The Hellflower Illusionist
"Have all of you ordered yet," said Kurenai as she stepped into the ramen restaurant. She once again felt graceless around Kakashi without the group of genin. With the close proximity to his body, a festering fluster nearly ceased her body, the distinct echoes of their breaths, the way their curves made her high as if floating through the clouds. She felt the pulsing blood of her body towards him, the urging clawing like a restless beast and her screams begging for release. Thank goodness for the soundproof apartment: Soundproof saved her from more than defending herself from sound-based illusions.
"Nah, Kurenai-sensei. The shortie is just hogging the menu Ayame-san gave to us," said Kiba. The tender emphasis on the boy told Kurenai why Kiba didn't take other menus in the stands.
"There're other menus you can look at, Kiba," said the female member of Team 7. Glancing at Sakura, Kurenai noted the group of genin sat near each other at the large, circular table. From her left, Hinata, Naruto, Shino, Sakura, and Kiba arranged themselves with two empty spaces for Kakashi and her. Seeing Kakashi pulled the chair next to Hinata for her, Kurenai nodded slightly to him when she sat down. As she glanced at the establishment, she could see why Naruto loved going here, an ambiance bright yet evoking a classic ramen store presence. The cheerfulness filled the patrons who stepped in.
"But that's the menu Ayame-san gave us," said Kiba as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Sakura shook her head, her eyes scanning her menu. She sucked on the edge of her mouth, her eyes glued to her menu. Kurenai smiled as similar actions came throughout the students.
"Let's try the hot pot!" said Naruto, "I mean it has vegetables, and we can eat it alongside our ramen although I didn't know they expanded the menu. But that's up to everyone."
"Wow, Naruto actually ordering vegetables, I thought I'll never see the day," said a young woman, appearing with her standard white uniform and cheerful smile. She laughed after seeing at Naruto's rising brows. A young woman maturing into beauty, the genjutsu expert laughed under the sleeves of her dress. The young woman said, "my dad considered expanding the business a little bit since we made some money from our favorite customer." Her laughter continued lifting the atmosphere around the table.
Naruto introduced their young waitress, Ayame the daughter of the boss of the store. Kurenai nearly rolled her eyes as Kiba kissed Ayame's hand when she walked around. Ayame giggled at the act, a really harmless action.
"And what will you all have today?" said Ayame with her pen and pad ready.
Writing down their orders with the reaction of a falcon, Ayame repeated their order with the same enthusiasm as Naruto. "For Hinata-san, you want a miso tofu ramen. Both Sakura-san and Shino-san want healthy veggie ramen with seaweed on the side. Kurenai-san wants miso crab leg with seaweed on the side as well, and Kakashi-san wants spicy beef with deep fried tofu strips. Kiba-kun wants two servings of pork miso, I totally recommend it. For Naruto-kun, the usual order, but more veggies for the growing boy." She humored Naruto even more by ruffing his hair.
"Hey, Iruka says eating more diverse food is good for the body," said Naruto to the retreating waitress, "plus, Iruka makes really great veggie meals!" The waitress stopped with her fingers going into her pockets before heading into the kitchen, her smile helped wash off the malice lingering from the other waitress.
"Why do you call Iruka-sensei Iruka now, Naruto," said Sakura.
"Of course, it's 'cause Iruka's my guardian now," said Naruto, his smile grew out like a crescent moon as if nothing in the day could make his day any worse. Kurenai understood his feeling, when she had made it as genin, the whole day was a blissful dream.
"How did that happen? Is that how you learned that cool Shadow Clone," said Kiba. At the short time, she has known the boy, she had the feeling he liked to be in the know-how, actively seeking it. "You gotta tell us. Sis talked about that jutsu before, and I doubt you could really learn a jutsu like that in one day. So it musta come from Iruka-sensei, right?"
She tilted her head at the unusual silence coming from one of the loudest ninjas she knew. As if sensing the change, Kakashi altered the flow of conversation, easily lying to the rest of the genin from the events of that night. "Your teacher was a skilled ninja. If Iruka didn't want to be an academy teacher, he could have been leading one of the teams today as a jounin. He has the potential."
"Then why did he not teach us cooler moves? We would have been kickass ninjas already!"
"The academy has very strict rules about the proper techniques they teach to students. Iruka had to comply with those instructions," said Kurenai, reinforcing Kakashi's side and for Naruto's sake. She furrowed her eyes, the policies of the academy hindered the teachers to actively help out the aspiring ninjas. That was one of the reasons why she opted studying psychology under the Behaviour Department when she was chunin, training for her once she became a Ninja Instructor when she would finally persuade the Hokage to reinstate the organization.
"Okay, I got everyone's orders," said Ayame, her presence dispensing the serious atmosphere that settled into the group. She displayed her outstanding experience as she gave everyone's orders correctly: She did not even forget about the Aburame boy, who nodded with a faint tug on his lips. "Enjoy, and I'll be here. Just call." She smiled, leaving to get the orders from other patrons of the store. When they all took the first bite, they quickly understood why this was Naruto's favorite place as the soothing broth warmed their insides, the spices sizzled their mouths, and the noodles had the perfect texture and bite.
She heard the small conversation across the table as Sakura said, "hey, Naruto can you pass the black pepper?" She saw how her student gave Kakashi's student the glass container of pepper. "Oh thank you, Shino-san." His only response was nodding while effortlessly eating his meal.
"So, Kiba, you want to learn cool jutsu. Why is that?" said Kakashi, putting his mask back on after finishing with his meal. She found herself licking her lower lip each time she caught the man's lips. He was used to eating when other people's attentions were elsewhere. She shook her head, trying to dispel the memories of his lips wetting against hers. She thought, hopefully, this would be the only get-together she would have with Kakashi for a long time. She was a ninja for heaven's sake; she cannot be under control of her apparently awakening and growing desires for the man.
"It 's cause I wanna be a kickass ANBU ninja! That's the first step to my dream." Kiba yelled out despite Kakashi sitting next to him. Sakura slapped his shoulder as she rubbed her ears. However, Kiba grinned at her while faking the pain in his arm.
"Hmm, that's an admirable dream." His eye took a dragged look around the table; the way he stared at her students unraveled her, her eyes narrowing at him. "Shino and Hinata, what are your dreams?" Kakashi dodged her line of sight, his attention on her other students.
"My clan relies too heavily on our insects, so I want to find all manner of jutsu to incorporate along with our use of insects," said Shino, his index finger pushing his slipping glasses back on.
"Still it's awesome you had your insects swarm on us," said Naruto. "I could barely see anyone except for Hinata-chan." Kurenai noticed the girl blushing heavier at the young boy's words. She would need to help the girl refocus her affections, to not hinder the girl's efforts as a ninja. Her young charge's eyes looked down at her meal. "Don't worry about almost knockin' me out, Hinata-chan. You were amazing."
It was hard not to grin at how the heiress's face lit up like an inferno's calling at the praise Naruto gave. As Hinata looked up, her eyes expanded as she curled her body into almost a ball.
"Hinata," she said, "it's okay. We're sharing our dreams here."
Like the elegance benefitted of an heiress, Hinata stammered for a bit before recovering. "M-my dream is to become worthy of my clan. Like Shino-kun, I-I want to expand my clan's jutsu because our clan style is well-known throughout the world."
Kakashi's eye quickly took in the individual talents gathered around. He straightened his back; an action that sent her senses flaring. "Those are wonderful dreams to have. Maa, I know Kurenai will be able to teach you," he said with his annoying tone.
Kurenai, on the other hand, put up her guard. Kakashi saying her first name was not the greatest sign. She imagined the hidden smirk underneath that mask; getting rid of that insufferable mask would be a goal of hers now.
"We can teach other students with the permission of their teacher. I'm saying I can teach you three some jutsu I learned over the years. With Kurenai being a genjutsu master among the jounin, she could teach my students to control their chakra," said Kakashi, suggesting a preposterous plan without Kurenai's foreknowledge.
She balled her fists underneath the table. Kurenai tightened her lips together, her mind figuring it out his plan when he proposed the wager. He rattled her up, so she couldn't think about his plan for her to teach his students. She curled her fingers harder, her mouth forming the motion to call him out. Kurenai closed her eyes, her ears hearing the excitement from her most vocal member.
She stared at Kakashi, his hidden smirk playing in her head.
Her mouth formed the motion of rejection. But looking at her at students, their stunned but hopeful eyes told her she couldn't utter the sound out. "Yes, except for missions, we can train together."
Kiba jumped up from his chair, hitting the floor with a loud thump. "WOOAH! I get to be under Kakashi-sensei! I'll be learnin' from a student of the Fourth Hokage! How great's dat!" Kiba yelled out, tossing Akamaru in the air.
"The Fourth Hokage!" said Naruto, his voice emphasizing each syllable, as if each syllable were stones hurled at him. The brilliance in his eyes dimmed as his hands strained against his chopsticks.
"Yeah, bro. Thought you knew already. Your teacher was a student of the Fourth, like how freakin' cool is that. Man, lucky is really ya nature, bro. Don't know how many genin can say they trained under a top jounin. This is going to be rad!" Kiba fist pumped while shaking a tiny jig.
Kurenai saw twitches coming from Naruto as if wanting to bolt out of the store. Her eyes met with the deep blues of the young boy. Her heart pounded as she sensed the spiraling depression, a whirl of doubt and confusion coming from the boy. His feelings came out clearer than anyone she encountered before as if his life slowly bleed out. She hissed out, barely a whisper. "Naruto."
Suddenly a ninja appeared, wearing tiger masked ANBU, their standard body armor, and shorts, exposing her legs with patterned ink, before the group and said, "Kakashi-san, Kurenai-san. Hokage-sama requests your presences immediately." The ninja messenger left as soon as she delivered the message.
"Ah, looks like a mission. Sorry, I'll treat you guys to sushi some other time," said Kakashi as he took out his wallet and paid for lunch. "And Naruto, we'll talk when I come back."
Kakashi gave her a pointed look. She crossed her arms, her mind wanting to reach out to the boy who was clearly lost. "Team 8, we will have another talk later. I will inform you all of my plans at a later time."
They disappeared, leaving the genin to situate them.
The Silver Lighting Ninja
Using their experienced speed, Kakashi and Kurenai arrived at the entrance of the Hokage's office without a loud clunk. Kurenai did not say anything about the ongoing struggle with Naruto, and he was thankful. He did not need another reminder that he was failing his student.
The rest of the ninjas, professional with their own duties, moved away as soon as they saw them. When they entered the office, they saw two other people already reporting to the Hokage, his eye twitched, as he knew the two.
"Oh, I see my eternal rival! His flame is burning brighter to come so fast."
He sighed as he heard the vigor in the other male's voice, feeling a headache coming.
"The Hokage requests us here, Gai," said he nonchalantly; his way of dealing against the overly jolly ninja was ignoring the way Gai pulled him to his side in a manly display of friendship.
"Ah that hip reaction," said the other male dramatically.
He caught Kurenai staring at them. He wondered why Gai kept insisting this rivalry under the guise of betting against each other. Considering their personalities, the rivalry wasn't strange as he thought, even if he would rather have Gai silent for long periods of time.
"I have called you four because I have received an emergency signal from Iwagakure along with the official seal of our Daimyo. Both the daimyo of the Land of Fire and Land of Earth has called forth a truce for their ninja village until the situation has been dealt with," said the rich voice of the Hokage, stopping Gai in his tracks.
The Hokage gave them manila folders with the mission details. They quickly read over the details with the manner of scholars. He heard the sigh coming out of the Hokage, as he read through the details of the mission. A new warlord appeared with some of his forces already pushing the might of the regular armies. In two more days, the new invading force would capture relative medium towns in both regions.
It gave out several statements detailing how the warlord rose to power near the Land of Mushrooms, where Kusagakure was settled in, wedged right between the Lands of Earth and Fire. The Daimyo of the nation allowed the growth of the warlord, as the only enmity it had was with the Iwa and Konoha. Ten thousand men to command with technology unseen to the eyes, the warlord started his campaign.
As he stared at the objective, there was more to the mission than a simple assassination. To acquire a sample of the technology of the warlord and bring it back to both the village and the capital, it seemed the governments of the higher nations wanted to profit more.
With the tentative balance between their village and the government of the Lord of the Fire Land, the Hokage had very little sway to change the outcome, Kakashi thought. As he looked at the Hokage, his brows knotted further, showing more wrinkles on the wizened man.
"I hope you four can finish this discreetly and efficaciously," said the ninja leader. The Hokage grabbed one of the folders swiftly with strength gained over the years and looked over the details again. "As the senior jounin, Kakashi you are to take leadership. You have permission to use the Heavenly Guidance Gate to travel to the outpost nearest Ten'sho Town."
He understood the Hokage's reasoning. Ten'sho Town was one of the greater towns within Natsu Province, and it bordered the Land of Mushrooms. They were to warn the ninjas and clans stationed there before they head out to their destination.
As he glanced at his team, their familiar presences were welcomed. Yuugao was a sensor-type, a kenjutsu expert with medical techniques; Yuugao represented the warrior medic. While Gai annoyed him, the green spandex wearing man was a powerhouse that survived as much as he has; he trusted Gai to finish the mission. He swallowed as he glanced at Kurenai, her crimson eyes cornering him. One of the few remaining true genjutsu experts in their village, her analytical mind would detect any illusion and provide support for the team. The balance of the team was more than adequate for the mission despite the lack of information.
However, he still worried about the strange technology detailed in the reports that the warlord as warlords come and go through the waning years. The reports stated the technology on the warlord's weaponry mimicked high-class jutsu without any of the drawbacks compared to ninjas usage. The reports were unclear on how the core of the technology looked like or the finer details regarding how it works if original farmers and mercenary are able to use it.
An experiment? Another mad scientist playing creator to the world, he frowned. Hopefully, the technology was an accidental discovery made by the warlord or an uncovered relic from before the Warring Period, not an experiment to field results.
He frowned while looking at the Hokage, whose age seemed to be catching up to him. The Hokage took a drag of his smoke, as he started outward from his window, the view from the office still as breathtaking as the first.
"Understood, Hokage-sama."
"Godspeed."
He signaled his team, their presence vanishing from the Hokage tower.
The Valkyrie of the Hyuuga
"Naruto-kun, are you okay." She saw Naruto exhibited a queer depressive behavior she had never seen. Naruto being quiet and unresponsive tugged her heart. Worrying about Naruto was more important than going to her safe, ancestral home.
He hadn't responded to her voice. She lightly bit her lip, thinking of doing something dramatic.
She inched closer. She felt her heart hammering too fast; feeling each beat like thunder coming down the ground.
Something caught her throat as if someone put a spell on her. She could barely get sound out before gasping back. Her heart continued pounding against her chest as if someone put an explosive tag inside her, hearing the raging throbbing of her heart in her ears. Her personal heat flared, diving into a volcano. Her fingers were shaking at the action she was about to do. A few times her fingers back off, but this time she mustered all her courage.
She tapped Naruto's shoulder.
She wanted to black out, the dread spreading to every inch of her body. The idea of Naruto staying the same strengthened her mind and her heart. She firmly stood like what her father said an heiress must do.
She held herself when Naruto turned around as they stopped by a secluded part of the park. "Oh, Hinata-chan, did you tap me?" said Naruto. His voice lost the usual excitement.
She knew she was disobeying her parents' wishes on skipping out on her daily practice. One day, just for one day she would break her promise to her mother. She hoped her mother would understand. Just one day, Hinata thought then she would become the heiress again for her clan. "Are you okay, Naruto-kun?" she asked as she sat down on a man-made wooden log.
Her heart strung when she saw the Naruto shifted his eyes, a myriad of blinking. She noticed the grimace he made as he curled his fingers, almost forming a ball. "Yeah, I am. Why you ask, Hinata-chan?"
She tilted her head and said, "Naruto-kun, you don't have to lie to me." Somehow, the way Naruto said those words reminded her of the way her father used to comfort her when her mother became bedridden.
Instead of forcing him to talk about his feelings, she waited.
His mouth opened wide, his eyes looking the open space. The questions of doubt in his beautiful eyes of the sky erased. "What is your relationship with your dad like, Hinata-chan?"
She let out a small smile, her eyes softening. "My father is a gentle person to me," she said. Her smile grew wider when the memories of her father emerged: The way he lifted her in the air when she was younger, his firm hands assuring her everything was going to be better, and his smile when she did something right.
Her father is her father.
And she would never want to trade her father. She saw Naruto's disbelief. Most people thought her father was too imposing and self-conceited especially when he towered most people with his presence only. "My father loves me. It's just he's also the leader of the Hyuuga clan. He must appear harsh to maintain control of the clan," said Hinata in the manner she was taught in.
"So you love your dad?" said Naruto, his eyes rapidly blinking.
She nodded, the surest thing in her life.
"Yes, I love my father. He was the one who helped me out when my mother died in childbirth," said Hinata, easily spilling out one of the secrets Hyuuga concealed. She trusted Naruto more than anyone in the world, where the world knew her mother died because of an illness outside of the higher authorities of the village and the Hyuuga clan, not the strong woman risking her life to provide life to the world.
Even now, she felt the warm embrace her father gave when she would go to mother's room days after her family's demise.
"I'm sorry," he said, his blue eyes looking fuller.
"It's been a long time, Naruto-kun. I've learned to accept it." Her voice broke a bit, but she continued to say, "and I still have mother's garden."
The two young adults let the sound of the wind playing with the trees come between the silences. She saw a lighthearted twinkle in his eyes, her image reflecting back, and she felt a stirring in her body
She hoped the whirling storms inside his mind would recede, giving way to the path of greatness she knew he had. Instead of being trapped in the cutting winds, she wanted him to become the captain, guiding his heart.
"I recently found about who was my father," said Naruto. He waited a few seconds, allowing him the needed space. "Like your father, he had a duty which he used me to fulfill it, and I'm hating him for it."
He looked at her again. "I don't know how you do it, but I'm loathing him," said Naruto with his hands clutching his knees hard. "Why me? Why do I have to bear his burden, his failure? He expects me to be some legacy of his when I had to survive this world without him. Well, screw him!"
She saw Naruto using his nails digging further into his knees, his eyes hollow like dead trees. Her heart felt the tugging again when Naruto's sorrowful expression was replaced with hardening animosity: Only his anger stopped those drops of sorrow from coming out. No wonder, Naruto reacted so painfully. Anger and sorrow colliding together were never helpful. She moved closer to stopping slightly. She hesitated because she had never initiated the comfort her mother shown before.
Her left arm clumsily touched Naruto's shoulder. Moving her other arm around, she clumsily wrapped herself around his side.
An awkward first hug for her, and maybe for him.
His head rested on the tip of her shoulder, she felt his ears picking up the steady melody of her heart. He didn't talk; he stayed there, his warm breath gracing her skin.
"Naruto-kun, you asked if I love my father, and I said yes." Her fingers delicately moved back some of his hair from his ear, her breath warming the coldness behind his ears. "I didn't tell you I dislike the harsh leader of my clan," she said, whispering her deep secret.
Both of them slowly released each other, yet their bodies remained close. Before she continued, she cupped her hands with his. "I knew being a clan leader was part of him, and he can't stop being a leader. I used to hate him because," said Hinata, her voice breaking a little more, "it used to hurt me to think my father might have hated me because I was so weak." Her hands tightened, but she continued saying, "until I figure out he was trying to make me a worthy heiress in his own way." She used her sleeves of her coat to dry the tears in her eyes. "After that, I learned to separate my feelings from his different sides of him being the father and the clan leader," said Hinata with her throat tightening throughout the ordeal of confessing her aghast.
"How long did it take you to finally separate those sides?" asked Naruto, gently taking his once harmful hands and intertwining his hands with hers. A delicate warmness spread in her hands. It elected a protectiveness she never felt from a boy her age. He stared at her as if looking for the first time at her
The redness in her eyes still hadn't left before she said, "it took me a long time."
She felt the beats of his blood on his hands. That violent beating, as if a wild beast was thrashing about, became tranquil, slowly as if regaining something lost. But she knew the beast inside Naruto wasn't sated, it was there, waiting for another moment to come out. Her father used to say that each person was plagued with demons, those demons gnawing at the core of a person. Only a calm and disciplined mind can resist the temptations the demons urged.
"Thank you, Hinata-chan." The first words came from his mouth, after calming the raging storms in him. He licked his lips before his teeth showed through. "I guess I'll take you home 'cause it's the least I could do," said Naruto as he stood up and gestured Hinata to do the same.
"You'll do no such a thing, young Uzumaki," said her bodyguard. Naruto turned so quick she even felt sore from seeing him.
Her silent guardian seemed more imposing than before. "However, Hiashi-sama will like to see you Uzumaki-san, so I shall escort both of you to the estate," said her nearly unmovable guard.
The Maelstrom Beast of Konoha
After walking, Naruto realized the surreal situation he was in: He had a guard watching his back while walking with a girl back to her home. He honestly felt like he was a walking target because stringing from those laser eyes the guard made him stiff.
Arriving at the gates that surrounded the estate, Naruto gave a whistle on how huge the place was and released a minor sigh of relief while trying to quiet down the gulp. Sure, he, or rather his clone, had seen it before, but it was an entirely different setting now. Still, the burning scenery and human shadows littering the walls of the mansion burned into his eyes, as the sunset dwelled in the distance.
When they pass the gates, Naruto noticed the elaborate pond construction with stone sculptures on the edges, pouring more water into the pond. In Naruto's eyes, there were two similar looking men, except one of them was the age of Jiji, feeding the carps while the older man, Hinata's father who seemed more frigid than before, humbled himself to the two.
"Hiashi-sama, I have arrived with Hinata-sama and Uzumaki-san," said Ko, kneeling towards the nearest man. He did not even acknowledge the elderly man behind his master.
"Good work, Ko. You may take your leave," said Hiashi. Ko bowed before leaving, his steps as silent. Naruto had to strain his ears to hear the rustling of the guard's robes; damn he wanted to learn how to walk like him.
"Greetings Father. Greetings Grandfather." Hinata bowed down, her eyes looking straight at the elders. With the way her clan seems, he knew it was disrespectful for her to even glance at him, so he paid no mind to it.
"You are late. Go, your grandfather does not want to waste his time anymore," the father of Hinata said. Hinata bowed again before walking to the Hyuuga that looked like Jiji's age. That Hyuuga's eyes narrowed like a falcon spotting prey, he tugged on his sleeves before sweeping to one of the screens. Two maids opened the screen while the elder came to.
Hinata gave him one last faint smile before heading to the screen opening.
"Welcome Uzumaki-san," said Hiashi, his eyes staring at Naruto. Compared to the kinder mooneyes of Hinata, he tensed while sweat slowly came out when the Hyuuga leader scanned him. "One of our clan members shall lead you to my quarters." The authority laced into the words intimidated Naruto from doing his goofy reactions.
Hiashi snapped his finger, and another eerily silent member of the clan came from one of the screens behind the leader. Walking up to him, the servant ushered him through the estate. Naruto looked around the place, marveled at the feat and skill the builders put inside of the estate. High white wooden pillars supported the frame of the estate, and many doorways arranged so perplexingly that it kept intruders from wandering in too deeply or keeping them confided into the building. Despite the cordial rays from the setting sun descending on the land, the Hyuuga emitted winter through the walls.
Naruto nodded to the silent guide when he entered the room that housed the most influential member of the Hyuuga clan. He sat with his knees on the floor and his back perfectly perpendicular to the ground. Despite feeling awkward, Naruto stared at the elaborate hanging scrolls in front of him. The grand space around the room almost choked Naruto as he breathed in the dense air.
He jumped mentally when he heard the rigid tone of the Hyuuga leader. "Good day, Uzumaki-san. Do you know the reason why I have called you here?" Even though it was just the two of them in the room, Hiashi walked without making any sounds; a feat Naruto deemed amazing considering the clan head had three expensive bells tied to his robes. Hiashi did not sit where the grand platform of a noble clan leader resided instead he sat several meters away from Naruto in a strict formal style.
With no really good understanding of manners, Naruto bowed once and said, "No, sir, err Hyuuga-sama."
"You're truly an unpredictable person, Uzumaki-san," said the clan head. "From the way, some of my clan members have said about you, I visualize you to be more vainglorious. Yet, here you're bowing and showing respect. You can relax. I have invited into my home, and I will not harm you."
When Naruto heard those words, he popped down into his normal position and said, "thank you, sir." He was cautious with his words; after all, he was talking to the leader of the Hyuuga clan.
"There is no need for such civilized formality when I'm not here as the clan head," said Hiashi, "rather I'm here as the father of Hinata." This statement led Naruto to many different and horrifying conclusions. "I'm here to ask a favor for you."
Naruto put his guard up. It was just instinct for him when people asked him for favors except for Iruka, Ayame, Tenchi, and Jiji. Pausing for a moment, Naruto waited. "I am listening, sir," said Naruto carefully.
As the blazing light turned darker, it eclipsed the whiteness of the other person's eyes. "I need you to protect my daughter," said Hiashi.
Out of all the favors in the world, Naruto did not expect such a request from the seemingly uncompromising man. He blinked while straining his hearing. "Why? Is she in danger?"
Hinata's father remained composed, his eyes barely battering with any expression. "Hinata is my daughter. She'll inherit the clan's knowledge come her sixteen birthday. There are many suitors waiting for her hand in marriage." The elder paused while a silence hung in the room. "She and her children will the only Hyuuga allowed to have all the skills the Hyuuga has to offer."
He tilted his head as he narrowed his eyes, looking at the elder as if grew two heads.
"Despite the paternal leadership of my clan, the Byakugan is passed through the maternal side. There are five cases where a male Hyuuga conceived children from women outside the clan possessing the Byakugan in our clan's history."
"For real?"
"It is true. Hyuuga males have difficulty in conceiving children with the Byakugan. I have investigated the matter meticulously."
"There are surely other Hyuuga females around," said Naruto, knowing at least that certain aspect of baby making. He remembered asking Iruka extra lecture about that after the class had a lesson. He blushed in the same manner like Iruka at the end. Never again will Naruto be asking Iruka about the female anatomy.
"Yes, there are many other females. However, we had a tradition, recently abolished, of sealing inferior-bore children with a mark. Unlike how the Aburame introduced new traits to their insects to make them stronger, the mark made some parts of the brain dormant in the clan children, whom they passed on to their children, thus restricting their use of the several Byakugan despite having many talented members. Until recently, this clan used the mark almost indiscriminately, and now we are in decline because of it," said Hiashi, a sneer broke out of his calm exterior.
Naruto felt the domineering such presence. When Hiashi explained what the 'mark' was, Naruto balled his fists. Sick. "That would mean Hinata's children would only have the full potential since she's going to be the next leader?"
For the first time, the stoic mask faded, and Hiashi nodded with tender eyes, much like the rest of the fathers he saw with their children. "I can protect her from the schemers in this clan; however, I don't have enough influence outside to guarantee her safety. It must make me a weak man for asking you for this burden," said Hiashi.
He bowed to him several times with his hands, begging for his help.
When people asked what type of man Hiashi was, people would think of an emperor, dignified and prideful, and not a man prostrating to help his only daughter. No one would have imagined an imposing, grown man begging to a boy, who never experienced the borders of the world.
"No way, Hiashi-san. I'll help out Hinata-chan whatever she needs to. But why don't you ask Jiji, I mean Hokage-sama or any of the other clans like Shino's or Kiba's clan?"
"The Hokage knows; however, he has limited influence in dealing with clan politics," said Hiashi, "and other clans can do little with another clan's affairs as well." His eyes wore thin, and the skin below the leader's eyes showed signs of aging.
At first, Naruto thought of the person as an unmovable mountain, but he looked closer at the weariness emitted by the posture of the man. It seemed even mountains such as him could be torn down.
"Don't worry, Hiashi-san. On my honor as a ninja, I'll protect Hinata-chan from people who want to use her," said Naruto.
Hiashi rose from his spot, towering him in stature. Despite Hiashi being a man, Naruto was astonished again when Hiashi walked with grace and finesse, yet Hiashi vibrated with power despite the weariness in his body. He walked, stopping near a hanging scroll, and he pulled the paper away to reveal written seal on the wall. Doing one-handed seals faster than Naruto could see, Hiashi's hand touched the seal, and a small rolled scroll appeared. The Hyuuga leader tossed the scroll to Naruto.
The blond said, "eh. What's this?" When he would later read the scroll, it was a scroll of sealing techniques. He would later drop it on the floor before picking it up again, his fingers trembling.
"It's a gift, a scroll from one of my late wife's friends. I think you will find several jutsu suitable to your taste. I must insist you take it. Asking a favor should not be tarnish without sincerity," said Hiashi.
Understanding Hiashi's way of thank you, Naruto nodded. Naruto had one final question. "I don't tell Hinata-chan, right?" He hoped he could tell her; nevertheless, he needed to honor his word to her father.
Hiashi paused for a few moments. "I don't want her to find out. I have my reasons. Even though I want you to protect her, I hope you can be there for her, not as a protector but as a confidant."
Hiashi snapped his finger, and Ko opened the door, kneeling with the built of stone.
"Okay, Hiashi-san," said Naruto, letting Ko escort him out of the estate. Naruto never asked the most important question which was why did Hiashi pick him.
The Hellflower Illusionist
The team the Hokage assembled for the assassination crossed the halfway point of their destination, after informing the head ninja of both Kohaku Clan and Sarutobi Clan to mobilize their defenses. Settling in their current location, they secured the area around them before setting camp. Resting and moving out hours before daybreak was their plan, and they would then arrive in the palace of the warlord at night. Before acting out the rest of the assassination, they would meet the representative team from Iwagakure.
"Thank you very much, Kurenai on gathering our stuff," said the booming voice of Gai. The adult ninjas had separated to do their individual tasks built to their specialties; hers was to gather some kindling.
"We have to do our part, Gai." While Gai and she were civil to each other because they have been classmates, she kept her distance from the impassioned man. Frankly, she always felt Gai could detect her secrets if she became too close; she liked having her secrets close.
"Ah, why must you respond like my eternal rival? Have you been spending time with him?" She felt the inspection as if a slight movement would cause her to spill her secrets. Relief spread through her when her hair covered the small twitches on her lip reacting to Gai's remarks.
Was Kakashi influencing her now? Was it that noticeable they had spent time together?
"Yes, considering he wanted my team to help him out," she said, easily evading Gai's underlining question. She needed to lie, and the easiest lies to get into were the ones based on the truth. "Actually before Hokage-sama summoned us, we were eating at Naruto's favorite eatery."
"Young Uzumaki Naruto is quite infamous. I heard the chatter of this year's jounin teachers about your unusual verbal fight with Kakashi." He looked at her with eyes of a panther, its eyes tracing each movement. Was there a sign on her person that says she slept with Kakashi hanging unknown to her?
She distasted the feeling of being under the microscope especially the microscope of Might Gai: The man was too insightful for her sanity.
"Of course, I had to disagree with him when he decided to take my genin candidate." She crossed her arms, her cloth sleeves draping around her arms. "I know I'm a rookie jounin, but I'll not be undermined by some chivalric man, who thinks I can't handle Naruto." Her back straightened, her frame standing taller.
"Oh, no no. He doesn't see you that way. He likes your strength and determination. However, he wanted Naruto. Naruto, in some ways, is his redemption," said Gai in a sage-like tone. He walked around the camp, checking their equipment again for tomorrow. He started kicking and punching the air, releasing some of the tension in his bones.
Her eyes were hawks, trying to find out any other meaning behind Gai's movements. She tried interpreting his words into something she could understand. "What do you mean Naruto is his redemption? Why use a child for his redemption? How do you know this?"
"I do not call anybody my eternal rival for no reason, Kurenai. Of course, I disapprove some of his methods; however, young Uzumaki Naruto will, undoubtedly, become an extraordinary existence in the world," he said very faintly, so uncharacteristic of the vivacious man she thought she knew.
She narrowed her eyes, her mind still trying to understand the underlying message. "There is more than meets the eye with Kakashi, Kurenai. I do hope your youthful flame lights some way for him to have a happy life," the man said, reverting back to the grinning persona she adored despite not wanting to get too close to Guy. He finished with his favorite nice guy pose and shouted the wonders of youth.
Before she could get anything more out of the man, Yuugao jumped in, reporting an emergency. "There are twenty-five men coming to our direction, and ten men going to where Kakashi-senpai is. They will be here in approximately ten minutes. They seemed to be the warlord's men," said the ABNU woman in the team as she sensed the chakra signals of the men. "I have a difficult time distinguishing one spot of chakra because it flickered between existence and emptiness."
Gai pointed up while the female ninjas nodded, vanishing and reappearing on the thick branches of the trees. "Kurenai, can you cover our campsite?" said Gai, taking the command of the team as the second senior ninja. She nodded, her fingers weaving an illusion over the area.
Each minute passed by like a broken hand of a grandfather clock, each lapse of time making the ninja fade into the scenery.
Soon, the ninjas saw the helmets of the men shining menacingly, and these men moved with precision unseen from the usual militia men warlords usually obtained. The soldiers wore red armor as if the blood of hundreds were soaked on the parts. Like monsters dwelling in the deep reaches of the night, they wore smiling masks depicting demonic beings of mythology.
Unfortunately for them, the ninjas saw more frightening monstrosities than humans masquerading as demons.
One of the men had black cloak giving him more a sensational malice compared to the others. "Wow, Boss, don't ya think something is off with this place?" said a man near the cloaked soldier, confirming the suspicion the ninjas had. The leader of the men signaled some of the men to go ahead, extending his index and middle fingers. The militiamen saw a never-ending forest and heard the endless silence of trees. "There nothing's here," said one man, unknown that three convergent pairs of eyes were staring down at him.
Doing another hand gesture, the men fell back into formation and moved out. The owners of those eyes followed each meticulous movement from the men, and each step they took away was another safe sign with the ninjas.
Gai, Kurenai, and Yuugao thought they were in the clear when the leader unleashed his sword and slashed the space where Kurenai's illusion was. The slash tore her genjutsu, revealing the temporary campsite. "Dammit! Fucking illusion. Attack, attack, attack!" said the same person nearby the cloaked soldier.
Forming his fists, Might Gai displayed his prowess and lived up to his expertise of a top-tier taijutsu master by becoming a meteorite. Using the branch of the tree as a platform, Gai launched in the middle of the group, hammering down the ground. The massive impact bent the ground with aftereffects of shock waves spreading to the soldiers. Some of the soldiers roared and brandished their normal weapons, charging at the seemingly unarmed ninja.
They quickly learned that it was not enough to simply yell and have a weapon to stop the green beast. They were too slow for the gale-personified ninja as he barraged the ninjas with kicks of steel and punches of iron. Even the hand-to-hand combatant who had done boxing had difficulty with the grinning man. She pitied the man; a slaughter for the boxer since she could tell the boxer only faced with other lowlife humans and never a war veteran ninja. When the combatant tried a left hook, Gai simply kicked the boxer on his knees from the side, breaking the fragile ligament and popping the bones outward. Falling to the ground on his knees, the boxer did not see the left hook, which easily knocked out his teeth and his conscious mind.
The weaker soldiers cowered, their bones shaking from the pressure coming from Gai. They dropped their useless weapons and fled the scene. Gai let those men go, and he extended his arm towards the leader and gestured with his fingers to come at the green beast.
She looked at the fleeing soldiers and ran towards them, her fingers weaving.
The fleeing soldiers stopped, thinking of safety. "Darn, should have listened to me wife when her boney feeling always knew this would happen. Never thought ninjas would come, shit," said one of the soldiers, cursing his luck. "Fuck, fuck. Me wife, me boys, me girl. Gotta run, they be waiting for me."
"Are you okay mister?" said a voice behind him. He turned to see a small girl, younger than his own daughter, behind the tree he was in. He did not notice her odd green complexion or the way her body merged with the tree if he looked further. He just saw a girl near a bloody dangerous area if she stayed any further.
He was more focused on getting this young child away from the battle. "What yer doing here? Run away, it ain't safe here. There be bloody fight now," said the farmer, shooing the girl to find a haven from the beast.
"Don't worry, mister. Just go to sleep, you will be fine. I'm the spirit of this forest," said the wooden girl calmly as she touched his forehead. Like a spell, his eyes rolled back, and he dreamed of going back to his simple lifestyle of a farmer.
Similarly, the farmer's comrades had versions of the wooden spirit when they stopped. Most of the versions entailed scandalously women with only leaves covering their modest parts, and the farmer's comrades lost their senses in lust. However, unlike the gentle voice of the girl, the women aggressively met with the lust of the men, kissing the soldiers. The eyes of the men fogged with arousal unbeknownst these women were nothing like heaven. The men tried pushing off the women when the women were draining their oxygen, yet they could barely muster any strength. They soon found out when they were passing death's door that the wooden nymphos were demons in disguise.
In the real world, Kurenai made the group of coward men surrender with one of her favorite illusions against men. Demonic Illusion: Forest Spirit Spell has two variants of judgment towards those trapped in the illusion. The first was the non-lethal delusion of a forest guardian telling any lost passengers to rest peacefully. The second was the paralyzing fantasy of man's last desires fully visualized, but the fantasies were vicious plants draining the last oxygen. At least, the men had the sweet taste of nectar of women in their final moments. Most men would find that a craved death as she slid their throats with her kunai. She strolled away from the no longer twitching men, and she checked the pulse of the farmer.
Kurenai turned around from her spot, hearing the bushes moved with shouts and curses.
"What the fuck did you do to them, bitch," said the most outspoken member of the soldiers.
"Did you run away before your boss will kill you?"
"The fuck you know!" In his hands were two daggers; he twirled the blades with an acquainted handling. "These babes here be showing you how we got out the Land of Water." She stood still, not bothering if he thought he was unbeatable with those daggers.
The last of the ninjas descended to his spot like a fallen angel, bringing doom to whomever she targeted. She wielded her blade with such grace, it made no sound when the weapon cut through the muscles lined on the throat. Even pulling out her blade, the muteness of a kill was breathtakingly awing.
Seeing there was one prisoner they could interrogate, both women rushed back to Gai with their weapons on hand. Although, they were too late as Kakashi's kunai stabbed the tiny exposed space where the joints of the leader's dominant arm met.
Kakashi held the man up. The man couldn't do anything. Kakashi forced himself not to fatally cripple the leader. "Kakashi, why must you be so anticlimactic when I was to duel the man in a great display of youthful bout!" said Gai, crying at his lost chance of showing his flame of youth.
"Better to capture this leader alive than having no workable mouth when you are finished," said Kakashi, unaffected by his rival's crying. "A little menticide would yield more details and data on the forces of the warlord and the security of the palace," he said.
"Haha, that is what you think," said the first and final words of the leader. The person behind the armor started trembling with erratic movements. Quickly realizing what happened, Kakashi freed his kunai and torn the mask away from the leader. Black plagues covered the face, eating the skin off, and before long, the flesh of the leader crumbled, forming the tiniest dust particles any of the ninjas seen.
"I have never seen any kind of poison do this before? 30 minutes is the fastest I've seen, not a minute." Yuugao said, her body nearing the pile of ashes. Using gloves and a scoop, she put the leftovers of the leader in a plastic bag.
Kurenai nodded, the poison was too powerful, and not having a counter would be devastating to their forces. She hoped it was only a method of suicide instead of a fully developed weapon. Hopefully, their Research and Development would find a countermeasure.
Another flicker of chakra discharged, its waves drawing Yuugao. The ANBU woman searched the area to see the sword the leader used was giving off chakra. In hindsight, she should advise towards the other woman for something they did not understand: Yuugao held the sword without any sort of protection, other than her gloves. She screamed when she flew through the air like a rag doll.
Gai ran towards the fallen woman.
Her eyes narrowed at how the sword crumbled out of existence similar to its owner, bigger clumps of dust withering in time.
What was this technology?
Medic of the Emerald Butterflies
Unlike the battle their teachers finished, the students were having a particularly interesting time, especially Sakura as she walked down the busiest section of the village, the center of entertainment in their village.
There was so much life with moviegoers rallying to watch the cinema with popcorn popping and fuzzing soda at the concession stand, employees of restaurants outside inviting people to indulge themselves in fine cuisine by handing out free samplers, artisans exhibiting intricate moves to people abuzz with fervor for their performances in the theaters, cloth weavers sewing a beautiful storm of clothes and bags for people to wear when they buy at their shops, gamers preparing their battle gear for the coming famed tournaments in the game centers and arcades later tonight, and many more people actively moving to get finest items and seats available.
There were so many interesting topics to talk about as she journeyed back to the place she resided. Yet, her companion was the quietest and most inexpressive person she had ever met. At least, she could talk to Nara Shikamaru even if it was 'too troublesome' to reply back.
"So, Shino-san, do you like going here?" she said. The need to talk outweighed the need for maintaining the dainty tranquility between them.
It took several long moments until Shino said, "yes, when I find unique showings of insects in foreign countries." He even said his response in a slow, polite manner having small breaks of silence. It made Sakura want to get up in Shino's face and tell him he could respond to her like a normal person. "Do you find it pleasing here?"
Well, at least, he could keep the conversion going.
She took a moment from responding to him and closed her eyes, taking time to recall her memories.
She was a child again with her frail fingers grasping the linen threads of her father's robes. She remembered the first time her father had taken her out here in this section. For as long as she could remember, her father had always been sick, always going in and out of the hospital. When she had asked her mother what happened, her mother would say, "it happened before your time, love."
So when her father asked her if she wanted to shop and watch a movie, her immediate and childish answer was yes. Despite her exhilaration to have an outing with her father, she sneaked behind her father's tall frame at the ongoing people. His laughter lingered in her ears because it was the first time she heard such a rich meaningful action from her father. She squealed, closing her eyes when her father wrapped his fingers around her and lifted her up to his head.
When her father told her to open her eyes, she saw the vibrant scenery of laughter, happiness, and wonder though cherry blossom hair. It was a sight she would never forget in her life because it was the only time she got to be with her father before he perished.
As she opened her eyes again, she was back to reality where Shino was handing her a handkerchief. "There are tears running down," said Shino.
There were no questions asked or taunts sprouted from the still enigma against the backdrop of the prosperous liveliness.
She took the piece of cloth, feeling the expensive lines of fabric, and she wiped away her stream of water down her cheek. "Thank you Shino-san. To answer your question, I love this place," said Sakura.
They walked together in relative silence until they parted where Sakura lived with her mother.
The Maelstrom Beast of Konoha
After bidding farewell to Ko, Naruto wandered aimlessly as Iruka was still teaching, and he did not need to be at Baba's place until later. A marvelous thought entered his mind! He searched through his pouch to find the notes he took although the papers were crinkled. He decided to finish learning one technique from the mangled papers. Since he cannot do the Second's jutsu yet, he would do Jiji's jutsu.
Looking at them again, Naruto thought he understood the jutsu when he wrote down the details, but complicity lined his notes. He first thought he would manipulate the environment and make it into a projectile. But seeing his notes again, the jutsu distorted the environment and can change the element into another. For example, using the jutsu he can change the properties of a branch turning it into ice and launching it towards the opponent. Too wicked, Naruto thought, no wonder Jiji said the techniques were dangerous.
It had the same drawback as the Shadow Clone because it took a massive amount of chakra to change the properties of the environment. He wrote down another warning, but he couldn't tell by his writing what it said. But Naruto grinned, not caring because he had loads of chakra to spare. He traveled to the secluded training area Kakashi-sensei gave them. The location was perfect to see if he could do Jiji's Creation Cutter.
Once arriving at the area, he snapped off the grass from the ground while placing it on a random stone. His first step was turning grass into liquid. Step one complete; however, Naruto focused on mastering the sequence of the sixty seals, engraving the pattern until his body remembered it without looking at his notes every two seconds. Taking much longer than he imagined, he grinned when he formed the monkey seal without messing it up with the hare.
Finally, time to crack another Hokage sealed jutsu, he thought.
Most of the ninjas walking in the location ran away when they saw the boy, as they believed him to be a reincarnation of an Asura minus the three heads. He emitted an overwhelming presence as he tried to change the grass, at least a part of one grass, into a puddle of liquid.
Crunching his face, Naruto inhaled in a steady motion. He used too much chakra when the excess chakra had flattened the plant life around him. He slowed his thinking, just focusing on the controlling his chakra. He muted the sounds coming from the small waves from lake crushing into the land and rushing winds that made the trees swoon, and he disconnected from feeling the earth growing underneath him and rays of the sun caressing his skin.
He needed to find the right balance as he molded chakra after each passing seal. He tried again, decreasing the input of chakra after each failure.
He was not giving up on turning this dumb grass-changing-water technique.
No change appeared with the grass. There was nothing at all, not even a drop of water appeared on the grass.
What was he doing wrong?
Maybe, thinking in a different position would give him some more insight. Standing up, he tapped his feet repeatedly. As he tapped against the hard surface of the ground, something clicked in his mind.
Was it something that simple?
He didn't think about the attributes of water when he was doing the seals. Maybe, he needed to envision his chakra to be solid like the grass and willing his chakra to become freer like water slipping through his fingers. He didn't sit back down, opting to stand while he performed his last trial before heading to Baba's place. He stared down from his place like a predator ready to complete his hunt. Each time Naruto completed a seal he would think of that solid image becoming looser and looser. When he finished the last seal, he looked down.
The tips of his lips curved up and the tip of his tongue touched the roof of his mouth as he shouted.
"Oh yeah! I did it!" He fist pumped the air and did several backflips.
On the surface of the stone, there was a green puddle, an oozy surface of the grass spreading throughout the stone, tainting the stone with its natural pigmentation.
He flipping did it! He was finally done with the first step of Jiji's jutsu.
He tried it two more times to definitely confirm what he did truly work. After he was finished, the green liquid only spread wider, soaking the stone with color and making more part of the grassland. Knowing that was the way to change the properties, Naruto memorized the feeling of making his chakra looser for making things into liquid.
It would take more steps to finish mastering Jiji's jutsu, but it would be so worth it!
Hearing the distinct clamor of the school's bell, he slogged to his community service. He knocked on the door instead of bursting into the place as any sudden adjustment in temperature could hamper quality weapons into the trash. And rather than suffering any more sore spots on his body for that mistake, he safely knocked.
Baba opened the door and said, "get in here already, ya boy. Got lots of weapons for you to sharpen."
He walked in with the intense heat engulfing his entire body. He started sweating from the stroking touch of the blaze, and those drops of perspiration made his clothes stick to places it shouldn't stick with. Going to his spot of the smithery, his eyes did a once over at the insane amount of weapons he had to do, and his eyelids twitched up and down repeatedly and rapidly. There were easily a thousand or more weapons there in his spot.
It would at least ten of him to actually accomplish sharpening everything for today.
He smacked his head as he remembered his favorite jutsu. "Shadow Clone," said Naruto, "guys, we're going to do this right!"
He divided his clones to take their amount of weapons in different parts of the humble smithy before they overcrowd their spot. It would only take them hours to finish than the days he would take to do everything by himself.
Baba whistled while the colliding friction between steel and steel vibrated through the walls of her delicate home. "Boy, I must admit doing ten Shadow Clones is impressive."
She stood up with the sword she polished to perfection, touching the still radiating steel. As she ran her furrowed fingers, she stared at the sword, her mind wandering. He wondered what she was thinking of?
"How do you use your weapons?"
The question stunned him for a bit. He blinked. "Err, like how ninjas use them?"
"See. These babies here don't know anything. It's up to you ninjas what you will do with them." She put down the blade, securing where no one but her can touch it.
Baba picked up two items wrapped in cloth. "Boy, the original one," she said as eyes locked onto her, "Come outside with me."
Sensing it was one of Baba's whims at work; he followed her without any questions or whiny comments unless he wanted to find himself roasting over an open fire. Instead of going to the leveled terrain in front of their workplace, Baba made him travel deeper into the forest, passing the seemingly identical ancient trees with creatures living in the shadows.
"Baba, what are we doing?" he said, stopping at a diminutive meadow tucked within the depths of the forest. Baba threw something straight at him, and he caught it. He narrowed his eyes at the sleek coating that glared against the light, and there were no bladed edges on the item. It was a pole he was holding albeit it was heavier than he thought. "What's this for?"
"When you work in my place, you're not a ninja. You're a smith, an apprentice, mine. As such, you'll need to be proficient in all kinds of weaponry," said Baba with her own steel pole in her hands, one of its end deeply embedded into the land. Her position was relaxed, not intending on striking Naruto.
His eyebrows and forehead twisted upwards and tilted his head. "Eh? I don't get it," said Naruto, his hands weighing the pole by lifting it up and down. He only needed to know how to use a shuriken and kunai because he would be a ninjutsu specialist; so learning about weapons wasn't his top priority.
In an exaggerated display of annoyance, she tapped her fingers separately against the metal making a clinking noise around the area. She said, "of course. What would I expect from a youngster like you, who didn't grow up those warring periods? Although, I prefer children to be children." She strolled casually towards him, holding the pole like a feather.
Even though she was not a ninja, her presence clearly outweighed Naruto, and she thrust her steel stick forward where Naruto's heart would have been. He dodged it, reacting at the last possible second. "What da heck!" he said, rolling far away from the crazy old lady.
Her weapon heightened her grin. She said, "Children are so full of life." She coiled her pole and held it firmly in her two hands. "My thrusting speed is really horrid. This is why I admire children. They don't fear old age and are usually so rash into battle."
She dodged his poor attempt at attacking her by moving backward. The wild swing missed with him falling face to the ground. He stood up, holding the pole on one end as if the weapon was a sword.
She pulled her weapon before thrusting it into his stomach, then smashing his chin on one end and tripping his feet with the other. His head stuck on the ground when the edge of the pole was aimed at his neck. "No way, how?"
"That, boy, is called battle perceptive. Usually acquired when one becomes skilled in fighting. Training with weapons would help you give the sensation of fighting," said the fighter woman, releasing her aimed pole away from his neck.
Naruto gripped his hold on the pole, looking at the steel rod. "Baba, I'm going to get serious!" He declared, rising up from his fallen spot. He spotted how she handled the weapon, and he copied the position of her hands. When she moved her body to a stance, he mirrored the same motions.
"Good, we have time to get in some weaponry lessons in," said Baba as her eyes caught the shine of the light coming through the forest.
He shivered seeing the marvelous glee in her eyes and smiled. She stepped forward with her pole, and he did the same. Their poles touched on the edge before Baba demonstrated her prowess against his inexperienced discipline. They kept going through motions until Naruto had to leave hours later.
When he had gotten home later, sore dominated his body.
Yet only one thought kept reappearing as he trudged to his house: Genin, genin, genin. He dreamt of being a genin after promising himself never to go back and steal from rotting corpses in the forest.
This was just his beginning, and he vowed he would become greater than anyone.
Arriving at his door, a more important hope waited beyond the door. Opening the door with the excitement of a bear, his smile grew wider and bolder, his heart accelerating faster.
He saw Iruka sitting on the table with graded papers.
"Iruka! Iruka! I'm a genin! Genin!"
The Third Hokage
Ibiki was a soldier, his coat draping clean and precise. Two of his men were standing behind him, with their black clothing covering nearly the entirety of their body, only their eyes were seen. He coughed. "Ibiki, have you figured out what happened to Mizuki?"
Without missing a beat, Ibiki said, "As your instructions, we held Mizuki under a prison for questioning. He had already revealed some information about his involvement in stealing the scroll. However, he never said who was the mastermind, but we did find a personal seal of Orochimaru, carved onto his lower back."
He narrowed his eyes. When Orochimaru deflected the village, he had personally rounded up each individual that had an association with his former student, from the ninjas to the civilians. "What connection does Orochimaru have with young Mizuki?"
His Head of Torture shook his head and the men behind had their eyes downcast to the floor. "There weren't any recordings with Orochimaru in Mizuki's history. We have no idea when Mizuki had become a follower."
"No idea?" The words were icicles hammering down his gut. "Then this might not be the first follower of Orochimaru to escape our radar?"
Ibiki's men cowered, as he knew he released the built-up stress from before.
Naruto. Iwa. Mysterious weapons. Safety of Konoha. The livelihood of his ninjas and civilians. Treaties between all of the nations. The Daimyo.
Ibiki stood his ground, "Yes. With the report Hokage-sama gave me earlier, then there is a possibility there are traitors amidst the populace."
He gave a pointed glance at Ibiki's men. "You two summon Hyuuga Tokuma, Aburame Muta and Mitarashi Anko here immediately."
Bowing, they left. He turned his attention back to Ibiki. "You are to lead the people I have summoned. Root out any traitors that might be working with Orochimaru."
With a firm nod, Ibiki crossed his arms behind his back. "What of Danzo-sama? His Root Fraction is still active despite your orders, and there is a possible connection with your former student."
He took a drag of his pipe, feeling the metallic tip but not inhaling any of the smoke. "His organization is of no consequence right now. Danzo might believe I do not know his hand, but he is still ultimately loyal to Konoha."
"So you mean to take advantage of him."
He let go of his pipe. Standing from his leather chair, he walked to the window that oversaw the evening life of Konoha, its vibrant lights telling of all the peace that Konoha has enjoyed. He wished the peace would last, the stability would hold and usher a new era for everyone in the village, but the depth in his body growled at the unlikely. His village was doomed to be in a war, their peace scattered.
His eyes fogged while turning back to Ibiki. "Konoha needs to prepare. He will help out, on my terms."
A/N:
V.2 Fixed some grammar.