Naruto had visited Anko and Kabuto during his two weeks 'off'. Giving them the details of his misssion and how the play by play went. He also told them how he realized they were his real family even if there wasn't any blood shared. Anko had tried to stab him playfully but smiled knowing she felt the same way about the brat. Kabuto had nodded, saying he didn't feel as close to anyone else in the village than he did with Naruto. Though the blond caught the small smirk on Anko's face at that statement.
The rest of his time was spent reading over the scroll his mother had left for him. The only think he could think of it was really that his mother most have scavenged their old home village for these scrolls. The sword he found in the scroll was one he didn't really know, he was expecting a Katana or something similar. But instead it was a slender doubled edge straight blade, with whirlpool symbols etched along it's length. He could feel the slight pull from his chakra into the blade, as it tested him. The Uzumaki Clan blade was one that was a bound weapon, it would forge a link to it's master if found worthy. This also, according to the scrolls, would allow him to summon it back to him and prevent anyone from attempting to wield it. There were also mentions of different skills for it compared to not being bound with it the blade.
His clones worked on each and every technique, while he himself would spend the training sessions working on the kata's for the sword. Letting Asuma work with Shino and Hinata in their new weapons. Today however was their last day of their 'relief' time. "Bring it in, I have somethings I want to talk to you about." Asuma waved the three gennin in from their training. He did have to admit it was rather eerie watching how well they all took to any skill he gave them to train. Sure they weren't a master of any field. 'Except for Naruto, he is a filly qualified medic, and maybe a Control Master... even if we don't qualify that as a field I would damn sure think it counts.' He nodded seeing them all there. "I have been given an option that I wanted to see what your thoughts on this are."
The team all nodded, as they looked at each other. Their entirety covered in sweat, and Hinata in a few thin cuts. Her's was a far more difficult weapon in concept but she had to admit it felt right in her hands, not to mention she could channel chakra through it and with enough practice the Jukken.
" The chunnin exam is in two months. I'm going to enter you to participate, however." he paused, "Even with your A ranked mission, you still need four more C ranking missions to qualify." He took a moment to see the calculating look in his teams eyes... minus what he would assume to be one behind a set of sunglasses. "So the question I have for you is would you want to to them all in a row or space them out letting you have a few days to a week for training?"
Two of them turned to look at Naruto, He however just smiled with a faint nod. "All at once, in case we need to recuperate at the end we can still have a decent block of solid training."
"That's what I thought you would say. So I went a head and told the Hokage as much. We will be taking border Patrols. All are one week, and we will just moved posts for each mission." He smiled, " We leave tomorrow, we will have two days in between for travel and to resupply. Fortunately these are the most routine C-rank missions. Usually the 'D' ranks of Chunnin."
The next four weeks if you asked the team were the dullest and largest waste of their time ever. They also begged, well for them it would be considered begging, with veiled threats of bodily harm to never have to do this mission again. The only good in Naruto's eyes was that he fully completed the bonding with the Hariken blade. Which he kept that a secret as much as he could, yet Hinata and Shino both noticed his severe lake of Chakra the last week of the mission. Even if the lack placed him in the normal range it was still a drastic difference from his usually radiating body.
Asuma had given them a few days off before having them hammer in their training. Which was a shock to see when he arrived early to the training grounds, just so try and glimpse what they did before he got there. The shocking sight of five Hinata, seven Shino and about twenty Naruto all working on either manipulation exercises, trading jutsu and working with their weapons made the man fall from his tree.
"What?"
They all turned to look at him, before Naruto dispelled his clones in threes and Hinata and Shino waiting five minutes between a single clone. "I guess you found one of our secrets Sensei." The blond said as if it were completely normal for a team of Gennin to be able to create a Shadow clone let alone so many.
Shaking off the fall and the prior shock, "Yes.. now I want to know a few things. Which you will tell me or I will make sure you never do anything more than the dirtiest D-Rank missions I can find." He smirked, "Or border patrols until your fifty." He watched in glee or rather the feeling of finally getting to be in charge for once.
Looking to his team he nodded, getting a sense of their relief from having to keep this a secret. "Ask and we will tell you, but if we refuse something don't push it." The blond said, "Some of us like to keep things a secret for a surprise later."
Asuma nodded he could understand that much, after all he kept a few jutsu he knew even from the Hokage just in case he needed them. " First how long have you used and known the Shadow clone?"
Naruto took this one, "Since I was seven... as for Hinata and Shino about eight months."
Asuma blinked, 'The kids been using this since he was seven? That would explain how he managed to full aspects of being a medic.' "That would explain a few things. Now what about Chakra control and Elemental Manipulation?"
"With the help of the Shadow clones I have nearly completed the Earth exercises, and have started the second stage of Water decomposition." Shino answered in his inflectionless tone, "Also I have reached the second tier of Iryo exercises."
"Ano, The same as Shino but with my Lightning, and the water." Hinata spoke with more authority but was still reserved.
Naruto smiled feeling happy for his friends and his hard work paying off, "I've got the Water and Wind 'mastered' and am almost completed with the Second level of Earth decomposition and the first of Lightning." He shrugged, "As for control exercises...I've sort of ran out of any new ones so i've been mixing at least three different ones to make it more difficult."
"You are already doing elemental decomposition?" HE shook his head, " But none of you are doing Fire..."
"For most that would seem a weakness, Yet we all have skills that are opposed to fire, as well it is in over abundance in this country. Allowing us to be underestimated in fights." Shino replied.
Rubbing his face, "Fine..I already know your taijutsu and your kenjutsu skills roughly enough to guess they are your lower skills." Getting a nod, "Outside of the Substitution, Henge, Academy Clone and Shadow clone what are your ninjutsu?"
Naruto opened his mouth first, "Suiton jutsu for all of us are the Hiding in the Mist, Suiton:Water Bullet and the Water Prison. I also know the Water Fall Basin." He paused a moment. "Shino an I know Doton skills of hiding like a mole, the underground fisher king projection and the Tearing Earth turning palm. He also knows Earth Spear though he's not mastered it yet." Smiling he looked to Hinata, "Her and I both know the Raiton Skills of Shocking Palm, Thunder wave and Storm Lance. She also can do the Lighting Ball, and is working on a version of the Chidori that Kakashi taught her." Rubbing the back of his head, "Fuuton wise I know Gale Force Palm, Wind blade, Great Breakthrough and Pressure Damage. I'm working on making a version of the Earth Spear but for wind. We also are working on a collaboration technique starting with Suiton but eventually we want to merge our different element for it."
Hearing the list it wasn't really to over powered, individually, but Naruto knowing almost all of their jutsu was a bit unnerving yet he shared and trained them in a common element. It showed far more that he wasn't the demon trapped inside of him. The concept of a collaboration however had him interested. "I have seen a few of those would you mind showing me what you can do with it so far?"
The three jumped back to the stream with Naruto in the middle, Hinata and Shino were in perfect sync with their handsigns which he noted were for the water Dragon until they twisted the end of it into something he couldn't quite tell. Meanwhile Naruto was doing his own set of seals that would sync into theirs every other one, "Suiton: Hydra Shot." Three water dragons rose from the stream until they stood in front of them only for the water to merge around them creating a body. "Elemental Rotation," This however caused one of the Heads to stat sparking, the middle to begin swirling and the last to become darker almost murky. That's went it fell apart and sort of exploded around them leaving them soaked to the bone and covered in muck.
Asuma laughed, it was a funny sight to see but he admitted, "Aside from the ending I think it was pretty good. Only thing I can tell is that the wind is to strong and you have them next to a weakness, if you left the center as only the water it would be more stable." He noted to them as they walked over. "But for now I see that one taking quite some time to complete. As it not only takes vast control but compatible chakra and plenty of knowledge about each other." He winked at them, "though I would say a year or two more."
Naruto washed them and blew them all off with his jutsu, " Genjutsu kind of sucks... but our control lets us break out quickly save for Hinata who is immune because of the Byuakugan. Then they have their clan techniques and I have my Iryo skills. On top of our tracking skills that you know of already." He shook out what water was left in his hair, "Plus we all have ways of disruption charka and the body with our skills."
"That is true, you are far more advanced that I would have thought but not much further than most Chunnin." HE grinned, 'They should all easily pass the exams.' "Now if you pass the exams you will still be a team. It's not until Jounin that it becomes much different. Usually your clans don't specialize in much beyond your own techniques." He looked at Hinata and Shino who both gave a 'Yeah and?' look to him. "you three are well balanced and actually don't have much individuality but are a true merger of each other. I would like you all to think of a specific area that you don't have in common that could be a true focus for you." 'This is much harder than it would be given their bond.' He sighed internally, "One of you," looking at Hinata and Shino, "Should consider Genjutsu as they would compliment you greatly in your styles as a clan and everything else. Perhaps interrogation," Here he looked at Naruto and Shino. "There are several other areas that are much harder but could be useful to yourself and also to the village like Sealing or Barriers."
The three of them looked at each other before both turned to look at Naruto once more, "Okay .. geez.." He rubbed his head, "I may... have a few more skills Sensei..."
"Oh and what else have you been hidding?"
"Heh.." Rubbing the back of his head, "I've been studying sealing and I may have learned something that isn't native to Konoha because of it.."
Raising a brow, "Now how did you come about this 'mystery' skill?"
"if I said that a missing-nin has been living in the village and has been training me since I was six...secretly and that it was in seals and in Puppetry what would you say. Hypothetically?" Naruto seemed slightly anxious.
" I would say that since we have never caught nor heard about this Ninja that he is either very low on the bingo books or that he is very highly skilled at remaining hidden at all times."Asuma was a bit worried, but the fact Naruto was even coming clean about it meant that either something happened, will happen, or is happening that has caused him to doubt everything. "As for learning a village art that falls onto the head of the ninja who taught you. Though as a missing nin he obviously holds no care for his former village. But I have to ask why you are telling me this if it is true."
Naruto pulled off his shirt revealing the four inch tattoo on his right pectoral. It was an obvious Fox ** with a small symbol that Asuma recognized. They symbol that showed the master who taught the skill, the scorpion of Sasori of the Red Sands. "Since I was six he has been taking care of me, and teaching me. Even before Kabuto-nii started helping me, Sasori-sama was the first person in this village that wanted to help me and actually did it."
he was torn from running straight to the Hokage or falling over at the fact that an S-Class missing nin taught Naruto his trade. It was then that he noticed the unfazed look from the other two. "You two know about this?" They both nodded. Running his hand down his face, "Naruto. How long have you been aware of who Sasori truly is?"
"Since before we left for Wave."
"Okay. Do you know what he is doing here?"
The blond perked up a bit, "Actually yes.. he never made it a secret really." He shrugged his shirt back on. Thankful that he wasn't getting carted of for anything yet. "He was defeated in a fight against Orochimaru destroying all but one of his puppets and leaving him...weakened. This village was the closest so he cam here to rebuild and recover." it felt kind of good to get this off of his mind. "He also left an organization that is planning on hunting my kind and capturing them. He wants revenge against both of them."
"Your kind?" Please tell me this kid isn't talking about what I think he is talking about.
"Jinkurichi yes. He knew who I was as soon as he saw me. He decided he was going to train me so it would be difficult for them to even get me or rather get what's inside. Also since he was Orochimaru's partner in that organization he knows the best chance of finding him was to remain here." Looking completely honest. "The man doesn't lie.. 'The truth is a far sharper weapon than lies.' Plus you don't have to keep track of what you said to who."
Wanting to slap himself or Naruto crossed his mind but it wasn't going to do any good at the moment. "Does anyone else know who he is?"
"Anko and Kabuto know him.. but I don't think they know 'who' if you mean the S-Class thing. He's just a guy who works on puppets and teaches me stuff. Hell I practically live there... he never leaves unless he runs out of something but then he's only gone a few days." The blond retorted, "I meet him at the gate all the time on his way back."
"You know what I have to do now don't you?" Asuma said.
The blond frowned but nodded. He had already taken everything he owned from the shop, and made copies of -everything- he could when Sasori left the last time. As well as tools and parts, hell he was pretty sure the man knew it and would be gone already. "I doubt he's still here plus he didn't attack, kill or steal anything while he was here."
"Have either of you two met Sasori?" They both shook their heads no. " Fine you two can either keep training or return home and work on your clan skills. Naruto you need to come with me."
Hokage's Office
"And that's everything I can tell you." Naruto finished explaining everything. As he pulled Naru from his pocket and unsealed the puppet causing a bit of a reaction from the three ANBU, the Hokage, Asuma and Ibiki. "This is the puppet Naru, it was the first one he gave me.. though I've made changes as I learned." He had the creation go through fighting forms, and do different things before he sealed it back into his scroll.
'He didn't even move to control it.' The hokage thought. Having seen enough puppet users in his day to know there should have been some motion at all. 'He must have really been taught by Sasori, even the mark is real.' Turning to look at Ibiki, " Thoughts?"
The scarred man rubbed his chin before his gruff voice followed. "Nothing occurred during that time, at all. I mean nothing except for reports about Naruto dropping since ANBU weren't having to get him out of trouble." he stared into the blond's eyes searching for something. " Plus if what the kid says is completely true the amount of supplies he bought gave us a fair bit of money. It also gave our village a new skill and a master of it."
"Do you have any Human puppets." Hiruzen asked.
"No, I never went further than animals and have no desire to. As a medic I can't it's just wrong." Naruto was adamant. 'Even if I have Haku's body I could.. but...no.'
"I've already been informed by Anko of the situation prior to this." He leaned back in his chair. "I allowed for him to stay because it was in the interest of helping our village and I honestly didn't want to deal with the paper work from the fall out." The shinobi in the office all snapped their heads to look at the old hokage. "Thank you, now this is to be kept in this office. Outside of those involved if I hear anything I will make sure you will not be found." Pulling out his pipe he started it up and taking a few good drags with a smile. "Naruto stay.. everyone else may go."
They left and naruto was wanting to leave, wanting to yell at the old man for smoking, and wanted to just run and hug him because he wasn't in trouble. "What did you want me to stay for?"
"As your hokage I want to know what you learned about sealing and what you have done to your seal." He glared, "as your 'grandfather' what the hell were you thinking?"
Naruto gulped, "Originally we just had an overlay that acted as a double conversion and storage seal and a flow restriction seal to keep the amount of Kyuubi chakra from entering my body and my coils. To a minimum." taking a seat because he really didn't want to stand for this. "That worked fine to get my control and start me working on being an actual shinobi rather than a walking demon bomb." Running his hand through his hair, "that was until we studied the seal in full. Two things scared us. One that there is another seal somewhere that can alter mine. From shutting it to opening it fully like a key to the cage." He shuddered. "The other was that the seal is constantly opening letting more and more demon chakra into my systems, both my body and my reserves. My body is leathally addicted to it. Which the first fix wasn't helping."
"What do you mean addicted?"
"The main reason all jinkurichi are infants. Our coils are solid and our bodies are still adjusting to everything. If the influx of chakra didn't kill you the 'poison' quality of the chakra would. Our bodies adapted to it and become dependent on it to function. So we fixed it permanently."
he leaned forward in his chair. "What did you do to 'fix' this permanently?"
" We found the point in the seal that infuses my body and my coils with the chakra. Making a duplicate of the orignial purification seal that is used to thin out the demon chakra by running it through a matrix that sends the more 'wild' portion of the chakra into my body, which is the portion I am addicted to, it would shunt the rest directly into my coils." he pulled some paper making a rough diagram to show this. "As the seal opens further I get more of both, it makes control impossible I could just fling chakra and that would be it. But as I said we made a copy, and placed it right over the seal so it would run the Kyubii's chakra into it. That seal was a conversion seal, made to force convert the chakra into Iryo chakra."
"Like the conversion used to convert chakra to an element for tags?"
"Yes. It spun it out, which I am sure that's how I have a Iryo affinity." Shaking his head, "The point is the conversion 'destroys' about eighty percent of the Kyubi Chakra that would have flooded my system, we then placed another conversion seal that I had to compress so that it would convert the pure Iryo chakra into 'mine'. We used the concept form the cursed seal that would convert the bearers chakra into the one that placed the seals. The conversion back looses about three percent more."
Taking a long pull from his pipe he ran the figures through his head, "So you're only getting about fifteen percent of the chakra that is being siphoned from the demon."
Here the blond shook his head, "No. The percentage is being constantly increased because the seal is constantly opening. With the initial seal I was getting maybe seventy percent to my coils. So I'm actually getting far less. About twenty percent after converting to Iryo, then a spin out loosing roughly thirty percent of that to be injected into my body. Then another three percent loss to the reconversion before it enters my coils." He rattled on Seeing the glasses of water on the desk he poured one full. And showed the shift in how much across to the last glass. "I'm getting maybe fiver percent of it all said and done."
The hokage seemed confused, "Then how would that make much of a difference?" he understood the math but he didn't quite grasp the point of messing with the seal so much.
Naruto got up and picked up one of the sake cups, "This is my reserves and coils." he filled it with water leaving a normal distance from the lip. " This would be considered full for any ninja." taking the glass with the 'five percent' and dumping it carefully into the smaller glass the water formed a small rise about the cup with out spilling out. "This is me at all times." Grabbing the pitcher with water still in it. "See full and perfectly controlled however This was me before the seals." And just started dumping the pitcher into the small glass causing water to flow out and continue to cover the table.
"So with the seal your still getting the same flow, but you are constantly forcing it to convert losing quite a bit in the process." He had to admit it was ingenious. " I understand the point of control but why not limit the amount you received in general?"
Naruto used a suiton jutsu lifting the water up and putting it back into the container. "The demon is the chakra. It doesn't have a body so it's personality came with it. The more I would have drawn on it or if someone decided to open the key it would have taken over my mind." He sat back down, "Sasori doesn't want them to get the demon, and the best way is to have me fully in control and no matter how much the seal opens now it will flood me with Iryo chakra so I'll just be a big Healing circuit." 'Not to mention the seal is forcibly converting the demon Inside the seal hehehe.'
"SO what your saying is if you fully opened the seal the demon would be forcibly converted to Iryo and then irradiated through and out of your body?"
"That's the theory and so far everything has been following it."
"How fast do you regenerate?"
"by myself or with the jutsu Kabuto and I came up with to mimic what I can do?"
"Both."
"With out the jutsu I can heal broken bones in about eight hours, with it around forty minutes. Any skin damage is around ten to twenty minutes with out nearly instant with it." He shrugged, "But that's mainly because I know how to heal myself so the chakra in my body flows to those points, where before.. you should know by how long I was in the hospital."
"You're almost the second coming of Tsunade." he chuckled, "But I know you will never start drinking." He set his pipe down, "Jiraiya is our Seal master.. when he arrives in town I would like him to look over your seal to make sure everything is fine?"
"Yea sure.. So I'm really not in trouble?"
"No but next time don't keep something like this from me at least."
"Okay Jiji." he snickered, "So I have permission to use my skills in the Chunnin exam then?"
"Yes however I am adding your mastery in Puppetry to your file." he raised a brow waiting for the argument.
"That's fine, I don't plan on using them yet.. though I have five at the moment Only Katsu and Naru are full combat. You've already met Aero.. since he was the one to bring you back your pipes."
'That was a puppet?' he thought. "I see well I'm sure you will be an interesting one to watch as always.. now I need to get to this paperwork."
Shaking his head, "Don't lie you're going to read Icha Icha and let your clones that are hiding in the next room keep working on the paperwork." As he tossed the book back onto the Hokages desk. Using a chakra string to open it for him. Laughing as he left.
-The workshop-
Naruto walked into the abandoned building feeling sad to see nothing there. Only a seal left on the desk. He activated it seeing as it was a blood seal to find a note in it's place.
Naruto
As you read this know that I am already gone. I knew this day was coming where you would have to be on your own to do what you wanted. I have no hard feelings as I'm sure you have figured out I am no longer truly human. You may have chosen to cut the strings but remember I am the one who let you. My work and need to be in the village was done a time ago but I stayed to watch you grow. I am proud to have had you as my apprentice and I know that when the time comes you will survive. This building is yours consider it part of my last gift to you. The other is an account I have set up for you to continue your work There is no name on the account and blood is all that is needed to verify you are the owner.
I look forward to facing you when you are older.
Sasori of the Red Sands
He smiled, "Thank you." No one was there to hear him yet he new the man would know it. His fingers came into a cross seal and thirty clones appeared. "Half of you unpack everything, the rest of you start placing all the seals to make sure this place is secure and will stay in one piece."
By night fall Naruto stood there exhausted, not from much but the experience of all of his clones had left him fatigued. But his home was finished, down to the perimeter security seals. He would have to tie Anko and Kabuto into them. Everyone else he could negate for their visits but he wanted those two to be allowed to come and go as they wished. The foxes that were now free to play through the grounds stayed close to their kennel but were still 'free'. The seals on them keeping them within the property, he didn't want to think of the consequences for releasing them back into the wild. Tomorrow he would see if he couldn't get a gennin team to do some yard work and do the painting for him. Hehe, maybe he would get team seven to do it.
