So here's the chapter! It's way longer than the other chapters, but it's a little boring. I'm still really surprised at getting this much reviews in such a short time (sorry I'm still a beginner at writing and fanfiction).
I just realized thanks to MoonPrincess623 that I got Sasuke's age during the Massacre thing wrong. I checked in Narutopedia, and it said that he was about 7-8 years old. Thanks for pointing that out!
Anon: Yup, thanks for pointing out that too. I fixed it, and now the last chapter probably feels grateful. I feel grateful. Thanks, man (or woman)!
And to Gruffard, thanks for reviewing! Don't worry, they aren't going to change too much. I sort of want to stay loyal to the original plot. But would you mind explaining further on the other advices? I kind of didn't really understand what you mean ^.^" Sorry, I'm kind of dumb. But still, thanks a bunch for telling me!
Nika, DutchyPuppy, ArdentheVampire, Taeniaea and the reviewers mentioned above thank you so much for your positive comments, and everyone who story alerted and added this story to their favorites! Merry Christmas, and (early) happy new year!
Sorry for such a long author's note, here's the chapter!
"Well, I guess I'll have to take care of you at some point, so why not start now? Alright, I'll train you. Under one condition." Naruto raises a brow. What would he want?
"Prove to me that you really are all that."
"That I really am…all that?" Naruto repeats hesitantly. What does he mean by that?
"That you really are as strong as you said you are."
Naruto grinned.
"Sure. Give me two days, and I'll prove it to you."
"Fine. But I'll test you after those two days are over. Deal?"
"Deal. Oh wait. Can I ask for something?"
"What?"
"Let me be part of the toad summoning contract."
It was about five in the morning, a time when many people are usually asleep; except when they would be woken up, mumbling about how youth-crazy people should be kept locked up in a sound-proof room. Naruto could currently be found at Team Seven's training ground, arguing with an elderly looking toad.
"FOR CRYING OUTLOUD! I SAID THAT I NEED THIS TRAINING!" The hyperactive kunoichi screeched, causing Fukasaku to clutch its head.
"And I said that this is too extreme for a kid like you!"
"I know how to do it; I just need the toad oil! If I explain why I need to be able to master the Sage Mode now, it would cause me to lose more time to train!"
"Fine! But don't say I didn't warn you."
Poof.
"Now that we're all here, let's go get our d-rank mission!" Kakashi chirped. Sakura groaned.
"Where's the dobe?"
Sakura looked as if she were stifling a laugh as she looked at him sternly. "Sasuke-kun, you should treat your teammate with more respect."
He merely raised a brow questioningly. Since when did she say anything against him?
"Sasuke, you should listen to our pink-haired teammate." Kakashi gave him his eye smile, "But Naruto's busy for the next couple of weeks, so she couldn't come to help."
"Hn." Sasuke grunted and Sakura sighed.
"Be more enthusiastic, Sasuke-kun. You should learn from Naruto." Sasuke glared. Sakura shook her head. Naruto would love to hear her say that. She looks up at the sky, and shielded her eyes from the sun. It sure is sunny today; Blue sky and a few fluffy, white clouds. I wonder how she's doing. She smiled but notices that the others had started walking already, leaving her behind.
"H-Hey! Wait for me!"
"Well, it is surprising that you've gone this far in a matter of hours and I'm sure you have your reasons, but if you try any more, you'll die!" Fukusaku exclaims after whacking Naruto in the head yet another time.
"I'm not done yet! I need to get Ero-sennin's approval!"
"Ero…sennin? Do you mean Jiraiya?"
"Yep! I need to pass this, or I'll never get his training."
It was silent for a while; she meditated on the oil, having already done that on the tall spikes with a board. Fukasaku shakes his head. This kid was too stubborn. But she is progressing far, it's unbelievable really.
"Tell me, why would he give you the summoning contract?"
"I asked him for it this time. Last time he gave it to me."
"Last time?" Naruto sighs and got up from her meditation. She forms the sheep seal, and another Naruto pops up and gets straight to the same position the original was in before. The real Naruto turns back to the toad.
"Yeah. I'm really from the future. You can ask Jiraiya-sensei about it."
Fukasaku's eyes threaten to pop out. From the future? After it dawned to him that she wasn't joking, and remembering how she seemed to know all about them. She even mentioned giving Gamatatsu some candy when she sees him.
"…I see. Well, then that's understandable. If only you'd mentioned that beforehand." Naruto rubs the back of her head sheepishly.
"Sorry."
"Even so, trying to master it in one day is impossible! Even if you did, you'd have no time for other training!"
"Then I'd just have to do the impossible, and make it possible! Just you wait!"
"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"A hundred clones appeared, and split into two groups. Half of them went to the tall spikes and grabbed the boards. The other half practiced other techniques and seals.
"Well, if you do that, it would work."
"Right?" Naruto beams.
The original Naruto trained in her Kyuubi mode. All she needed to do was try molding some of his chakra. Easy.
Do you really believe that?
Yeah, I do.
Kyuubi chuckles, Good. It won't do to help a hopeless idiot, after all.
Naruto's eyes widened.
What?
Hurry up and gather my chakra, Blondie.
Okay!
However, Naruto was having a little problem. Kyuubi's chakra level was huge. Though improved, her chakra control wasn't that great. It was as good as it was after training with Jiraiya, but not as good as it was just before she time travelled. It took her a couple of hours to get a hang of it.
Now try using your techniques with it, mortal.
Would it kill you to actually call me by my name?
I'm immortal.
Shut up!
I'm helping you, you ungrateful brat!
Kakashi watches as Sasuke and Sakura pile bags of rice onto a cart. I wonder how Naruto's training is going. He sighs and also starts helping, which gave the rest of the team a big relief. Sasuke was irritated. He could have been training now, and yet he has to do field work for people who were too lazy to do it themselves! And now their instructor comes to help? It's been thirty minutes of piling the bags already! He scowls. That blonde idiot had better be prepared for more work by the time she's back on duty.
By sunset, Naruto dismissed the clones and this time tried gathering natural energy. She had an orange tint around her eyes after a minute of meditating. She opens them, revealing golden irises and pupils that of a toad's.
Fukasaku shakes his head in disbelief. "Incredible. You actually managed to complete it in less than a day."
"Well, I didn't master completely master it, but it's as good as it can get. I also need to train in the Nine Tails mode, but I'll do that tomorrow." She grinned. "As long as you have guts and the will, you can overcome anything. That's what I learnt from Ero-sennin's first book, The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja!" Naruto's smile threatened to rip her face in half.
"Well, it seems more like the Tale of Uzumaki Naruto now. He should really change it to that, you and the main character of the book has the same name, after all. Or maybe just make it a sequel. Uzumaki Naruto: The Tale of a Gutsy Ninja. It has a nice ring to it." She nodded, also liking the idea. "Anyways, let's keep going. We'll start with the Frog Kumite…"
"Gwah! Man, I'm beat!" Naruto gasps out as she lied on the grass, panting. Sweat drops rolled down the sides of her face from her heavy work out, but she finally did it. She finally got most of the things down.
"Well go grab your jacket, and let's go eat." Naruto paused whatever movement she was making.
"E-Eat?" She gulped. How could she forget about that! Bugs! Shima's bug cooking!
"Yes, of course! Its Shima's favorite, too. I'm sure you'll like it."
"GWAHHHHHH!"
"Hey, did you hear that?" Sakura looks around her, then at her teammate. Sasuke looked at her strangely.
"You're hearing things."
"Really? I'm sure that I heard Naruto's voice just now…"
"Oh well, let's go eat. Who's up for barbeque? My treat." Kakashi gives an eye smile.
"Me! You're the best, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura grins and Sasuke gives a curt nod. Who'd miss a free meal?
I wish I could've skipped out on that meal, even if it was free. Naruto thought, half-dead, with drool dripping out of her mouth. Shima looked confused.
"Would you like more?"
Naruto shakes her head furiously. No way was she going to take any more of that!
"N-No thanks! I'm fine, really! I'll go out to train!" She calls out as she shuts the door behind her.
"My, what a hard worker. But she should really eat more. Too thin, that girl." Shima shakes her head. "Go watch over her for me will you, Fukasaku? I need to wash the dishes, and I don't want her training herself too much."
"Alright, I'll go. Honestly, that girl nearly killed herself to master the Sage mode."
"My goodness! Go! Now!" His wife commanded.
"I'm going, I'm going!"
"Hey Fukasaku?"
"What is it?"
"How do you tell time? The scenery never changes."
"Oh, why I just guess it of course. The summoning jutsu is a space-time ninjutsu. It could be midnight right now, or I could be wrong."
Naruto's mouth was wide open in shock. So if he guessed the time, it means that―
"Wait a second! S-So you're telling me that you don't actually know the time?"
"Yes." Fukasaku replied, confused. "But didn't you already know that?"
No, she didn't. She never had to know the time, since she really didn't have a time limit or anything. She rarely even goes to Mount Myoboku, either.
"WHAT! SEND ME BACK!"
"Now?"
"Phew. That was a major work out." Naruto spoke out loud as she flopped on the bed after taking a shower. With this, I'll be a step closer to saving him. She let out a big yawn, and her eyes drooped. It feels like there's something in the ceiling… Meh, must be my imagination. She snuggled into her blankets, and rubbing her face in the pillow. I'm so sleepy…
"So, how was she?"
"Good, but that girl's too stubborn. She could've died during training. Now would you tell me why she was so desperate, Jiraiya-chan?"
The white haired sage looked at the toad, then at the moon. A few stars were scattered in the sky, tiny yet bright. He knew she'd be a hard worker, and planned to train her anyways. But it wouldn't hurt to lessen the work needed, eh? Besides, I need to do some research.
They were both at the roof of Naruto's apartment, and Naruto was asleep just below them. Jiraiya was lying down, looking up at the dark sky. Fukasaku sat by him, waiting for his answer.
"Well, she says I started taking her on as an apprentice when she was thirteen…"
It's too bright. Naruto shuts her eyes."Ugh…" She tries shutting out the sounds of the crows by covering her head with her pillow, but after a few seconds of searching for the fluffy thing, she drowsily looks up. Huh?
What she saw was definitely not what she was expecting. She expected for maybe her wooden headboard, or maybe even her wooden floor―she would occasionally fall off the bed during her sleep. She sits up, looking at her surroundings. She was currently on the grass of someplace, and was surrounded by giant leaves. The sky was a pinkish yellow color, and the clouds had a light purple shade to it. If her brain was working correctly, shouldn't this be―
"So you're finally awake, Naruto?"
"WAHH!" Naruto jumps back, surprised. She looks down at Fukasaku, who stared back at her awkwardly. "Oh, err, hi there, Fukasaku! How'd I get here?" Here, as in Mount Myoboku. "Did you summon me?"
"Of course I did! You overslept for two hours by the way. It's about nine in the morning, though, so we still have enough time." Naruto would've fainted, but that would cost too much time.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked, voice hoarse, politely. She didn't want to sound too disrespectful, since they went through much trouble for her. In such short notice, too.
"Shima and I were arguing whether or not we should or shouldn't; she said not to, saying that we should give you some rest!"
"Well I want to thank you guys properly, but may I do that after training?" Naruto looked back and forth to Shima and Fukasaku sheepishly. They sighed, and nodded. Fukasaku finally understood what drove her motivation on, but it didn't mean he liked it.
"So what do you plan on improving?" Shima asked, and they both looked expectantly at the blonde jinchuuriki.
"Well, I was thinking, since I kinda got the Sage Mode down, that I should focus on the Nine Tails Mode. If I got that down, too, I would like to practice some sealing." She replied thoughtfully. Plus, she needed to practice the seals to stop Orochimaru's cursed ones. Just the thought of it sent chills to her spine.
"Alright. We'll supervise, seeing as we won't be much of a use for that." Naruto nodded appreciatively, she felt sort of bad. "When you're done with that and fuuinjutsu, we'll review everything."
Naruto struggled to get up, panting. "I'm fine. I can still continue." She spins her chakra again with Kyuubi's chakra. It was working, for a few minutes, until it exploded, sending her backwards onto the ground again. The demon watched from its cage, sighing.
You're doing it wrong again. Use more control, idiot.
I'm trying, but it isn't working! But I can feel it. I'm getting better with each try!
The nine tailed beast sighed yet another time when she fell to the ground from the impact of the explosion. It was the same every time, though she managed to keep the spiral ball of chakra longer after each try, and he was getting absolutely bored.
That wasn't my fault! I-I was just distracted!
Why not just wait until you meet that Hachibi punk, later? You know that you're going to meet him sometime soon, anyways.
As if I can sit around and do nothing! You know that.
Sadly, I do. After watching you all these years I know that you're too fidgety. And stupid.
Stop insulting me whenever you have the chance, furball.
According to your former male teammate―Sai, was it?―insulting each other proves to be a sign of good friendship.
So you admit it? Naruto thought back, surprised.
No. Just wanted to hear your hopes of us being 'on good terms' being crushed.
Naruto formed an irritated tick on her temple.
Well, you did admit it to Hachibi that you changed thanks to a few sentences I've said. What was it again? "Being with―"
Shut up and get back to your training.
Alright, alright. Yeesh.
Several hours, and a lot of insults being exchanged, later, Naruto mastered the Nine Tails Rasengan. She was currently working on the wind style rasengan, and was getting closer to completing it. It was easier once she got the basics down, after all. She skipped lunch, telling the toads that she didn't really want to miss much more of her training time. The real reason was because she didn't want to eat or drink bug soup. She still shuddered at that thought. Shima came along though, shaking her head at this.
"She should really eat something. I even made some worm stew."
Fukasaku chuckled. "I don't think she likes insects, Shima. Her face did turn rather pale last night."
Shima waved him off with her hand. "Oh, nonsense! She just needs some time to get a little used to it, that's all." She looks up in surprise when she heard a loud explosion. She turned to see Naruto fall down from the blast of her failed jutsu. "Oh my!" Shima hurriedly hopped to her. Fukasaku did the same, although not too worried. Watching Naruto being pushed around by the force of her techiniques a lot does that to you.
"Thanks, Shima. I'm fine, really. Just a little scratched―nothing bad." Naruto tried to reassure her, but it wasn't working that well. Fukasaku smiled, seeing how his wife seemed to treat the blonde like a worried mother would to her daughter.
"Shima, if she says it's alright, let her be. She needs to continue on with her training."
Shima trotted back to her husband, a little put off. "Well, someone has to watch over her." She huffed.
They observed Naruto as she was getting close to keeping control of the whitish ball of chakra. It was alittle smaller than the rasengan, and it had four shuriken-like spikes. They studied Naruto's gleeful face. It was covered in sweat already, glistening from the light produced by the orb. It stayed for a few minutes, kept shape, and Naruto let it dwindle down until it vanished. She slumped onto the ground, lying on her back, her hair spread along with her arms. She stayed like that for about two minutes, and the toads looked at each other, wondering if she had fallen asleep.
Naruto got up a little lazily. "I think… I'm ready to try it." She gave a thumbs up to the frogs, grinning.
"So do you want to go back?" Fukasaku asked.
"Yup! I think I'd like to go to the plains―I think I remember the way."
Kakashi popped with a cloud of smoke to the meeting place late as usual. Sakura and Sasuke noticed his arrival, and immediately glared. Well, Sasuke was already glaring, but it seemed to intensify.
"Yo." He waved, causing Sakura to get even more pissed.
"You're late." She gritted her teeth. Couldn't their sensei try to come early?
"Oh, really?" She seemed to be trying to glare daggers. "Well, I've been―"
"That's a lie!"
"I didn't even say it yet!" Kakashi cried in mock-terror. "How could you accuse your dear sensei like that?" He put his hand to where the heart was, acting hurt.
Sakura raised her trembling fist, but remembered that she can't hit him, someone of higher authority. That seemed to make her even madder, and she threw her arms at the air in anger.
"Calm down, Sakura. It's not very lady-like to act that way." Sakura stomped her foot, trying to vent off her frustration. "So let's get on with the training." Sakura stopped immediately, and Sasuke seemed to pay more attention. Kakashi's eye crinkled.
"Let's do some chakra control. Oh, and since Sakura's probably going to be able to get it on her first try, I'll work with her on that." Sasuke seemed to glare at her, but Sakura just gave him a peace sign, grinning. Kakashi shook his head. "Sasuke, she has impressive strength in chakra control, and girls tend to have less chakra than boys do. Although Naruto's an exception. "
"Why would she be any different?" Sasuke smirked. "She didn't seem very great in the academy."
"Sasuke, things aren't always as they seem. Naruto has higher stamina and chakra levels, maybe even more than you do." That made the smirk on his face wipe off. "Now, can we continue with training?" Sasuke nodded, but the scowl on his face seemed to make the stormy cloud above his head more realistic. Sakura tried to wave her hand at it.
"Fuuton: Rasengan!" The mini Rasenshuriken caused the tree to explode into tiny bits and pieces. Shima and Fukasaku watched, amazed. They were at a wide area of grassy land, with many trees. This was where Naruto first trained for her Rasenshuriken with Yamato and Kakashi.
Fukasaku was the first to speak. "That's…That's a very destructive jutsu, kid."
"Yeah, I made it myself! It's a mini version of the Rasenshuriken, which I need either the Sage mode or this one―" She looked down at herself, meaning the Kyuubi mode. "―to be able to use it. If I use it normally, I can't throw it, causing the nerves and bones to shatter into tiny bits." Naruto shivered at the memory. Tsunade and Sakura strictly prohibited him from using it, terrified at the results. "Now that I got that down, I'm going to practice the one I was just talking about."
It was definitely easier to learn it again than the first time, but that didn't mean it was easy. It's surprising that she even got the complete rasengan set with the Nine Tails' chakra mastered in one day. Truly a genius of hardwork. Naruto flops to the ground and turns her head around on the grass to take a look at her handiwork; the trees were either blown away or in pieces, there were huge holes in the ground thanks to the Rasenshuriken.
"Ugh, I feel like an old lady that's been walking for a century." She snaps her head to the 'old lady' frog, hurting her neck in the process. "No offence, Shima."
The toad waved it off, and was awed at the sight around her. Who could have thought that this young pre-teen could cause this much damage? "It's amazing. You could be a Kage if you continue with this training." Shima looked terrified though. "And you're only just a child."
"Well, if you add onto the years of my previous life―which adds up to twenty nine, by the way―I'm not." Naruto grins. Fukasaku sighs.
"She's not really from this timeline, Shima." The female toad croaked with laughter at this.
"Well, it's swell that you can joke about that. It's very original."
Fukasaku sighed again. He went through a very brief explanation, and once Shima soaked in that it was the truth, she looked at the blonde.
"To think that you, with the appearance of a twelve year old, would have seen through all that." Shima shook her head. "You're a really strong child, I'll give you that."
"Of course, it's mostly because everyone was there for me. My friends, my parents, and even some enemies-turned-good. They all helped me. They saved me from tough times. They made me realize some things that I have forgotten about. Important things."
"I almost forgot who I was. I almost forgot about my friends. I almost turned into someone like the Masked Man."
"You once said "it's thanks to everyone that I've gone this far" if I remember correctly. With the power you have now, you've forgotten everyone else's existence and only focused on yourself. If you go on like this…"what Itachi says next made Naruto feel as if she was stabbed in the chest. "You'll one day become like Madara."
"And now that I think about it, I've started forgetting what was important ever since getting here. I have forgotten to trust my comrades again." Naruto shook her head at her foolishness. After all that talk with Itachi, how could she honestly forget? It was so wise and it hit her really hard that time, too.
"No matter how strong you become, don't try to bear all the weight by yourself. You will fail."
Fukasaku furrowed his white brows in confusion. "Pardon?""
The village didn't acknowledge your father because he became hokage. He became the hokage because the village acknowledged him!" Naruto's mind flashed memories of the team seven, eight, ten, Gai's team, the village as he says the next sentence. "Don't forget your friends."
Naruto snaps out of her daze-like state, and shakes her head to clear her thoughts. "Sorry, it was nothing. Okay, so let's start with the review thing and get on with it!"
"About that, Naruto. Even if you review it with me, it would still be less effective. I've called Jiraiya-chan in to spar with you." Naruto looked shocked, and then changed to a look of betrayal.
"Fukasaku! B-But! That's―" Naruto stuttered. She did a one-eighty spin when she heard a poof behind her. The smoke cleared, revealing a spiky, white haired man. She scowled, pointing a finger accusingly at the figure.
"Ero-sennin! You could have given me a warning or something!" She shouted, and Jiraiya had to cover his ears and apply chakra to his feet to stay on the ground. His upper body was being close to blown away, and when he regained balance, he shouted back.
"Be quiet, you fool! You made me use up my research time for my book! Everyone's been waiting for the new edition you know! You should be buffing with pride that I'm even teaching you!"
"Excuse me? For your fudging information, I was the one who did most of your work in the future! All you did was telling me the plot and how to write it, while I had to write the whole damn thing!"
"How nice of me. See, you got a preview of it! Plus, you got to learn all the juicy details! You could try it yourself on your own man. I'm sure you've taken an interest on―who was it again?" Jiraiya wiggled his brows suggestively, looking extremely perverted. What with his nose flaring and that awfully visible blush. "Oh, I remember. Sasu―"
Naruto, blushing uncontrollably, cut him off. "S-Shut up! And are you kidding me? I had to scrub myself clean so much that I think I lost many layers of skin in the process! I felt so dirty because of what I wrote with my bare hands! And it was actually published! That dirty book was actually freaking published!"
"Don't you dare insult the superiority of my wondrous book, young lady! It's the pleasure of all men and even women! It is the epitome of―"
"Will you guys quit it?" Shima and Fukasaku burst out in unison. Jiraiya and Naruto looks at the toads in surprise. Naruto remembers what they were suppose to do, and noticed how dark the sky has gotten. Steam got out of her ears, face red with fury.
"Y-You made me forget about training, dammit!"
"Me! I was the one who just appeared, and all of a sudden, had to put up with your screeching!"
"What! Why I outta―"
"ENOUGH!" Again, the toads shouted together.
Fukasaku sighed. These two idiots are so alike that it's nearly unbelievable. Well, He thought as he looked at Naruto yelling at Jiraiya, she is very easy to like. Even Shima thought the same. Naruto has this effect that makes people want to be around her.
Naruto was tugging at her hair, and Jiraiya was pointing at her dramatically. "You're talking to the great toad sage, Jiraiya! And I'm not a pervert. I'm a―"
"Super pervert. Yeah, I understood that a long time ago." Naruto drawled, bored. "Now can we get to training?"
Jiraiya mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'brat'. "Fine, we'll test you on your Sennin Mode." Naruto faltered at that.
"Only that? B-But I thought we were going to test the whole thing!"
"We said that this is just the review of your training. Tomorrow's the real test." He said and turned towards the two toads. "Lord Fukasaku, Lady Shima, may I?" He asked respectfully, and the two of them nodded. "Okay, Naruto, enter into your Sage Mode."
"On it."
"Well, I want to see how my tutoring paid off." Fukasaku said, as he and Shima jumped on. After Naruto gathered the nature energy for a few minutes―although improved, it still takes longer than when she was older―, Jiraiya nodded to Fukasaku. The toad then asks his wife for reassurance. "Ma, are you ready?" Shima nodded.
Jiraiya got prepared, bringing his left foot to the front, as well as his left arm. "Then let the fun begin!" Naruto came to attack first. She brought her arm back, and thrusts it forward. Jiraiya protected himself with his arms, applying the natural energy to them. He was sent backwards, although not too much as he regained footage. He looked up at the girl in surprise. She was like a mini Tsunade. Ouch, that's going to leave a bruise. He thought as he inspected his arms. He shook them, trying to let the pain subside. It worked a little. "Who would've thought. A kid like you could lay a punch on me." He moved back to his stance, and taunted her. "Well, a shortie like you should be fairly easy to beat, though." Sure enough, that blew Naruto up. She ran forwards, and he mentally shook his head. We'll need to work on that temper.
Although she was mad, the insult didn't blind her, of course. She knew she had to be careful. As Naruto and Jiraiya traded punches and kicks, she assessed her work. Jiraiya looked kind of troubled. Good. It was going a lot better than she first expected. Her past twelve year old self couldn't even land a hit. But she did, and a lot more of it. But that didn't mean she wasn't hurt herself. She was sent hurling to a tree.
"Oof." She crumpled to the floor, and struggled to get up. She cracked one eye open, to see him walking away. She used both arms to push up from the ground, and went back on her feet. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I can still continue." She wheezed out and he stops.
He didn't even turn back. "That's enough. We'll test on your skills tomorrow." He poofed away. Naruto's eye twitched. Why walk when you were going to just pop away like that? I bet it was to look cool. She collapsed onto the floor and leaned on the tree that she was thrown against as she starting to drift off to sleep. She glared at the spot he was standing in a few moments ago before her eyes closed. But just before she fell asleep, her lips curved into a smile. She really did miss the pervert.
"Sorry for bothering your team's training, Kakashi." Jiraiya apologized, seeing as he interrupted their chakra control exercise. They watched Sasuke roughly pounding his feet on the bark. Sakura was just running up and down, a little more gently than Sasuke. Apparently, Sasuke was taking out his frustration on the poor tree.
"Oh, don't worry." He sweat dropped as he watched Sasuke punch the tree this time. "They don't really need me. So I'm guessing it went well? You seem rather happy, Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi pointed out, seeing as the pervert was grinning moments ago. Jiraiya smiled again as he remembered Naruto's determined grin. "Better than I expected, although we did have some trouble. But from what I heard from Fukasaku-sama, Naruto needs more training, though she got a lot better these two days; so I don't have too much work." Her insults about his perverted book didn't really bother him. The little quarrel they had was interesting, too; it was kind of fun to watch the blonde react. But he was very proud of his first book. Naruto did mention that it was the key to changing the world like he wanted it to be―the key to bringing the world peace. "Other than that, it went very well. Naruto's intense training seems to have paid off. Even I had a rough time." That caused Kakashi's eye to widen. One of the legendary Sannin had trouble fighting off a new gennin. People who hadn't heard about Naruto's actual identity would be terrified of her. "But I only saw a part of her strength. I haven't tried her Nine Tails mode or her other techniques. And, if what I've heard was accurate, her complete rasengan is quite fearful."
"Well, I hope I'll get to see it." Kakashi glanced at Sasuke. "Although I probably won't for a long time, seeing as how the Uchiha prodigy would be furious."
"I'll try to convince her to tell him. It would save us all the trouble, except for the enemies." Jiraiya seemed to be in deep thought, as well as Kakashi. "Now, tell me more about her team." The sage wanted to see what Naruto's surroundings were like, after all.
Kakashi chuckled. "They are an interesting bunch. Naruto's the happy, cheerful one in our team―she keeps us all entertained―and constantly picks fights with Sasuke." The two adults watched as Sasuke slice the tree, before landing on the ground. "Sasuke, the stereotypical broody kid. Taunts Naruto whenever she does something stupid, which is most of the time, or insults her on something she says or does. Rarely smiles, though he smirks a lot." Kakashi looks at the girl slumped on a tree branch, obviously tired. "And last but not least, Sakura. Book smart, great at chakra control, but has the least amount of chakra. Scolds Naruto like a mother would, and acts like the sister of the three, though that only started a few days ago. I'm guessing it was with Naruto's influence, though she probably wasn't aware of it. Recently, Sakura turned more independent, training a lot harder. She once told me that she'd like to be a lot more like Naruto." Kakashi's eyes soften as he watches the girl go back to running. Jiraiya nodded, He heard this from Naruto already, when she was talking about her teammates during the explanation. He was, again, quite proud of his goddaughter. He could see Sakura was trying hard, too. They watched as Sasuke walked to Sakura, asking for some advice. The girl smiled and told him that he should focus mainly on the tree, and stop any agitating or unnerving thoughts. Sasuke nodded and thanked her in his way as he walked back to his tree. Kakashi looked a little surprised. "Well that's an improvement." He looked at Jiraiya, who caught his glance. "Jiraiya-sama, if it's alright with you, may Sakura and I watch Naruto's test?"
Jiraiya laughed. "Sure, sure. You don't need to be that polite, Kakashi. Yeah, I think that's a good idea; it allows you to understand your teammate better. But don't you think Sasuke should watch, too?"
"No, not yet. He doesn't seem to be ready yet. He'll only blow up with jealousy, judging by how he's been attacking the tree moments ago."
"Oh right. Like I said before, I'll try to convince her."
Seeing as how tired the two kids were, Kakashi called them over.
The two of them walked to him, and Sakura looked at Jiraiya in recognition, bowing her head. Sasuke looked at her strangely, before staring at the oddly fashioned man. He turned to Kakashi, deciding to ignore him until he was introduced.
"This is Jiraiya-sama, one of the Legendary Sannin." Sasuke raised a brow, but didn't ask why he was here. "Sasuke, how was it?"
Said boy looked a little put off, and replied rather grumpily, "Good. But I didn't finish it." He glared, although Kakashi wasn't really sure if that's how he always looked like.
Kakashi nodded. "You could practice at home, on the wall and such. But I advise not to damage it with a kunai. Otherwise do that on a tree." He eye smiled. Sasuke nodded once at the advice. "Sasuke, you are dismissed. I need to talk to Sakura about something, though." The boy raised a brow again, wondering what Kakashi needed to discuss about with the girl. He didn't question it, though, and walked away.
Once Sasuke was out of hearing range, Kakashi turned back to Sakura and Jiraiya.
She looked rather nervous. "Kakashi-sensei? Is this about what Naruto talked about?"
"Well, sort of. Tomorrow, would you like to watch Naruto's test with Jiraiya?" Sakura's eyes widened, and she nodded vigorously. She wanted to see how strong her teammate was, after all. And she sort of looked up to Naruto. Except for when she was an idiot.
Said idiot just woke up, sneezing. Naruto rubbed her nose, getting up from where she was sleeping on the tree.
"Ow, darn." She raised a hand to her neck, feeling a shock of pain there. I guess I slept too long in the same position.
She stretched when the pain went away, and saw how dark it was. How long was I asleep? She scowled. Jiraiya could have at least brought her home or something! Naruto straightened her jacket, pulling out the hair ties. Her hair was getting quite messy, after all. She sighed as she tightened her forehead protector. She sulked when she remembered how far her apartment was.
When she got home, she undressed and took a long shower. She thought about many things. As she got out, she just remembered something very troublesome.
She completely forgot about the Sasuke's girlfriend thing, what with all the stuff going on in her life, she didn't have the time to think about it. Although it did scratch at the back of her mind, now that she thought about it.
"Ugh…" She felt miserable already. Damn, it didn't help that she actually liked Sasuke. Any sane girl would be happy about this, and any fan girl would be screeching in glee. It was the Uchiha Sasuke to them after all. Imagine all those girls coming at her door screaming when they find out. Which is strange. It's been about a week, and no girls came. No angry, morbid, insane girls came at her doorstep. I guess I'll confront about it with Ino later. If you're asking why she doesn't like the idea, then think. She had the fan girl problem as mentioned earlier, and had the five main countries' stake at her hands. One small move can cause the downfall of the world. If she has those…girls―honestly, are they even the same species as her?―aiming for her neck, how could she focus on the safety of everyone?
She had that, and everything else going on in her life! What the heck was she supposed to do?
One main thing that was the start of the whole chaos was Sasuke's defection. Naruto moaned as she held her head in her hands. She did say she had a plan, but that was a big, fat lie. Sasuke's defection was all because of the Chunin Exams, which was close. Very, very close.
What the hell was she supposed to do about that?
She slumped onto the couch, looking at the clock. 10:18 PM. It wasn't too late as she expected, but if she doesn't go to bed soon, she would oversleep. She looked around the room, noticing how trashed the place was. Ramen cups left open in the most random places, scrolls, books and papers on fuuinjutsu covered every inch of the floor. Naruto's been buying a lot of them recently, planning on training the sealing jutsus. Most of them were left opened.
She should also buy some plants. It really would brighten the place up a bit too. It felt lived in, of course, but also felt like it needed something else.
Naruto sighed as she picked up some of the scrolls, placing it onto the wooden shelf.
"Really, Naruto. How hard is it to put your things back in place?" Sakura rolled her eyes as she placed a book back and pointed to the shelf. "It's practically empty!"
The blonde sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry, Sakura-chan. I kind of… forget."
"Geez. You always forget because of training too hard." Sakura pretended to be mad, lightly hitting Naruto on the head. Naruto knew it was an act, laughing as she tried to avoid the hit.
Naruto chuckled. "Sorry, Sakura-chan." She walked to the bed, and it creaked when she dropped on it.
"I kind of forget." And unlike her other restless nights, she had a peaceful dream.
"Come on, Naruto!" Sakura shouted, laughing along with Kakashi and Sai. Sasuke, hands in his pockets, stood next to them smiling his rare smile.
So... how was it? By the way, the last part where she says "I kind of forget." was supposed to mean that she was "kind of" starting to get over what happened to the future Sakura.
AND I wrote a new story! It's about time travel again, but this time it's waaay back to the time of Kakashi's old team, and takes place during Kakashi's first mission as a jounin leader (the Kannabi Bridge mission). Warning though, it's a Kakashi/Femnaru pairing.
Title: Naruto, What The Heck Are You Doing?
Summary: I somehow travelled back in time and stumbled upon my sensei's old team. To make things worse, I saved Obito. Oh wait, now my life is living hell, seeing as how I'm falling in love with Kakashi. Did I mention that I was thirteen again?
Whaddya think? Caught your interest? Well, the prologue and first chapter is up, so go take a look!