Chapter VII

Markus-Antonius: Strange as it is, I originally had it set to be without the money bit, but added it because that simply sounded too goody-goody for Kiba. I honestly didn't expect the kind of negative responses I got to that, but thinking back I probably could have come up with a better alternative so I just decided to fix it this time.

Arai kaji: Rias as a Sekirei...GENIUS! Not sure if I'll do that but it would at least make things interesting, only problem now is an Ashikabi.

: I won't spoil but I think you'll be satisfied with my plans for him.

Glint of Madness: I can't really tell you anything without spoiling but know the tag wasn't used absentmindedly.

HONENJUMP Guy: 'Bout time someone noticed.

ncpfan: I haven't exactly decided what'll happen in that regard but it'll hopefully be pleasing to everyone regardless.

Apedreitor: If I do have other villages have Sekirei that'll be how they got them but I actually want Sekirei in the exams coming from other villages. I've gotten a few suggestions already but am always willing to see any other Sekirei-Ashikabi combos people have in mind involving existing Sekirei and characters from the other villages. He'll attain that ranking soon but, within my story at least, a cardinal Ashikabi is given such a title based on what they've accomplished within the game, not how many Sekirei they have, well not entirely. For example, Izumi has multiple Ashikabi he has under his command, Kiba has his little thing, not sure what to call it, and Hayato is famous as a collector of Sekirei and having Sekirei powerful enough to do it.

Jose19: That my friend is explained in this chapter, though the explanation is pretty similar to most fics out there where Naruto has a close relationship to Anko. I will address that particular bail of weeds soon. It will, I just can't decide on pairings outside of the Leaf shinobi but I have gotten some suggestions but am always accepting more.

seeker of true anime fan fic: Why doesn't seeker go seek elsewhere since answers like that aren't coming out of my mouth, not here at least.

sabery: I'd say I portrayed their relationship well enough, though not too extensively since it isn't a base point for the story; don't worry they will have more interactions as time goes on since I do intend to have some more sections that have less action, there are just certain plot points and character points that need to be established now before I can really get into relationship building.

Duanemaster: Probably, I'm just not a fan of yuri and not for any particular reason I just don't care for it.

gamelover41592: I've already decided her Ashikabi but I'll tell you it isn't Naruto, I actually have other plans to deal with that reason however.


"That's not Sanada! That's Kiba!" Naruto shrieked as 'Sanada Nishi' and his Sekirei came to aid him and the others in defeating Mikogami's Sekirei.

Kujika sighed and said, "Welp, that cat left the bag quick."

'Sanada' stood up with a growl and said in irritation, "Seriously!? Way to go Naruto!" As the dust cleared, 'Sanada' stood up and glared at the blonde.

Naruto blinked and then asked, "Wait…if you're not Sanada, then who is?"

Kiba scratched his head and said with a sigh, "There never was a Sanada." He then crossed his arms and said with a pout, "It's just a cooler name than 'Kiba'."

Naruto facepalmed and said, "You have got to be kidding me. So you're the Ashikabi of the West? And the best alias you could come up with was Sanada?"

Kiba growled and shouted, "Yeah! So what!?"

Naruto stood up and shouted back, "Sanada just means west! So that's a stupid name!"

"Well it's better than 'maelstrom'!"

"Is not dog breath!"

"ENOUGH!" Homura shouted as he set the two on fire.

After they put themselves out Naruto looked at Kiba and then to Yomi, who was standing shakily. "So, what do you plan on doing Kiba?" he asked.

Kiba raised an eyebrow and asked, "Isn't it obvious? I'm going to have Kujika deactivate her."

"Hey! I'm still here dammit!" Yomi shouted.

Kiba twitched an eyebrow and said, "Yeah, so? You can't beat Kujika."

Kujika made a victory sign and Yomi growled.

The scythe wielder flailed her arms and shrieked, "Wanna bet!?"

Kujika got into a fighting stance but was stopped by Ino.

Ino walked over and said, "No. I want to handle her."

Shiina trembled somewhat at Ino's expression.

Holding onto Kusano's little arm Ino said with anger, "I want to pay her back for hurting Ku."

Yomi growled and brought up her scythe and said with a smirk, "Yeah right, not with that gash on your side."

Ino snarled and said, "Too bad for you I know a lot about plants."

Yomi blinked in confusion and looked at Ino's wound, seeing it covered in a medicinal paste. She grumbled as Ino pulled out a kunai and Shiina stood up.

Turning to Ino he said, "You know, Ashikabi aren't supposed to fight Sekirei."

Ino smiled and said, "I know." Her expression hardened as she turned to Yomi, "But I can't just let her hurt Ku like that."

Kusano watched as Ino prepared to fight and smiled.

Yomi growled and said, "Your funeral." She froze almost instantly however.

Ino was confused and looked around, nearly a dozen Sekirei walked into the forest around Kiba.

Kiba walked up and said with spirit, "You can't beat all of us, can you?"

Yomi trembled and then growled and shouted, "Curse you!" She prepared to run out of the forest but was stopped when Sasuke and Kakashi blocked her path.

Sighing Kakashi said lazily, "Unfortunately we can't let you leave her active."

Yomi began shaking as she realized she would be terminated.

Naruto watched and sighed. He then asked Kurama, 'If they terminate her, think you can remove the mark?'

"…Probably, but we'll need to stay behind," he answered.

Yomi dropped to her knees as Hibiki removed her Sekirei Crest. Yomi then slumped over as it vanished.

Kakashi looked up and saw Naruto's expression and nodded.

Naruto gave an imperceptible smile in response.

The copy ninja looked at Kiba and said sternly, "Now that that's done, Kiba, we need to talk."

Kiba stiffened and sweat-dropped, then asked, "Wh-what about?"

Kakashi narrowed his eye and walked over, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him limply out of the forest as the others followed.

The only ones remaining were Ino, Naruto, Shiina, Hibiki, and Kusano.

Ino sighed and said, "Well Ku, you alright?"

Kusano looked at her and nodded, "Yup."

Naruto scratched his head and formed a shadow clone that Kurama possessed.

Ino looked at him curiously as the clone took on Kurama's features.

Kurama knelt down and put two fingers to Yomi's back and leaked of some of his chakra into the spot.

Ino walked up to Naruto and asked, "What're you doing?"

Naruto looked over his shoulder at her and said, "Releasing her."

Ino tilted her and asked dumbly, "What?"

"I can't really say anything right now but let's just say she's going to be different," he told her.

She narrowed her eyes and said in surprise, "Wait, you're going to reactivate her?!"

He nodded in response.

Angry she shouted, "You can't be serious! She tried to capture Kusano! Are you really-" She stopped when she felt a hand tug at her skirt. She looked down at Kusano whose eyes were watering. Ino knelt down and asked, "What's wrong Ku?"

"Let her go, please," the little girl pleaded.

Confused the bleached blonde asked, "But why Ku? She tried to hurt you."

Kusano nodded and said, "She was just listening to the mean man."

"Mean man?" Naruto mumbled. 'She must mean Mikogami,' he reasoned.

Kurama pulsed his chakra and then started to pull. As he did a gelatinous mass of thick, dark purple chakra came out and the Sekirei Crest reappeared, sizzled and disappeared completely.

Ino put a hand over her mouth and asked with horror, "What is that?"

Naruto pulled out a scroll and sucked the chakra into it and said as the clone dispelled, "That is the chakra that composes the Sekirei Crest."

Ino turned blue and said, "That's disgusting."


Outside the forest Kakashi scratched his head with a sigh as Kiba sat on the ground like he just peed on the rug.

Kakashi said chidingly, "So, why exactly have you been doing this?"

Kiba tilted his head and asked, "Doing what?"

"Selling Sekirei," Kakashi said plainly.

Kiba blinked a few times and said dumbly, "Selling them? I haven't."

Kakashi narrowed his eye and said, "You've been finding and holding onto Sekirei and then charging money when they find their Ashikabi."

Kiba shrugged and asked, "What? No I haven't. If I have a Sekirei who isn't winged and they find their Ashikabi I hand'em over. I only charge for protection if a Sekirei or Ashikabi wants me to keep them from having to fight."

"What?" Sasuke asked.

Kiba twitched an eyebrow and said, "If I find a Sekirei that doesn't have an Ashikabi, I keep them safe with me until they find their Ashikabi. When they do I hand them over. As for charging money, I only charge when someone asks for a service. There are a bunch of Ashikabi and Sekirei out there that don't want to fight. Unfortunately there are others who want to or love to. Sometimes the weaker ones will come to me and pay me ryo so that they stay at my place and have one of my Sekirei with them as protection, or me specifically if they're being hunted by someone specific."

"Wait, so you're not selling Sekirei?" Sakura asked in disbelief.

"No! That's sick! I don't sell Sekirei! I charge for protection, that's it," he denied.

"That's rather noble, for a mutt," Sasuke said quietly.

"Shut up jerk!" Kiba shouted, receiving a kick to the back of the head from Sakura.


Back in the forest, Yomi started to wake up and then sat up with a jolt. She looked around and saw Naruto and the others and blinked in confusion. She then asked, "I…I thought I was…"

"Deactivated?" Naruto asked.

She turned to see him sitting on a rock and nodded dumbly.

He stood up with a stretch and said, "Well…you were. I completely removed your crest though. So now you can never be deactivated again and your powers are full; you don't need the norito anymore."

Yomi narrowed her eyes suspiciously and asked, "Why? Why'd you do that?"

Naruto scratched his cheek and said mindlessly, "No reason really. I just think it's wrong for all of the Sekirei to have to effectively die if they lose. Plus it prevents them from being tethered to someone."

Yomi was uncertain of what to say. This person, this Ashikabi, had just given her total freedom for no reason other than he felt like it. She was about to ask him to explain but he was already walking away with the others.


After walking for a bit, Shiina stopped and said, "Hey, can you guys wait for a second?"

Naruto looked back and nodded.

Shiina placed a hand on one of the trees and said, "Death Garden." Immediately, all of the trees emitted a dark green light and then began to turn brown and decay.

Naruto and Ino could only look around in surprise as the forest fell to pieces around them.


Outside, everyone watched as the forest literally died in front of them.

"H-how?" Sakura asked in amazement.

"That's likely Shiina," Homura said.

"Shiina? You mean Ino's Sekirei?" Sasuke asked.

The fire-user nodded in response as the forest fell apart and Naruto and the others walked out.

Musubi and Taki immediately ran up and hung off of Naruto, happy to see him even after such a short time.

Tsukiumi paled at seeing them hang off 'her' husband.

Yahan grinned deviously and flung herself on Sasuke, resulting in Ino and Sakura shrieking and Kakashi only sighed.

Naruto turned to see Kiba lying on the ground and asked, "What're you doing down there 'Sanada'?"

"Shut up," Kiba said gruffly.

"He got punched by Sakura for saying something stupid," Taki said flatly.

Naruto turned to the side and mumbled, "That's not very hard."

Sakura grew a tic mark and threatened, "If you're saying anything bad, Naruto, I'll clock you."

Naruto just put up his hands defensively and asked, "So what's going on, and where did all these Sekirei come from? Are they Kiba's?"

Kakashi looked down at the dog-boy, causing him to freeze, and said, "Not exactly. Care to explain?"

Kiba was about to explain but Naruto put up his hand and said, "Homura already told me. He sells Sekirei, right?"

"I'm not selling them dammit!" Kiba said as he stood up.

"That's not what I heard," Naruto said chidingly.

Growling, Kiba stood up and said, "I told I'm not! I don't charge for the Sekirei I protect until their winged, I only charge when a Sekirei or Ashikabi specifically ask me for protection."

"That true?" Naruto asked the multiple Sekirei behind Kiba.

One of the Sekirei, a girl with long red hair nodded, and then looked at Naruto with a devious grin.

Naruto sweat-dropped, but then looked at Homura irritated.

Homura looked down in shame and said, "I suppose the rumors could have been…a little erm, skewed."

Naruto simply twitched an eyebrow and said, "Well, guess you're off the hook then. What're gonna do?"

Standing up, Kiba said, "Go back home."

As Kiba walked away, Naruto said, "Hey Kiba!"

The dog by looked at him over his shoulder.

"I like what you're doing, it helps out with everyone else," Naruto complimented.

Kiba raised an eyebrow and said, "Y-yeah, thanks." He continued to walk away.

Naruto smiled and then turned to Ino and asked, "So, what are you going to do now?"

Ino turned blue and said, "Well, I'm not sure."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why's that?"

Laughing sheepishly she said, "Weelll, I haven't exactly told my dad, so he has no idea about Shiina and hiding Ku would be pretty difficult."

Sighing, Naruto said, "Well, I guess you could stay at Izumo Inn until you figure it out. Miya tends to be pretty good to Sekirei and Ashikabi, so you should be good for a couple days."

Not thrilled with staying at the same place as Naruto she wanted to argue. Once she realized she had no alternative she sighed and said, "Fine."


The entire group arrived at Izumo Inn shortly thereafter. As they approached, Naruto saw Miya standing at the front door pretending to sweep and couldn't suppress a smile that crept onto his face.

He walked through the gate and waved as he called, "Hey, Miya! We're home!"

Miya looked up 'surprised' and said, "My, my. It's about time. You all missed dinner."

Ino and Naruto's teammates were in disbelief that her first concern was missing dinner, rather than the fact that they all looked like hell.

Naruto simply played along and rubbed the back of his head and said, "Yeah, sorry about that, things got a little hectic."

Miya nodded and finally seemed to notice Ino and Kusano and said, "Well, who might they be?"

Naruto nodded in return and pointed first to Ino and said, "This is Ino Yamanaka, she's the one that asked for our help."

Ino bowed curtly.

Naruto then pointed to Kusano and said, "This is Kusano, she's the 'Green Girl' mentioned in the letter and the one that made that forest. We rescued her from a forced winging."

Miya then looked at Kakashi and her smiled warped into an imperceptibly devious one and she said, "And what's this, you seem to have dragged some garbage with you."

Sasuke and Sakura face-faulted and were ready for Kakashi to retaliate. To their surprise, all he did was say, "Nice to see you too Miya."

The group entered the inn and took a break from their grueling task.

Naruto sat down at the dining room table and immediately noticed presences around him. To his left was Akitsu, sitting and staring silently as normal. To his right was Uzume, who was taunting Tsukiumi and the others for being slow, and Taki was behind him making lewd motions.

However a quick glance from Miya calmed them all immediately.

The room sat in uncomfortable silence for several minutes before Ino spoke and asked, "So, someone mind telling me what that was all about?"

Kakashi looked at her and asked, "What do you mean?"

Puffing her cheeks she said, "I mean those Sekirei, why were they after Ku?"

Naruto sighed and looked at Kakashi who nodded.

Kakashi then explained, "I suppose you haven't heard of the cardinal Ashikabi?"

Ino shook her head and answered, "No, I haven't"

"Well, put simply, there are three different Ashikabi that have amassed enough Sekirei and enough influence that they are considered the leaders of the different sections of the village," Kakashi explained.

"Leaders?" she said quizzically.

Nodding the copy ninja said, "Yes. The southern portion of the village, at least in terms of the Sekirei plan, is Hayato Mikogami. The east is commanded by Higa Izumi," that name caused Naruto's fists to clench, "and lastly is Sanada Nishi in the west. Or rather, Kiba Inuzuka."

"What!? Are you saying that Kiba, KIBA, is someone important!?" she screeched in disbelief.

Cleaning out his ear Kakashi said, "Yes, sort of. He is one of the cardinal Ashikabi, which means that within the Sekirei Plan he has influence on the other Ashikabi living in his section of the village."

Ino sat silently for several seconds, resulting in most having a concerned expression.

While Ino was remaining quiet Sasuke decided to voice a question he'd had for a while. "Kakashi sensei, what does all of this mean for the village?"

Kakashi blinked curiously and then asked, "What do you mean Sasuke?"

"What bearing does all of this have on the village? I mean, what effects will it have?" he clarified.

Kakashi closed his eye and thought for several seconds before saying, "I can't really say. Considering most Ashikabi are civilians and not shinobi, I doubt this will have much effect on the military; though I suppose it is possible for some Ashikabi to join the council but I can't imagine them being Ashikabi causing many alterations. So near as I can tell, the actual runnings of the village won't seem to have much change."

During this long speech, Sasuke and Naruto paid full attention, Miya sat idly by, and everyone else had a look similar to a deer looking at an oncoming train.

Naruto piped up next, "If that's the case, not that I'm complaining at all, then why is the old man letting this happen, instead of commandeering Minaka's stuff?"

The Sekirei adopted worried expressions as he proposed this idea and proceeded to stare down the Copy Ninja expectantly.

He of course, was sweating bullets. After swallowing nervously he said, "Well, it's actually pretty simple. MBI isn't actually based within the Leaf Village, so Lord Hokage has no clout with them. What that means is that if Lord Hokage tries to interfere in any way, then Minaka would simply take all of his supplies, including the Sekirei, and move them to a new village. Which would not only give another village that advantage, it would also separate all of the Sekirei and Ashikabi bonds that have been made."

"Which also means if Lord Hokage had tried to limit it to only shinobi becoming Ashikabi-" Sakura began but was interrupted.

"Minaka would have taken the Sekirei away," Ino finished.

Sakura simply glared at her, which Ino gladly returned.

Kakashi nodded and said, "Correct, so while it would have been better to make it shinobi as the only Ashikabi, interfering would have been more detrimental than leaving it."

Sighing, Naruto looked at Miya and decided to change the subject, "Hey Miya."

Looking at him with her usual smile she said, "Hmm?"

"Do you mind if Ino stays her for a couple days? If you still want rent I'll handle it," he asked.

Ino blinked in surprise.

Miya put a finger to her chin in thought and then said, "Of course. And as long as it's not more than a week I'll shelve the rent."

Ino lit up and said happily, "Thank you!"

Miya simply nodded in return.


Miya showed Ino, Shiina, and Kusano to the second floor room at the end of the hall and motioned to it saying, "You can use this room for the time being."

Ino bowed and said, "Thank you. Hopefully I'll be able to figure out how to tell my dad before I leave."

Miya simply giggled and said, "It's quite alright. My late husband always held to his ideal of never turning away someone in trouble."


After getting Ino set into her room, Miya went downstairs and noticed someone out on the deck. She walked over and saw Naruto sitting down looking out at the recently risen stars.

"Naruto?" she said calmly.

Naruto jumped in surprise lightly and turned to her. He smiled and said, "Hey Miya."

"What are you looking at?" she asked as she sat down next to him.

He returned to star-gazing and said, "Nothing much, a friend of mine from the academy introduced to the mind-clearing powers of sky-watching. So, whenever I'm doing some heavy thinking I like to sit out and watch the sky, regardless of the time or weather."

Miya giggle again and said, "My, that sure is a rather interesting hobby."

Naruto just smiled lamely and said, "Yeah, but the guy who taught me this is pretty…interesting too."

Bringing a sleeved hand to her mouth with a chuckle she said, "I see. So, mind sharing what's on your mind?"

Thinking for a moment, he answered, "Sure. While we were in the forest Ku made, I ran to a weapon using Sekirei, Yomi. Since she used weapons I thought, rather foolishly thinking back, that I could beat her with a weapon of my own and pulled out the Executioner's Blade. That presented two problems. The first was I'm simply not strong enough to hold," he said sadly, looking at his hands in disappointment. "The second, was I was simply swinging it around blindly, and she beat me in both respects."

Miya simply sat quietly as he spoke.

"I was just thinking about that. I mean, even Kiba was better than me in that battle. I just…I hate that feeling. That feeling of uselessness. That feeling is possibly one of the worst feelings," after a short pause he looked at Miya and was about to speak when he noticed something she was holding. After a couple blinks he pointed at it, a long wooden sword, and asked, "Hey, Miya…"

"Yes?" she asked simply, already knowing what he was going to say.

"Do you, know how to use that?" he asked, feeling a bit stupid for asking.

Looking at her sword she gave him a close-eyed smile and nodded. "Yes, why do you ask?"

Naruto looked at her seriously for a moment and then asked, "Miya, can I ask you a favor?"

"Hmm?" she said playfully.

"Will you please teach me kenjutsu?" he asked.

She looked at him and saw the determination in his eyes. For a moment she could have sworn she saw Takehito on that day so long ago. After taking an imperceptible breath she said, "Yes, of course. I'd be happy to teach you."

Naruto's face filled with joy and he pumped up a fist and said, "Yes! Thank you-ugh!"

He was interrupted when she hit him on the head with a ladle. She then said, "Naruto, I must ask you to be quiet. There are others trying to sleep."

His eyes spun as he said drearily, "Yeah~sure Miya~"

After a moment she said, "But before we begin, you'll need a sword."

Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "Wouldn't I just use one of yours?"

Miya smiled sweetly and said happily, "Do you really think I'd let a novice use one of my swords?"

Naruto sweat-dropped and said, "Y-yeah~good point. Any ideas then?"

Miya thought for a moment and said, "There's a shop here in the northern part of the village that sells shinobi equipment, isn't owned by that man, and would likely be sympathetic to your unique situation."

Naruto blinked in surprise and asked, "Are you sure they'd sell to me without mark ups?"

Miya nodded and said, "Yes, I'm sure. Here, I'll give you directions to it."

Naruto nodded and said, "Thanks."


The next morning Naruto woke up early and got ready quickly.

His Sekirei noticed him getting ready and Toyotama asked, "Hey, where're you going?"

Turning to her he said, "I'm actually going to a weapons shop to get a katana."

Raising an eyebrow she looked at her spear and said, "Mind if I join you? This old thing may have been made by MBI but it's pretty busted."

Naruto shrugged and said, "Be my guest."


Naruto and Toyotama walked around the village for a while, Naruto holding a piece of paper and trying to ward off the perverted looks of other men.

Eventually they arrived at a small shop with images of several basic shinobi weapons atop a banner.

Looking at the name he sighed and said, "Well finally found it. The Higurashi Weapons Shop."

The two walked in and directly in front of them was a desk with a register and a girl around Naruto's age sitting at it. She had brown hair tied into buns and steel-grey eyes. She wore a white long-sleeve blouse with a high collar and red hakama style pants. She was reading a magazine when she noticed Naruto and Toyotama enter.

She looked up and said, "Welcome to Higurashi Weapons-huh? You look new."

Naruto nodded with a worried smile and said, "We are. I'm here for a katana and she wants a spear."

She nodded and looked at him with a devious smile and thought, 'He's kinda cute.' She then looked at Toyotama then paled. 'Holy crap! Those things are massive!' she thought in surprise while examining Toyotama's impressive chest. Gaining an irritated look, she returned her glance to Naruto and called out, "Hey dad! We've got customers! I'm gonna need your help!"

After several seconds, a large man with short brown hair and similarly steel eyes walked in.

Naruto actually gulped at the extremely large man whose arms couldn't even straighten. He looked at his own arm and could've sworn he saw it droop. He simply sighed.

Toyotama couldn't suppress a small smirk at her Ashikabi's act.

"Alright! Hey dad, think you can help her find a spear while I help…um…what's your name again?" Tenten asked.

Naruto gained a nervous look, then glanced at the large man and back to Tenten and said, "My name…is Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

Tenten tapped her chin and then shrugged and said, "I've heard your name before but I can't place it. Whatever, let's go!" She quickly and energetically grabbed his arm and began to pull him along.

One of Toyotama's hairs twitched.

Tenten's father walked up and asked, "So, shall I help you find a spear?"

She looked past him at Naruto and Tenten with a worried expression but shelved it and nodded.


Tenten took him away and then sighed and asked, "So, what are you looking for?"

Naruto took a moment to collect himself and then answered, "Ah, I'm looking for a katana."

She nodded and pointed to a collection of blades and said, "These are our best products, take a look and pick what you want. The prices are on the tags hanging off the ends."

Naruto nodded with a smile and walked over to the group of swords.

After several seconds Tenten spoke up and asked, "You're just learning, aren't you?"

Naruto tensed and then nodded with a pathetic chuckle. Rubbing the back of his head he said, "Yeah. I'm just seeing what looks good."

She chuckled and said, "Well, how about I show you what is good? Also, you may want a practice sword, ya know; so you don't cut an arm off."

Naruto's face turned blue at the thought and he simply nodded.


Meanwhile, Tenten's father led Toyotama to the spears and said, "Just pick what you want and I'll give you a hand."

She nodded with a concerned expression and began searching.

After she searched for several seconds he asked, "Are you worried?"

Toyotama tensed and then turned and asked with fake confusion, "About what?"

He gave a knowing smile and said, "About my daughter and that boy?"

Her eyes narrowed sadly and she said, "Not really."

"Good, because you shouldn't be," he said plainly.

She looked back at him, wordlessly asking for an explanation.

He gave a hearty chuckle and said, "I can't say I know everything about that boy, but I know quite a bit. I know enough that he wouldn't do anything to my Tenten, though I can't say the same about her."

Toyotama's expression changed from confusion to worry.

Noticing this he added, "But, I also know he would refuse anything she tries to pull. Plus she knows how I feel about that." He finished by squeezing on a piece of wood, resulting in it cracking.

Toyotama sweat-dropped as she continued browsing, but did so with a slight happier expression.

Eventually she picked a spear. It was a long blue-green spear with a curved blade that appeared to be emerging from the mouth of a dragon. She grabbed it and picked it up, pleased with its weight. She turned to him and said, "I'll take this one."

He smiled and said, "Great. That's actually based off of a famous weapon from the clan era."

Toyotama examined it and asked, "Does it have a name?"

He shook his head and said, "Not really. But I'm sure you can fix that."

She nodded and the moved to the front of the store.


With Naruto and Tenten, they had picked a practice blade that was a simple wooden blade. His actual sword was a steel blade with a black handle wrapped in grey cloth with a gold cap and gold wrist guard that was a circle with four divots around the edge.

Tenten looked and said, "So, that the one you want?"

Naruto unsheathed the blade and examined it, he looked at his own reflection in the blade and nodded. He then resheathed it.

Tenten nodded in return and decided to ask a question that had been bothering her. "Hey, you said your name was Naruto Uzumaki, right?" she asked with a hand on her side.

He nodded wearily.

Putting a hand on her chin she asked, "I've heard it somewhere before, but where?"

Naruto frowned as she continued thinking.

"Tenten! What did I tell you about prying?" Tenten's father came in and interrupted.

Tenten frowned and Toyotama looked at him in disbelief.

The entire group returned to the front and Naruto paid for the weapons.

Naruto and Toyotama gave their thanks and began to leave, but were stopped by Tenten.

"Hey Naruto," she said as she ran up to them.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, while Toyotama frowned. He then asked, "What's up?"

"I'm actually part of a shinobi squad, we usually train at training ground nine. If you want, I can give you some pointers, plus I've got another teammate who could help you with taijutsu."

Thinking for a moment he nodded and said, "Thanks. I'll think about it."

The two left and Tenten gave a satisfied smirk.


Later that day, Naruto met Miya on the deck and said, "Well, I've got a sword. Want to start?"

She turned to him and saw his excited smile. She simply gave her own smile and nodded. As she stood she said, "Alright. But first, let's start with just practice blades."

He nodded and went to get his.

Moments later he and Miya were in the backyard both holding their blades.

Naruto looked and raised an eyebrow and asked, "Miya, isn't that sword real?"

She looked the blade in her and nodded. She then added, "It is. However, when sheathed it works as a practice blade."

Naruto nodded and asked, "Can I see it for a moment?"

She raised an eyebrow and nodded. She walked over and handed him her sword.

He held it in one hand and his practice blade in his other. He balanced them for several seconds as Miya watched in curiosity.

After nearly a minute he seemed satisfied and handed her sword back to her. She raised both eyebrows as he pulled out a scroll. She looked at him and asked, "What are you going to do with that?"

He looked back at her and smirked, "Just watch." He opened the scroll and pulsed some chakra into one of the seals. In a puff of smoke was an ink well and a brush. He opened the ink well and dipped the brush in it. He then began drawing on the sword, making intricate seals along it. Placing it on the ground he put his hands above them, and then pulsed some chakra into them. The seals emitted a light glow and then disappeared.

Miya tilted her head delicately and asked, "What did you just do?"

He picked up the sword and said, "I just used some weight seals to make it the same weight as the real thing. That way I get just a little more advantage."

Miya was quite surprised by his ingenuity and nodded then said, "So, ready to begin?"

He nodded and said, "So, how do we begin?"

Holding her sword she said, "Well, the first thing you need is the proper stance." She held her sword with both hands and assumed the proper stance.

Naruto looked at her and tried to replicate it, with limited success.

Miya shook her head and said, "Bring your hands a little closer together and bend your right knee a bit more."

Naruto nodded and did as he was told.

"Now you need to bend your elbows more and move your torso a little more to the side."

Naruto nodded and did what she told him to.

Miya sighed and said, "Why don't I help you?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow as she walked over and stepped behind him.

Stepping behind Naruto, Miya pushed one of his feet into position with one of hers, pulled the other and then placed her hands over his, maneuvering his arms into the proper place.

Of course Naruto barely noticed any of this as mind tried to process what happened. When he did, his face turned bright red.

As Miya returned to her previous spot, she noticed Naruto's expression and said in a teasing voice, "My, my, you're not feeling hot and bothered by an old widow are you?"

Naruto's face simply reddened further as she teased him. He attempted to defend himself but simply ended up imitating a stuttering fish. After a moment he simply relented a sigh and said, "Why me?"

Miya could only giggle playfully.

After he calmed down he resumed the kenjutsu pose and Miya nodded and said, "Good, you seem to have good muscle memory."

Naruto nodded and said, "Well, if you give me a minute, we can really get things going."

Miya quirked an eyebrow and waited.

Naruto formed a hand sign and said, "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Twenty clones of Naruto appeared assumed kenjutsu poses.

Miya smiled in surprise and said playfully, "Oh my, this is the largest class I've had in a long time."

The original Naruto smiled and said, "Shall we get started?"

Miya nodded and began with simple movements; basic swings, simple slashes, and a series of basic kenjutsu movements.


Naruto and Miya's training lasted for about three hours before Miya decided to end it in order to make lunch.

Naruto nodded and said, "I think I understand the basics of it. In that case, I'm going off to my usual training spot."

"Oh, and where might that be?" Miya asked.

Naruto smirked and said, "That's a secret."

Miya pouted playfully and said, "Well, at least inform your Sekirei first."

He nodded and proceeded inside the inn.


"Training?" Musubi asked. "Where? Never mind, as long as it's with you it doesn't matter."

Naruto smirked and asked, "So, anyone else want to come?"

"Certainly. If thou art going with Musubi than I shalt accompany thee to be certain nothing uncouth occurs," Tsukiumi added. She stood haughtily with her arms folded.

Toyotama nodded and said as she stroked her spear, "It should give me a chance to practice with this new blade."

Akitsu simply nodded and said, "I'll follow wherever you lead."

Taki simply smiled and said with a finger on her lips, "I hope it's a nice secluded forest, that way we can finish what we started."

Uzume chuckled and said, "Sure, wherever you go something interesting happens."

Naruto nodded and said, "Well in that case, let's get going."

They proceeded out of the room but ran into Homura and Yahan.

Yahan looked at them and asked, "So, where are you guys off to?"

Musubi pumped a fist and said happily, "We're going to go train!"

Smirking, Yahan said, "Are you now? Mind if we tag along, it's so boring here. Plus, it'd give me a good excuse to drag Sasuke along."

Naruto simply sweat-dropped and said, "~Yeah~ go ahead."


Shortly after leaving Izumo Inn, the group ran into Sasuke, who seemed to just be wandering aimlessly. Naruto waved and said, "Yo, Sasuke!"

The ravenette raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh, Naruto. Want something?"

Naruto prepared to answer but was superceded by Yahan, who instantly wrapped herself around one of Sasuke's arms. "We're going to go train, why don't you come along?" she said with a slight pout in her voice.

Sasuke's face was already turning red as she had his arm pressed firmly between her breasts. He tried to answer but found himself overcome as she spoke again.

Whispering into his ear she said, "And we could be, all-a-lone."

Sasuke immediately cupped a hand over his face and said, "Look, I'm pretty busy, so I can't."

Naruto tilted his head and said, "Really? I thought you might want to come along since this is the place where sensei taught me the Rasengan."

Sasuke was about two meters down the road and said, "Come on, what're you guys doing all the way back there?"

Naruto blinked a couple times and just sighed.

Yahan took a moment and realized that he was no longer in her grasp. After fruitlessly trying to discern how he escaped she simply jogged to catch up as the group moved ahead.

Musubi then added, "Hey, if we're bringing everyone else, why don't we go and get Sakura too?"

Naruto thought for a moment and said, "You know what, that's a pretty good idea. Wanna make a quick stop there?"

Everyone nodded in agreement and the party changed their direction.


On their way to Sakura's house, everyone else in the group quickly took notice of something strange.

Nearly everyone in the village was deftly avoiding Naruto. Most were simply ignoring him. Some however, seemed to make a point of sending him nasty looks or intense glares.

Sasuke had always known Naruto wasn't popular due to his pranks, but that level of hatred seemed…unwarranted. What made it even stranger was that Naruto seemed completely oblivious to all of that. He had a smile on his face and was speaking merrily to some of his Sekirei, mostly Musubi and Taki; since one was also oblivious to the looks and the other didn't care.

Tsukiumi was not one of them however. She was keenly aware of the nasty stares people were sending her husband. Unable to stomach the looks anymore, she decided to interrogate him. "Naruto," she said sternly.

Naruto turned to look back at her and responded with a simple, "Yeah, what's up?"

"Why art these people sending thee such foul gazes?" she asked, her face betraying her calm voice.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and said with a chuckle, "Didn't you know? I was called the Prankster King from Hell when I was little. Up until I was about fourteen I was always playing insane pranks. One of my favorites was to paint the Hokage faces."

This revelation enticed both Uzume and Musubi immediately. The two began to pester him, so he regaled the stories of some of his most famous, and most infamous, pranks. Ranging from painting the Hokage faces to placing genjutsu seals on the chunin bathrooms to make them think the stalls were filled with beer. That one got him in big trouble.

Tsukiumi wasn't satisfied. It was only for a moment, but she felt it through the bond. Merely mentioning the stares and the people around brought up something she hadn't experienced during her short time with him. She could feel pain through the bond. She frowned as it seemed he was preoccupied with his tales and that she would seemingly not get an answer.


Eventually they arrived at Sakura's house. Naruto looked up and didn't see her.

Sasuke immediately became worried. He saw it. That smirk. That smirk Naruto always gets when he's about to do something incredibly stupid.

Cupping a hand by his mouth, Naruto proceeded to shout, "HEY, SAKURA!"

There was short silence, followed by slight trembling as something stomped around. The glass door then flew open hard enough that a small crack formed and out popped Sakura who proceeded to screech, "NARUUUTOOO! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"

Naruto smirked and said just loud enough that she could hear, "Sasuke, me, and everyone else are going to do some training. Want to come along?"

Sakura took a moment to comprehend what he said. Then she asked, "With you?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Yup. It's some place special that only a few people are brave enough to go."

She frowned and then saw Sasuke's calm expression and then looked to Homura, who had a reassuring smile. She had to blink a couple times and rub her eyes, but he was definitely smiling. She sighed and said, "Just give me a minute to gather my gear!"


Inside, Sakura's parents noticed her gathering up her ninja gear. Her mother asked, "Sakura, what are you up to?"

Sakura stopped for a moment and said, "Oh, just doing some training."

Her mother assumed a playfully bashful look and said, "Ooohhh, with who? Is it Sasuke?"

She nodded and said, "Yeah, he's coming too."

Her mother blinked and said, "Too? Who else is coming?"

Sakura finished packing up and said, "Oh, just Naruto and a few friends.

"Naruto!?" her parents shouted.

Sakura actually shrunk back a little. She became worried and asked, "Is that…a problem?"

"A problem!?" her mother screeched. "I only allowed that thing to be on your team so you could be close to Uchiha. I will not permit you to be around him unless it's necessary!"

Sakura was shocked. She had realized from Homura that her mother disliked Naruto, but she didn't realize it was that strong. Hoping to placate her fuming mother, she said, "Well, he's actually not that bad. He's a little noisy and still plays pranks, but he's actually really strong and even helped me and Sasuke complete tree climbing." She spoke with a smile, assured that her mother would accept it.

Unfortunately she was wrong. Her mother paled. "You must be joking! You mean Kakashi is allowing that thing to train you!? Is he insane!? That's it! I will be filing for a team reassignment immediately!"

Sakura reached out and said, "Now hold on a second! Don't you think that's a little much?"

"No! I don't think it's enough!" her mother argued.

Sakura was in complete shock by this point. Her shock turned to anger as she said, "Alright, what the heck is so wrong with him!? I know I wasn't exactly the nicest person to him in school, but that was only because youtold me to avoid him! But after paying attention to him a bit. He's still nowhere near as cool as Sasuke but he's definitely not some kind of monster!"

Her mother turned white as a ghost. She was about to scold her daughter but she had already left through the front door before she could say anything.


Outside, she noticed the entire group was looking at her expectantly. She sighed and asked, "I'm guessing you hear all that?"

Naruto simply nodded.

Sakura groaned and said, "Great, can we just go?"

Naruto smiled and said, "Yeah, I know a quick way to get there."

Groaning she said, "Great, I don't think I'll ever come back."

Naruto and the others could only laugh as she slumped her shoulders while they walked.


Eventually they stopped. Sasuke, Sakura and the others looked ahead, and then up.

Sasuke began to sweat and Sakura swallowed nervously. She then pointed ahead and asked, "Uhm, Naruto, are sure this is the place?"

"Yup," he replied plainly.

"Doesn't it seem a little, dangerous?" she asked waveringly.

"Sure is," he answered.

"Then, why are we here?" she asked.

"Because, this place is quite possibly the best training ground in the entire village," he answered proudly. He then turned around and said loudly, "Welcome to training ground forty-four! Also known…as the Forest of Death!"

Sasuke swallowed and asked, "Hey loser, what makes this place so dangerous?"

Sakura sweat-dropped and said, "Uh, Sasuke, the academy had an entire class about the sixty different training grounds. They spent the longest on this one."

"Oh, they did?" he asked simply.

Sakura nearly face-faulted and thought, 'Oh come on Sasuke. You're starting lose cool points.'

Naruto smiled widely and said, "Well, the classes never taught about the real danger of this forest."

Sakura blinked and asked, "Is it the giant insects?"

Taki shivered.

"Nope," Naruto said flatly.

"Is it, the huge carnivorous animals?" Sakura asked, not thinking of anything worse than that.

Musubi started bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Nuh-uh."

Sakura tilted her head and asked, "Then what is it?"

Naruto chuckled darkly and said, "Worse than anything else, this forest is home to an insane woman who enjoys killing people, has an insatiable bloodlust, and even has snakes that come out of her body."

His teammates and Sekirei turned blue, but they all screamed at what happened next.

A dark chuckle was heard and a voice from one of the gates said, "Well, well, you flatter me kid."

Naruto turned around and out walked a woman with purple hair tied into a pineapple-like ponytail, light brown eyes, and an outfit consisting of mesh under armor, a short orange skirt, shinobi sandals with shin guards, a belt and sash that hold up her skirt and lastly a snake fang on a cord that hangs around her neck.

Sakura pointed shakily and asked, "I-i-is that, h-h-her?"

Naruto waved and said, "Yo, Anko. Long time no see!"

Anko waved back and said, "Same to you kid. So tell me, where's my favorite brat been all this time?" She walked up to him and rested her elbow on his head, which had an unintended, or rather quite intended, effect.

Naruto, though, managed to mostly keep his composure intact, aside from a light line of red that ran across his face.

His Sekirei, however, were all rather incensed that she seemed to be so close to their Ashikabi.

Naruto coughed into his fist and said, "Ahem, uhm, Anko."

"Yeah, what's up?" she asked playfully, shifting her weight.

He pointed towards and said, "Your uh, you're a little too close."

Chuckling she stood up straight and said, "Well, it seems your little friends have given you a little more resistance. Guess that just means I'm gonna have to try even harder to knock you off your game."

Naruto simply grumbled as he plopped down into a sitting position.

Examining the edge of the massive and dark forest, the group could only stare in amazement at its size.

Tsukiumi spoke first and asked, "Well, wouldst thou mind explaining how tis that we shalt commence training within these woods?"

Anko chuckled and said, "Geez, what's up with the lingo lady?"

Tsukiumi clenched her fists and said, "Watch thy tongue swindler. I shalt not be talked down to by someone of thy stature."

Anko smirked and said, "Someone of my stature? Just so you know, lady, I'm a jonin. And last time I checked, you aren't even an official ninja."

Tsukiumi growled and said, "Foul ruffian! I shalt display my skill to thee if thy wisheth!" Water began to swirl around her and Anko pulled out a kunai.

Just as they were about to fight Naruto stood up and shouted, "Okay, I think that's enough!"

Anko, a smirk still plastered on her face stowed her kunai and said, "If you insist, brat."

Tsukiumi responded, "As thy wish," and the swirling water immediately dropped to the ground.

Naruto sighed and said, "Well, there are a few clearings where we can do some training. But the biggest part of using this place for training is just trying to get there."

Anko smiled widely and said, "Well, I know a good place. Why don't you take to that spot about a few hundred feet away from the tower?"

Naruto said in a deadpan, "Don't you think that's a little far in?"

Anko chuckled and said, "Well, if they're your friends, shouldn't they be fine?"

Naruto sighed as he stood and said, "Well, I guess you got a point. Right, if you guys follow me I'll lead you there on the safest path."

They all nodded as he opened one of the gates.

Before he began jumping he said seriously, "One more thing. I highly suggest you stay near, just because I make it sound so good doesn't mean it's safe. If you wander off on your own it's quite possible you'll find something dangerous."

Everyone gave one last nod as he began leaping through the trees and they followed.

Anko watched them leave and thought, 'Well, it seems your student has developed into a good leader. Let's just hope he can keep him on the right path.'


In a technologically advanced city in the Elemental Nations a large tower with a clock stood amongst the other structures, towering over them. On a ledge near the top a man with wild white hair, a long white cape over a white suit and square glasses on his face stood with an insane grin. This man was Minaka Hiroto.

He looked out upon the city and beyond it to the rest of the continent. Suddenly he began to laugh madly and then started to shout maniacally, "Things are getting interesting! It seems the birds are starting to find their destinies! Now, I wonder what little bird will help bring about the age of the gods!"

Behind him a figure simply sighed tiredly.

Minaka then waved a hand and a series of screens rose from the floor and assorted themselves in front of him. The screens flickered to life and showed images of the current activities of different Sekirei and Ashikabi. He scanned across the screens, looking at the different views with an amused smirk.

His eyes then landed on one specific screen, the screen that was tracking one of the newer Ashikabi, a young blonde who had, in a short period of time, accrued six Sekirei.

Minaka simply watched the screen as he viewed the teen on his daily adventures. Minaka could only smirk as he watched the young shinobi. His smirk turned into a grin and he said, "So, shall this young man awaken the age of the gods?"

A hooded figure walked up behind Minaka and tapped his shoulder.

Minaka turned and said, "Ahhhh, I was wondering when you'd show up."

The figure looked at Minaka and then the screens. It then pointed to them in seeming curiosity.

Minaka nodded and motioned to the screens behind him.

The figure scanned over the different screens momentarily. Its body then stiffened, before loosening, a flash of red on its face.

Minaka simply chuckled and said, "Adding new players always adds intrigue to the game don't you think? I know of what you plan on doing, and so long as it doesn't interfere with my fun go right ahead, because sometimes a game is improved by flipping the table."

The figure simply sighed and turned around. It then turned back to Minaka and spoke, but its words were inaudible.

Minaka responded while scratching his ass, "Yes. It seems he's become interested in one of the new ones. I don't know what he has planned but something tells me it will ruin my game. Think you could do something to stop it?"

The figure just nodded and walked away.

Minaka simply returned to watching his screens in interest.


Naruto and the group were hopping through the forest as he led them to his special training area.

Along the way everyone beside Naruto and Musubi were constantly being assaulted by branches.

At one point Uzume sped up next to Naruto and asked, "Hey bro, how do you know that creepy snake lady anyway?"

Naruto chuckled and said pathetically, "It's a long story."

Akitsu huffed and said, "Ah…I want to know too."

Naruto sighed and said, "Well, I was about seven when I first met her. Sensei and I had started training in training ground forty-three. Anko had actually been observing us for a while and then one day walked out of the forest and introduced herself, vocally." Naruto snickered as he remembered that event.

"What happened?" Sasuke asked, much to Naruto's surprise.

Naruto responded, "Well, she threw a smoke bomb for starters. Sensei immediately got ready to fight, and then she walked out of the smoke and sensei nearly had a heart attack. I could tell by the look on his face he wanted to throttle her, but he seemed to decide it was less of a headache not to."

"Geez, sounds like you," Sakura added tauntingly.

Naruto just glared lamely and continued, "Anyway, she started off just helping me train; but then one day she started lecturing me on academy topics. Naturally I thought she was crazy. But when I ended up answering incorrectly she threw a kunai at me. I was able to dodge it, barely. After that she escalated to chasing me into and around this forest…while lecturing me."

Everyone nearly face-faulted. What kind of psycho would chase a little boy around a forest filled with giant monsters while lecturing him. Naruto's Sekirei were fairly certain by that point she was crazy.

Of course what Naruto told them next didn't help. "Most of what she did was just chasing me, occasionally throwing kunai and senbon, or showing up to attack me personally when I stopped. Most of this was little more than toying, the only way she would've actually hit me was if I stood still. It was when I got her questions wrong that things got bad."

'Geez, how much worse could it get?' Uzume asked herself.

Naruto turned a little blue as he spoke. "If I messed up the question or just plain got it wrong she would speed up her chase and catch me immediately…and then thrash me. Eventually I learned to simply get it right. That, combined with sensei's lessons is how I got like this," he said with a confident smirk.

Sakura twitched an eyebrow and thought, 'You mean completely crazy?'

Eventually Naruto stopped as did the others, though Musubi stumbled a bit. Only to be caught by Naruto who grabbed her collar with one of his chakra arms. He just smirked and pulled her back up.

He pointed to a clearing and said proudly, "Alright! Here we are gang!"

Everyone looked at the clearing and gasped.

It was a clearing slightly larger than training ground seven. But it wasn't the size that caught everyone's eyes.

It was like something most people only see in books. It seemed that the Forest of Death being so untrodden had the advantage of a section of it becoming grand.

"It looks like something out of a novel," Sakura said with wonder.

Naruto smirked and said, "Yup. I use this place for training and only sensei, Anko, and a few other people know about it."

Everyone nodded and Sasuke decided to voice the question that had been biting at everyone's necks, "What kind of training are we going to do here anyway?"

Everyone else nodded in agreement to the question.

Naruto grinned and said, "Special Uzumaki-style training! Since Kakashi sensei is so obsessed with his teamwork exercises we haven't done much training elsewhere. So, I figure it's good to do a little training here."

Sasuke thought for a moment and then said with a nod, "Makes sense. But why here specifically?"

Naruto conceded the question and said, "The danger posed here adds to the training's benefit. This specific spot is not frequented by the more dangerous animals though so it's safe to train here. Plus we can practice more destructive stuff here without damaging the village."

Sakura then asked, "Well…what exactly can you train us for? I mean you were good at the tree climbing but what else?"

Naruto waved her question off and said, "No, no. I'm not here to teach you guys, though the fact that that's the first thing you thought does make me feel a little warm and fuzzy."

Sakura gained a tic mark and threw a rock at him, though it seemed not to faze him in the least.

Naruto ignored his growing welt and said, "I just figured you guys deserve to know about this place since you're my teammates. Though I've recently discovered a pretty effective training method that you guys might be interested in."

Sasuke nodded and said, "Sounds good, I guess. But before that, there's something I want you to tell me."

Naruto nodded and waited for the question.

"You're rather extreme training style would be effective at increasing a person's skill, but that doesn't explain how you're that powerful," Sasuke said, visibly having to force the words out.

Naruto just chuckled and said, "Simple. I use shadow clones."

"Shadow clones? How does that help?" Sakura asked.

Naruto began to explain, "It's actually pretty cool. The shadow clones are different from normal clones. They aren't coalesced illusions made of chakra. Instead, their actual physical copies made of the divided form of a person's chakra. They even have their own chakra network."

Everyone was quite surprised at that revelation.

"What, you kiddies didn't know?" Anko asked as she entered the area; sufficiently surprising everyone but Naruto.

After they calmed Sakura was the first to respond and shook her head. She then said, "No, I just thought they were more durable than regular clones."

"Not exactly. They are a bit stronger but a pretty weak punch'll send 'em packing," Anko said as Naruto formed a clone and Anko took a swing, dispelling it immediately.

Naruto nodded and added, "Yeah."

Sakura nodded but still seemed confused. "That makes sense but it still doesn't explain how it works for training," she said.

Naruto nodded and said as he decided to sit, the others following suit, "The shadow clones also have one more surprise. Anything memories and experiences they have are transmitted to the original. For example," Naruto began, pointing a finger in the air. "If someone makes a shadow clone and then has it read the first chapter of a book, when the clone dispels the original gains the knowledge of what the clone read. It's also pretty neat because the memories of the clones are a bit more intact than our own memories."

Sakura responded with a simple gasping 'whoa' and then asked, "Wait, if it's so useful then why isn't it taught in the academy?"

Naruto responded, "Simple, it's a forbidden jutsu."

"Okay, but why?" she persisted.

"Because, instead of taking a small chunk of your chakra and forming an apparition, it divides your chakra and makes solid copies. That means that unless you have high enough reserves, which most genin and even chunin don't, then simply making a single clone could cause chakra exhaustion. Plus the memory feedback takes a little while to get used to," Anko said.

Naruto laughed embarrassedly and said, "Yeah. I remember one of the first times I made a large number of clones and dispelled them all at once. It gave me such a nasty headache I passed out."

"Sounds nasty. But then why are you able to use it so well?" Taki asked, speaking for the first time in a while.

Naruto smirked and said, "Because I've got superhuman chakra reserves. I'm an Uzumaki, and every one of us has chakra reserves higher than most. Most Uzumaki chunin have the chakra reserves of a kage."

"You talk about the Uzumaki like they're a clan," Sasuke said in confusion.

"They are, or they were rather," Naruto said somberly.

"What do you mean 'were'? Did something happen?" Musubi asked.

Naruto nodded and said, "I don't know the specifics but about thirty years ago a large group made up of different shinobi from different villages banded together and attacked the Uzumaki clan. They were entirely wiped out, well not completely as you can see."

"Truly? So thou art a member of a clan? Tis it a clan of import?" Tsukiumi asked, trying to gauge how important her 'husband' was.

Naruto put a hand to his chin and then said, "Yes and no. Since the clan was officially wiped out during that attack they've vanished from the public eye. They don't even teach about them at the academy obviously. But they were important. They were some of the elemental nations' greatest seal masters. I can't think of a single clan or group anywhere else in the history of the elemental nations with the same skill at sealing jutsus as the Uzumaki. Then again my searches may have been biased." He finished with an embarrassed chuckle.

"Far as I know you're right," Homura said.

"Really? Were they really that powerful?" Sakura asked.

Sasuke was conflicted. Normally he'd be seething to find out that only did Naruto have circumstances and attributes that gave him this power, but that he came from a clan as skilled in another area as the Uchiha. But he was surprised that instead he was excited, for several reasons. Firstly, if Naruto was that powerful, then it was possible he could teach Sasuke some of the methods he used to get that strong. Second, the idea of having a teammate that was strong meant he had something tangible, beyond his ambition, to strive for. He now knew he simply had to surpass Naruto. Sasuke turned to Homura to hear his answer.

Homura felt a little nervous with all the eyes on him but managed to say, "Well, yeah, basically. Being a single number and a sort of guard dog for Minaka's…investments," he picked his words carefully, knowing full well how Naruto felt about Minaka and his ambitions. "That granted me limited access to some detailed files. One bit of info I found was regarding the Uzumakis, who were regarded not only for their capability with seals, since pretty much every seal used by the Leaf village, even their paper bombs, was passed down from the Uzumaki. Not only that but most Uzumaki also had startling amounts of chakra." Looking up in thought Homura mused, "I remember encountering an Uzumaki woman a while back who was not only one hell of a fighter but seemed capable of throwing out C and B class jutsu like they were shuriken. That was something I've only known elemental Sekirei to be capable of."

Everyone was in complete shock, then turned to Naruto; who immediately waved his arms back and forth and said, "Hey, hey, I'm good but not that good. I can barely control my chakra nature on its own let alone throw out jutsu like that. Well…that's mainly because I don't know any."

Listening to this, Sasuke steeled himself and asked his burning question, "Hey, Naruto."

Naruto took a moment and nodded in recognition.

"Can you teach me the Shadow Clone Jutsu?" he asked.

Naruto nearly fell over and almost everyone else had their jaws hit the dirt.

Sasuke reddened slightly with everyone staring but didn't change his expression.

After collecting himself, Naruto smirked and then said with a nod, "Sure. But in return I want something from you."

Sasuke nodded readily.

"I want you to teach me the Fireball Jutsu," Naruto said confidently.

Sasuke gained a tic mark and said, "You can't learn it Naruto, fire isn't your element."

Naruto shot back, "It's not yours either."

Sasuke twitched slightly and said, "Perhaps, but my clan has an affinity for it so I've got an edge."

Naruto nodded and said, "I know that. I also know that it's possible to learn any jutsu of any element, only that jutsus outside of one's chakra nature take more time and practice."

Sasuke caught where he was going instantly and just nodded.

Standing Naruto said, "Alright, I think we're done here. Why don't we get started on training?"

Sakura was about to agree but then said, "That's all well and good, but it doesn't do any good if we don't know how to. All Kakashi sensei's done is his team exercises."

Naruto nodded in acknowledgement and said, "In that case, why don't you work on you physical abilities?"

Sakura accepted but still asked, "If you've got anything beyond the normal stuff it'd help."

Naruto chuckled and said, "I do, but it's not exactly pleasant."

Sakura frowned but then looked at everyone else and decided she needed to catch up so she nodded and asked, "What is it?"

Naruto held out a set of paper tags with seals on them and said, "They're restriction seals. They're designed so that it requires more force for your body to move. Funnily enough, part of the training with these things is just getting to where you can walk normally without needing chakra."

"What do you mean without needing chakra?" she asked confused.

Naruto stared in disbelief. He then asked, "You mean you don't know how to enhance your body with chakra?"

Sakura shouted, "No! They don't teach that in the academy!"

Naruto sighed and then asked, "How about you Sasuke?"

Resisting the trademark Uchiha retort Sasuke just shook his head.

Naruto groaned and said, "Geez, and here I was hoping to get back to my regular training. If you guys give me two minutes I'll teach you how to do it."

They both nodded as Naruto created five hundred clones and split up their duties.

Sasuke and Sakura watched intensely as he did this. Sakura in sheer surprise that he could create that many and not get exhausted, it what they said about the shadow clone is correct. Sasuke in anticipation at being able to do that.

His anticipation quickly turned to irritation as he realized that he simply didn't have the reserves for that many clones. He hoped he had enough for at least a hundred.

After splitting them up Naruto looked to his teammates and nodded. He began, "Okay, the best way to show this is simple practice. Punch that tree."

They looked at him like he was crazy. Then they heard a crash and saw Musubi standing triumphantly next to a downed tree.

Naruto chuckled weakly and said, "Erm, Musubi, I wasn't talking to you; but good work." He suddenly got an idea and turned to Homura and asked, "Hey, Homura. Can Sekirei increase muscle mass the same way humans can?"

Homura raised an eyebrow at the question but nodded and said, "Far as I know."

Naruto smirked and then said, "Hey, Musubi, come here a moment."

Musubi nodded happily and ran over to her Ashikabi, staring at him expectantly.

Naruto quivered slightly at the gaze but recovered quickly, though not before Anko saw and formed a billion new ways to tease the blonde. Naruto pulled out some restriction tags and said, "Stick out your arms."

She did so happily and Naruto slid up her sleeves and grabbed her wrists to steady them. He was surprised at the softness of her skin despite being so strong but quickly regained his bearings. He place one of each tag in the middle of her forearms. He then gulped and said, "Ah…alright. Now I need to…put these two on your calves."

She nodded and plopped down on the ground and rolled down her socks, unintentionally giving him a view most men would kill for.

Skillfully suppressing his nosebleed he knelt down, making every effort not to look up, and stuck the tags to her legs. After that he stood up and she kipped happily to her feet with a confused expression.

Testing her muscles she said with a finger on her chin, "I don't feel any different."

Naruto laughed and said, "That's because I haven't activated them yet silly."

Musubi tapped a fist into her open palm and said, "Oh that makes sense."

Naruto nodded and formed a half hand sign, at which point Musubi stiffened up but did little else. Naruto was a little surprised, he had just increased the resistance to ten times normal, and most people would have either fallen flat on their faces or stiffened like stone; but Musubi didn't seem that affected.

Shrugging he made the hand sign again. At which point Musubi stumbled forward and stood wobbly, a look of extreme concentration as she steadied herself.

He had just doubled the resistance and yet it seemed she was simply having trouble moving. He increased it one more time. That was when Musubi immediately fell forward, landing flat on her face. Naruto smirked slightly and thought, 'So, twenty-one's her limit.' His smirk turned to a confused frown as she stood up. It was slow and obviously strained, and she was barely keeping herself standing but was doing so nonetheless.

Naruto sighed and thought, 'A little more I guess.' He increased the resistance to fifty times normal and that seemed to do it. She fell forward, flat on her face and seemingly incapable of getting up. She occasionally lifted her head up only to get slammed back down by some invisible force.

Sasuke asked absently, "What's going on?"

Naruto smiled and said, "It's my tags. I had to keep increasing the resistance until Musubi was unable to move, because that's where training starts."

Sasuke and Sakura gulped nervously.

Sakura then asked, "H-how much do most people start with?"

Naruto answered plainly, "Ten times normal."

Sasuke pointed to Musubi and asked, "Where's she?"

Naruto said just as plainly, "Fifty times normal."

The two genin gulped, that meant Musubi was at least forty or more times stronger than the average person.

Sasuke then asked the question he wasn't sure he wanted answered, "How much do you train with?"

Naruto grinned and said, "One hundred and fifty times normal, and I keep them active at all times."

Sasuke and Sakura turned white as ghosts. They just discovered that their teammate, who they know was strong, was capable of having his body experience one hundred and fifty times the normal amount of resistance on his body, keeping it stationary, and was able to move perfectly. Not only that but that he had it active nonstop.

Sasuke decided that if he wanted to catch him, and more currently catch Naruto he'd need those tags. Swallowing every bit of stubbornness he had left he walked over to Naruto and outstretched his hand and asked, "Can I use them?"

Naruto couldn't help but smile, for many reasons. He happily nodded and said, "Sure, I just need to fit your forearms and shins with one each, then flow some chakra to them."

Sasuke nodded as he removed the warmers on his arms and legs for Naruto to place the tags.

After securing them he looked at Sasuke and said, "This is just temporary. Once you get used to them I can place seals that won't be as vulnerable."

Sasuke nodded and Naruto made a half hand sign. Sasuke asked, "What's that for?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow and then said, "I'm flowing chakra into the tags. They'll increase resistance base on how much chakra I put into them. I'm going to start by increasing it to twice normal. Tell me how that feels."

Sasuke nodded and felt his body stiffen slightly. There wasn't that much difference however and he said, "Not much different. You sure these things work?"

Naruto twitched an eyebrow and said, "Yes. I am. I don't want to increase it too much or it could powderize your bones."

Sasuke gulped at the thought and nodded.

Of course Yahan took full advantage of his discomfort and said while flinging herself over his shoulders and rubbing his cheek, "Don't worry Sasuke, if you did get crippled I'd be sure to entertain you all day." She then whispered in his ear, resulting in the 'infallible' Sasuke Uchiha leaking blood from his nose.

Naruto couldn't, and didn't try to, suppress his laugh at the situation and Sakura couldn't explain it, but she felt her lip quiver, and not from anger.

Sasuke just coughed into his hand and said shakily, "Can we just…get this going?"

Naruto chuckled and formed the half sign again, increasing the resistance level to four times.

Sasuke felt his body stiffen further but not be very restricted. He shook his head in response.

Naruto nodded and said, "Alright, I'm going up to ten times, tell me how that feels."

Sasuke nodded and felt the resistance increase dramatically. He was still able to move, although stiffly and with difficulty.

Naruto looked at him and asked, "Still able to move without adding to your strength with chakra?"

Sasuke had a rough idea what he meant and nodded.

Naruto smirked and said, "Good, I'll keep going until your body is nearly immobile without augmentation."

Sasuke wasn't pleased with that revelation but accepted it.

Naruto increased the resistance to fifteen times normal and that was Sasuke's limit, his body froze and he fell forward, landing in the dirt with a thud.

Sakura couldn't seem muster anything beyond raising a lazy hand and going, "Ah, should I help?"

Naruto shook his head and asked, "You wanna try?"

Sakura thought for a moment, her thoughts drifting to her tasks and missions with Naruto and Sasuke. She then nodded resolutely and said, "Yes."

Naruto nodded and gave her the tags to apply. He didn't want to get punched again.

After she applied the tags Naruto increased the resistance to twice normal, and Sakura seemed unaffected. He nodded and increased it again, he kept going until he reached ten times normal, and Sakura fell over.

Both expected her to face plant, but Sakura felt something catch her. She looked to her right and saw Homura holding on to her. She nodded and Homura set her down.

Naruto nodded and said teasingly, "It's probably obvious, but the first part of this training is being able to stand without much difficulty with the tags active. I've got a trick that could help, if you want."

The two immediately looked at him.

He snickered uncomfortably and said, "If you flow chakra through your muscles it will strengthen them. That's part of how I hit so hard."

They nodded and began coursing chakra through their muscles, although Sakura was able to do it quicker due to her better natural control. Even then the two of them were struggling, for different reasons however.

After that Naruto decided he might as well start on his own strength training. He increased his resistance to one hundred twenty-five, but was still able to manage. He increased it two hundred and discovered the hard way it was high enough.