Right, so I'm mostly going to be updating my Kingdom Hearts story, but I'll be posting here every now and then (more often than that may indicate).
Thanks to:
PureAngelEyes - Thanks! Hope you like the chapter.
Elemental Dragon Swordman - Thanks for the review!
Chapter Three
Konohamaru and a Secret
Konohagakure Village – the village hidden in the leaves…where today, one young man and his female friend begin their quests to become full-fledged shinobi. His female friend was kind, but she, too, held a secret. One that she was terrified to reveal to others…not for her safety, but the safety of her friends.
It was time for the last two shinobi to take their pictures for their identification cards. The white haired female shinobi, Ryuujin Iduna, sat still on the stool with a gentle smile on her face. Saiki, her icy dragon companion, was nestled on her shoulder so he could be in the picture as well. The photographer took the photo and smiled at the girl.
"That's one mighty fine photo, Ryuujin-san." He said, neither of the two noticing the blush that was spreading across Naruto's face. Then, it was his turn for the photo. Iduna sucked in a breath, desperately trying not to laugh at Naruto's face.
"You…want me to take the picture with you looking like that?" the photographer asked, an eyebrow raised. The female shinobi let out a snort and waved goodbye. She had promised she would train with a girl named Tenten and her team. They were interested in her Taijutsu and Ninjutsu – she fought with a dragon after all.
"Yeah!" the blond shinobi exclaimed, intent on getting his way. The photographer sighed, knowing that he was beaten.
"You'll be sorry." The photographer mumbled to himself, "Okay, now say 'cheese'." And the picture was taken just like that.
It turns out that Naruto had painted his face to look more manly. The Hokage looked over his photo after he had dismissed Iduna – her appointment only lasted about two minutes after he told her that the picture was pretty – the two young shinobi had just missed one another. Although it was an interesting picture, the Hokage was not liking what was on the Identification Sheet.
"Whaddaya think? It was hard getting just the right expression!" the young blond shinobi exclaimed, scratching the back of his head in nervousness. He was sitting in front of the village's best shinobi, after all.
"It took me three hours to get that shot!" he went on in his overexcited state. He gained confidence, not noticing that the Hokage was becoming annoyed by his excited behavior. Naruto continued, voice gaining volume as he gained confidence.
"After all, it's not like something ordinary would do…" he said, leaning back in his chair and jerking his thumb towards himself, "But with my artistic vision…" he was cut off by the older man.
"Do it over!" he exclaimed, startling the young blond shinobi and cutting off his rant.
"What concerns me more is why you chose not to wear your Hitai-ate – the headband that marks you as an adult shinobi of our village." The older man commented, seeing the goggles that Naruto was wearing instead of wearing his official headband.
"I didn't want to damage it." Naruto explained to the village's leader, "I'll start wearing it after the ceremony tomorrow." He said with an unusually serious voice. The Hokage nodded and continued lecturing the blond troublemaker.
"In any case, the secret dossiers in this yearbook are an essential intelligence resource to Konohagakure Village." The older man lectured, "So, to present yourself with such a face…" the older man trailed off. Naruto was irritated and he let the village leader know it.
"But I don't know about all that stuff!" he exclaimed. His irritation was instantly forgotten, however, when the sliding door to the room started to creak open. This was a private meeting so it was unusual for someone to be interrupting them. suddenly, the door slammed open and a young boy dashed into the room. He held a dulled shuriken in his right hand.
"On guard, ol' man!" the young boy exclaimed, "Right?" he asked, glaring at the village leader. Naruto was shocked, but the older man sighed in frustration. If it wasn't one thing, it was another. A short while after the young boy arrived, another, older, voice came floating down the hall.
"What's he got into this time?" a grown shinobi dressed entirely in black asked as he appeared in the open doorway. He appeared just in time to see the young boy trip over his own feet. The young boy slowly got up, a hand on his forehead.
"I get it! It's a trap? Right?" he accused, looking around the room. Finally, the blond shinobi voiced his thoughts as a sigh. He knew if Iduna was here she would be wondering the same thing – what exactly was the young boy trying to do? The shinobi in black instantly turned his attention to the little boy.
"A…are you alright, honored grandson?" he exclaimed, "And for the record, there are no traps here!" he continued as he adjusted the dark sunglasses that were resting on his face. A few seconds were spent staring at one another, but the boy opened his mouth to spew more utter nonsense.
"Aha! So you tripped me!" the young boy exclaimed, pointing at the blond shinobi, "It was you, right?" he continued as if he knew Naruto was the one to make him trip all along. The newly named Genin was less than thrilled at the accusations.
"You fell over your own feet!" Naruto shouted, grabbing the young boy by his extremely long scarf. His glare brought forth a horrified gasp from the black clad shinobi's lips.
"Unhand him, Naruto!" the adult shinobi all but demanded as he pointed towards the younger male. The Hokage sighed and started to rub his forehead. There was a lot of screaming lately.
"That boy happens to be the grandson of our revered lord, the Third Hokage!" the black clad shinobi explained. Naruto lowered the young boy to his feet, but the two of them continued to glare at one another. If Iduna were there she would be so disappointed in him. she was very affectionate towards children. Naruto's grip slackened slightly and his glare lessened, but only by the tiniest bit. But…the kid had to open his big mouth.
"So?" the boy questioned, "Take your best shot! I dare you!" he taunted the boy that was holding onto his scarf. His attitude bothered Naruto to the point that he didn't care that the boy in his grasp was only a child.
"Like I care, stupid!" Naruto exclaimed, bashing the young boy on the back of the head. The young boy screeched in pain and his babysitter froze in shock, but the Hokage just sat calmly with his fingers laced. The blond Shinobi was ready to accept his punishment, but he was surprised when tee Hokage just waved his hand in dismissal. Someone showed the blond shinobi to the door and he was told to take it easy until the next day. It was then that he decided to go look for Iduna. Her calming chakra was extremely addictive.
Across the village, in one of the training areas, the white haired female shinobi met up with her new friend, Tenten. The other girl, a Weapons Master, had met Iduna when she and Saiki had been shopping for new senbon needles. Tenten was a pretty girl in a traditional pink shirt and dark pants. She wore normal shinobi shoes and her chocolate hair was twisted up into twin buns. Saiki lazily flew behind the white haired female shinobi, floating on the wind as Tenten raised her arm in greeting.
"Iduna-chan! Hey! Congrats on graduating from the Academy! She said, almost instantly calming as the other girl drew closer. It was her unique chakra at work again.
"Hello Tenten-chan." She said with a smile and a small bow. The two of them chatted for a few moments until the other three members of Tenten's team arrived.
"Who are you?" a cold and icy voice questioned from behind the two. The icy dragon hissed a warning to the male figure, but he was quickly silenced when Iduna stood and bowed deeply.
"I am Ryuujin Iduna." She introduced herself with a smile. The pale man's eyes widened a fraction before they narrowed. Not many knew of her status, but it seemed that he did.
"What would the Dragon Princess want with us?" he questioned, taking a step towards the white haired female shinobi.
"Now, Neji. Is that any way to treat a lady of Iduna-hime's rank?" the voice of an older shinobi questioned. Iduna's head dropped when the older shinobi addressed her with such a title.
"Please," she said in a quiet voice, "I am not deserving of such a title." She continued with darkened eyes.
"Come now, Iduna-hime! Embrace your youth!" the older shinobi exclaimed, throwing his arms out as he finally stepped into the light. Now, the white haired female shinobi could see that the owner of the voice was dressed in a green jumpsuit and green Jounin vest. He was kind of…not good looking and his hair was shaped in a bowl-cut. She was about to reply, but another person caught her attention. He looked like a miniature version of his sensei. A faint blush was strewn on his cheeks as he looked at her.
"Lee! Introduce yourself to the Princess!" the sensei, whom she gathered to be Maito Gai, exclaimed as he punched his student on the back of the head.
"Right, Sensei!" the mini-Gai popped right back up, encouraged by Iduna's giggling. It was like he was never punched at all. Saiki sat back on his companion's shoulder and looked at the boy with a shocked and curious expression.
"My name is Rock Lee, Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha!" he exclaimed, giving the white haired female shinobi a grin. His grin was wide, showing off the gleaming sparkle that always seemed to be attached to his teeth.
"It's nice to meet you too, Lee-kun, but…please…don't mention to anyone my status." She pleaded, giving everyone a puppy dog expression.
"Neji knows because he was directly related to Hyuuga Hizashi, who was the brother of their current clan leader, Hyuuga Hiashi." She said, bowing to the white eyed boy, "And because he is in the Hyuuga clan he can actively sense the distinct chakra only I give off. It is different yet the same of my family, so he knows I am the Dragon Princess." She said with a small smile.
"So you're saying that if you had the same chakra as the others in your clan, Neji wouldn't have realized you were the Princess?" Tenten asked, cocking her head to the side.
"Correct. Even though each shinobi has a distinct chakra signature, the chakra signature of my clan is so close it is hard to distinguish. Only twelve of us differ, and each of us have a different elemental chakra attribute, but I am yet different from the eleven others…because of something I am forbidden to mention at this moment." Iduna explained. They looked at her with a confused expression, but she didn't hesitate to tell them a bit about herself. She sensed she could be friends with them…especially Lee.
"My family is one of the most powerful in the shinobi world…and has been overthrown by my power hungry and corrupt uncle Ryuujin Hiroshi. He is paired with a Darkness dragon, so that might be the reason…it might not. My parents are dead, my uncle holds power, and I am the heiress that is one of the twelve…'specials'…" she explained further, "Forgive me, but I cannot disclose more information to you about the 'specials' at this time. I am, by default of my chakra element, the holder of something containing extreme power. Nobody knows who holds the power except a select few and the rest only knows the Dragon Princess as the holder." She finished, looking down at her clasped hands.
Neji looked at the girl, feeling a strange emotion welling up in his chest. He knew what it was like to hold power, but to be shunned by family. He was only in the branch house of the Hyuuga clan, after all.
"I'm not strong enough to protect this power, but when I am…you may call me 'Princess'." She smiled at them. Both Gai and Lee had tears welling in their eyes before a sparkling sunset appeared in the distance.
"How youthful, Iduna-chan! Gai-sensei, isn't she filled with the springtime of youth?" Lee exclaimed, a waterfall of tears raining down his cheeks as he and his sensei hugged one another. Gai could only nod.
"Her determination inspires the youth within me!" the older shinobi wailed, "Observe Iduna-chan's youthful tendencies!" he exclaimed as Lee copied down his notes in a tiny notebook. The white haired female shinobi's eyes were wide. Where in the world did he keep that notebook? She smiled at them as Tenten sighed and Neji only turned away. It was time for them to begin training.
The four of them and Saiki trained hard under the watchful eye of the Green Beast of Konoha. A good four hours later, Iduna apologized and left them to their own team training. Unfortunately, she didn't get to show them any of her jutsu. All the better to surprise them then, huh? She wanted to check up on Naruto to see if the Hokage had accepted his rather…unique photo. After about twenty minutes of searching, she finally found her favorite blond shinobi, giggling at the irate expression on his face.
"Naruto!" she called, trying to gain his attention. His head jerked up and his scowl instantly turned into a gentle smile.
"Iduna, hey! How was training?" he questioned, eyes showing concern when the smile was wiped from her face. She forced another smile, but the blond shinobi could see through her mask.
"I can tell something's bothering you, Iduna. You can tell me." he said, giving her a hug despite the glares that the villagers were giving him. The white haired female shinobi winced and stared at the ground.
"Maito Gai and Hyuuga Neji know one of my secrets – a carefully hidden secret within my family. Don't ask me how Gai knows, but Neji knows because he's the nephew of the clan leader and most likely got the info from his father." She started quietly, "This secret is dangerous for both me and others. If it falls into the wrong hands…then I could be forced to kill us all." She admitted with a frown on her face.
Naruto stiffened in shock – her secret was so much like his own. He wondered if she had something sealed inside her like the Kyuubi…but wouldn't it be a dragon since her clan deals with them? His eyes then narrowed – who cares? She was his friend. His chest puffed out and he scoffed.
"Who cares? Let them know. I'll protect you until you're strong enough to overcome your secret!" he exclaimed, "Believe it!" he said with a grin. Iduna's eyes glittered with tears before she smiled.
"And I'll tell you my secret…I know yours so I'll tell you mine." She swore with all of her heart.
Good choice. If anyone out of this world, I would have chosen Naruto for you to tell. He has a good heart, Iduna. Saiki hissed in his approval, it's just a shame that your family lost contact with your Aunt Kikyo's family. I believe your cousin would have gotten along well with the boy.
Naruto grinned again, but the irate expression appeared on his face once again. Iduna looked to where he was looking with a confused expression, finally understanding when she saw the young boy hiding behind one of the pipes.
"Quit following me, stupid!" he exclaimed, pointing at the little boy. He was obviously a shinobi wannabe because he was holding a wooden patterned camouflage blanket.
"Naruto!" Iduna gasped at how he was treating the boy. The blond shinobi shrank back at the tone of her voice, but a glare towards the boy quickly overshadowed any desire to calk once again.
"I can see you right there!" Naruto once again exclaimed, pointing at the boy's hiding place. The boy didn't seem insulted, however, instead, he lowered the blanket and smirked at Naruto. The blond shinobi pushed a weary Iduna behind him, sparing her a glance as she cradled her dragon companion in her arms. The white haired female shinobi let out a squeak of protest, but stopped to listen to what the boy had to say.
"So, you managed to penetrate my disguise! Right?" he shouted with a small flush, "The rumors of your prowess don't lie!" he continued. Iduna was completely confused, but she decided not to say anything.
"Teach me your skills." The boy demanded of Naruto, "I'll become your disciple!" the boy insisted. It was silent between the three of them until started to beg.
"You've gotta teach me that technique you used on my Grandpa!" it was then that he noticed the Dragon Princess was still peering over Naruto's shoulder.
"Please teach me your dragon jutsu!" he pleaded to her, getting ready to tug on her pants leg. The girl's expression darkened before she looked away.
"Don't crowd Iduna like that!" Naruto growled, throwing out an arm as if to protect the girl. He had never felt so protective of anyone before and it puzzled him, but it just felt…right. It was like something drew him to her.
She wasn't like Sakura, though. He still had a crush on Sakura…or did he?
Meanwhile, back at the Hokage's office, the black clad shinobi was still looking for the young grandson of said shinobi leader.
"Blast it! Where is he this time?" he questioned, looking back and forth for the young boy.
"It would appear that he followed Naruto." The shinobi leader said as he pulled down his hat. The black clad shinobi gasped, not liking the sound of the honored grandson near Naruto.
"Naruto? That's awful!" he voice his thought by dashing out of the office.
'That child is being ruined by overindulgence…' the Hokage thought as he sighed, 'These ceaseless attempts at surprise attacks are a persecution to us all. But, this time Konohamaru may have bitten off more than he can chew…Naruto will undoubtedly drag him into some harebrained scheme…but, then again, I didn't foresee him becoming friends with the Dragon Princess.'
The Hokage let out a soft smile, thinking about the young white haired female shinobi. 'I should have guessed it really. Naruto is the container of the Kyuubi while Iduna is the holder of something equal…or maybe more terrifying in power. I'm just glad that he's not a violent being.' He thought.
Back with Naruto, the boy, and Iduna…Naruto was busy teaching the boy his signature move while the white haired female shinobi was resting on a log nearby. She wasn't sleeping, but merely resting while an arm was draped over her eyes so she didn't have to see the degrading technique her friend was teaching the boy.
While Naruto was teaching the boy, the black clad shinobi stood on top of a tall building. He was looking for his charge, a deep frown on his face.
'I am part of the elite, one in a long and illustrious line of tutors who have prepared countless candidates for a possible future as next Lord Hokage.' The dark clad shinobi thought while scanning the city for his charge.
'I will crush any insect that dares cling to my student! Under my tutelage your future as Lord Hokage is assured.' He continued to think with that frown still upon his face.
'That is the shortest path, Honored Grandson!' and with that last thought he flitted to where he sensed Naruto and the boy's chakra signatures. At the same time the boy and Naruto had settled down on the log behind the white haired female shinobi. She looked behind her shoulder and smiled as the two boys had a heart to heart.
"By the way…" the blond shinobi asked the boy, "What's your beef with the old man?" Iduna looked up at the young boy as Saiki let out a sad chirp. She rose and sat next to the boy, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. At first he stiffened drastically, but when he realized that she wasn't going to go anywhere he relaxed into her embrace.
"My name – Konohamaru…my Grandfather named me." the young boy, now known as Konohamaru, started in a defeated voice, "Like the village, right? He said it would bring me luck…but even though everyone knows that that's what I am called…no one ever calls me that!" he exclaimed angrily. It was good – the young boy was starting to vent out his emotions.
"It's always just 'Honored Grandson.' Just who I am related to." He scoffed, "And I hate it!" he exclaimed with a bitter look upon his young face. The white haired female shinobi's face fell as he revealed his answer. It was a lot like her past – when she was always referred to as the Dragon Princess. It was a stroke of luck that her parents decided to move to Konoha…but it was also a stroke of luck that she had been born a month after Naruto or else her mother would have taken her life when she took her own. Iruka did a brave thing adopting a baby. Her head perked up once again when she heard Konohamaru's voice once again.
"But it'll be different when I become Lord Hokage, and that's gonna be real soon." He said with a determined voice. The girl's grip tightened around his shoulder – how could he become a Hokage soon with skills like his? Not that he was weak or anything…he was just incredibly young.
"No way!" Naruto exclaimed, looking down at the ground, "Who'd respect a Hokage like you?" he questioned with a harsh voice.
"It's too big a name for such a little guy!" the blond shinobi prodded, angering the young boy. He growled at the blond shinobi, angry at the words he said to him. He threw off Iduna's arm and ignored her little protest. Naruto laughed and then insulted Konohamaru some more.
"You idiot!" Naruto exclaimed, "It won't be easy to win the Hokage name! You don't get it just because you want it! If you want to become Hokage that badly…" he trailed off, goading the boy on. The white haired female shinobi just looked at him and sighed, sensing where this was going.
"Well? What?" Konohamaru growled, angry that his idol was insulting him. His anger continued to grow until he saw the determined smirk that was on Naruto's face. His eyes glinted in the sunlight as he growled.
"You'll have to get past me first!" the blond shinobi smirked, sending chills up both Iduna and Konohamaru's spines. They sat there, stunned by the fierce determination and confidence that their idol was emitting.
Meanwhile, across the village, a certain Hokage was looking over the scenery of the village. He was atop of the monument, enjoying the wind and tranquility of the silence around him. suddenly, a one Umino Iruka landed behind him with a small smile on his face.
"Hokage-Sama! I've been looking all over for you." He said as he landed.
"Hello, Iruka." The powerful shinobi greeted without turning around. He, of course, had already recognized the chakra signature of the Chuunin warrior.
"Did Naruto and Iduna submit their shinobi registration?" the younger shinobi asked as he walked towards his revered leader.
"Yes." The Hokage answered, still looking over the village as the wind flapped away through his official robes.
"Yesterday I treated Naruto to a stern lecture over a bowl of ramen with Iduna-chan. He's been on cloud nine since he passed the test and both of them are excited about the new squads." Iruka began, "Naruto intends on becoming a full-fledged shinobi and earn the respect of everyone in the town. Iduna-chan hadn't decided whether or not she wants to become a medic-nin or a full-fledged shinobi as well." He finished, coming to stand beside his leader.
"That may be a difficult dream for both of them to realize." The Hokage said, still not looking at his Chuunin warrior.
"What?" Iruka questioned in surprise.
"Only we who were adults at the time of the Great Battle know the truth…" the Hokage started, "That the boy Naruto is the human form of the nine-tailed fox spirit – Kyuubi – that tormented our people until its defeat a dozen years ago." He said, eyes darkening as he remembered the faithful day that the Kyuubi was concealed.
"Disclosure of that secret is most strictly forbidden…under pain of the severest penalty our law can inflict." He continued his explanation, "As a result, the children of our village know nothing of the truth! Among his peers, at least Naruto's secret is secure. It was the fondest wish of the forth Hokage-Sama that our peole come to regard Naruto as their savior and hero. He made that wish for him, sealed the child's fate…and died."
Iruka stood, knowing everything that his leader was telling him was true.
"He selected a newborn child, the umbilical cord freshly cut, and bound up all the nine tails of the fox within the infant's navel. Naruto was sacrificed, for the safety of us all, to become a living vessel for the imprisonment of the fox." He continued, giving a great sigh.
"But that is not the way the adults who know chose to see it. Instead, their treatment of the boy is so contemptuous and hostile…it has been picked up on by children who have no idea of the truth…picked up and perpetuated!" he exclaimed with a heavy voice.
"Iruka…can you imagine...?" he trailed off, leaving the question out there.
"Imagine what?" the Chuunin questioned.
"How it must feel…so much hatred and hostility…to be treated with an animosity so intense as to be annihilating…to have around you many who would deny you even… the right to exist." He exhaled sadly, but the leader was not finished yet.
"But not many – if any nowadays – knew the true reason why the Kyuubi even attacked our village." He said, finally turning to look Iruka in the eye.
"The true reason?" the Chuunin question, feeling dread well up in his system.
"Yes. The true reason the Kyuubi attacked Konohagakure was because his best friend, the Dragon God Seiryuu, was sealed within a crystal hundreds of years before. The said crystal had been kept within a certain family…the Ryuujin family. Kyuubi found out that the crystal was travelling to Konoha with the leader of the clan, his wife, and his unborn child." He began, sensing the rising panic rising in Iruka's expression.
"He wanted the crystal back to free his best friend, however, when the crystal cracked it was harming the God more than freeing it. The dragon companion of the heir was killed, leading to Saitou's suicide, and a month later his daughter was born. You know this story from here, I believe." The Hokage said with a grim voice.
"I-yes. She was born and the sage Jiraya sealed the contents of the crystal into Iduna-chan…but a Dragon God? Really?" he whispered, eyes wide.
"Not just a Dragon God, Iruka. The Dragon God. The patron god of the Dragon Summons and Companions that the Ryuujin clan was blessed with. He is one of the four Cardinal Gods of our world along with the phoenix, Suzaku, the white tiger, Byakko, and the tortoise-serpent, Genbu…"
"But…why?" Iruka said, now immensely worried for his charge's life.
"Because she was destined to set him free." He said before turning around once again. Iruka turned to leave but was stopped by the Hokage's voice.
"Oh, and Iruka?" the Hokage said, looking towards him out of the corner of his eye.
"Yes, Hokage-Sama?" the Chuunin warrior bowed slightly.
"Do not mention this to her. She knows what is inside her most likely because of her bond with the ice dragon, but she will learn of her destiny on her own."
"So I'm just supposed to let her learn all of these things without helping her?" the Chuunin asked in a dark voice.
"No, Iruka. I'm asking you to be there for her as the older brother she sees you as. I'm afraid she'll see some dark times in the future." The old man sighed. Iruka nodded his head and disappeared, intending on thinking over the information he had received.
Meanwhile, the black clad shinobi had found Naruto, Iduna and Saiki, and Konohamaru.
"There you are!" he exclaimed, glaring down the two who dare lure the Honored Grandson away. Naruto cringed under the look he was giving them – it was the same ugly look that everyone in the village had given him.
"And now, Honored Grandson, it is time to return home." He said as he landed on the ground. Unfortunately, the boy had another idea.
"No way!" he exclaimed as Iduna stood up behind him. Saiki hissed threateningly at the oncoming shinobi, icy feathers sharpening. "Not yet! First I have to kick the old man's butt and become the next Lord Hokage. So get lost." He dismissed
"You heard him, loser!" Naruto exclaimed. Iduna stepped forward calmly and told the dark clad shinobi her opinion on things.
"The young Konohamaru doesn't need your advice when he has us teaching him. Be gone, fool." She calmly commented.
"The revered Lord Hokage know and understands the Eight Principles that are the cornerstone of all the knowledge of the shinobi: virtue, justice, ceremony, wisdom, loyalty, faithfulness, prudence, and filial piety!" he exclaimed, ignoring what both his charge and Iduna had to say, "He is master of over one thousand illusions, and…eh?" he exclaimed in surprise.
"Take that!" Konohamaru exclaimed, transforming into a thin naked woman, although she was a little too muscular for Iduna's taste. A dark flush appeared on her cheeks, but who was she to tell him that he couldn't learn a specific jutsu?
"Wha…wha…what a vulgar display!" he exclaimed, "Not fit for a gentleman's eyes! And I will not fall for it! And in front of a lady nonetheless!" he exclaimed, motioning towards Iduna. Faster than they could react, the dark clad shinobi had Konohamaru's scarf in his grasp.
"Honored Grandson! If you lower yourself to consort with creatures of this sort you will descend to his level! He is already trying to corrupt Ryuujin-hime!" he exclaimed. Naruto's eyes widened when the black clad shinobi called Iduna a princess, but said nothing about it.
"Only by following my teachings will you ever merit the name of Hokage!" the black clad shinobi exclaimed, "Now, let's go home." He growled, not noticing the other two shinobi start making hand symbols until they exclaimed their jutsus.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
"Baisuu Hiryuu no Jutsu!" the two of them said at the same time. Naruto summoned about twenty clones and Iduna summoned the same number of young dragons of various elements. The dragons were perched on the Naruto clones shoulders.
"Whoa!" Konohamaru exclaimed, "That is totally cool! Right?" he was so excited to be a witness to their techniques.
"Hah! Child's play." The black clad shinobi murmured, "No match for a superior teacher like myself! It would only fool a weak-minded idiot like Mizuki!" he continued, but he was a little intimidated by the dragons.
"Behold!" all of the Narutos exclaimed at once. All of the dragons, led by the small white dragon, Hakuryuu, took off to attack the black clad shinobi while all of the Naruto clones transformed into naked women.
"I call this my Harem Jutsu!" he exclaimed, making all of the women drape themselves over the black clad shinobi. Once he had gotten his nosebleed all under control, Iduna stepped up with Hakuryuu.
"Now, Hakuryuu! Attack!" he chirped and nodded his head, leading his fellow dragons in an assault on the unsuspecting black clad shinobi. Once that was finished, Konohamaru burst out in emotion.
"Blast it!" he exclaimed, "I failed to beat professor four-eyes again! Right?" he continued, eyes watering.
"All I want is a name that everyone will respect and I want it right now! Right?" he exclaimed, glaring at nothing. Naruto glared at the boy before hitting him on the back of his head.
"You think wanting it is all it takes?" he questioned harshly, "Dream on! You're talking about taking the name Hokage! That's the greatest shinobi in town, the one everyone respects!" the blond shinobi exclaimed angrily.
"My whole life, it's been one rotten thing after another! I even doubted myself!" he continued, eyes narrowing, "Only two people treat me with any kind of respect. One was almost impossible to win over and the second…" he trailed off looking at Iduna with an unreadable expression.
"The second is right here. I acknowledge Naruto as a great shinobi. He is the greatest in my eyes." Iduna explained in a matter of fact tone. Naruto's face flushed, but he turned to Konohamaru with a determined expression.
"Are you ready to make a commitment?" he asked the young shinobi.
"Commitment?" the young shinobi asked with a surprised expression.
"Everybody, and I do mean everybody, has the highest respect…for the honored Hokage name!" the blond shinobi ended, causing the young Konohamaru to flush in embarrassment. Suddenly, Naruto's expression changed from harsh to happy.
"Do you get it? There are no shortcuts!" he exclaimed. Konohamaru suddenly understood. He jumped back and started yelling at the blond boy.
"Where do you get off, lecturing me? You're not so hot! Right!" he exclaimed, "I'm not gonna be your disciple anymore!" he yelled as Iduna moved to stand beside the hyperactive blond.
"From this day forward we will be archrivals! And then I will become the object of Iduna-chan's affections!" the white haired female shinobi burst into laughter as she heard the last part of his statement, but it wasn't harsh. She wasn't making fun of him – it was a cute sentiment after all. Naruto grinned back at him, letting out a grunt of approval.
"It's your tough luck! From now on, I'll always be one step ahead of you, one step closer to my destiny as the finest shinobi!" he exclaimed, "But…heck! One day we'll fight over the name Hokage." He said. Iduna gave him a smile and a giggle before they turned to leave. Naruto hesitated after a few steps. He turned back and gave him one last piece of advice.
"You better look forward to that day…Konohamaru!" he said.
"And who knows? Maybe I'll become your fangirl instead." Iduna interjected, giggling as Naruto's eyes narrowed into slits.
"Fat chance." He said, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers together. They left Konohamaru standing there with an awed expression on his face.
Yes, Iduna and Naruto were one fine pair indeed.