I don't own Naruto... well, not in this life. There is however, the possibility of an infinite number of realities, maybe in one of them, I DO own Naruto... That was too deep wasn't it? Oh well, continuing on!
Chapter 4: Feelings and Realizations
-Start-
"Oh no..."
Those were the only words Kakashi could find upon finding his team in the state they were in. Sasuke looked exhausted, Naruto was in shock and Sakura had a large wound in the centre of her stomach. They weren't in good shape at all.
He quickly ran up to Sakura feeling that she was the most pressing of issues right now. He didn't miss the large crystal embedded in the dead man's chest, but he'd deal with that later.
He checked the girls pulse and found that she was alive. He sighed in relief but he was still awfully worried, she wouldn't last long in her current condition. They needed to get back to the Leaf village as soon as they could.
Sasuke struggled to his feet and walked over to them – Kakashi and Sakura that is – and sat down beside the girl.
"Is she..." He asked, worry clear in his voice.
"No, she's alive for the moment." He said, while bandaging her wound as well as he could to slow down her bleeding. He could buy a little time at least. The problem was his team, he could run the girl back to Konoha in a few hours at full speed, but leaving his team could easy repeat the issue. Sasuke wasn't fit to move physically and Naruto wasn't mentally.
Speaking of the blond, he still hadn't moved a muscle since he'd thrown his crystal spike at the man. He just saw Sakura and completely shut down. He'd failed to protect his comrade, his friend; a precious person. He'd failed the girl.
"-ruto!" He heard a faint sound. He wasn't listening, too shell shocked. His heart was pounding, it felt like he was going to pass out.
"Naruto!" He heard it again, louder this time.
"NARUTO! LISTEN TO ME!" He shot his head to face Kakashi, who was clearly in a similar state to the rest of them, the man had lost enough people during his career. He didn't want to lose a member of his first Genin team this soon.
"Naruto, we need to get back to Konoha with Sakura as soon as possible or she WILL die! I can't risk leaving you or Sasuke though, so you are going to need to carry him and keep pace with me as best you can. Am I understood?" He said with authority, wanting to ensure this went as smoothly as possible.
"H..Hai Sensei." He said quickly, realizing the gravity of the situation. He would not allow Sakura's death to be a result of his own panic.
He ran over to Sasuke and knelt down, allowing the boy to climb onto his back.
"You'd better keep up Naruto, we can't let her die!" Sasuke said angrily, though he was more angry with himself than anyone else, if he hadn't tired himself out trying to cancel out their enemy's jutsu Sakura wouldn't have needed to jump in the way.
'It's my fault, and I'll be damned if she dies because of me!' he thought. Naruto had stood up after the boy mounted him. (Not like that, weirdos. There is enough Naru/Sasu on this damn site.)
"All right, we fit to move?" Kakashi asked, earning a nod from Naruto. "Then let's go!" He said loudly, picking up the injured girl and carrying her bridal style.
They quickly jumped into the tree line, making haste towards the Leaf village. The sun was beginning to dim, so Kakashi took out his Sharingan so that he could move at full efficiency.
Sasuke did the same, directing Naruto to ensure he didn't trip or miss an obstacle in his way. The boys were all rather silent and Kakashi could swear the girl of the group was beginning to grow more still as time went on. He cursed to himself.
'Not again! First Obito, then Rin, then Minato-sensei, I wont lose another one!' He thought determined. He turned to Naruto before speaking.
"Naruto, can you go any faster than this?" He asked. Naruto thought about it before answering.
"How far out are we?" He asked seriously. Kakashi thought about it for a moment before replying.
"About two hours at this speed, why?" He asked.
"I can manage a higher speed for that long I think." He said.
"Excellent, let's move!" The Jounin sped forward, Naruto straining to match his pace.
'It will be worth it in the end, she will live. She will!' Naruto thought to himself.
They continued like this for about half an hour before the Leaf Village became visible. Naruto let out a smile. He looked at the girl, she was still alive, they would make it at this rate!
'Just a little more and we'll be there, it'll be fine!' He thought happily.
The next few minutes were a blur. Team 7 shot through the gates, not bothering to deal with Kotetsu and Izumo. They didn't have time if Sakura was to be saved.
"...What the hell was that?" Kotetsu said. Izumo just shook his head and sighed.
"Not our problem." He said. Kotetsu just growled and went back to his business. Which was sitting there. Doing nothing...
They ran into the hospital and went up to the desk before the woman there saw Sakura and her eyes widened at the state of her. She was covered in blood and had began to go pale. She was barely breathing and her pulse was fading quickly.
"We need emergency attention now! Quickly or she will die!" Kakashi said with a non-arguable tone. The woman quickly ran out of the room before returning with 5 doctors and a stretcher. They laid the girl onto the stretcher before leading her to an operating room, Team 7 in tow.
Sasuke was now walking on his own, feeling rested enough to at least do that. They were stopped at the door of the operating room by one of the nurses.
"I'm terribly sorry but we cannot disturb the medical ninja right now, the girls injuries were severe and this time is crucial." She said in a commanding tone. Kakashi looked down and sighed.
"I understand, thank you for responding so quickly. We'll wait here if that's all right?" He said. The woman looked at him and shrugged.
"I don't see why not, but try not to cause too many issues." She spoke, before walking away. Kakashi turned to see his students just sitting in silence. He decided to clear the air.
"So, what happened out there. I saw that man's body near Sakura and I assume he was a missing nin?" He spoke softly, they were blaming themselves as it was. The man knew how it looked, so shouting at them would solve nothing.
"We arrived at the camp like instructed and all the bandits were dead. After a few moments of looking around, Fujimoto Kazuma appeared from one of the tents. He said he was hired to kill all the bandits and declared he'd have to kill us to keep his location a secret." Said Sasuke.
Kakashi narrowed his eyes at this. If a missing nin was really there that would make this mission another B-rank, maybe an A-rank if he showed sufficient skill. Then he realized they'd left the body there, so the bounty was forfeit if they had no evidence of the kill.
'Why does my team keep getting all these complicated missions?' Kakashi thought angrily, he couldn't really blame his Genin. That man was a C-rank missing nin at the time he left his village, he could have easily up-scaled to a B-rank or maybe even an A-ranked missing nin in two years.
He sighed. "And then what happened?" He said. Naruto decided to carry on at this point.
"We engaged him and were doing well to begin with. I blocked his jutsu with my own, then I created two clones to keep him busy, he got rid of them by using Sasuke's fireball to his advantage. Then he replaced himself with a log when Sakura threw senbon at him. He kicked her out of her hiding spot and tried to fry us with another jutsu. Sasuke cancelled it out with his own while I tried to skewer him with my Earth spears. He managed to get away with minor injuries..." Naruto said before Sasuke intervened.
"Yeah, then he tried yet another jutsu and I was too tired to avoid it. I got hit and stunned so he came in for a finishing blow with his sword, and Sakura jumped in the way. Then Naruto threw some kind of spear at the guy. It was weird though, made out of crystal and another spike grew out of the side of it when it missed and impaled the guy." Sasuke said, finishing the tale.
Kakashi raised his eyebrow at this, that didn't seem like any elemental jutsu he'd ever heard of. "Naruto, what did you do exactly?" He asked, with genuine interest.
"I have no idea to be honest Sensei. I was so angry at the guy I just did the first thing that came to mind, which was that." He said honestly.
"Then it seems you have awakened some sort of Kekkei Genkai. Tell me, did you say anything when you used the jutsu." He asked.
"I think he said... Shōton." Sasuke said.
"Wait a minute, I have a Kekkei Genkai?" He said, not believing it.
"That is how it seems Naruto, why?" Kakashi said, trying to look neutral. Naruto was smarter now, smart enough to know Kekkei Genkai are usually passed down from parents. It would be hard to believe that a village wouldn't be aware of a bloodline user dying, no matter what the occasion. The fact that Naruto had one would make him believe his parents did, he knew his mother but now he'd have ammunition to question about his father.
"Don't try to act dumb Sensei, Kekkei Genkai are almost always genetic. My mother was an Uzumaki so it wasn't her so it was either my father or I managed to get it randomly." He said seriously. Kakashi just sighed at this and decided to tell the truth.
"Your father had no such bloodline, I have never seen it before." He said, Naruto just scowled. 'Another good chance down the drain.'
Kakashi sighed. He'd figure out about the bloodline later. Now, they had to wait to see what became of Sakura. Naruto had fallen asleep at some point during the wait.
That's what it would look like to outsiders anyway, a certain chakra construct had decided to use his current mental instability to 'tug' him into his mindscape.
-Naruto's Mindscape.
Naruto opened his eyes quickly with alarm. He felt strange, like he'd moved a mile in a second. He looked around and realized he probably wasn't far off.
He was laying down in knee deep water, in a dark system of corridors, with pipes zipping throughout the place and dripping every so often.
There seemed to be a constant black fog in the place, something that irked Naruto more than the fact he was there in the first place. He decided to test his luck by calling out.
"Hello? Anyone here?" He shouted down one of the corridors. He received a reply all right. It wasn't human, but it was a reply.
He was rewarded in the form of a bellowing roar. Naruto covered his ears and shut his right eye due to the sheer presence and the volume the roar imposed. He was seriously debating not moving from his spot, but he knew that wouldn't help him at all. He sighed and walked down the passage the sound came from... for a long time...
A REALLY long time. Naruto was beginning to wonder if this was some silly genjutsu prank that had been used on him. He rolled his eyes at the prospect since he wouldn't escape a genjutsu with his chakra capacity and control anyway.
He almost cheered when he arrived in what appeared to be a massive chamber with a gate in the end. He obviously didn't cheer due to the fear the massive gate was bringing up. He had begun to guess where he was. If he was correct, this would be an awkward conversation.
A loud roar came from straight ahead this time, knocking him over into the shallow waters. Naruto was trying not to let his fear show, but who could blame him. Especially with what was creating the noise.
"Well look who decided to finally pay a visit to little old me, how nice of you mortal." The creature said sarcastically. Naruto gulped at this, he was certain now. The creature roaring and speaking to him was the horror story mothers tell their children about.
The Kyūbi no Kitsune.
"So, you are my little guest are you?" Naruto said, putting on a mask of confidence to try and make the fox at least respect his guts, if anything. Better to be respected than torn asunder.
"Oh, how fun. I get the smart-ass for a host. If you want to be funny, go find the Nibi. I hear she loves to play around with her hosts." The fox growled out. Naruto simply stood there with a raised eyebrow, surprised the beast hadn't threatened to feast on his entrails yet.
"You seem... different to how you are spoken of in the village." Naruto said with furrowed brows. He didn't believe that the village wrecking ball of fur sealed into him could be sarcastic. He came to realize that the fox was just a natural disaster waiting to happen, but maybe that was an exaggeration.
"Of course I am. Mortals cannot begin to comprehend us. Your pathetic lives end before I can even blink. Disgusting, how you get any enjoyment in such short a time is beyond me." The beast spoke. Naruto let out a grin at this, knowing he could piss off the fox with his next statement.
"Well I'm glad to see immortality doesn't make you any more intelligent." He said. The Fox returned this remark by trying to slash him in two through the bars. Naruto simply jumped back with an amused expression.
"Tsk tsk, didn't anyone ever teach you to deal with your temper?" He said. The fox just growled and lay back down. Naruto's smile faded with this, his fun had ended. He was curious about a few things though and decided to question the fox about them.
"You were responsible for me coming in here right?" He said, getting a slight nod in return. "Did you want to speak to me about something?" He asked, his curiosity piqued. If a giant fox wanted to talk to you it was obviously relatively important.
"Getting straight to the point, I am bored." The fox said. Naruto stifled a laugh at the somewhat childish declaration from the all powerful beast. "As such I have a request to make of you." He said, earning a groan from Naruto.
"NO I am NOT letting you out." He said. The fox just growled before continuing.
"I wasn't going to ask, Mortal. I simply wish to have access to your senses. Seeing your pathetic life will amuse me. In return I won't try to kill everyone around you when you use my power. I will also allow you access to your initial transformation when you require it. Any higher and you will still go into a rampage, most likely." The beast said casually. Naruto raised an eyebrow at this. It really wasn't a terrible deal, it isn't like the Kyūbi could do anything with access to his senses.
"All right, I'll accept your deal. It sounds fair enough." Naruto said with a slight smile. Maybe the fox wouldn't be a massive pain in the ass, maybe they could co-operate. The fox just snorted and continued.
"Well since that annoying girl decided to convince you to be less of an idiot I won't exactly get away with an unfavorable deal now will I?" He said somewhat rhetorically. Naruto just smiled again, Haku was great. 'As a friend. Yeah.'
"I suppose you wouldn't, no." He said before he remembered something. "You mentioned something called Nibi, there are others like you?" He asked skeptically. The fox rolled its eyes at the length of this conversation.
"Why do you think I am the Kyūbi? There are eight others, each with one tails more than the last. I am the strongest where as the Ichibi is the weakest. The more tails the stronger we are." The beast said, slight arrogance in its tone. Naruto thought about this and asked one final question.
"So there are nine of you? Is there any way to identify if one is sealed in someone nearby?" The boy asked, genuinely curious. It would be great meeting a fellow container, since they shared a burden.
"I can tell when one of my brethren is nearby, and since I have access to your senses, I can talk to you without you entering this space. Now leave, I tire of your continued presence." The fox said before placing its head upon its paw and closing its eyes.
"Fine." The boy remarked...until he remembered something.
"How do I get out of here exactly?" He said. The fox groaned and placed its paws on its head.
"It's your mind genius, just think it!" The fox bellowed. Naruto sweat-dropped at that, he should have figured that out himself really. The boy faded from the mindscape, not seeing the smirk on the fox's face.
"Well he is certainly an interesting host. We shall see what you can do, Naruto Uzumaki. You better hope you do not disappoint me... Lest you find the same fate as your pathetic mother." The beast said eerily.
-Back in the Real World, Hospital-
Naruto awoke to see a hand coming at him. He had no time to react until it hit him atop his head and he grabbed it and moaned in pain. He looked up to see Haku with an eyebrow raised. She sighed before speaking.
"Of course, NOW you wake up." There was irritation in her tone. Naruto was confused by this and decided to question it.
"Whaddya mean?" He said, looking a little silly. Haku sighed and replied (That rhymed.)
"I mean I've been trying to wake you up for like, 20 minutes!" She shouted. Naruto cringed at her tone before realizing the fox must have been ensuring he didn't wake up until they were done. Or maybe he couldn't feel what was happening in the real world while in his mindscape. He'd have to be careful going into it again in future.
"Sorry about that I was having an... internal... debate." He said, not entirely dishonest so that it wouldn't seem obvious he was lying. He never was the best liar.
"Sure you were. Anyway you should know that Sakura is alive but in a coma and Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke have gone home. You should probably rest as well, it must have difficult, having your first kill and seeing a team mate get so injured." She said sadly. Naruto was a little surprised by this, he was so caught up he'd forgotten he'd even killed the guy.
"I... kind of forgot... about the kill." He said, somewhat shaken as the truth sunk in. His breathing began to increase and his eyes darted around the corridor he was sat in as he realized what he'd done. He felt like he was going to go insane, until it all washed away into a peaceful calm.
He discovered the source of the calm feeling was a certain black haired girl who was holding him gently, rubbing his back for comfort. He sighed happily, feeling like nothing could harm him at the moment. The girl always had such an effect on him that he simply couldn't explain. He made a decision to himself.
He'd tell her his secret. If she trusted him as much as he did her then he was sure she'd accept him. He also didn't want to chance them getting any closer only to have it ruined by his secret. The sooner he told her the more she'd trust him.
"Haku-chan." He said, getting her attention. She removed herself from him and looked at him. He couldn't help but marvel at her beauty. Her shinning brown eyes looking right at him and her flawless pale-white skin, from spending so much time in a foggy environment. He smiled at this before returning to his train of thought.
"I'm ready to tell you. About my... secret." He said with only a little doubt, knowing it had to be now. She smiled at this, and took it as a sign that he trusted her.
"That's great Naruto-kun. I'm glad you want to tell me." She said with a radiant smile. He heard a snort - inside his head... weird.
'How this kid doesn't realize what's happening here is beyond me...' A certain fox thought to itself.
Naruto smiled in return before continuing.
"This would be best in privacy. Let's go to my house, I'll tell you everything there." He said. 'I hope you'll see the real me, instead of the beast Haku-chan... I can't lose you.' he thought desperately.
The duo walked through the village, Naruto drawing the usual stares and comments, but he wasn't really paying attention right now. He had a lot on his mind! His team mate nearly died, he met his burden – who was surprisingly good company – and he was about to tell the girl at his side about said burden.
'Maybe she won't care as much if I tell her how... not murderous he seems... it is... I have no idea what to refer to that damn fox as.' He mused. He smiled at her, thinking he was lucky to have met her.
-Naruto's Apartment-
They arrived at Naruto's apartment, most of the graffiti gone since Naruto decided it was an eyesore and took a day to thoroughly clean it off. He walked inside and ushered Haku to a seat. She smiled and sat down.
"This place is better than you made it out to be." She said off-handedly. Naruto just rolled his eyes. He'd been spending a decent amount of money fixing it up, that was why.
"I wonder why..." he said. "All right then, there is no point dragging this out I suppose. Haku-chan, do you know what a Bijuu is?" He asked, being a little vague for the sake of getting some information first.
"Yes, the Mizukage of the Village Hidden in the Mist was a Jinchuuriki. He held the Sanbi, I believe." She said, not sure how that related to anything. Naruto just nodded, that made things easier.
"Do you know the tale of the Yondaime Hokage and the Kyūbi? The fight they had 12 years ago?" He asked her. Haku nodded and responded.
"Yes, it was claimed the Yondaime gave his life to defeat the beast. However I find it strange it hasn't reformed yet. I was told they only took a few years to do so." She said, confused by the topic they were discussing.
"Well that's because it can't reform. It isn't dead." He said, rising from the table and raising his shirt slightly, channelling chakra into the seal. "I am Naruto Uzumaki, Jinchuuriki of the Kyūbi no Kitsune." He said seriously. Haku just gaped at this, before thinking back to the bridge battle.
'Now it all makes sense! That was the power he used on the bridge, that was the power of the his Bijuu!' She thought before smiling. Naruto was taken aback by her smile before she walked over and grabbed his hand.
"Is that all?" She asked nonchalantly. Naruto face-faulted at this. It was at least a little surprising, wasn't it? He certainly didn't take it this well, he was barely even able to speak when he was told. Although that was the point at the time, to confuse him.
"Wh...what?! Is that all? What do you mean? You should be scared, upset, concerned at least! This is far too positive a reaction!" He shouted at her. She simply giggled at his over the top reaction to her answer. Obviously she then blushed when he smirked at her giggle. This was a normal thing for them now.
"Er... well I don't know about you but I am aware of how sealing works, and that seal is very good. It's not like the Kyūbi has any control over you... well... unless you get really mad like on the bridge. You can work on that though, so it isn't a problem." She said honestly. Naruto just smiled and thanked the girl.
'Seriously, what'll it take for him to work it out?' The fox groaned.
He sighed. "The only reason I brought this up now was because I actually spoke to the fox earlier today, that's why I wouldn't wake up." He said. Haku widened her eyes at this, he could talk to it?
"What did it want?" She asked. Naruto just smiled and replied.
"Access to my senses. Sight, sound, You know the deal." He replied casually. Haku just scoffed at this. Naruto would let a titanic mass of evil chakra have access to his senses.
"You're still an idiot, you know that right?" She asked with a smirk. Naruto just scowled at this, this was a sure-shot way to irritate him and Haku was well aware.
"Haha! You're so funny. Stupid ice users and their lame jabs at my intelligence." He said, muttering to himself at the end. Haku laughed softly before they both settled down. Naruto then remembered something he'd forgotten the past few weeks.
"Oh crap! My Kaa-san's stuff was delivered ages ago!" He said, running to the door and ignoring Haku's questions of what exactly he was doing. Then he returned with a decently large box before putting it on the table. In the box were a few things. Access to the Uzumaki accounts, something that was his by birthright.
Then there were scrolls giving a far more detailed account of the Uzumaki clan's history and skills, along with a few scrolls regarding sealing and a few others that had less useful but still important texts regarding things like the Uzumaki family tree and information about Uzushiogakure.
Haku was paying close attention to the blond as he went through his Mother's possessions. She knew he was probably going to cry at some point, so she was there if he needed her. This didn't concern her unless he wanted it too.
Obviously that time came when he read a note from her. He began to read the note, his emotions reflecting his years of repressed pain of having no family.
Dear Naruto,
This is your Kaa-san, sochi. If you are reading this then unfortunately I have died before I can meet you as a grown boy. I know you are probably either upset or angry that I wasn't there for you, but I hope that your Tou-san is there at least. If he isn't, I've probably already given him a piece of my mind in the next life!
I just wanted to make sure you know how much I love you, I was never happier than when I learned I was pregnant with you. Your father was ecstatic at the prospect of being a father. In case he's dead and you don't know who he is, I'm sorry but I can't tell you what his name is, but he is a great man, and I know he would've loved you almost as much as I do.
I'm so sorry for leaving you, and I hope you can forgive me, I will love you always,
Kushina Uzumaki, Your Kaa-san.
P.s. If you got my verbal tick, I am sooo sorry!
Naruto was just barely holding together until he read the part about the verbal tick, where he just sank to his knees and began to let out his emotions that had been repressed for years. Haku just stood behind his, soothingly rubbing his back, letting him know she was there for him.
After a few minutes, he finally calmed down. He stood up and wiped away his tears, giving a half-smile to Haku as thanks. He continued to search through the box and found a picture of his mother while pregnant and a large empty scroll, no doubt for sealing to be learned and used.
He stared at the picture for a while. Haku came behind him and looked at it before speaking
"She was a beautiful woman Naruto-kun. I'm sure she would have been very proud of you." She said comfortingly. Naruto just let a single tear flow down his cheek and smiled. Haku was so good to him.
"Thank you Haku-chan. I really appreciate you being here for this, there's no-one I'd rather have here with me." He said with a genuine smile. Haku just blushed but didn't turn away embarrassed like usual. She just returned the smile and spoke.
"There is nowhere I'd rather be, Naruto-kun." She said honestly. The boy just hugged her and she returned it just as easily. They stood there for a few minutes, uncaring of the passage of time or the lateness of the hour.
'Oh my god this is just painful to watch, TAKE HER!' The fox thought.
They finally separated after a little while longer. Haku just bounced on her toes nervously before speaking.
"Well... I should uh... be going now." She said with a blush, hoping he wouldn't notice her current state. Naruto just let out a light-hearted chuckle, though it felt a little forced.
"Yeah, that's probably for the best." He said. She just half-smiled, said goodbye and left. Naruto stood there for a little while before a frown graced his features. 'Why do I suddenly feel so empty?' He thought to himself. Whenever Haku was involved nothing made sense!
He let out a groan before getting ready to go to sleep. 'Tomorrow is going to suck, I can already tell.'
'Kami dammit mortal! Why must I be sealed into such an oblivious bastard?!' The fox finished, before giving up and going back to sleep.
-The Hokage's Office-
Hiruzen was reading a certain book written by a certain white haired pervert when Kakashi walked in looking a bit disheveled. The Sandaime quickly pocketed his book before entering Hokage-mode. Kakashi did a small bow before beginning to speak.
"Hokage-sama I would like to report a... strange occurrence." The masked man said. The Hokage raised an eyebrow at this and replied.
"If you are here to speak to me regarding Sakura-chan then don't bother, I am well aware of what happened to her." He said. Kakashi shook his head at this, making the Sandaime lean forward. "Then I'm all ears."
"If you don't mind, Hokage-sama, could the ANBU leave for this?" He asked calmly. The Hokage nodded and sent them out. He then sat back and ushered the man to sit. Kakashi bowed in thanks before taking a seat.
"It's... about Naruto." He said nervously.
"What'd he do this time?" He said with smirk, remembering all the trouble he used to get into before he became serious about his career choice. The wizened Hokage frowned at this, his more serious nature somewhat concerned the man. The very business-like and serious shinobi tended to become introverted, not bothering to live their lives.
"That's just it Hokage-sama, he did something rather remarkable. He has unlocked a Kekkei Genkai I have never seen nor heard of, and Minato-sensei definitely did not have one." He said seriously. The old man's eyes bulged out of their sockets at this, the young knuckle-head had a bloodline?!
"What?! What is it? What can it do?" Hiruzen asked the Jōnin. He simply sighed and decided to start at the beginning.
"Well from what we have learned it's called Shōton ('Crystal Release'). I'm sure you can guess what it does." The man said with a slight sigh.
"I've heard of that, during the last war a few people were reported to be able to manipulate strange pink and blue crystals and make them do a very variable number of things. From what I can gather, that Kekkei Genkai can do just about anything a physical substance can do. It can be used like Sand if the user so desires." The old man said, showing why he was revered as 'The Professor'. It was like he was reading from a textbook.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow at this. "It's that powerful? How on earth did Naruto get it?" He asked. The Sandaime sighed and continued.
"Well its power is questionable but its variability is its greatest asset. Regarding Naruto, it isn't unheard of for people to carry dormant Kekkei Genkai's or for people to suddenly develop one. They had to start somewhere so obviously they can spring up randomly. The Shodaime was a good example, he was the first and only Mokuton user, so his body just developed it randomly, whether through the mixture of his parents genes or not." The man said, showing his expert mind.
"I see" Kakashi said, contemplating what he Hokage had just said. Honestly, it made perfect sense. All bloodlines started somewhere, some are obviously just less blood related than others. The Jinton was a good example, since both the Nidaime and Sandaime Tsuchikage had it, but they weren't related in any way.
"Now if that's all Kakashi I will be speaking with all the Jōnin-sensei within the week, so be prepared." He said with finality.
'So it's that time already.' He mused. "Hokage-sama I would like to make a request." He said, making the Sandaime focus his attention back on the man.
"Oh? What would that be Kakashi?" The aged Hokage questioned. Kakashi simply shrugged and continued.
"Well one of my team happens to be in a coma and if you are speaking to the Jōnin-sensei about what I think you are we will need another member, so I have an idea. I know a certain Genin who currently is without a team, she would be a great benefit..." He said vaguely
"I see, well I believe that is an excellent idea Kakashi, it will be done." The man said with a smirk. They both had one thought as Kakashi left the room.
'Naruto is going to be pleased about this.'
-Naruto's Apartment-
Naruto, despite being in a good mood when Haku left still could not drift off to sleep. He was worried, plain and simple. His failure to protect his precious people had put Sakura in a coma. He was worried he would get the others hurt as well.
"No use moping about it! I'll just need to double my training and ensure that I'm more than ready for what comes at us next!" He exclaimed to himself, to boost his own morale. It mostly worked, but a flicker of doubt remained in his heart.
'What if I can't protect HER?'
He shrugged off that thought, he couldn't think of such things. The more self doubt he felt the harder it would be to motivate himself to become stronger to avoid further heart break. However one cannot use reason to combat issues with the heart. The heart is not a logical thing, it runs entirely on emotion.
He groaned and got dressed before leaving.
-Just Outside the Village-
Unable to sleep Naruto decided to go to a nearby river just outside the village to practice the Water Walking technique Kakashi had informed him of. That conversation was a rather awkward one to say the least.
!Flashback no Jutsu!
Naruto was busy training with the two jutsu Kakashi gave him to learn, he was so concentrated on them he didn't even notice his sensei walking out into his little clearing and towards him.
"Yo" He said
"AHH!" Naruto said, jumping away and falling on his butt. Kakashi sweat-dropped at this, he really needed to work on his observation skills.
"No need to jump out of your skin Naruto, it's only me." He said, making Naruto scowl. "Now then, I am here to give you a bonus exercise to do in your own time, if you so desire." He said seriously. Naruto rose an eyebrow, urging the man to continue.
"Put simply, your chakra control is awful, we both know WHY but that doesn't change the fact now does it?" He said making Naruto pout. He let out a small laugh and continued.
"There is a chakra control exercise that doubles as a life skill, it is known as the Water Walking exercise. You saw me and Zabuza using this on our mission to Wave remember?" He said, earning an excited nod.
"Well, it's a similar concept to the tree climbing exercise, but since the water is never still, you need to learn to adapt your chakra to the flow of the water. It will be rather difficult for you to master, but it will benefit you greatly." He said cheerily, making Naruto smile.
"That sounds like a great plan sensei, I'll do that." He said, making the man nod before using a Shunshin to leave.
"Show off."
!Flashback no Jutsu! !Kai!
Naruto took a step towards the water, focusing his chakra like he was told. He took a step onto the waters surface, wobbled and fell in. He cursed to himself loudly, since nobody was around.
'This is going to take a while.' He thought with a pout that would have been cute, had anyone been there to see it.
This continued for a few hours, and Naruto gradually got more acquainted with the exercise until he could stand on the surface, albeit shakily.
"Right, step one is complete. Let's move to step two!" He said to himself before grinning and making a familiar hand sign.
"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" He called out, making ten clones that all surrounded him.
"All right, this is an all out Taijutsu brawl, we have to fight on the water until it is second nature. The way I figure it, the more we do it, the quicker it'll go. So, who wants the first dance?!" He shouted out, not realizing he was mimicking Konoha's greatest traitor.
'Of all the people he could imitate! He is doing this on purpose! Dammit Madara when I get out of this kid I will burn your grave and eat your smoldering corpse!' The fox thought.
-End-
Oh, and yes. My ways of writing 'I don't own Naruto' will keep getting more ridiculous. Deal with it.
Anyway review, favorite, follow etc.
LiamMorg. Out.
Ja Ne!