Implausible Tales chapter 7
-Hospital- chakra treatment room
"So, I just have to funnel my chakra into this?" Naruto asked holding onto the little orange necklace.
Sakura nodded her head. "Yes. That should do the trick. It's sort of like the necklace Tsunade gave to you all those years ago. As long as Himawari wears it, it will be like maintaining contact with you twenty four seven." She explained. "Hinata has already made hers so we're just waiting on yours to test it out. Make sure there's just a smidge of Kurama's chakra in it as well."
Naruto nodded and began pushing his chakra in. The little stone vibrated in his hand and lit up in a vibrant orange hue. After a while, he opened his palm and the stone slowly died out until it solidified in a beautiful orange tinted crystal. Sakura placed it back onto the necklace and handed it to him. "I don't understand the science of all this, but if you say it'll work, then I trust you." He said nodding her way.
"It'll work you idiot. Just make sure she understands she has to wear it at all times." Sakura informed him handing over the slip of paper she finished signing to Hinata. "Take that to the front and have it signed and you're free to go." She said before stopping Naruto.
"We'll wait for you in the front." Hinata told him on her way out. Naruto nodded and turned to see what it was Sakura wanted.
She stared at him for a second as if she were waiting for him to ask her something. "Was therrre something you needed?" he asked her curiously.
Sakura tilted her head. "Are you ok, Naruto?" she asked peculiarly. With a tone implying she assumed he wasn't.
Naruto thought it over and nodded sharply. "Yeah… yeah, I'm fine.. why?"
Sakura stared at him, seeming to be unconvinced by his answer. "Hinata says you've been spacing out…"
Naruto paused, figuring that this is what it was about. "… Uh, yeah. I just… Just sometimes, I have to step back and look around a bit… ya know?... I mean…. I'm home…" he said, holding his hands out wide and smiling as bright as ever.
Sakura smiled back to him and nodded. "Ok, but… Naruto if there's anything wrong… like.. maybe nightmares or something… Sasuke and I are always here to help."
He nodded quickly. "Mhm. Of course Sakura. Thanks for that." He said on his way to the door. "But, really. I'm fine. It's just really great to be back." He said as he walked out of the room, ready to get out of the scrutinizing and impromptu session. Sakura said nothing to impede his exit, she just watched him leave before she began cleaning the room.
-At the Burger Shop-
Shikadai and Boruto sat in a booth with their hand-held devices out as they played each other in some kind of game, speaking only when necessary. The trash from their finished meals in front of them still scattered across the table. A stranger atmosphere than usual encompassed the establishment as there were people sneaking glances their way.
"So, he said he was going to train you?" Shikadai asked from behind his screen.
Boruto shrugged and quickly pulled a hand away to take a sip of his half emptied drink. "Yeah. He seemed so thrilled about me coming in third place." He chided sarcastically.
Shikadai shrugged back. "You only lost to two people and one of them was his own daughter, who he's been training forever."
"So." He replied with a bitter tone. "I looked like a total loser in front of my d-…" he murmured, incoherently saying the last part before he realized what he was saying. When he looked up, Shikadai was looking at him, clearly not hearing him. "My sensei… Sasuke-sensei … I mean, he hasn't really taught me anything… ever… but now he definitely won't."
Shikadai raised an eyebrow at the situation. "Well, just ask your dad to train you. He seems pretty cool." He said going back to his game.
Boruto shrugged and did the same. "I don't know… he's always busy… and he doesn't even do anything. It's just that he gets a visit from someone new every day. It's like the whole village can't wait to meet him."
"Man, it's like he's a celebrity." Shikadai remarked. "Which kind of makes you a celebrity by affiliation." He offered jokingly.
"Tch, I know. It's weird." Boruto said looking around at the sneaky glances he knew he was getting. "No one really noticed me before. But, now that he's back, all of a sudden my mom and I are somehow valuable."
"I'm surprised you're complaining." Shikadai admitted, looking at him in curiosity. "I mean, you're like the coolest kid in the village now. You've always been about the spotlight."
"Yeah, but for the things I do. Not for what my old man supposedly did." He argued. "They didn't care about us when it was just us, so why start now?"
Shikadai understood his reasoning, but still, he would have assumed Boruto would take advantage of a situation like this. Instead it didn't seem like he cared much for the sudden boost in popularity or the fact that he had a dad. "Yeah… I guess I see your point." He replied going back to his game. "Still seems cool." He said lowly.
Boruto continued absentmindedly playing his game. There was definitely some truth to Shikadai's thinking. He had always pined for the seat of popularity but he was always overshadowed for favor of Sarada, Inojin, or even Shikadai himself. They were all from famous families as well which is where most of their recognition came from, but Boruto didn't want that. The reason being that his mother's name didn't seem to mean much if that was how popularity was decided, and secondly, it didn't seem like it would mean much to be praised for the actions of your family alone.
And even if it did, he has his father's last name and his looks. Did he not deserve any respect before because they thought he was some kind of bastard child? Why was his father's presence magically enough to make them see him as something more than just an ordinary everyday kid walking on the street? He used to go through the streets with nothing more than a few nods or smiles his way. Now, every time he steps out the door someone is there to greet him or to ask him for a picture. It was more than he could handle at the moment.
Of course, when all these thoughts came to mind, he always went back to the pluses. Those being his sisters health, his mother's newly found happiness, and their overall well-being. There was no longer any fear resting in his heart about his mom returning to service because she no longer had a need to. In other words, she would always be there for him and Himawari now. That's all he's ever wanted.
Well, yeah when he was younger, he longed for a dad as well, but those feelings were gone. Not that he didn't want one, he just no longer cared if he were there or not anymore. In fact, now that everything was essentially back to normal, he'd prefer it being just the three of them again. But, he was here now, like it or not, and he'd have to get used to it.
He wasn't all bad. He did get them a house, an actual house that was better than some of his friends. He got him some new clothes, this new game, and a load of other stuff, but that was all just stuff. He wouldn't be bought out so easily. No it would take a lot more than that to earn his respect and trust.
-Uzumaki House- living room
Walking into the living room, Boruto was greeted to Himawari who jumped up to greet him. "Boruto!"
"Hey Hima." He said in reply wrapping her in a hug before he continued in. "Where's mom?"
"She went to go train with Aunt Hanabi." She replied as she strolled behind him.
"Oh. Well, why didn't she take you?" he asked curiously.
Himawari strolled back to her spot on the couch where her toys were scattered about. "I wanted to stay with daddy. He was taking a shower."
Before Boruto could reply, Naruto came jogging down the stairs. "Oh, hey Bolt." He said with a smile. "You're home already huh?"
"Uh.. yeah. Shino-sensei let us go earlier today for some reason." he replied awkwardly.
Naruto nodded to him and looked around. "Uh... well, I don't really have anything to do today.. So, maybe you might want to… train or something?" Boruto's eyes lit up ever so slightly. "I could use a good partner to keep me on my toes for the tournament, ya know?" he said with a hopeful smile.
Boruto was still stunned in silence, unsure if this was really happening. "Uh.. y-.."
Before he could reply, a knock at the door reached their ears. Naruto smiled at him and rubbed his head as he passed him. Opening the door, the Nara family stood in the doorway with a comical look to them. Shikamaru looked exasperated, Temari was in absolute anger, and Shikadai was cradling the bright red hand print that covered half of his face.
"Uhm… come in?" Naruto said stepping to the side with a chuckle at the sight. When Boruto saw who it was, he tried to sink into his jacket as he snuck towards the stairs.
"Where's Hinata?" Temari demanded angrily.
Naruto was looking at Shikadai with a bit of sympathy. "She's training with her sister. Why? What's up?" he asked.
With a sigh Shikamaru responded. "Well, it would seem that our little angel children have skipped school today." He said mockingly.
Naruto raised an eyebrow at that. The look on his face saying it wasn't that big of a deal. "Oh, uh. Well, I'll have to talk to him about that then." He said turning around to see him gone.
"Yeah!" Temari yelled in agreement. "It's like they don't have any common sense! They should know by now that Shino comes to see us when they're out for any reason! I mean, what kind of irresponsibly idiotic reason could they have ha-.." she began a very rage filled rant of belittlement towards her son as she bonked his head with Himawari laughing in the distance.
Naruto just stared at her with fear ridden eyes, for some reason feeling like he was in trouble as well. "I'm really sorry Naruto." Shikamaru said in a deadpanned tone over Temari's screaming rant. "She wanted to make sure Hinata knew in case Shino couldn't find her." He explained further.
Naruto nodded slowly. "Uh, yeah. It's fine. I'll handle it." He said smiling at Temari who finally ended her rage-filled rant. "Thank you very much for informing me Temari."
She stared at him curiously for a few seconds before turning to leave, grabbing onto Shikadai's ear on the way out, ignoring his pain riddled cries for her to stop. "You better!" she called out over her shoulder.
Naruto chuckled at the sight and just truly relished in the fact that he was home as he did with everything he saw that remotely reminded him of something in the past. Shikamaru chuckled as well. "I'm sorry again Naruto." He said shaking his head. "Temari's incredibly strict with him. You should see her and my mom together." He said rubbing the side of his face, imagining the scene.
"Heh, yeah I bet." He said scratching the back of his head.
Shikamaru nodded and thought of something else to say. "Oh, and before I forget. Tomorrow night is the first of the month." He said confusing the blonde. "It's kind of a thing we picked up a few years back. Every first of the month, the guys go out and have dinner just to hang out and all. I don't know if anyone's told you yet, but you are very much expected to go." He said with a nod of his head. "Believe me, even if you don't want to, you will somehow be in attendance."
Naruto smiled and nodded. "No, that sounds great. I'll definitely be there." He quipped happily. "Where's it at?"
"It's at Choji's. Not the greatest I know, but it's free." He shrugged.
Naruto nodded and shook his hand. "Alright, well I'll see you then." He said as Shikamaru turned to leave. "And I hope you're ready for next week." He said as he waved him off.
Shikamaru didn't turn around, simply throwing a lazy "I'm not" over his shoulder as he continued on. Naruto chuckled and shut the door.
-Boruto's room-
Sitting on the edge of his bed, he fidgeted with his game, trying to seem busy. He could hear the footsteps coming towards his room and each thump told him he was in trouble. Finally, the steps stopped and two sharp knocks rang through the wood of his door. Sighing sadly, he called out "Come in." reluctantly.
Naruto poked his head in to see Boruto sitting on his bed, his face set into a mixture of disappointment and regret. Wordlessly, he walked into the room and shut the door. As he walked further in, he looked around the room and noticed the Kagemasa posters plastered around the walls.
He pulled the chair of Boruto's desk out and took a seat, right in front of him. "Uhm…" he began, not truly knowing what to say here. "So, you skipped class today?" he asked, as if he didn't know.
Boruto sighed and put the game off to the side as he clenched the side of his mattress. He didn't say anything as his head hung down towards his lap.
"I uh… Boruto honestly, my friends and I skipped class all the time, so I definitely understand." He said surprising him. He could see the hope rise in his eyes "I understand it, but I do not approve." He continued, dropping that look of hope almost instantly. "I'm not sure what your mother would do in this situation…"
At the mention of his mom, Boruto slumped down in defeat. He was in big trouble. Big, big trouble.
A pang of sorrow flew through Naruto's heart seeing the look. He was impressed Hinata garnished this level of fear, but seeing it on his son's face wasn't something he was used to yet. "Look." He said sitting up a little straighter to get his point across. "I won't tell her this time." Boruto's tear filled eyes shot up to him in shock and relief. "But, don't let it happen again." He said in a stern voice.
Boruto nodded his head vigorously and wiped his eyes. Remembering the lessons of his mother, he quickly spat out a "Yes sir" showing respect to his father.
Naruto nodded back, liking the fact that he seemed to actually have manners. "Well…" he said standing up and looking around. "I uh… I suppose I shouldn't let that be the end of it." He said. "I guess I have to punish you just a bit." His eyes roamed around until they landed on his game. "Ah." He said picking it up. "Now, you'll get this back.. uh in an hour?" he asked aloud, as if asking Boruto himself. Nodding to himself, he turned to leave.
"Thank you…" Boruto's voice called out from behind him. He stopped at the door and wondered why a kid would be grateful for being punished until he thought back to his old days. When he would sometimes wish for someone to do so. Smiling softly, he left the room.
Jumping as high up as he could, he narrowly avoided the mouth of the unnaturally large snake that tried to swallow him whole. It was roughly as big as Sasuke's summoning snake. It was all black with very black eyes that reflected the unnatural night sky above him. Just when he thought daylight was perpetual, Zetsu adds another factor to make his journey all the more difficult. He was now in a new section of the dimension that resembled a rainforest, fit with the deadly creatures within that only had an appetite for him, and constant rain that beat down around the entirety of the area.
Why was he venturing into it? For the present sent for him from his captive that he could see from his cave. It was at the very top of the highest tree that just so happened to be directly in the middle of the rainforest. With no chakra, taking it to the trees was a lot harder than it used to be. Now, he actually had to climb, as they were too high to jump to, too wet to safely use for traveling, and it was too dark to even test it. Instead, he had to stick to the ground.
Now, he is in a desperate situation with an enormous snake slithering its way up towards the branch he was kneeling down on. With a brief moment of hesitation, Naruto leaped from the branch and successfully caught the branch a few feet away. Pulling himself up, he saw the snake wrapping around the branch he was just on. Figuring now was his chance to put a little space between the two, he jumped from the tree, momentarily forgetting the overbearing gravity he still wasn't equipped for due to the heated situation.
When he landed, he landed hard and rolled with the impact. He flipped in the mud until he was on his back, cringing at the pain in his body. Finally gaining his senses, he picked his head up to look for the snake and to his luck, it was still climbing down the tree. Rolling over, he pushed himself up to his feet and limped away. Looking up at the tree in front of him, he was rethinking his decision to do this, finding it idiotic of himself to even trust the potential 'help' of his enemy. It was incredibly high up, at least a good hundred yards. There was plenty to grab onto and he was sure he could make it, but with the rain and the added weight, it was more than a small risk.
Pushing the wet hair out of his face, he looked around and, to his chagrin, found motivation to make it up the tree. A pair of yellow eyes stalked him from the shadow of the trees. Slowly, the creature stepped into the dimly lit moonlight, displaying a panther as big as the wolves in the forest region. Nearly cursing at his misfortune, he wasted no time in rushing up the tree.
With a roar, the black cat gave chase, using its claws to climb the tree just beneath him. Naruto used the vines wrapped around the massive tree, occasionally having to jerk his feet up and away from the swiping claws. Finally getting high enough to make use of the surrounding foliage, he did just that. Grabbing onto a vine, he ripped it in half and swung to sturdy enough branch.
The panther was hot on his tail and leaped its way over as well. Balancing on the branch, Naruto stared the cat down just a few feet away. It was clinging shakily to the sides of the branch while maintaining their intense eye contact. Naruto put his hands up in a defensive stance and watched as it crouched lower, ready to pounce. When it did, Naruto leaned out of its way slightly and grabbed it beneath its arms so that it couldn't slash. With a twist of his body, he flung it over the side of the branch and watched it roar as it hit the first two branches before he could no longer see it.
With a sigh of relief, he looked up to the top of the big tree he had been climbing to see it was just a few feet away. Figuring it'd be stupid to turn around now, he stepped to the edge of the branch gently, praying it didn't break under his weight. When he made it close enough, he looked to the big tree to see a vine on its side. There were no nearby vines, so he would have to make the jump.
Rocking back and forth in preparation, he inhaled and exhaled slowly. With another inhale he jumped forward, swinging his arms involuntarily. When he came in range, he clamped down on the vine he was aiming for. Breathing a sigh of relief, he pulled himself up and began climbing again.
When he finally made it to the top, there was a convenient branch leading to the unnaturally placed item he saw from his cave, bustling in the wind and rain. It was a black piece of cloth. Grabbing it, he held it out, trying to see what it was regardless of the rain. It was a black hooded cape which would only be essential here of all places. In irritation he breathed a sigh of frustration. He traveled through the only place it was raining to retrieve something to protect him from the rain… great.
Looking around, there was also a scroll wedged between the tip of the tree and an upturned twig. Pulling it free, he opened it up and read its content. It was of course from Zetsu. It explained the fact that he was always watching him and that he enjoyed watching him struggle, but if he didn't begin training seriously, he'd just off the world within the next few weeks. He went on to say it was clear to see most of Naruto's time and energy was going into acquiring food so he would supply tools to make the task a bit easier.
At the bottom of the scroll was a blood seal. Naruto bit his thumb and smudged it across the seal. To his surprise, two kunai popped out and he quickly caught them both. Holding them in his hands, he looked up to the raining sky and shut his eyes. It wasn't what he expected, but they would definitely make most of his tasks a lot easier. Like getting down for instance.
They'd make the task easier, but sadly, not more desirable. He sat down on the branch to catch his breath, putting the hooded cape on over his form to protect him from the beating rain. From the top of this tree, he could see everything from the forest, to the pond, and even his cave. More accurately, the pair of Sharingan eyes which for some reason seemed to be staring right at him. It was like they followed him all the way here. Creepy. Naruto shook his head and shut his eyes as he turned his face up towards the raining sky, letting the water wash his face.
-Uzumaki House-
Opening his eyes, he was staring into his shower head with the water running through his blonde hair. Spitting the water away from his mouth, he cut the shower off. Stepping out, he grabbed a towel and walked to his mirror. Drying his body off, he examined his reflection. Again, he had to stop and smile at the fact that he was home. There was no greater feeling in the world. Getting dressed in his usual outfit, he walked out and into his room.
Throwing his dirty clothes into the hamper in the corner, he headed out the room. On his way to the stairs, he almost passed by Boruto's room, stopping when he heard the chatter within. Poking his head in, Boruto, Shikadai, and Inojin were too busy playing their games to notice him. He smiled and continued on. When he got downstairs Hinata, Sakura, Temari, and Ino sat around the living room talking about whatever it was they were laughing at while Sarada and Chocho played with Himawari. Shikamaru and Sai stood by the door.
Walking towards Hinata, he wasn't noticed until he was already there. Leaning down, he pecked her on the lips, inciting a round of playful awe's from the others which they simply laughed off. "I'll be back later." He whispered to her as she nodded. With that said, the men bid farewells to the ladies and left the house.
-Akimichi grill-
Naruto, Sai, and Shikamaru walked into the relatively empty restaurant and instantly spotted their party. The long table was occupied by Sasuke, Kiba, Lee, Shino, and Konohamaru and when they spotted the long lost blond, they shouted his name in cheer. The three of them joined them, leaving one seat remaining, most likely for Choji who was in the kitchen preparing the meal
Naruto took a seat next to Sasuke with Shikamaru plopping down next to him. "Naruto!" yelled Lee from across from him. "I am glad that you have returned! The village was not the same without you!"
Naruto smiled bashfully and waved the statement off. "Tch, I know that's right." Kiba added in. "Now that your back, there's already brighter days."
"Thanks guys." Naruto replied. "It's great to be back."
"Now." Said Konohamaru. "I think we'd all like to know where you've been all this time." He suggested receiving shouts of agreement from everyone. He chuckled and leaned up on the table.
"I am certain it must have been some amazing adventure. Why? Because Naruto is commonly associated with situations of the sort." Shino added on.
"It is quite strange how you always seem to attract trouble." Sai quipped up.
Sasuke grunted. "Trouble attracts Naruto." He said inciting a round of chuckles from the others.
Naruto smiled and shook his head. "I uh… I don't know where to start." He said scratching the back of his head. "I was uh… I was at home with Hinata…" he began. From there, he went on to explain, in detail, the events that led up to him being taken to Zetsu's dimension.
"Zetsu?" Kiba asked. "You mean that white shapeshifting thing from the war?"
Sasuke answered for him. "No, those were 'white' Zetsu's. Merely clones created by Madara using the cells of the first Hokage. The true Zetsu was a creature created by Kaguya to do her bidding." He explained receiving nods of confirmation from the others.
With that said, Naruto continued, explaining what Zetsu demanded from him and what would happen if he didn't follow through. They weren't at all surprised to hear that he saved the world yet again. It was almost a normal thing to hear when dealing with Naruto. By the time he got to where Zetsu created the forest, Choji arrived with the food.
They ate while still listening to Naruto's tale. "You hunted, killed, and ate a giant wolf?" Konohamaru asked incredulously. Naruto nodded his head slowly as if saying it wasn't that hard to understand. Konohamaru shook his head. "You are… impossible!" he said making the others laugh in agreement.
Naruto chuckled and continued on. When everyone was finished with their meal, he was just getting to the forest. "Guys, I don't really want to waste all the time." He said with a chuckle. "I'll just say a lot happened." He finished.
"Oh come on!" Konohamaru bellowed out childishly. "It was just getting good! At least tell us a shortened version of the rest of it." He pleaded.
Naruto looked down in thought, fishing through his head for how to word it. "Uh, well after the fourth year, Zetsu returned and… yeah, I went to war." He said casually, taking another bite of the last bit of food he had left as if what he said was completely casual.
"You went to war… for three years?" Kiba asked incredulously receiving a casual nod from the blonde.
He gulped his food down. "Well, two and a few months. Getting back took some time on its own."
Lee was absolutely amazed. "Naruto! Your flames of youth carried you through the hardship of yet another war!" he shouted out. "I envy your impressive flames!"
Naruto chuckled and thanked the eccentric man. "Well, whatever the case. We're glad you're back." Shikamaru said for everyone.
"I cannot wait to battle you in the up and coming tournament!" Lee continued, kicking off a new topic. "Tenten and I will not lose this year!"
"Well, that is hard to believe. Ino and I are going to win, so you must lose somehow." Sai said with a sly smile.
"You're both delirious." Sasuke threw out casually. "Sakura and I will take it yet again."
"Tch, yeah right." Naruto said with a daring squint. "Hinata and I will win it for sure."
"You're both wrong." Shikamaru of all people said. "Temari's been nagging me all year about this stupid tournament. So, I'll actually have to try this year. Maybe if we win it, she'll get off my back." He admitted.
"Oh no he's gonna try this year! Guess we should all be scared!" Kiba mocked comically, receiving laughter from the others.
Naruto's chuckles died out and he pat the chronically lazy man's shoulder. "All I can say is good luck to all of you." He said displaying more maturity than any of them have ever seen from the blonde.
"Oh man, I'm not even sure if this is really Naruto." Kiba remarked making everyone laugh yet again.
Sasuke grunted in the way only a true Uchiha could. "Guess you did do some growing while you were gone, huh?"
Naruto just waved their remarks about his old self off as he shook his head. "Eh, three years of war will do that to you, ya know?" He said taking a sip of the glass of Saki in front of him.
That remark seemed to kill the mood a bit, reminding everyone just how hellish it must have been for him. They were at war for just three days. The preparation was much longer than the actual hell they fought in, but Naruto was at war for three years. He didn't get to go into detail of what that entailed, but from what they went through, they had to figure it wasn't anything pleasant.
Naruto didn't notice the silence, too engrossed by the taste of the liquor in his mouth. When he finally opened his eyes and realized, he gulped the liquid down. "I uh..." Figuring the best course of action was to leave the subject completely, he did just that. "I guess I'll be seeing all of you guys next week then?" he asked, fishing for a response from anyone.
Sasuke was the first to speak as he stood up. "Just don't be late you idiot." He remarked playfully on his way out. Naruto chuckled but didn't reply to him. The others finally fell out of their momentary stupors and said their pieces as well, all vowing to win the coming tournament without fail. It being just a few days away, everyone was far passed ready for it to be here.
