Chapter 4
"…go!" Kakashi yelled
Naruto's POV
In that split second I knew what I had to do, both Sasuke and Sakura leapt back to hide in the treeline, I reached for my side pouch and pulled out three smoke bombs and threw them at the ground covering the area in smoke, 'phase one complete'
Kakashi narrowed his eye as the area was flooded with smoke from Naruto diversion, Kakashi tried to peer through it but couldn't see anything at all. 'Using smoke to cover his teammates while they hide and conceal his own movements, cleaver strategy, he's strategizing and watching his teammates backs on the first day, he knows how to act'.
My smoke started to clear after about twenty seconds but that was all the time I needed my plan was already in action I smiled and peered through the smoke at Kakashi as we both looked at each other waiting for the first move to be thrown, but something tells me we were having the same thoughts as we reached for our side pouches.
"Well Naruto shall we get things started?" Kakashi asks with an eye smile.
"Oh yes Kakashi I've been looking forward to this all day," I grinned, 'yep same thoughts, oh well I've got to wait a few minutes before my plan can really start'
Authors POV
Both Sasuke and Sakura watched, Sakura thinking 'What's he thinking trying to take on sensei all by himself'. 'CHA! He's trying to show up Sasuke, the Baka!'
Sasuke smirked 'Perfect the dope will get himself beaten to a pulp and give me an opening to strike all at the same time, thanks for the distraction dope'
Both Kakashi and Naruto were still watching each other as they slowly unclicked their pouches and reached inside and slowly waited until finally they both pulled out little orange books and casually opened them and started reading….the silence went on as both Sasuke and Sakura looked on
Both were confused by what they saw, Naruto and their sensei were…reading!
Narutos POV
I smiles as I started reading, 'yep two great minds do think alike'
'Naruto-Sama, what is going on? I thought you required my assistance?'
'Easy Imz-Chan, my plan is already in motion, this test is all about team work, so in order to pass I need to get those other two to work with me'
'I see, is that why I can sense your shadow clones moving through cover to their locations'
'Yep, I sent them out in the cover of the smoke, now listen carefully here what I need you to do….'
Sakura's POV
I'm still watching from the cover of a bush keeping still so as not to attract attention, I just wish something would happen already it's been two minutes and all these two have done is read it's starting to really piss me….
Suddenly a hand cover my mouth and I gasp, 'oh no, who is it, it can't be Kakashi-Sensei, or Naruto-Baka they're both out there, is it my Sasuke-kun come to confess his love finally', 'CHA! Took your sweet time about it'
But my hopes are dashed when I hear their voice, but it confused me at the same time, its Naruto-Baka's voice.
"Shhhh, don't make a sound it's only me Sakura" he says as he removes his hand from my mouth
I turn and look to see it is him, I look back to the field and then back to Naruto-Baka, "how is this possible, you can't be in two places at once"
He puts his finger to his mouth to signal quite, "don't freak I'm only a shadow clone, the original sent me here to find out if you had managed to work out the real meaning to this test yet"
'Shadow clone, what? Tests real meaning? What is he talking about?', "you're not making any sense Baka" I snap making him sigh, 'don't you sigh at me Baka, you're not my Sasuke-kun.'
"Think about it Sakura, there has to be a reason behind this test a hidden meaning, why else would they put three fresh out of the academy Genin up against a seasoned Jōnin it doesn't make sense unless, they want us to work tighter, thing about it, have you ever heard of a three or two man team because I sure as hell haven't"
I widen my eyes hearing this, 'he's right squads have always been four man teams its standard shinobi training, so if you follow that logic he can't fail just one of us, so the bells are just a ploy, he's right the test is about teamwork', 'CHA! I bet Sasuke already figured this out ages ago way before this BAKA!'
"Ok Baka, so the test is about team work, what about Sasuke-Kun, we have to get to him as well, he's the only one who has a chance against Kakashi sensei" I argue, there's no way this Baka can fight sensei one on one, and I sure as hell can't, but Sasuke-kun can he is rookie of the year after all
"Don't worry the boss sent another clone to inform him as well and that he's getting into position as we speak" the Naruto clone says with a grin that's kind of unsettling
"R-right, ok what's the plan" I ask shivering from his grin.
Naruto's POV
I closed my eyes as the memories of both my clones came back to me after a few moments I frowned a second before grinning getting them all.
'Alright Imz-Chan looks like its plan B get into position, things are about to kick off, you know when to attack' I order mentally through the communication seal.
'Hai Naruto-Sama'
I chuckle slightly closing my book with everything was in place it's time to get down to the fun stuff. "Well Kakashi I suppose we should actually do something before our teammates die of boredom from watching us"
Kakashi eye smiled as he looked at me, "I suppose we should", 'I wonder what the whole period before hand was about, was he gathering chakra for a Jutsu, no the fox would do that for him, planning a strategy, no he would have done that before hand, and all he's done for the past three minutes is read, just what are you planning Naruto'
I flex my neck as we both slip our books away, and I grin getting ready for the fight, "Kai~" I whisper as I release my restrain seals slightly.
Kakashi narrows his eyes as he only barely heard that, 'Kai…..he released something, but what'
I shot at Kakashi with my restraints loosened I was five times faster, nearly mid Jōnin level speed, but Kakashi's was still higher, evidence to the point he was able to get his footing and take a stance before my first fist came at him.
I threw a left straight at him he deflected with his right arm and threw a left straight at me, I ducked under it and went to drive my left leg into his midsection, he caught is and used my own momentum to twist me around and try to throw me, but I caught the ground and twisted myself around into a right heel kick, he caught it also but in doing so loosened his grip on my left allowing me to shake both free and drop to the ground and sweep for his shins, this caused Kakashi to leap up into the air to dodged my kick, but in the air he can't move himself, I pushed off the ground into a spear kick aiming for his gut, but he saw it coming and twisted so I only grazed him, but with my skills a graze will still hurt, 'just a bit further and…..there'
Kakashi's eye widened at the pain, he received from the graze to his lower mid-section. 'He enhanced his limbs with chakra so it does more damage, wasn't expecting that, I had better dodge them right from now on or this fight will be over before it properly begins'
Kakashi skidded back, but then he felt his heels snag on something and then the familiar twang of wire snapping, then his eyes opened wide, 'a trap, when did he have time to set that up'.
From both sides of the clearing poofs were heard as kunai shot out of four trees all at Kakashi. The Jōnin jumped up and backwards to dodge them.
'Got you know Kakashi' I though as I drew back my open palm and then shot if forward "Fūton: Kūki yashi no Jutsu" (wind release air palm) as a blasting current of air exploded from my palm and shot at Kakashi hitting its mark.
Kakashi felt like he had been hit by a cannon ball, as he skidded to the ground getting his breath back, that when Sakura and Sasuke shot out of the bushed and started throwing kunai at him. He easily deflected them while winded.
Sasuke came in fast and dropped in with a high with a spinning low kick. Body low to the ground and foot high, Kakashi spun to avoid it and then Sakura went at him with a kunai.
Kakashi caught her hand to restrain her only to get a kick to the face from Sasuke knocking him back a bit surprised at the strength of his kick, 'he used chakra kicks too, how can a Genin have such high chakra control, that's a Chūnin if not Jōnin technique'
Not giving Kakashi a chance to think I shot in before pulling a mid-air spin with my left leg outstretched catching Kakashi in the chest and sent him skidding back further with a groan. 'Phase two complete, time for phase three and four'
Kakashi cringed at the pain in his chest after that chakra kick from Naruto but he could tell he was holding back, a full powered chakra kick would have been enough to shatter shoulders, Naruto obviously didn't want to kill him given the fact he was still breathing. 'These three are good, they cover each other's moves and watch each other's backs. I may just have to pass them after all'
I looked to Sasuke and nodded as we both pulled out three shuriken each and launched them at Kakashi, who took out a kunai to deflect them but his eye widened seeing my hands go into a hand sign.
"Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" (shuriken shadow clone Jutsu)
At that those six shuriken we threw became sixty as they flew at Kakashi who leaped out of the way as they rained on him, but keeping the assault Sasuke was on him again throwing a combo of punches keeping Kakashi on his toes, then Kakashi grabbed one of Sasukes overhead kicks as he twisted in his grip and threw his other foot at Kakashi's groin Kakashi quickly blocked that one, only for Sasuke to twist again reaching for the bells.
Kakashi saw that and pushed Sasuke back making him come short of the bells as he panted again. 'This isn't right, those two were like oil and water the other day, now their team works like a pair of veteran shinobi, and Sasuke is actually working with Naruto and backing up Sakura, somethings going on here'
The three of us converged on a point in front of Kakashi ready to move in for the next wave, Kakashi raised his hands ready for whatever we threw at him, I smirked as I reached for my pouch again and tossed three more smoke bombs once more covering the area in a cloud of smoke.
Kakashi looked round blinded by the smoke knowing they had a plan but what, suddenly multiple small fires balls shot at him from multiple locations as he heard multiple poofs of things dispelling and he raise his eyebrow, 'shadow clones so that it he used clones to set up the traps in the cover of the smoke, that is how he did it all and combining it like a lesser Jutsu like Kanton: Furea no Jutsu (fire release: flare Jutsu) is ingenious, just not powerful'
Kakashi balled his fists and started batting the small fire balls away with the metal plates on the back of his gloves. As the last of them faded away Kakashi stood in a stance ready for the next wave that never came.
As the smoke faded Sasuke and I stood on one side of Kakashi with Sakura on the other all three of us grinning, Kakashi was waiting but then the bell went off.
Kakashi eye smiled and then chuckled, "well looks like none of you pass and none of you get lunch, sorry about that"
"I wouldn't be so sure of that Kakashi" I chuckled as I pointed behind him, Kakashi looked behind him to see Sakura holding a bell with a smile only to look to his belt to see both bells were gone, he then looked to me and I gestured to Sasuke who was holding the other one between his fingers.
I smirked, "while I was bombarding you with those fireballs, those two moved in and swiped the bells while you were distracted"
Kakashi sighed and rubbed the back of his head, "well this is awkward" he eye smiled rubbing the back of his head, "guess that means you fail then Naruto"
I just shrugged with a grin, "eh I failed three times in a row, I can wait one more year" I smiled, as Kakashi looked at me knowing I didn't mean that after the little chat in Jiji's office the other day.
"Not a chance" snapped Sasuke tossing his bell to me "I don't accept charity. I'd rather get the bell on my own"
Sakura looked disheartened she didn't know what to do, she didn't want to be apart from Sasuke, but she didn't want to hold him back ether, she didn't know what was happening
Then Kakashi eye smiled, 'definitely not Sasuke, good acting though', "well that would be good, if you were really Sasuke though" he said looking at the two boys
Sakura looked at him confused, "Sasuke" frowned and I rubbed the back of my head chuckling, "you realized Hm", 'well it was working up till a point'
Kakashi chuckled, "Realized what, that in less than twenty-four hours you two have went from glaring and barely looking at each other, to working in sync to which I can only compare to that of seasoned veteran shinobi, or the fact that you seem to be working like your reading each other thoughts or maybe "Sasuke" over there is using higher level skills there is no way he should know"
I chuckled louder, 'yeah that was a bit of a stretch', "yeah we did do that a little too well didn't we, Imz-Chan, looks like we've been found out"
"Indeed we have Naruto-Sama", responded "Sasuke" before bursting into smoke.
Authors POV
As the smoke cleared it revealed a young girl age, (16) with long black hair to the base of her back, deep brown eyes, and pale perfect skin. Wearing black ANBU style trousers cut off at the knees with her lower legs tightly wrapped in bandaged from her kneecaps down, wearing black shinobi sandals, and white top that cut off just above her belly button, with a mesh bra wrapped around the top of her shirt, over her C cup breast. She wore a black sleeveless hoodie with white fur around the rims of the hood, arms, and up the main zipper, on the back of which was a white Uzumaki swirl, she stood just an inch shorter than Naruto, and gave a small smile, before bowing.
Naruto POV
"Please forgive me for not introducing myself sooner, but it was part of Naruto-Sama's plan B that I not revel myself until the end of the test" Imz-Chan said as she bowed.
Sakura blinked a few time before pointing at her, in a shout "Who the hell are you!".
"Oh yes forgive me, I am Ikzumi Uzumaki, faithful servant under the care of Naruto-Sama, he asked me to come and assist him, and you in this test this morning, as my "debut" on the team" she said with a bow
Sakura just blinked she didn't know what to think, the fact that Imz-chan called herself my faithful servant, the fact that she addressed me with Sama.
'I've tried to get her to stop that but she always refuse,' I mentaly sighed.
Or the fact that she will be on their team or the fact that she addressed herself as an Uzumaki, last she remembered Naruto was an orphan with no family so where did she come from
Kakashi smiled at the young very polite girl, "Well it is very nice to meet you Ikzumi-san, think nothing of it, I just wish I would have been informed beforehand about a fourth member joining our team, I was not aware the Hokage signed off on it, but I have to ask, where is.."
Before he could finish Sakura's eyes bulged "wait if you were Sasuke-kun this whole time that where is he", 'she better not have done anything to him', 'CHA! If she has she's toast!'
Kakashi chuckled, "yes that it"
I grinned knowing exactly where he was, "Where he has been this whole time, bound, gagged and tied to a tree after refusing to help in the test like he was meant to" I Answered getting a glance from Kakashi and a WTF stare from Sakura.
Flash back no Jutsu
Naruto clone came up behind Sasuke, and put his hand on his shoulder, Sasuke swerved round kunai ready but Naruto grabbed it, "relax Teme I'm a friendly"
Sasuke looked at him confused and then narrowed his eyes, "explain", he said in a hiss,
The clone pointed to himself, "shadow clone, boss sent me to see if you figured out the real reason behind this test yet Teme"
Sasuke narrowed his eyes further, 'Shadow clones, how can this dope do shadow clones and I an elite Uchiha, can't', "what do you mean"
"teamwork Teme, this test is all about teamwork to see if we can look past all the bull and get the mission done, so you in or out" the clone answered in the same deadpan tone.
Sasuke scoffed, "beat it dope, I can take care of this on my own, I don't need the help of a fan girl and a dead last to do this, I'm an Uchiha"
The clone sighed, "Look Teme, we're meant to be on a team that means working together, I'm willing to look past the bull shit, but are you willing to look past your inflated ego and actually work together or not"
Sasuke didn't even respond only watch on as the real Naruto and Kakashi kept reading,
The clone sighed, "Guess its plan B then, can't say I don't prefer it then"
Sasuke was about to look and ask what plan B was when he felt a jab in the back of his neck and everything went dark, when he awoke he found himself tied to a tree gagged and tagged.
Authors note: tagged refers to a sealing tag that is attached to the one being restrained it temporally prevents the one restrained from gathering and using chakra as long as its attached, no chakra no Jutsu, no Jutsu no getting free.
Sasuke looked around to see the clone squatting in front of him.
"Sorry about this Teme, can't have you jumping in and screwing up the plan, you could have played nice and helped, but no. Now you'll just have to sit in time out while the big kids have fun. Boss will be by after the test to cut you loose. But don't worry I'm sure your pets on the council will work their magic and make sure you still pass regardless one way or another, see ya round" the clone said before bursting into smoke
KAI: flash back end
I looked at their expressions on the subject. Kakashi sweat dropped, Sakura's jaw hit the floor. Imz-Chan smiled slightly in amusement at the explanation
I chuckled, "guess we should release him now" I started walking over to the bushes and pulled them back revealing a very pisses and tied up Teme, Sakura shrieked and ran over to him and started to untie him.
Kakashi sweat dropped, and looked to me, "was that really necessary?" he asked in a monotone.
I smirked and shrugged, "I treated it like I would on a mission with a disgruntle team mate who is refusing to cooperate, and is liable to screw up the mission plan and likely to interfere, you telling me you wouldn't have done the same if it was a real mission and you were in my positon"
Kakashi nodded at my reasoning "fair enough your logic is sound, though when we're on a real mission, please refer to me before you go tying up your team mates in future"
I grinned "I take it that means we still pass then"
"yes two of you worked together as a team and you and Ikzumi seem to work well in sync, and the council will throw a fit if I don't pass the Uchiha here, and with his grades at least I know he won't be a weak link on the team, so yes, you all pass" he finished with an eye smile
I high fived Imz-Chan, 'another successful plan', but the second Sakura took off the Temes chakra suppression tags he was up and very pissed. "DOPE!" the Teme yelled as he shot at my with his fist raised ready to swing.
I sighed as I dodged the Uchiha's punches with a side step, and then countered his kick to his midsection throwing him out into the open area.
Imz-Chan looked like she was ready to defend me but I held his hand out, gesturing not to with a grin, "I got this one, may as well give the Teme a test of his own seeing as he sat out the real one" as I attached my bell to my belt as I walked forward rolling my shoulders in glee.
The two of us glared at each other, well he glared I yawned "Come on then Uchiha let's see if you can get the bell off me," I said before smirking, "or even touch me"
Sasuke shot at me as I just grinned, swerving like grass dodging each and every punch and kick Sasuke threw at me , Kakashi just watched, 'this isn't going to end well, and I can feel a head ache coming when the council hears about this'
After ten minutes I had had enough of dodging and threw a punch of my own into Sasuke-Teme's shoulder just hard enough to make him leap back. As he did he started to weave through a familiar series of hand signs in mid-air.
'Fair enough Teme two can play at that game' I started to weave my own but only faster and then waited for the right moment. Which came when he landed.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)" Sasuke-Teme yelled as he spewed out a fire ball at me, it was medium sized about what I had expected after seeing him do it so many times in the past, just about the right size for a Genin.
I waited until it was close enough and then I grinned, "Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)"
Hearing that make Sasuke look at me bug eyed but not as much as when he saw the size I produced, over five times the size of his and I was holding back a lot. My fire ball engulfed his and then shot at him with a vengeance, but I gave the Teme just enough time to jump out of the way before the fire ball hit the river letting off a pillar of steam.
The Uchiha was raging, I could almost hear his thoughts 'how dare this dope use one of my clans fire Jutsu', and of course that's what he came out with
"Dope how dare you steal that Jutsu" he snapped, making me chuckle
I laughed, "Oh that's rich, an Uchiha getting angry over someone using one of their Jutsu, when they themselves are the biggest Jutsu thieving clan out there. Well they were, they're gone now just you and that dear sweet brother of yours left, too bad, so sad. Which reminds me I owe him a drink for that" I said with a grin.
Well I have to say that hit the mark better than I had thought possible, I swear it looked like the Teme had popped a blood vessel when he shot at me with his kunai drawn, "DOPE!"
I shook my head with glee as the Teme lunged for me, only to side step him as at the last possible moment and deliver a swift chop to the back of his neck dropping the Uchiha to the ground with a thud, out cold.
I yawned "and that is the match, I give him a pass but he needs to watch that temper a bit, his fire Jutsu is ok but he needs better control I saw way to much lost chakra there" I said with a shrug as I walked over to Kakashi as Sakura gaped for a moment before rushing over to her precious Sasuke-Kun.
Kakashi eye smiled to me, "so care to tell me where you picked up the Uchiha's Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu), from, I know they had a method for fully destroying their old scrolls so you didn't pull it out of the trash"
I shrugged, "I learned it from watching Sasuke himself, he just loved showing off. It was his go to Jutsu in the academy, I saw it so many time I could run through the hand signs in my sleep, guess no one ever taught him to be discrete with his Jutsu, I'm surprized half the class didn't pick it up in the first week"
Kakashi sighed, "yes he could stand to learn a thing or two from you in that area, like how you used the smoke to conceal your Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (shadow clone Jutsu), at the start, and then Furea no Jutsu (flare Jutsu) weak but effective when used in unison"
I nodded, "nicely spotted, except, for both those Jutsu I didn't used any hand signs, I've practiced them so much, I've mastered them both, along with Kūki yashi no Jutsu (air palm Jutsu), and a few others I didn't show off" I informed like it was nothing.
Kakashi blinked, "you mean to tell me by the age of Sixteen you have mastered multiple Jutsu to the point of not needing hand signs to use them…" he eye smiled, "I'm impressed"
I rubbed the back of my head, "thanks I do train a lot, now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and see Jiji, he called for me to meet him before the council meeting later today and I have a feeling we could be talking a while, and I have a date later today to get ready for"
"Ah I see, I was informed about the council meeting before hand, as last of the Hatake clan I have to attend too, so then mind if I join you, I have to report the test results anyway" Kakashi eye smiled.
"Sure, Imz-Chan, we're going, best to be discrete upon arrival, I want you to make a good impression when you meet Jiji" I smiled as I gave her a discreet order.
Imz-Chan nodded as she came over, "of course Naruto-Sama" she said as she began to shrink and changes form in a second she was no longer a beautiful girl, she was now a majestic black wolf, with deep brown eyes and white ring around her collar and belly and hind legs.
Seeing that little display shocked Kakashi and Sakura, well she passed out, 'going to have to work on that'
I chuckled, "yep that was the face I had when I first saw to"
Kakashi then chuckled, "I take it Hokage-Sama never signed off on her being on the team did he, I doubt he even knows about her dose he"
I shook my head, "I figured we could get her signed up now, with you vouching for her after you saw her skills, she's my partner, like the Inuzuka and their Ninken (ninja dogs). So she technically joined the team when I did"
Kakashi nodded, "I suppose that is a good guess, but we'd better get it cleared just to have it on the books and get her registered as she has a human form, I take it that's why she is using your last name as her own"
I nodded again as I petted Imz-Chans head
"Right then, come on let's get going then, there will be a lot to talk about now" Kakashi said as we started walking off towards the Hokage tower.
I mentally summoned two shadow clones to take the Teme and his fangirl home.
Scene break
I, Kakashi and Ikzumi in wolf form were walking down the streets of the village at a leisurely pace, Kakashi just smiled under his mask, "isn't the road of life fun Naruto"
I grinned back "yep, it's nice to slow down and enjoy the scenery", but I could feel the looks I was getting from people but I didn't let it get to me, "I just wish the scenery didn't give shitty looks back"
Kakashi sighed, "You'll only have to put up with it for so long Naruto. I just wish I had done something sooner"
I waved Kakashi off, "there was nothing you could have done, it's the hand I was given and I'm playing it for all its worth, no sense gripping about it" I said throwing my hands behind my head as we walked.
Ikzumi walked behind me getting fearful looks from the other villagers as we passed. I began hearing whispers about calling the shinobi to deal with the wolf in the village. Ikzumi quickly walked to my side, I sensed her fear and leaned down and rubbed her behind the ear, "it's alright Imz-Chan, I won't let them lay a finger on you, if they try I'll cut it off" I said with grinning smile making her relax a bit more.
As we walked the rounded a corner we ran across team eight.
Kakashi eye smiled at Kurenai, "good evening Kurenai, how's the new team going"
Kurenai is fair-skinned woman of slender build. She has long black untamed hair reaching her upper back, and very unique eyes that are red in colour, with an additional ring in them. She wears make-up consisting of red lipstick and purple eye shadow. Her regular outfit consists of a red mesh armour blouse with only the right sleeve visible. Overall, this is very broad material which resembles bandages with a pattern on it similar to those of rose thorns. Her hands and upper thighs are also wrapped in bandages and she wears the Konoha forehead protector and regular shinobi sandals.
'Ah Kurenai, if I recall correctly Anko-Chan said she's one of her best friends, nice to finally meet her'
Kurenai smiled back "They're going well Kakashi, they just passed my Genin test so I'm treating them to lunch as a congratulations, what about yours, this is one of yours right"
"Yes this is Naruto Uzumaki, Naruto this is Kurenai Yūhi" Kakashi introduced us with a grin. Which I read straight off, 'please don't piss her off'
I nodded to Kakashi telling him I got the message and bowed my head slightly to her, "nice to meet you Kurenai-san, it's a pleasure to meet the Genjutsu mistress of Konoha"
Kurenai smiled and bowed her head back "Well met Naruto, you've done your research, not many below Chūnin know of my title"
I smirked "I find it best to know my allies Kurenai-san", I then looked to Kiba, Hinata and Shino and smiled, "so you three passed your test also, looks like we're all officially Genin"
Kurenai looked shock for a minute and then looked to Kakashi, "you actually passed a team. Well that's a first"
Kakashi eye smiled, "oh come on I'm not that bad, it's just that it takes a lot to meet my standards"
Kurenai blinks at him, "you've failed the past twelve teams assigned to you, what changed this time?"
Kakashi chuckled, "Naruto brought along a surprize that caught me off guard"
At that Ikzumi stepped into view from behind me getting some responses from team eight and sensei.
Kurenai blinked a few times seeing the wolf and just said "wow"
Shino was as stoic as ever but did raise an eyebrow,
Hinata was shocked seeing the wolf but when Ikzumi sat down next to my side and I rubbed her behind the ears Hinata seems to relax a little.
Kiba on the other hand had his eyes bulging out of his sockets, "that's a freaking wolf"
I smiled, "yes Kiba thank you for stating the obvious, this is Ikzumi, my partner"
"How the hell do you have a freaking wolf following you around?" Kiba yelled pointing at me.
I shrugged dumbly and then grinned, "Ask your mother, she was the one who introduced us a year ago and recommended me to be Ikzumi's alpha, I just didn't think it wise to bring her around school given the fact that everyone would freak with a wolf in the room"
Then Kiba did something stupid. "Why the hell would my mother recommend you for an alpha, you're the dead last of our class, the weakest…"
At that Ikzumi growled at Kiba, making the boy flinch, and myself chuckle, "you more than anyone should know never insult an alpha in front of his loyal pack, it never ends well",
I looked to Imz-Chan, 'Imz-Chan, why don't you greet Hinata-Chan, she's the one in the middle, the one I mentioned in the past, just don't try to freak her out when you talk'
Ikzumi looked to me and nodded, before walking over to a confused Hinata. Imz-Chan lowered her head to Hinata making her blink curiously.
I smiled, "she's greeting you Hinata-Chan, no need to worry, she won't, bite, go ahead Imz-Chan, say hello"
Much to everyone's shock beside Kakashi and my own Imz-Chan morphed into her human form kneeling to Hinata, "it is a pleasure to meet you Hinata-Sama. Naruto-Sama has spoken very highly of you"
Hinata-Chan blinked even more hearing her speak and then more at hearing I had mentioned her, but she quickly got back her senses, "I-it's very nice to meet you to Ikzumi-san"
Kurenai walked over to beside Kakashi as they talked, I listened in "she's no ordinary wolf is she",
Kakashi shook his head, "No I haven't heard all the details yet but she seems quite loyal to Naruto, and she can perform advanced Ninjutsu techniques, I felt one of her chakra enhanced kicks, she packs a punch"
Kiba blinked looking at Imz-Chan and then she shot him a glair and in the blink of an eye was face to face with him, sharpened claw at his jugular, "and you mutt, you ever insult Naruto-Sama again in my presence and it will be the last thing you ever do am I clear" she snarled making Kiba flinch
I sighed playfully, "Imz-Chan, you can't kill him…. well you could but that's beside the point. I don't need the grief from Tsume-Sama, should you kill her youngest, even if he is a disrespectful mutt that needs his ass kicked, but if he does insult me again, feel free to give him one, but no killing without permission ok"
Imz–Chan retracted her claws and stepped back still glaring at Kiba, "Hai Naruto-Sama" she said as she continued stepping backwards and morphed back into her wolf form by my side
Kakashi nervously chuckled and broke the tension, "well I think that's enough meet and greet, come on Naruto we'd better get going, not wise to keep the Hokage waiting"
"Hai Kakashi", I said and then started walking with him before calling back, to team eight "I'm looking forward to our date tonight Hinata-Chan, remember six o'clock I'll see you there"
Hinata jumped "H-Hai Naruto-kun" she said with a blush. Kurenai noticed this and raised an eyebrow and smiled seeing her reaction to Naruto as the boy walked off wolf and Kakashi by his side
'Hm, so that's Naruto Uzumaki, I can see why Anko has taken a liking to this one' she looked to Hinata and saw her blush and smiled, 'well Anko looks like you may have some competition when it comes to him after all, I'm not sure who to side with on this one'
Scene break
Kakashi and I stood outside the Hokage building I am all too familiar with it having visited so many times over the years I looked up and grinned and then looked to Imz-Chan.
'Imz-Chan, could you find somewhere to wait while me and Kakashi go in first, I don't think the receptionist or any wandering shinobi inside would take kindly to a wolf walking through the Hokage building, and seeing as you're not a registered citizen or shinobi it could cause an incident'
'Hai, Naruto-Sama I will await your signal to enter' she responded before disappearing in a shunshin of black leaves.
Kakashi raised his eyebrow and looked to me.
"she'll join us inside Jiji's office I though it wise to avoid people asking questions about her until she's registered, and we don't need the hostility" I said in a sigh, 'I'd like to avoid all if possible' I thought as Kakashi nodded and we began walking into the building.
Scene break
We walked through to the reception area of the Hokage office and Kakashi asked if the Hokage was available, the result was the receptionist glaring at me with hated eyes and I just sighed before glairing back.
'always the same shit with this one when is Jiji going to fire you', "are you going to answer or not civilian, we have shinobi matters to attend to so I suggest you answer before we enter anyway, and if it turns out he is busy with something important we'll just blame it on you anyway, so answer or not it's up to you" I snapped angrily having had enough of this shit over the years.
The girl glared back, "he's available, go in brat", I nodded with a smirk.
"Thank you. There was that so hard" I said getting in one last jab of my own and not giving her a chance to reply before walking in with Kakashi, as he was giving his own one eyed glair to the girl as we went.
We entered into the Jijis office and I smirked seeing three shadow clones behind the desk working away while the original was reading and smoking. 'well good to see Jiji relaxing for once not worrying about paperwork I should have told him that trick years ago would have saved me a few headaches'
Seeing the two of us, he tried to hide Icha-Icha from our sight, "N-Naruto, K-Kakashi I didn't expect you till later!" he yelped in surprize straightening up, "I was just brushing up on old paper work" he said trying to play it off.
Kakashi and I chuckled and shared a look before we pulled out our own copies with smiles. "Don't worry Jiji we're all fans of Jiraiya's work here" I said with a big smile, Kakashi just eye smiled
Jiji blinked and looked to me, with his grandfather eyes "aren't you a little young for that type of book" he asked raising an eye brow
I shrugged, "what's that old saying for shinobi, old enough to kill, old enough to smoke, drink, gamble, Fuck, cuss and read ecchi books"
Sarutobi just sighed, giving up. "They start of so young these days".
I grinned putting my Icha-Icha away, "so Jiji, how many time you read it"
"First time, cursed paperwork has kept me from it, only just started this morning"
'Damn I really should have told him sooner keeping him away from this masterpiece so long is inhuman, yet another reason to hate the council', "your welcome Jiji" I said with a smirk.
Sarutobi sighed and shook his head, "so what can I do for the two of you, I wasn't expecting you till four Naruto"
I smirked "I decided to come by early seeing as there were some favours I needed to ask you about and I figured our discussion was going to be a very, very, very, long one, now that I'm officially a Genin I can tell you everything I've been holding back so far, Kakashi just came along to tell you I passed" I gestured to Kakashi with a smirk
Sarutobi smiled "Well that's no shock" as he took a drag from his pipe and then looked to Kakashi, "so Kakashi is he as good as he said he is"
Kakashi took on a serious stance all business now, "Perhaps better Hokage-Sama, but perhaps we should clear the room before discussing anything further"
"Hai that would be wise" Sarutobi said as he waved his hand and the ANBU appeared and walked out "Ok, now let's hear it"
"He's better than he said he was, I don't even think he gave us an accurate gauging of his skills, in our last meeting. His speed was that of a Jōnin, his Taijutsu style I have never seen before, he used three Jutsu without hand signs and he even had a partner waiting in the shadows for the test, who was at least Chūnin level in strength" Kakashi said as he sounded impressed
Jiji blinked and looked to me, "well my boy you seem to have a lot of explaining to do, let's start with this partner of yours. Who are they?"
I nodded, "that's one of the favours I was wanting to ask about, I was hoping you'd allow her to join team seven as a shinobi of the leaf, as Kakashi said she's already Chūnin level, and I can vouch for her loyalty and dedication, as can clan head Tsume Inuzuka-Sama"
Jiji nodded with a grandfatherly smile, "I see, well I would like to meet them first before I sign off on anything, please have them…"
But before he could finish I grinned, 'Come on it Imz-Chan' and with that she appeared in the office in a swirl of black leaves in wolf form beside me, getting a blinking response from Jiji as she bowed her head respectfully.
I smiled "Jiji, meet Ikzumi, my partner" I said gesturing to her.
Jiji smiled and looked to Kakashi, "Kakashi when you said that they were Chūnin I assumed you meant they were human"
Kakashi eye smiled "I did Hokage-Sama, Naruto", he finished looking to me I nodded and looked to Imz-Chan.
"Imz-Chan, go ahead" I said aloud.
Imz-Chan nodded, and Jiji's eyes widened as she morphed into her human form and kneeled to the Hokage.
"It is an honour to meet you Hokage-Sama, I am Ikzumi Uzumaki, faithful servant to Naruto-Sama, and I respectfully request your permission to join the leaf village as a shinobi of the leaf" Imz-Chan stated respectfully still bowed.
Author's POV
The elderly Hokage blinked a few times and then started to smile at the young girl, "well, this is certainly surprizing, I must say, I never expected to see such a sight, Ikzumi-Chan I would be honoured to have to as a shinobi of the leaf. If Naruto vouches for your character and Kakashi vouches for your skill I see no reason not to make it so, and given Kakashis evaluation I see no reason not to install you at the rank he gauged your skills at…" he went to continue but Ikzumi cut him off
"No Hokage-Sama, please install me at the same rank as Naruto-Sama, I could never be above my alpha" she pleaded and Sarutobi looked to Naruto confused
Naruto POV
I smirked looking at his confusion, "it's a wolf Alpha thing Jiji" I then placed my hand on Imz-Chans shoulder, "it's alright Imz-Chan it's only a matter of time before I rise through the ranks give it a few months", I smiled, 'plus having you as a Chūnin may be handy from time to time until I am one'
Imz-Chan nodded, "alright Naruto-Sama, if that is what you wish for me then I will, but I will not ever command you" I nodded with a smile
Jiji smiled, "very well I will get the paper work underway, you will be a Chūnin by days end, and assigned to work under Kakashi as his Chūnin assistant, but firstly something tells me from the way to two have been acting, that you've known each other a while, and I haven't seen you when I was using my crystal to watch over Naruto-Kun so where have you been?"
I smiled, 'time to start explaining', "well she's been staying with a very good friend of mine, who I met a year or so before her. Seeing as she couldn't stay in my apartment and come to school with me, she stayed with her and used Henge to do daily activities and that's when we weren't training daily in the forest of death"
Sarutobis and Kakashi eyes bulges, "Naruto that place is dangerous, there's a reason its fences off and used only for Chūnin and Jōnin exams, the creatures and plants in there are deadly"
I just shrugged not seeing what the deal was, "didn't seem so dangerous to me, well compare to the village at least, I've been going in there for three years to train daily spending hours up to days in there training my body by fighting those so called deadly animals, leaving shadow clones to keep up the act. Compared to the hostility I used to get from those in the village the forest of death is peaceful and that's even with those damn spiders"
Sarutobi was at a loss for words here was a fifteen year old boy telling him that he found a forest filled with deadly man eating predators, spiders and other insects that range from the size of rat to the size of three horses was more peaceful that the village he grew up in, he truly didn't know what to say, as he bowed his head in grief, "I'm sorry Naruto"
"It's alright Jiji, had I not trained there I never would have met those that I now call friends and hold dear" I said with a smile
Sarutobi nodded and then Kakashi started to shake, "N-Naruto you wouldn't happen to mean A-Anko Mitarashi from the T&I division (Torture and Interrogation division) would you, she's the only one I can think who even venture into that forest, other than you"
I nodded, with a grin, 'I see Anko-Chan's reputation precedes her, just wait until they get a load of me with a knife', "yes but before we continue this conversation, Jiji please seal the room the rest of this conversation is need to know and I prefer it stay that way as its likely going to be breaking triple S rank secrets"
Jiji looked at me seriously and then nodded before forming a hand seal and nodding again as the shutters dropped and the light came on in the room as the door locked shut as it glowed signifying the room was completely secure, no one in or out, and no one listening in.
I nodded in thanks as I then sat down on the opposite sofa sitting forward. Kakashi stood behind Jiji while Imz-Chan took stood behind Me. We looked like two foreign leaders meeting with their respective aids in tow discussing matters of war and politics, which is just the kind of atmosphere I want.
I took a breath and exhaled in a sigh "right then, I suppose it's time I come clean about everything" I said as I looked across at my grandfather figure with a solemn look on my face, lifting the figurative mask I wear to hide my true self ever so slightly, as I watched both Kakashi and Jiji flinch seeing my stare, and that is the reason I wear it, to act normal, but who could be normal after my life.
Author's POV
They flinched mainly because it was just so unlike the Naruto they had seen he was normally, he had always been so care free and fun loving, but from what they had seen and learned recently, they had never really seen the real Naruto, that was until now. But it was still so unnatural those cold eyes of his, no one so young should have those eyes, they were the eyes of someone who had seen a thousand hells and live through each of them all and came back for more, who went through all the shit the world had to give and then dish is back just as hard, and now they were about to find out just what the shit was, but then as soon as they had seen it, it was gone replaced by the mask that he always wore to hide what lay beneath, still serious but actually human.
Naruto's POV
"Once again I will start from the beginning, but first know the decisions that I made that started all of this. That helped put me on the path to becoming who I now am, that helped me survive the life I have lead, I made with all the facts and truths at my disposal, and would not have done so otherwise. What I have done, I did because it was the right thing to do in order to set things right and to fix the wrongs that have been done" I stated with absolute steadfast certainty knowing everything I said and meant it, I would not have had it any other way.
My words may have been cold and unfeeling as I stated the facts I knew to be true and then took a breath before closing my eyes and released said breath, before raising my head and opening my eyes getting both Kakashi and Jiji to flinch again.
Author's POV
His eyes snapped open, but they weren't the cerulean blue they normally were. No they were red with black silts making both Hokage and Kakashi flinch seeing them for that second before they faded away and back to blue.
"The facts I stated before. They were only partially the truth, though the majority of I said was true though I simply miss lead on some of the less important facts and one of the bigger ones", Naruto said as he sat back and crossed his arms, "the smaller ones being where I found out about who and what I am, and the larger one being how I became this strong, both have the same answer, I learned all from the fox sealed within me"
This statement made both Kakashi and Sarutobis eyes widened and they were about to speak when Naruto held up his hand to silence them.
"Firstly do not think I made the decision likely first I will tell you how this all came about and from there I will continue, Jiji do you remember my first year of the academy, six months in to be precise….."
Flash back Authors POV- Warning graphic content, do not read if you are easily offended
Naruto age eleven
The young Naruto was on his way home from another tedious day the academy, it had been his regular day where he had been ignored by his teachers and his peers alike, all except for those few that he would talk to the clan heirs of Nara, Akimichi and Aburame and tried to talk with the Hyūga, but every conversation was cut shorty the teacher yelling at Naruto to shut up which ultimately ended with him put on one side of the room or sent out of the remainder of the class to sit outside the door with a book on his head and told to pay attention, which ended with him falling asleep.
As he walked down the street, he didn't notice but slowly people started filtering out, until it was just him left in the street.
He looked around and noticed all the windows and doors were shut up even the shops that were open all day till late. He looked around and saw no one, he kept walking but then both ends of the street were blocked off by ten people on both ends.
He looked backwards and forwards as the ten started coming towards him, closing in on him from all sides, he knew what was coming as it had happened before but normally a mask wearing shinobi had always dropped in and stopped it, but that handed been happening the past two weeks and he realized he had to fend for himself.
He looked around and saw an ally way with a clear path, he quickly sprinted for it and made it half way before three people blocked the other end and started towards him. Naruto looked back and the other end was blocked as well, and now both sides were brandishing blunt weapons, pipes, bats clubs chains bricks, he started to hyperventilating he knew he was trapped and he knew what was coming but the only thing he could think was run, run and get away.
He took the only option he could he ran at the three on the far end the side that had the least people hoping to break through and get away, he slipped past the first and then the second and was about to make it past the kneeling third when he was met by a metal pipe to the side of the head sending the boy crashing to the wall, he tried to get away, his vision blurry.
But then felt a chain around his throat and then he was lifted off his feet, the chain was heavy linked so it allowed him to breath but it hurt like hell when he was lifted off the ground. he couldn't tell what was happing because of the blurry vision, but then he found himself hitting the ground hard after having his whole world flipped he realized one had caught him with a chain and then used it to pull him over head and slam him to the ground.
The next thing he felt was multiple heavy hard objects hitting him all over his body with sickening thuds and cracks as he cried out in pain from the blows, he tried to cover himself to shield himself from the blows but no sooner had he, that he felt an impact to his hands as his hands were shattered.
Then another crack to his lower back and then his legs, arms, ribcage another to the face and groin, as he cried out in agony his words were in audible from the screaming, until silence was brought over the area as the attack stopped, and he heard footsteps walking away.
He lay there in complete agony, unable to move, bones broken, body bruises and bleeding and then he felt it, the dreaded feeling and smell, the feeling of something wet slushing over him of and that unmistakable smell…..Oil.
The sound continued for a few seconds as he tried to pled for mercy but all that came out were small whimpers and gurgles as the oil entered his mouth making him choke on it, and then the sound of someone striking a match before the searing pain and the screams that followed as he was set ablaze, the incredible pain of him burring alive continued for another ten minutes before he stopped screaming as everything went black.
After the silence the last of the attackers filtered away and a masked shinobi in a white mask dropped to the ground and went through a few hand signs before dousing the boy in a spray of water from his palm to put out the blaze. The man walked up the boy who by now was nothing but a charred corpus, and smirked beneath his mask, but his eyes widened when he saw the charred corpse chest rise and fall and the faint sound of breathing, the boy was still alive, the shinobi cursed about damn civilians not knowing how to kill a demon right before he lifted the charred boy up and taking off to the hospital. Knowing if the boy died from after injuries he couldn't explain that away.
Two hours later Hokages office
Sarutobi was sitting at his desk with paper work piled high all around him as he signed one sheet and stamped another and lifted more down from the pile and was about to continue the process when a cat masked ANBU appeared viva whirlwind of leaves and spoke
"Hokage-Sama, come quickly its Naruto he's been attacked"
Sarutobis eyes bulged, "What where is he? Where was the ANBU I had stationed on him to protect him in Kakashis stead?" he asked mind racing a mile a minute.
"He's at the hospital currently unresponsive, after being brought in by said ANBU, after being burnt to a shell by his attackers who still remain at large" the cat masked ANBU informed while clenching her fists in her own anger.
Sarutobi shook with rage as killing intent flooded off of him, he was furious. How could one of his ANBU have allowed this to happen, Ibiki was going to be having a new guest and get to the bottom of this very shortly.
Sarutobi nodded, "let's go Neko-san" he said as she nodded back as they both disappeared in a flash.
Scene break
Sarutobi appeared in the hospital room doorway only to find the room in total disrepair windows broken or open to the worlds, filthy bed sheets dirty floors, mould on the ceilings and floors, broken equipment, and Naruto laying on the bed like he had just been dumped there and left.
The sight of Naruto was truly that of nightmares, limbs bent the wrong way, bones jutting in directions they shouldn't that would make anyone sick, his skin burnt black and red and looked like he has been melted, Sarutobi couldn't believe Naruto was still alive, if it wasn't for the fact he could see his chest wheezing he wouldn't have believed it.
Sarutobi was furious "Niko-Chan, take Naruto to a more suitable room while I go find a doctor to treat his injuries, don't let anyone into the room before I get there"
"Hai Hokage-Sama" she said as she walked over trying not to gad at the smell of burnt flesh.
Time skip 5 days later Naruto's inner mind scape
Naruto felt sore, he felt like he had been beaten to a pulp and set on fire…..oh wait he had been, but now all he felt was water, he was in water, he opened his eyes and sat up to look around he found himself in a dark damp sewer corridor, he looked at himself and found himself sore but intact.
He stood up and made his way down the corridor coming to a wide open room and on the other side was a large double metal gate that stood at least seventy feet tall formed from large metal bars, and over the lock was a paper tag with the kanji for seal on it.
As Naruto approached the gate he could make out the shadow of a form inside and as he moved closer so did it, once they both were at the gate Narutos eyes widened upon realizing what he was looking at, a fifty foot tall orange fox with red slit eyes and nine tails
Naruto started to shake seeing it and he dropped on his ass and started to move back scared for his life, the fox seeing this decided to speak.
"You have nothing to fear from me Kit, unlike those bastards out there I wish you no harm" the fox spoke making Naruto still.
"Y-y-you're t-the Kyūbi, the nine tailed fox that the Yondaime Hokage killed when it attacked the village" Naruto stuttered as he shook in fear.
"Yes well as you can see my death was clearly exaggerated" the fox said as it lowered itself to the ground in a non-threatening manner, "I mean you no harm kit, killing you would serve me little good"
"W-where are we, last thing I remember was pain, I-I was burning, is this hell" he asked looking around
The fox chuckled, "far from it kit, though I can see why you'd think that from the fact of what it looks like and the fact I'm here, but no this isn't hell, we're in your mind kit"
"m-my, mind, but if we're in my mind why are you here" Naruto asked
"Not so dumb after all are you kit, I am here because all that nonsense, back when your ….Yondaime supposedly killed me, was a lie. You can't kill a mass of chakra like me, I just reform, no, he didn't kill me, he sealed me away, inside a new born infant…he sealed me inside of.." the fox tried to explain but was cut off my a shaking Naruto
"Inside of me, he sealed you in me"
The fox nodded and the witness Naruto hold his head and start hyperventilating, "now it all makes sense, the names they called me, demon, filthy fox, demonic spawn, hells child, it all makes sense I'm the Kyūbi reincarnated I'm…"
"No you are not!" the fox roared, "I am the Kyūbi you are merely my prison, don't let those stupid bastards tell you otherwise you hear me!"
"But you're in me, how can I not…" asked Naruto shaking again
"Kit, let me explain it to you simply, when you seal a kunai inside a scroll dose that scroll then become the kunai?" the fox reasoned as simply as he could.
"…..no" Naruto said after a few seconds of thinking and then realizing.
"That's right, and the same is true for the two of us, I am merely contained inside you, you are not me" the fox sighed.
Hearing that Naruto started to calm down, "but then why do they treat me like that"
The fox frowned, "Because kit, they are afraid, ignorant fools who want someone to blame for the damage I caused, even though I wasn't in control of my own actions"
"What do you mean", asked Naruto even more confused
"I take it you know what a Genjutsu is kit", Naruto nodded, "well at the time of my so called attack I had just been pulled out of my previous container and placed under Genjutsu by the one who dragged me out when the seal was at its most weakest, who he was I don't know, but he had those hated red Sharingan eyes and he used them to control me and forced me to attack the village when your Hokage stopped me and sealed me inside of you"
Naruto clenched his fists, "why"
The fox looked at him, "why what?"
Naruto shook with his hair covering his eyes "why did he do it, why did he seal you inside me, why me of all the orphans!" Naruto yelled looking up eyes brimming with tears.
"Because, and this is the most important thing kit, you weren't an orphan then, you were his son",
"What", Naruto gasped thinking he didn't hear right
"You are the son of the fourth Hokage, the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki", the fox said letting the information sink in before continuing, "your father sealed me inside of you for many reasons, one was that only an Uzumaki can be my container because of your already vast chakra supplies, two he could not ask another to give up a child to bear this responsibility when he had you, he was Hokage and would not force that pain on another, and thirdly, your mother was my container before you and my first was your clans head and wife to the first Hokage, Mito Uzumaki, so in short you were the only one left to take on the task of being my container, worsened by the attack I was forced to do, and so you have suffered under them because of….",
"It's not your fault", Naruto interrupted getting a blinking reaction from the fox
"What!?" Asked the confused fox.
"I said it's not your fault, you didn't attack the village yourself you were controlled, you are just as much a victim as I was", reasoned Naruto as he wiped his tears away
The fox sat there for a few seconds looking into the young boys eyes seeing no hatred in him, "You're nothing like I expected. You know that. Most others would be cussing me out right now for being the cause of such a horrendous life and yet your aren't",
Naruto looked down, "I don't have that many friends, and no one barely even says a kind word to me if any at all, this is probably the longest conversation I've had with anyone besides Jiji, so in truth I can't blame you because it simply isn't your place to be blamed for my suffering"
The fox closed his eyes and sighed, "Say that again when I've shown you what happened that night" he said as an oozing substance seeped out of the cage and touched Naruto when it did memories of that night flooded into him from the fox's point of view.
First from the restrictions of his seal inside his mother, and then when he was pulled out of the seal and set upon the village under Genjutsu and then when his father appeared and use a space time Ninjutsu to transport them outside the village where his mother used the last of her strength to chain and hold the fox as Minato began the sealing, and then the horror of both his mother and father being impaled by one of the foxes claws in order to stop him from killing the baby Naruto up , he heard his parents last words to him and then up until the point where he was sealed again.
Naruto gasped as the chakra disconnected and faded away and he lay on the ground panting coming to terms with what he had just witnessed and he closed his eyes as tears filled them witnessing all of that, but then he took a breath, "It isn't your place to be blamed for my suffering"
The foxes eyes went wide, "How can you still say that after everything you just witnessed!? It's because of me, the village hates, you for being my container! It's because of me you had to endure all of their anger! It's because of me, you don't have your parents! How can you still say that!?"
The blond boy looked up to the fox with a slight frown, "because I felt everything you felt that night, I felt your fear about not being in control of your own body, I felt your anger about being controlled and I felt your desperation about not wanting to be caged again, both my parents were moments away from dying. My mother from having you ripped out of her, a Jinchūriki can't survive without its bijū (tailed beast), and my father sealed his own fate by using that Jutsu to seal you in me, they were on deaths door and would not have survived past that hour. You just sped up the process. How can I possibly resent you for that, when I was just a babe at the time I was too young to even remember",
The fox's eye widened hearing the boys reasoning, he had be the cause for this boys pain and suffering for his entire life and he just forgave him like that, this boy was to kind. "Thank you kit, thank you for not blaming me, I've pictured how this meeting of our would go and every time I figured you would curse and resent me for everything, and honestly I accepted that, but now I'm just at a loss for words, I never expected this", the fox said as it bowed it head for a few seconds more and then silence
"…..so what now", Naruto asked kind of getting bored
"What do you mean? What now?" the fox asked with a raised eye brow
"I mean what happens now, do I just close my eyes and wake up in the real world", asked Naruto curiously
"normally yes that would be, but do you remember what happened before you came here", Naruto nodded with a grim face, "well I am currently in the process of healing you with my chakra, your body will be as good as new by the time I'm done, but the damage is extensive so it will take quite some time sense I can't over load you with my chakra or I could kill you",
"How much longer will it take", asked Naruto wanting to know how long he was going to be waiting here
"well technically in the real world its already been five days of my healing, and that why your hear now, I had to heal you this much just to get you here, and peering out of your seal I can see you're in a hospital room, it will still take a while yet to heal the rest of you", explained the fox
"So what do I do till then", Naruto asked in a sigh
The fox smirked, "well I was hoping you'd ask, I want to try and make it up to you for being the reason you've had a horrible life up till now",
"How do you mean", asked Naruto with a raised eyebrow
"Kit, I'm offering to train you" chuckled the fox
KAI: Flash back end
Hokage office
I took a deep breath and looked into the faces of Kakashi and the third Hokage as they let all that sink in what they had just been told, the fox had been a tool used by someone with a Sharingan to attack the village, at first it was unbelievable but hearing more and more made it believable no one knew how the Kyūbi got loose from Kushina that night especially with Minato guarding her and strengthening the seal, but when the fox had told them had made it all come together and the saw that it was the truth.
Kakashi just shook with anger remembering returning from his mission that very week and being told about what happened to Naruto, he had been needed to go on a mission of great urgency and so a replacement had been set up for him during this time but the bastard was just another 'fox hater' who had always left it till the last minute to pull Naruto out, he was happy to watch the man's execution after a month of harsh interrogation/torture with Ibiki.
Narutos POV
I decided enough time had passed and started talking again, "After that I spent the time learning from Kurama"
"Kurama?" Jiji interrupted looking confused
I nodded "That's the Kyūbi name, I asked him it after the third day in training, I couldn't just go around calling him fox for the months I spent learning from him" I reasoned
"But Naruto you were only out two weeks" he asked now even more confused.
I shook my head "Time works differently in the mind Jiji, depending on how deep you go, those five days were actually five months Kurama spent healing me at the start, and then there were the next nine days Kurama healed the rest of me, they were nine months in my mind learning from Kurama"
"And what did the fox teach you" asked Kakashi getting his two bits in.
"What I should have been taught at the academy, Kurama had been watching and saw that I wasn't going to be taught properly at the academy. So he took it on himself to train me mentally and then afterwards physically after I woke up. He taught me the mental form of his own personal Taijutsu style, one that only he knows that's why you didn't recognize it Kakashi, it's called Raging Tails and its only known by me and Kurama, utilizing power, speed and unrelenting combo attacks to overwhelm most enemies. After I had the basic forms down he started teaching me chakra control because he said mine was abysmal and that I would need it if I wanted any hope to control my own massive chakra stores and then his on top" I said with a smirk
Jiji nodded, "I see, so he did this to make up for him being the cause of the villages hate towards you?"
I nodded "and it didn't stop after that he trained me for the next three and a half years I was in the academy. When I wasn't in class I was training with him as my drill instructor, training me like those at the academy would never do. And believe me he was a hard ass."
'And you were the pain in the ass of a student' I mentally smirked hearing him gripe
"And why did you think it was necessary to keep this fact hidden till now" Jiji asked eye narrowed
"I told the other facts because in all honesty…. I was still sceptical on what to share, given that I didn't know who might have been listening and I was still partly a civilian, and had I came out with the fact that I had been trained by the Kyūbi no Kitsune (nine tailed fox), you might have called me a traitor straight off the bat and had me imprisoned or tried to at least, without giving me a chance to explain"
Jiji frowned at my words but nodded all the same, "Naruto, I can understand your scepticism and so I understand your reasoning behind withholding this information until you felt one hundred and ten percent safe, and you are now, as a full shinobi under my command you have nothing to fear, and now that I know all the facts, I agree with your decision to allow the fox to train you, you have nothing to worry about" he started smiling again which made me smile
"Thank you Jiji" I nodded
He nodded to me with a smile, "now tell us, how you know Anko Mitarashi?"
I grinned "That's simple also, I've known Anko-Chan since near the end of my second year in the academy, I met her a few months after I started training in the forest for death or as I call it my home away from home"
Both Hokage and Jōnin sweat dropped hearing a 15 year old call such a place that thinking the exact same thing, 'it's a male version of Anko'
"So Naruto exactly what training did you do it the forest that made you so strong" Kakashi asked
Naruto smiled, "my favourite game, killing the ugly mother fucking spiders"
Both Sarutobi and Kakashi's eyes bulged once again, they both knew the spiders Naruto was talking about, the deeper regions of the forest were infested with them, the ranged from the size of rats to being as big as three horses and build like tanks, the bigger ones hides were so thick not even chakra enhanced kunai could pierce them, and Naruto made a game out of killing them, just what the hell did that fox teach him.
"Naruto once again do I have to tell you just how dangerous that is, those spiders have claimed the lives of many a shinobi, and you attack them willingly!" Sarutobi yelled in shock
I shrugged, "well technically no, they attacked me first and many times after. Eventually I just made a game out of killing them and used it as my main method of training now, see how many I can kill before I have to break off, currently my record stands at 167 in one hour" I stated proudly with a smile making both Hokage and Jōnin sweat dropped again.
'Kami help us when he gets older' both though as they straightened themselves out again.
"so Naruto why did you want this room sealed off when Anko was brought up surely you could have just said you met her while training and left it at that, or is there something more"
I narrowed my glair this is where shit gets serious, "There is a lot more, you remember that curse mark she once had"
The Hokages eyes narrowed at the mention of that mark, a mark that had been placed on Anko before she had been found after being taken away by his former apprentice that he had never been able to remove for study because it was so complex, but that had one day just up and vanished from her shoulder leaving the Hokage and Jiraiya baffled about how it had just vanished. His face said he knew all about it, causing Naruto to nod.
"Well I was the one that removed it" I stated openly
The Hokages eyes widened hearing that, "you removed it, why, how?"
I clenched my fists "why, Anko was my friend and still is, and that mark was causing her pain in ways that were both mental and physical, when I first found out about that damn fucking mark. I found Anko, my only friend, on the floor of her apartment writhing in agony because of that fucking thing and I could do nothing but sit and watch her suffer through it. It was ten days after that that I removed it after studying it in that time, I didn't care about removing it for study….. I wanted to just stop her suffering after that it was simple to do" I said remembering that night and the days following as I held in my anger.
"But how did you remove it" Jiji asked
I calmed myself before answering "The way any curse or seal is removed, at its base if not protected properly which that one wasn't, an injection of foreign chakra into its source to break it down and destroy it"
Jiji's eyes widened "Naruto that was extremely dangerous had it had the proper protections you could have killed Anko and…" his yelling was cut off by as intense wave of killing intent poured off the young blond like nothing the elderly Hokage had ever felt in his entire life
"DON'T LECTURE ME ON SEALS OLD MAN I KNOW MORE THAT YOU ON THAT SUBJECT ENTIRELY, OF COURSE I KNEW IT WAS RISKY BUT DON'T YOU DARE SUGGEST THAT FOR ONE MOMENT I RISKED THE LIFE OF SOMEONE I CARED ABOUT, I ANALYSED THAT SEAL AND I EVEN FOUND SOME OF THE RESEARCH NOTES THAT SNAKE HAD LEFT IN HIS LAB ABOUT IT THAT I HAD TAKEN AS MY OWN I FOUND IN THE LIBRARY IN THE LAB. I READ THAT HE HAD YET TO APPLY THE PROPER PROTECTIONS BEFORE HE LEFT THE VILLAGE. SO I KNEW IT WOULDN'T BE ON ANKOS' MARK, AND EVEN THEN I KNEW HOW PAINFUL IT WAS GOING TO BE FOR THE PAIR OF US DOING THE PROCEDURE, THE CHAKRA INJECTION AND EXTRACTION TO DESTROY THE MARK IS ONE OF THE MOST PAINFUL THINGS I HAVE WENT THROUGH IN MY LIFE BUT I WOULD BE DAMNED IF I WAS GOING TO LET MY FRIEND SUFFER IN THAT NIGHTMARE THAT HAD BEEN FORCED ONTO HER BY ONE OF YOUR STUDENTS THAT YOU WERE TO COWARDLY TO PUT DOWN!" I yelled pissed off by all he had said how dare he I don't give a damn if he's the Hokage or the damn sage of the six paths, I would never put my friends through such pain.
The Hokage gulped under the massive pressure released I was releasing, Kakashi was on his hands and knees breaking out in a cold sweat at the pressure flooded the room.
Imz-Chan was unaffected as I wasn't targeting behind me, and placed he hand on my shoulder.
'Naruto-Sama please calm down I'm sure he meant no insult'
'She's right partner ease up'
Slowly I did, letting the pressure dissipate and allowing Kakashi and Jiji to breathe again, had it not been for the barrier around the office the entire village would have just crapped itself thinking the Kyūbi was attacking again.
I sighed, "I'm sorry for that little outburst, but understand friends are something I have always had in short supply of and Anko is one of the few I consider to be one of my closest and irreplaceable friends, I would not have risked her life removing that seal unless I was entirely certain it had to go, which was made even more clear after Kurama examined the chakra at its core" I explained
Gaining back his stature Jiji calmed himself and looked at me with a new found respect and slight fear. "What do you mean?"
"When I extracted the chakra from inside the curse mark, Kurama was furious, the chakra was his, Orochimaru used his chakra to make that curse mark and had it remained on Anko much longer she wouldn't have survive past her twenty birthday, so in short your curiosity over that mark would have cost one of those close to me their life because you wanted to study it" I said in a slight snarl.
Sarutobi frowned at that and slouched in his chair with a frown realizing they could have cost a promising Jōnin their live over their curiosity, greater good be damned, he felt like shit now
"Naruto I'm sorry, I had no way of knowing, seals, sealing and curse marks were always your mothers and fathers areas of expertise, we relied on them for that so we were being cautious" he said with his eyes shadowed sadden at this news.
"I know, you couldn't have sealed it off because it was unstable and doing so would have risked locking Anko in constant pain, and you did it all for the sake of the village trying to figure out how it worked to fight against it should it be used against the village, it's because your reasons were just that I didn't decide to break my cover and come in here that very night I removed it and kick your ass all the way to snow country and back" I said with a raised eyebrow releasing a small amount of killing intent making Jiji gulp a little, I just smirked.
Sarutobi nodded understanding that Naruto had done the right thing to save his friend, but then something hit him and his eyes widened, "Orochimaru has access to the Kyūbi chakra, how!?"
I scowled "from what Kurama says it looks like he used all he was able to gather when he discovered Kurama den and extracted what he could from the atmosphere, and sense we haven't seen any more curse marks about the place I think we can assume he's all out"
Sarutobi nodded hoping that was the case but then Kakashi spoke up, "Naruto how is it you know so much about Fūinjutsu, didn't you say you learned what you could from books and you weren't very good at it, yet you were able to destroy a curse seal"
I nodded, "another think I left out on my little report, the ten days after I first found out about Ankos curse mark was when I learned everything I could about Fūinjutsu, utilizing my shadow clones I perfects my skills at using it while I used others to memorize every book the public and my own personal library had on the subject, while I spent nine of those days in a nine month training blitz with Kurama who replayed me every memory my mother had of watching my father study and learn sealing and everything, so in short I had all of my father's knowledge at my disposal as well as everything else when I mastered the art of Fūinjutsu, making me every bit as good as he was in its ways, knowledge wise at least, I'm nowhere near his practical skill level, and why I had no second thoughts about how to remove the curse mark from Anko"
Both Kakashi and Sarutobis eyes widen, "Naruto if you have that knowledge then does that mean you knew how to perform the Hiraishin while you were in the academy"
I shook his head, "I wish that Jutsu would have made like a lot easier, no my mother didn't know all of my father's techniques as he kept a that one to himself but now with the family home and clan scrolls in my possession I should have no problem learning it"
"You found them then" Jiji smiled
I nodded, "Yes this morning, right before I had an untimely visit from two of the councils esteemed elders, so I never got a chance to look properly but I intend to later"
Jiji sighed, obviously he knew who I was talking about. "I thought they would try something like that, they didn't try anything did they"
I shrugged and then snickered at the memory, "Ordered me to let them in, I told them where they could shove it, then the old crow tried to force her way in, and I gave her a reason not to try it again, don't worry I left her alive though she won't be using her right hand for much for a few weeks of treatment"
Jiji nodded "thank you for showing restraint last thing I need is an uproar in the council about you killing off one of its members"
I nodded, 'I'm just wondering how long it will be before I give up on reasoning and just slaughter the lot of them', "now shall we get down to business about what you wanted to talk to me about when it comes to this council meeting, you want a list of stuff to fix don't you"
"yes, I plan to start cleaning up this village starting with all the problems the civilian council has caused I plan to move a lot of the power away from the civilian side and restore it to myself and the clan heads, things have gotten to lax out of war time" Jiji sighed
I nodded again, "that sounds like a good idea" I said as I took a scroll out of my pouch, "there's to many to talk about so I made a check list of them" I tossed it to Jiji and smirked, "start at the top and work your away down through the meeting, it will take a few months to get through, so just pick out the important ones, and I'll clear up the rest by the time I take that hat from you" I ended with a grinned, making Jiji smile as he put the scroll into his jacket
"Hopefully there won't be that many left by the time that comes to pass, now you said you had favours to ask at the beginning what they are" he smiled
I grinned "Don't worry Jiji I'm not going for your hat just yet, I'm giving it a few years yet, now about those favours…."