who was looking like a disgruntled wet cat - was just an added bonus.
"You have a Water nature," Itachi-san stated from his branch.
Naruto smirked, still in mid-air. "You have Fire and Water natures."
"You are the original," Itachi-san asserted. "You are using ninjutsu, unlike before."
"And you are a clone," Naruto retorted as he landed deftly on the ground.
Naruto knew it was almost impossible to differentiate a clone from the original, unless you were as proficient at Kage Bunshin no Jutsu as he was. They were exact replicas, with the same smell, same abilities and same quirks. Able to mould chakra and perform the same techniques as the original. However, clones could either be completely reckless (like the scouting ones Naruto had created before) in order to get information; or they would restrain themselves and keep their distance, avoiding contact at all costs and resorting to mid to long-range attacks. Naruto knew that Itachi-san had to be competent at kenjustu, a short-range type of combat, yet he had been keeping a wide gap between them at all times. Naruto concluded that the clone was trying to keep himself from dispelling by staying away from him and tapping into his ninjutsu abilities.
Smart, no doubt. But Naruto was devious.
However, he didn't have the luxury of sparing any more of his time on a clone. Swiftly, he grabbed two smoke bombs and chucked them, a wall of impenetrable purple fog rising swiftly obscuring his view. He propelled himself upwards with a powerful jump and out of the smoke dune he had created. Without stopping to catch his breath, he extended his right arm, palm open wide facing the skies above as his left hand gripped his right wrist tightly. Almost without needing to spare a single thought on it, his father's trademark ultimate chakra manipulation technique materialised in his palm.
He knew where the clone was. The doppelganger hadn't moved, which seemed a bit odd to him. He would try to figure it out later, but now –
"RASENGAN!"
He knew he had made contact before he smoke was blown away, he had felt the clone dispelling the moment the Rasengan had touched it. Coughing slightly due to the amount of purple gas that had leaked into his lungs, he sprinted away, looking forward to breathing fresh air again. As soon as he got out of the thick, vaporous sphere, he spotted his clone on a tree branch, who had got rid of his facemask and happened to be sporting a superior smirk on his face.
"You know, you are completely addicted to that technique," said his clone, looking at him with mock-worried Sage eyes. "Perhaps you should go to rehab."
Naruto snorted. "I'm not that infatuated with it."
The Kage Bunshin looked at him as if he had sprouted another head. "You use the Rasengan to make orange juice."
Naruto shrugged. "It's very effective."
The clone blinked. "You use it in your sleep, resulting in countless destroyed walls and heaps of money wasted on the repairs."
Naruto grunted. "Fine, fine. I get it. I like the Rasengan a bit too much," he admitted grudgingly. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he asked briskly, "Can we please get a move on?"
His replica chuckled. "Itachi-san has dispelled the other clone he had left. He's about fifteen minutes away, two o'clock."
Naruto nodded, determined, as he hopped onto the nearest branch. "Ossu! Let's get this over and done with. Ero-Sennin said the ramen in Konoha is the best!"
As he hopped from tree branch from tree branch, he wondered idly about the location of Ero-Sennin, Kakashi, his father and Tsunade-Baa-chan. His Bunshin in Sage Mode hadn't uttered a word about them, so either he hadn't consider it relevant – after all, his father had said that they wouldn't interfere – or perhaps the Hokage had placed a barrier strong enough to bypass the chakra-sensor ability he gained when he tapped into senjutsu. If anyone could do it, it would be Yondaime Hokage, he thought not without a hint of pride. His dad was badass like that.
"Whoa, what happened here?" he asked himself, eyes wide open like saucers.
He had just reached a clearing, for a want of a better word. Instead of the dense, choking woodland he'd grown used to, the wide area ahead of him was completely barren. There were none of those abnormally healthy trees that somehow managed to spring almost infinite leaves in mid-winter. If fact, the only thing left of them were some charred trunks and uprooted trunks piled sadly on the snow-coated earth.
He shook his head, snapping himself out of his reverie. He didn't have the time to ponder about something as inconsequential as that. It may have even been the work of the tokubestu jōnin he'd heard about before. Sparing the sterile section one last glance, he continued on with his pursuit. However, he did make a mental note not to anger that tokubestu jōnin. If she was capable of wreaking such havoc while training, she had to be one heck of an aggressive woman.
It seemed like an eternity had passed before he heard the sibilant sound of a weapon whizzing towards him, aiming for his neck while he was still in the air between one tree branch and the other. Effortlessly, he tilted his head to the left and smirked as the flying kunai zoomed past him, missing him by an inch. That Itachi-san guy sure had an excellent aim, to be able to shoot a moving target with perfect accuracy, he thought, as he landed on another branch. He tried to hide his body from the direction the kunai had come from, but chances were that Itachi-san had already moved from his previous location.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
Naruto plummeted once again to the ground, dodging the sphere of flames. As he landed, he watched indolently as the fireball burnt a couple of trees to a crisp.
"Same technique as before, huh?" he drawled. "Hokage-sama is going to be miffed that you are so merrily roasting this forest."
The masked ANBU sprung into view, settling for a spot about thirty feet away from Naruto. Lazily, he leaned on the tree next to him and crossed his arms over his chest. "Hokage-sama is an avid fan himself of happily wreaking havoc in this forest whenever he comes here to train, so I doubt I will get a scolding," he said confidently. "However, the same cannot be said for the one shinobi able to grow trees, who is being worked to the bone in this village."
Naruto gaped at him. "There's a Mokuton user in Konoha?"
Itachi-san nodded. "Aa, there is. You'll probably meet him at some point, as he and Kakashi-senpai work together often."
"But how?" Naruto asked, bewildered. His mind was running a mile a minute, 'Senju Hashirama', 'affair' and 'secret-love child' popping into his brain.
The ANBU shrugged. "That is not my story to tell," he replied offhandedly as he uncrossed his arms and stood straight. "In any case, that's neither here nor there. "Katon: Haisekishō!"
Naruto, who was still pondering about the illicit love-life of Shoidaime Hokage, was caught unaware in a massive cloud of ash. He realised instantly he wouldn't have enough time to get out of it before the gunpowder ignited.
He cursed himself for getting distracted. There was only one thing he could do in order to avoid some very nasty burns that would take some time, even for him, to heal. Cursing himself one last time for needing to use his greatest defence so early in the game, he tapped into the Kyūbi's chakra and let the insane flames surround him.
Whatever technique Itachi had expected his opponent to use to escape from his fire jutsu, was most definitely not what he saw in front of him. To say that he was shocked would be putting it mildly, just like it would be a gross understatement to say that Jiraya was only a bit perverted.
Ahead of him was Naruto-san. Or at least he thought it was. He could see that the legs and arms were just like they were before, although perhaps the clothes that covered them were a bit worse for the wear. However, his chest was surrounded by a solid-looking animal-like white ribcage, and his head was encased in a canine-looking skull, the whole ensemble bizarrely fitting his body perfectly.
Itachi activated his Sharingan immediately, thankful that Naruto-san was giving him some time while he coughed. He could see red chakra surrounding the entirety of his opponent's form. The skeleton, minus the four limbs, was complete: the skull, the ribcage, the vertebrae, the hips and then springing from the end of his back were the skeletal forms of nine tails. A shiver ran down his spine.
Itachi's red eyes opened comically. "You are the Kyūbi no Yōko's jinchūriki," he sputtered, not daring himself to believe it.
Naruto coughed. "And you might have just given me lung cancer," he groaned as he released his hold on the Demon Fox's chakra, the protective skeleton vanishing instantly as his eyes slowly turned from crimson back to their usual blue.
"No wonder Hokage-sama said anything about you would be an S-rank secret," Itachi said, still shocked.
"You don't know the half of it," Naruto retorted casually. "However…" he drawled, leaving his tone hanging as he drew out two kunai, clapped his hands together and gathered his chakra. "Futton: Reppūshō!" he hollered, a forceful gale with kunai embedded in it bursting forth from his now separated hands.
Itachi-san, however, was not as easily distracted as Naruto was, not even by an earth-shattering revelation. "Katon: : Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
Snake: "Suiton: Bakusui Shōha!" Naruto countered, resorting to a B-ranked water jutsu in order to douse the massive sphere of fire that was hastily threatening to engulf him. A colossal amount of water burst forth from his mouth, shaping itself into a mini-tsunami and putting out the fire instantly.
"You are very proficient at Water Release," Itachi-san complimented him behind a cracking mask, thanks to Naruto's water jutsu.
"Wind is my primary affinity," Naruto confessed, panting. "I just have insane amounts of chakra."
"I can attest to that," Itachi-san replied wryly.
Naruto pursed his lips beneath his mask. "One thing's been bothering me, though," he stalled, as he regained his breath. Huge reserves or not, that jutsu was taxing. "I know you are good at genjutsu. How come you haven't used any yet?"
Itachi-san forfeited his beyond-repair mask and arched at thin eyebrow at Naruto. "I thought it would be obvious," he countered, "You are a jinchūriki; therefore, most genjutsu will not work on you. The highest rank of illusions might, but those take time and since I do not have any comrades backing me up, you'd strike me before I got the chance to complete it," he explained calmly.
Naruto nodded. That made sense. Just then, he noticed something he hadn't seen before, perhaps because his opponent's face had been obscured by the ANBU mask. "You are an Uchiha," he said matter-of-factly.
Itachi-san did not comment on Naruto's statement, he only gave him a simple bow.
But he was not quick enough. Naruto saw the slight frown that marred his face. It made him wonder.
"Pleasantries aside…" At an almost blinding speed, too fast for Naruto's eyes to follow, Itachi-san performed the hand seals for a new jutsu and cried, "Suiton: Ja no Kuchi!"
Naruto grinned as a large serpent made of water aimed for him, its jaws open wide and ready to swallow him whole. Which would be the case were it not for the fact that he knew that justu, he had incredible chakra reserves and he was fast enough at forming hand seals. "Suiton: Ja no Kuchi!"
Before the two liquid serpents collided and cancelled each other out, he was already on the move. Bringing his index and middle finger to his mouth, he whispered, "Ninpō: Kirigakure no Jutsu!"
Taking advantage of the ample amounts of water that formed the two snakes' bodies, Naruto turned Itachi-san's and his own previous techniques into the Hidden Mist Jutsu, a skill that was supposedly able to counter the eyes of an Uchiha, although it could not fool the Byakugan.
"Wise move against a Sharingan user, Naruto-san. However, that jutsu will not work on me. I have keener eyes than most of my clan," Itachi-san declared serenely.
Naruto wasn't sure whether to believe that statement or not, until, that is, he had to dodge a blade that would have otherwise cheerfully cleaved his skull in two. Frantically, he realised that while his face was safe, his face-mask and hood were torn up. Losing the concentration needed for the Hidden Mist Technique, his hands formed the ram seal unwittingly and unwillingly…
Itachi-san blinked as soon as the chakra-infused mist vanished. He blinked again.
"Pardon me, but I have to ask. Up to this point, I've thought that while unorthodox, your tactics made sense. However, this technique is completely beyond me. May I ask why you think transforming into a naked female would be a wise strategy against an ANBU captain?"
Naruto swore. He could hear Ero-Sennin's roaring laughter a mile away.
"Sorry, it's a reflex," Naruko answered, embarrassedly. "You know that I'm the container of the Kyūbi, so I guess it's a moot point to keep my face secret," she said before vanishing with a soft poof only to be replaced by Naruto sans facemask.
Itachi-san blinked again. Spiky blond hair. Steel blue eyes. Never mind the slits and the whisker marks on his cheeks. There was no doubt about it. "You are related to Yondaime-sama," he said without the smallest inflection of uncertainty.
Naruto nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm his son," he admitted, scratching the back of his head, grinning awkwardly.
"I could've killed you earlier," Itachi-san sputtered, his mind connecting the dots. "I could've killed Hokage-sama's child."
Naruto scowled immediately at the word "child" and was about to give a nice, waspish comeback before he noticed that Itachi-san was nearly in a comatose state. "Oh, hey, no worries! Don't fret! Tō-chan wouldn't have made me fight you if he didn't think I was good enough!" he tried to placate him, hands waving around erratically. "Oy! Oy! C'mon, snap out of it!"
Had Itachi-san been hospitalised at that very precise moment, the medical staff would have had the shock of their lives at seeing a patient recover from an almost flat-encephalogram state in the span of two minutes and without any after effects.
"You are right," he admitted, regaining his normally stoic composure. Brandishing his sword in front of him, he said, "Let us proceed."
Naruto groaned inwardly. He just wasn't good enough at kenjustu. Besides, he was getting very, very hungry. Oh well, time to end this, he thought, amused as Itachi-san began to move towards him.
Itachi-san saw Naruto-san sporting a foxy smirk. Itachi-san could admit to himself that was a very bad pun considering the circumstances.
Naruto parried Itachi-san's first strike with a kunai. Despite the whirring sound that signalled his rival's second attack, Naruto closed his eyes briefly and focused. He didn't need to see it, he could feel it. Extending his arm, he grasped the wakizashi around its middle and crushed it.
Itachi-san did not have enough time to process the fact that as soon as Naruto-san wore some bizarre orange eye shadow, he acquired the necessary brute strength to crush a freaking sword with bare hands. He didn't have enough time because Naruto-san was in the middle of performing a kick aimed at his ribcage.
Naruto's initial satisfaction at connecting with Itachi-san's left arm soon turned into guilt as he heard the bone crack and was sent flying sideways before colliding nastily against a tree and collapsing. Running towards him, he hollered, "Oy! Time out! This test is OVER, dattebayo!"
Worriedly, he crouched in front of Itachi-san and asked, "Are you all right? I'm sorry, I didn't know I had kicked you that hard - I got carried away -"
Itachi-san winced before giving Naruto-kun a kind smile. "Iie, you did your job well," he said placidly and added, "You most definitely graduate from the Academy with flying colours."
Naruto gave him a strangled laugh, relieved at Tsunade-baa-chan's timely appearance, who immediately started healing Itachi with her iryō-ninjutsu, Kakashi supporting his injured comrade.
Jiraya and the Hokage appeared by Naruto's side, the former placing a hand on his shoulder. Naruto turned to look at them as he propped himself to his feet, bewildered by their jaw-breaking grins. Without a word, his father's right hand went into his pocket and drew out a second later a Konoha hitai-ate.
Naruto took it almost apprehensively, as Minato swung his other arm over his son's shoulders, bringing him to his side affectionately, "Well done, musuko," Naruto heard him saying as his father's hand ruffled his hair. Knowing that his eyes were glimmering precariously, he lowered his head with the pretext of inspecting his brand new forehead protector.
"So you now are a shinobi of the Leaf, gaki," said Jiraya, beaming at him. "I have to ask you, though," he paused, frowning slightly. "You landed a heavy blow while you were in Sage Mode and used a Rasengan on a clone, but other than that you've stuck to pretty much the less aggressive techniques in your arsenal. How so?"
Naruto looked at Ero-Sennin as if he had just declared that unfortunately, he was attracted to men and had decided to enrol a monastery. "Are you nuts?" he asked, somewhat bitingly. Placing his hitai-ate on his forehead and tying it at the back of his head, he proceeded in a rather acerbic tone, "I don't care if this was a test to give me a rank that fit my skills. I can be a genin for all I care. Send me out on missions if you want the more dangerous jutsus," he said, quite incensed. He nodded at Itachi, who was already standing up against Tsunade-baa-chan's wishes, and then pointed at the leaf carved into the metal plate on his forehead.
Eyes as hard as steel, he told them, "I'm not about to seriously endanger his life just to show off. He's a comrade of the Leaf."
Without sparing them another glance, he turned towards Itachi, who was looking at him in wonder and open curiosity. "Say, Itachi, let's go grab some lunch, I'm starving," Naruto told him amicably, swinging an arm over the older shinobi's shoulder just like his father had done to him before, making his knees buckle slightly. "All you can eat and it's on me, I owe you for that broken arm," he told him seriously as he steered the silent Itachi away from the rest of the group, "One bowl of ramen and you'll feel like a new man, I promise…"
As Naruto ventured off with a confused Itachi, blabbing about the almost mythical medicinal properties of the miracle that was ramen – especially miso pork ramen - he did not see the emotion that shone upon the faces of his four mentors.
It was pride.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would've brought Minato back to life, no matter how cliché it is.
A/N: I apologise for the dreadful delay. I'm a medical student and do not have much free time. On top of that, I had absolutely the worst case of a writer's block with this chapter. The first three thousand words or so, I wrote them in one go. The rest of the chapter did not want to be written.
About Naruto's "ultimate defence", eh, if all of his abilities were a copy of Kishimoto's canon, I would find my own fic boring. Plus, in my mind, it looks just so cool, hehehe.
I've been wondering for some time about how should I write the jutsus. At first, I thought it would make sense to write them in English, as it would just be too troublesome for the reader to decipher what the Japanese words meant. But I have to admit that I like the sound of them better in Japanese. In fact, I staunchly refuse to watch the anime in English as I cannot stand Naruto's croaky voice and that irritating 'Believe it!'
But I digress, the point is that I wanted to use them in Japanese. But then again, I've read many fics that use this language for jutsus and expect the reader to remember what they stood for. So I went for the usage of the Japanese words and proceeded then to explain what they did as I wrote the action secuency.
I'm not exactly sure whether I did a decent job on this. This is my first Naruto fic, and unlike Harry Potter fandom, action here differs considerably.
If you are wondering, yes, I had to consult the Narutopedia every five seconds or so. Oh, speaking of which, I made Itachi say that the Hidden Mist Jutsu doesn't work on him because that's what he says in canon, even if it contradicted both the previous manga an anime.
Well, I've rambled on enough. Feedback is appreciated.
Until next time,
Vermouth