A/N: Just to clear the air a bit.
This is not a bashing story, there will be some people who will be bashed on. However not everyone in the leaf is on Naruto's bad side.
Tsunade's day wasn't expecting the outcome once again, however Naruto's message gave her hope. She wondered how long it would be before they saw their favorite knuckleheaded shinobi.
Jiraiya was in the room along with Kakashi, Sakura and the two teams that had recently returned.
"Can you described how he took most of you out?" Tsunade asked quickly.
Asuma nodded and spoke up.
"It seems he knew we were coming, he used basic principles to get at us. He baited us and took us out one by one, using stealth and unorthodox moves to get us." He said.
Jiraiya wanted to hear this, he wanted to know how much stronger his pupil had become.
"Define unorthodox." Tsunade said.
Shikamaru was the one to speak up.
"He was using underhanded tactics to get us, he lured us into a trap that had no escape route. He knew that we'd have to fight our way out, first there was a line of explosive tags set up to explode, then he used the debris and dust in the air to make his move and took out Kurenai with a poisoned senbon, it was intended to make her sleep. He then started to use psychological warfare on Hinata and Kiba. Then he gave his warning, he knew that we knew that our numbers were down and would have to retreat eventually." Shikamaru explained.
Sakura burst out laughing.
"You're lying! There's no way Naruto could be that clever." She said arrogantly.
Shikamaru glared at her and spoke in a cold tone.
"You really don't know Naruto then, it's obvious he isn't as dumb as everyone thinks. He used his environment and situation to his advantage. If you don't believe me why don't you make the 3 day trip to Kumo and try to take him by force. See if that works for you when he sends you back humiliated." He scoffed.
Kiba held back a laugh as Sakura shut up, Kakashi just shook his head at his student's lack of ability to see the truth.
"Any idea when he would return?" Jirayia asked aloud.
No one had an answer, Asuma was the one to speak up.
"He said he'd do it eventually, after taking care of some stuff first. However who knows how long that could be." He shrugged.
Tsunade sighed, she just had to hope that it would be soon.
"Ok then, you are free to go. Jiraiya I have a mission for you though." She said suddenly.
Everyone nodded and left the room, while Jiraiya stayed behind.
"What is it?" He asked.
She sighed and looked out the window at the village she held responsibility for.
"This is a mission to help ease my worries, I want you to go to Kumo and find Naruto. This isn't a retrieval mission though, just pick his brain and see how he is doing." She said.
Jiraiya was surprised, but nonetheless nodded. Soon he was already on his way towards the land of lightning.
{Scene Break} {Kumo}
Naruto found himself walking in the Raikage's tower currently, Darui instantly noticed him and walked up to him. He got a lot of awed looks and some cautious. It seemed that word spread about him.
"I take it you dealt with them?" Darui asked.
Naruto nodded, Darui gave a nod and turned around and motioned for him to follow him.
Soon they were back again in the office of the Raikage and everyone was present again. The Raikage smiled at seeing the kid back, it seemed this could work out actually.
"Now that your back, let's rough out the edges a bit of our deal." He said.
Naruto nodded and listened as he continued.
"Let's get a few things right, first you want the option of asylum if the need arises in your travels. As a freelance mercenary you would work for Suna, Konoha and Kumo. For your support if we need it, you want training in kenjutsu and one raiton jutsu?" He clarified.
Naruto nodded as those were the terms. The Raikage nodded and continued.
"Asylum isn't a problem, so that one is cleared. As a freelance mercenary we need a way to comminuicate, you said the Kyuubi would grant you a contract for foxes. That one is cleared, now about training we can train you in kenjutsu, one raiton technique is fine too. These are the terms listed, do you have any problems?" He asked for clarification.
He knew Naruto would say yes, however he needed it for the paperwork.
Naruto nodded and the Raikage smiled and stood up.
"Well then I have to say it will be a pleasure working with you Naruto Uzumaki. Now on to a more personal matter." He said suddenly.
Naruto blinked and listened as he continued.
"I would like B to test your strength in a friendly spar." He said.
Naruto grinned and replied.
"Sure, but what are the restrictions of this spar?" He asked.
The Raikage put his hand to his chin as he thought.
"Let's leave it at, no lethal moves, anything else is fine. First one to surrender loses." He said.
Naruto nodded and started to follow the rest of them as they walked outside and towards a training ground. Soon everyone except B and Naruto stood on the outside.
"Yo bro, let's go." B said quickly.
Naruto nodded and replied.
"Don't hold back. I want to be pushed to my limits." Naruto said.
Everyone else widened their eyes, the Raikage smiled at seeing how the kid was. He faced fear head on and didn't care of the outcome, he knew how powerful his foe was and it didn't stop him.
B suddenly got into a stance that surprised Naruto, the Raikage smirked and everyone else widened there eyes.
"What the.." Naruto muttered.
"I wonder how Naruto will face B's acrobat stance." Yugito muttered.
Everyone else wondered the same thing.
"Keep your guard up, this won't be an easy fight. This is a pure test of your skill, there won't be any chances for you to deceive and ambush your opponent." The Kyuubi said suddenly.
Naruto nodded and charged, he was testing the waters to see how B would react. Darui noticed this and instantly picked up what he was doing. He smiled, knowing the kid could be a very talented shinobi in the future.
Naruto didn't know what to expect, if he knew how this stance worked he wouldn't of charged in foolishly. In a split second B made a weird move, it was like a dance move. He quickly did a one handed handstand and his legs moved in a whirlwind motion, Naruto felt his cheek get sliced and the foot of the man kicked him and sent him flying back.
"What was that?" Naruto thought.
The Kyuubi was silent for a good bit.
"It seems this man has created a taijutsu stance that is as unorthodox and unpredictable, it's a tough one to get past no doubt, it leaves him with quite the advantage. If you get in close he would easily take you down." The Kyuubi said.
He was hinting at something, Naruto understood what he had to do now.
Everyone watched as he formed a hand seal, the Raikage was watching intently now. It seemed he was making his move.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto shouted.
Suddenly 12 clones appeared and surrounded B, Darui suddenly got a bit more interested in the fight. Yugito was watching very closely, he was using the clones to help combat B's stance, she wondered how it would play out from here on.
"Shadow clones huh?" The Raikage smiled.
This spar was becoming better and better as time went on.
Suddenly all the clones started to turn to each other, everyone wondered what was going on. Suddenly every two clones picked up a third and launched it towards B.
It was then everyone felt the increased wind pressure, the looked to the real Naruto to see the chakra swirling in his left hand.
"Is that?" Yugito asked aloud, stupefied.
The Raikage nodded numbly.
"The rasengan..." Darui muttered.
Naruto quickly charged as the clone's were still airborne. B suddenly threw his swords quickly dispelling the clones, he looked to the other clones charging in behind the ones he just finished off. He turned to the real Naruto to see him closing in with the rasengan.
However something Naruto did shocked everyone, even B.
He slammed the rasengan into the ground. Kicking up a ton of dust and debris from the released wind pressure.
"Ah! He used the power of the rasengan to create a makeshift smokescreen." Yugito said suddenly.
Darui nodded and looked at the fight unfolding.
"The kid's impressive, using the basic tactics in a fight to gain an advantage." The Raikage said.
Yugito looked at the Raikage in shock.
"Raikage-sama? Those are basics?" She asked in shock.
The Raikage laughed and explained.
"The techniques aren't, but they way he used them are basic. First he tested the waters to see how B would react. Then he used his clones to make B choose which one he would let through his defenses. After that he used the rasengan to destroy some of the terrain to create a bit of a smokescreen like you said." He explained.
Yugito stood silent as she watched the battle unfold. Darui was seriously impressed with the kid's practical thinking, no doubt about it. This kid was something else.
They might actually be witnessing the rebirth of the Yellow Flash.
If this kid continued to impress him, he might just have to take it upon himself to teach him a few things. He was wanting to learn kenjutsu and a raiton jutsu.
"Show me what you can do, Naruto Uzumaki." Darui thought to himself.
Naruto had a window now that made it so he could do something. However it was short, there was no doubt in his mind that B had something to help him out of this situation. So he had to be fast.
He charged in with a extremely sharp kunai, he let his senses guide him. He quickly stabbed B with the kunai in an unknown place, and used it towards his leverage and held on to the embedded kunai and did a sweep and knocked B off his feet.
Suddenly the dust and debris cleared, giving everyone a look at the scene. They saw B on the ground and Naruto moving to strike, however as Naruto went to continue his assault, B turned into a log.
"Kawarimi." He cursed.
He turned around to see B behind him.
"Yo bro that was a good move, though it's time for you to prove." He said aloud.
Suddenly B jumped backwards and held his right arm up with the fist upwards. Everyone there got wide eyes as they knew what was coming.
"Raikage-sama! Are you sure you're gonna let this go on!" Yugito screeched.
The Raikage just put up his hand, he stared intently at the battle with hardened eyes.
"Let's see what happens." Darui said dryly.
However his eyes were watching intently at Naruto.
"How will you face this Naruto Uzumaki?" He thought quickly.
"Yo bro you best dodge, or your head will dislodge." B said.
Naruto knew he was going to do something very dangerous, he felt he had no choice to do something equal. Sighing, he knew what he needed to do.
He hoped he didn't lose control.
Everyone watched as Naruto closed his eyes, it was obvious he was doing something. Then they all felt the demonic chakra, the chakra started to grow as he charged it.
Yugito noticed his features starting to change.
"He's calling on the fox's chakra, hmm." She said.
Everyone watched closely as the red chakra covered, however he wasn't done yet. Soon the chakra started to liquefy and bubble as it became transparent. They watched as two tails grew and were shocked when he opened his eyes.
He got into a pounce position and waited for his moment to strike.
"It seems that when Naruto goes into his tailed forms, he starts to fight like an animal or beast, making him more unpredictable. It might just help him dodge B's attack." Yugito said aloud.
Everyone watched as lightning formed on B's arm and he charged, Naruto ran on all fours to meet him. He jumped just in time to hover right above the arm that was aimed at him, he quickly used his claws to tear at the arm as B rushed by.
He dodged the lariat of Killer B, and got a hit in as well.
They were impressed, no doubt.
B quickly powered down and walked over towards Naruto. They all watched as Naruto closed his eyes and started to regulate his breathing, he kept his mind clear and eventually dissipated the demonic chakra of the Kyuubi.
He opened his eyes to see all 4 of them with smiles.
"Yo bro nice spar, you'll go far." B said with a grin.
He held his fist out, Naruto smiled and bumped his fist.
"So it's fair to say this boy has what it takes?" The Raikage asked loudly.
Everyone nodded, Darui stepped over to the Raikage and whispered something in his ear. The Raikage's eyes widened and looked at Darui sharply.
"Are you sure?" He asked seriously.
Darui nodded with a strong face. The Raikage smiled and nodded back.
"Then I say this good luck Naruto Uzumaki." He said to Naruto.
Naruto blinked and spoke up.
"Good luck with what?" He asked confused.
The Raikage chuckled and replied.
"Darui has asked personally to train you in kenjutsu and the raiton jutsu you wanted." He said with a grin.
Naruto blinked and widened his eyes, he already had a trainer? This was going alot faster than he thought.
Darui looked at Naruto for a second.
"I feel like you will have the potential to change the shinobi world forever, if we're gonna do this. We need to do it right." He said with a smile.
Naruto nodded and listened as the Raikage spoke up.
"So how long do you think you're gonna stay before heading out?" He asked quickly.
Naruto thought about it for a good bit.
"I think 2 weeks is enough to get a good bit of training in, and figure the rest of the details out." He said.
The Raikage nodded and looked to Darui to continue.
"I have duties in the morning, so in the evening's we will meet here to start your training. I'm warning you, I'm not going to go easy on you. I'm going to be blunt and straight to the point. That way you'll learn it and won't forget it." He said.
Naruto nodded.
"So what do you think your gonna do in the mornings?" Yugito suddenly asked, intrigued.
Naruto thought about it for a moment before replying.
"Sage mode training and what the Kyuubi will train me in." He answered.
They all were impressed that Naruto was working on senjutsu, it wasn't an easy feat and if he got the hang of it. It would only make him stronger.
They all nodded and left him alone, it seemed this would work out.
Eventually Naruto found himself wandering the village when he heard a very familiar voice behind him.
"Hey if it isn't the brat." It was male.
Naruto turned around and was surprised to see none other than Jiraiya of the sannin. He quickly grabbed the handle of his sword and prepared to defend himself.
"What do you want Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked bluntly.
Jirayia quickly put his hands up in a surrender motion, Naruto calmed down and waited for his answer.
"I'm not here to bring you back, actually that old hag wanted me to come here personally and see how your doing. I have no ulterior motives." He said quickly.
Naruto thought about it for a moment.
"I don't sense any lies or deceit in his words." The Kyuubi added.
Naruto relented and spoke up.
"Very well, let's go find somewhere to talk." He said.
Jiraiya nodded and followed him, eventually they were sitting by a river outside of Kumo. Just in case Jiraiya tried anything, he would at least be able to go all out and not destroy a part of Kumo.
"So what do you want to know?" He asked.
Jirayia looked at him for a second.
"First, how come Kumo?" He asked quickly.
Naruto chuckled and explained.
"After I escaped from Suna, I had to make a choice, and Kumo was the least dangerous one for me. Kiri is obviously a very dangerous place to go, I hear it's very bloodthirsty over there. I didn't think Iwa would like the son of the Yellow Flash over there, knowing how much damage my father did on the battlefield to their forces." He explained.
Jiraiya blinked, this was Naruto? This couldn't be right.
"Man you have changed." He chuckled.
Naruto looked at him as he continued.
"The old you wouldn't plan this far ahead in the game, it's no wonder those two teams lost easily. I heard you used some very dirty tactics." He said.
Naruto just shrugged, Jirayia decided it was time to ask another question.
"How are you? Personally, don't give me the abridged version either." He asked seriously.
Naruto sighed and began to speak.
"I'm really happy, and excited to see how this will turn out. I've finally broken out of the cage, and moved on from everything that I had left. I don't get looked at like I'm a demon here, this is a chance for a new start, a new life. I'm going to make the best of it." He said softly.
Jirayia listened intently as he continued.
"I've already gotten on good terms with the Raikage and made a deal with him." He continued.
Jirayia was shocked, he interrupted Naruto as soon as he heard that.
"The Raikage? What deal did you make?" He demanded.
Naruto sighed and began to explain.
"I'm going to become a freelance mercenary, I've given my support to the Raikage in exchange for asylum and a few training sessions. I'm staying here for 2 weeks then I'm going to head out." He explained.
Jiraiya's eyes widened again, a freelance mercenary was something you didn't see too often. However in Naruto's case, it could work out very well, and the world would be better off. Naruto did have a way to make friends with pretty much anyone.
"So now for a more business question. When do you think you'll return?" He asked seriously.
Naruto sighed and looked at him.
"I don't know, honestly I'm not going to walk in there all nonchalant and not expect a mass uproot of the whole place, I'm going to head to Suna first, so maybe after I'm done there I might drop in a night or two. I don't really know." He said softly.
Jirayia nodded and began to ask his next question.
"So how much stronger have you become?" He asked.
Naruto chuckled and replied.
"I'm going to be training with Darui, one of the Raikage's men. I'm gonna learn kenjutsu and a raiton jutsu from him. Other than that, I've been training with the Kyuubi with my tailed forms, some senjutsu practice. However that is hard as can be. I've also started to use some tactic's I've learned books, psychological warfare and other things that use deceit and stealth to win." He explained.
Jiraiya blinked again as he heard the list. Damn this kid went over the top, that's what he was thinking as he heard him. One piece caught his attention though.
Senjutsu.
"Senjutsu? Your learning that on your own?" He asked in disbelief.
He knew how hard that was, and to hear the kid saying he was learning it on his own was something that he couldn't see happening.
"Ya, I've only tried it a few times. I sensed the natural energies and used it to find a sleeping deer to kill it for food." Naruto chuckled.
Jirayia chuckled, but nonetheless he was utterly stupefied and shocked.
"Damn kid, you've come along way from the little runt you were before." He snickered.
Naruto just shook his head.
"Heh, your right." He said softly.
Jirayia smiled as they sat, basking in the silence.
It made Naruto content, even if Jirayia was a leaf ninja, he was still one the people he wouldn't forget. No there was no way he was going to abandon any of his true people.
His precious people.
