Ok folks here is the next chapter and I'm really sorry that it took so long to get out. I ended up changing the chapter by combining two chapters in one, because I didn't think it flowed right. Once again I'm sorry and for future updates I hope to not take as long, but I will do my best. I just wish college was over, but alas it's not. One more year till the madness stops, then on to the real world.

I hope everyone is enjoying the story and please review and give me feedback. I gave a little bit of what I have planned in my last A/N and I'm excited about the next couple chapters in my head. It should be good... Well anyways on to the story...


Chapter 8

The following week was one of excitement and nervousness for the academy students and teachers involved in the co-op program. At 2:00 the 6 students chosen for the program left the academy, and their remaining classmates, and headed in separate directions in route to further their studies and abilities. After a short goodbye to his best friend Naruto rushed to meet his sensei, Roshi, at his estate on Mount Puma.

At around 2:13 Naruto made it to the clearing at the base of the mountain. His sensei was there waiting on him.

"Ah... you made it with 1 minute and 12 seconds to spare boy. I did say get here at 2:15, and I commend you for making it here as quickly as you did. That was just a small test, and if you couldn't complete it then I would not be teaching you today. I want to welcome to my estate and this is where we will meet for your training. My home is at the summit of the mountain, but for now we will begin here. Take a moment to catch your breath," ordered Roshi.

As Naruto listened to his speech, he did just that. The distance from the school to Roshi's estate was almost 5 miles and Naruto didn't know exactly were to go. He was cursing himself for his lack of preparation and knowledge. For the last 6 minutes of his run, he had to run at his full speed which he rarely pulls out very often. At his full speed he was very fast, especially considering he was still in the academy, but even 6 minutes at that pace wore him out. Furthermore, he had to turn around 3 times for going the wrong way. To say he was a little winded, was an understatement.

When Naruto took his much needed short rest, Roshi observed the boy. It was evident that the boy was winded, and he could tell that Naruto pushed himself to the limit to make it in the time he set. But in just 30 seconds the boys breathing was surprisingly almost back to normal. 'Hmm...that is definitely part of Kyuubi's influence.' The boy had much to learn, and he could tell Naruto had a determination in himself not to fail. 'That will be needed for my training and will definitely come in handy,' thought Roshi.

"Alright boy, come over here. We have some things to discuss before we begin for today." Roshi gestured toward two big boulders and Naruto and him sat across from one another.

"Let me introduce myself first, and I want to learn a little about you as well. As I told you before I am Roshi Honsuda. I'm a rigorous old man and I hate to beat around the bush. I'm too old for that, so remember when you are with me, never be afraid to ask a question or speak. I'm a jounin, I've fought in countless wars, and I enjoy nature and my privacy. I was specifically asked to train you and other than possibly one other person I know, I'm probably the only one who can teach you and bring out your full abilities. I will teach you many things, and I have already heard a lot about you. But what I hope to convey to you the most is to always keep control of yourself. For you know yourself better than anyone else does, inside and out. That is my key belief and you will need to focus on that when training with me... now your turn," gestured Roshi.

"Well I'm Naruto Yamashita, and I'm 10 years old. I like to read and I enjoy spending time with my best friend Aizen and my mom. I really like to relax and I enjoy sitting in peace. I try my best to stay calm in all situations and strive to be the best I can be. I'm hoping to learn a lot from you, you seem different from anyone I have ever met," replied Naruto.

"Well you think I'm different huh? Me and you will like each other and I'm glad to have you as my student Naruto. But before we begin I will tell you that I will be ruthless in training," spoke Roshi in all seriousness. "Sometimes you will question yourself and some of the things I make you do, but my goal is to make you more rounded and a better shinobi. I will purposefully push your limits. Hopefully you will understand and in time we will know more about each other. Do you have any questions?"

Naruto thought about what his sensei was saying and he knew if he wanted to be better, then he would have to put his heart into this training. "What will you be teaching me sensei?"

"Before I teach you anything I need to see some more of what you are made of. Follow me!"

The two got up and Naruto followed Roshi into a rare thick blanket of trees. Iwa was a pretty barren place as the village was surrounded by rocky terrain. The village was carved into a mountain, and houses, businesses, and even the Tsuchikage's Tower was sculpted amongst the rocks. Once they made their way through the lush and rare evergreens they came to small body of water. "This my young student is one of a few brooks here in Iwa. When I first built my home it was mainly because of this fresh water right here," stated Roshi. "Today and from this day forth, except when I tell you not to, you must carry water up to my estate on the summit."

"Over there are two small pails that you must fill with water," uttered Roshi as he pointed to 2 small buckets laying along the bank. "I want you to grab a long branch from one of these trees and you must put the pails at each end of the branch. Since this is the beginning of your training, the buckets are small and each can contain at least a gallon of water. You must fill the buckets completely and bring them up the mountain to my home. Water this fresh in the village is unique, and we only a few brooks and streams throughout the entire village. That is why my estate was built here and closed off to everyone, but excuse me because I'm getting off topic."

"You cannot spill any of the water because when you reach the peak of the mountain you will pour it out into containers so that I can use it. The containers you will pour the water into are gallon containers so if they are not full when you finish then I will know you have spilled too much water. Then you will have to face the consequences, so take your time. My final rule is you are not to use chakra. This training is to further build up your body, balance, and strength."

As Naruto listened to the explanation, he knew he was in for a tough time, and that this training would likely be the hardest he has ever done. What weighed on his mind the most was that this was just the beginning of his training, so there was bound to be even tougher challenges after this one.

"Are you ready to begin?"

"Hai sensei!"

"Good I will head up the mountain, and see you when you are finished. It is now 2:35 and since it is your first time, you have until 5:00 to finish. In the future I will expect this to be done much quicker, or we won't have time to do anything else."

As Roshi walked away, Naruto went into the forest to find a strong enough branch to carry the pails. After a short 5 minutes, Naruto emerged with a thick stick about 6 feet long. In another few moments Naruto had filled the two buckets completely with water. He placed them on the ground about four feet apart and then placed the branch inside the two handles on the buckets.

The moment of revolution and surprise came when Naruto tried to pick up the pails and place the branch on his back. Not accustom with the weight Naruto lost his balance and dropped the branch. All the water fell out of the small buckets. Naruto could only stare at his hands in shock. Ever since he started wearing weights on his arms and legs Naruto had never put much thought into them because over time it became normal. The extra weight from the water made Naruto's arms with the added weight on them awfully heavy. With a sigh Naruto realized his training was now even harder.


Konoha

The last 11 years in Konoha had brought radical change to the village. The leader of this dynamic change, once again for what seemed like his entire life, was the Sandaime Hokage. Naruto's death at the tender age of 1 day old, had affected the aged Kage in many ways.

First and foremost was his failure as friend and mentor to Minato. If that man could see how the village had treated his legacy he would hate and loathe ever being the leader of such a place. Shortly after the infant's death Sandaime had felt the same way ashamed of his village, and he seriously pondered leaving office. But then the memories of his family and friends, and the moments that he felt proud for his village all came back to him. He also knew he couldn't give people like his rival Danzo a chance to take over, so he decided to stay. That did not mean things would remain the same though.

A week after the village's so called "demon killing" the Hokage rounded up all the hospital staff who let the irate villages inside the hospital to kill the boy. The staff was promptly fired no matter what rank or position they held. Next he talked to the families of the shinobi who attacked the boy, and expressed how ashamed and angry he was. They now would face punishment for the deeds of their family members. This public shame and abolishment from the Hokage was so great that one of the families, the Kondo clan, known to be long range specialists left the village. Also the civilian population and council no longer joined the meetings done with the shinobi council. They were given their own meeting time, and furthermore they no longer met face to face with Sarutobi, but met with a staff the Hokage purposely created so he would not see them. Only serious matters were brought his attention. But with the whole civilian council thinking that their petty problems were important, the Sandaime promptly ignored most of those problems as well.

The overall feeling in the village, after Naruto was killed was simply the Hokage no longer played around. The entire village was guilty, and even his shinobi knew not to play around in his presence after the events of that day.

"Hokage-sama the two instructors Iruka and Mizuki have come for your meeting."

With a small puff from his pipe, the wise Kage looked up from his pile of paperwork, "Ah... send them in. I was just preparing for them."

The two chunnin instructors stepping into the office and made there way towards his desk. Iruka being the senior of the two spoke to his leader first. "We have brought the bios of next years graduating class like you have asked Hokage-sama."

"Thank you Iruka. I want to commend you two on your efforts. The teaching of future shinobi is not to be taken lightly and I'm excited to see the talent and drive the next generation will have. Before I even take a look at the bios, who stands out amongst next years graduating class?" asked the Sandaime.

"As you know we have many heirs to the major clans in our class Hokage-sama. Among all of them the last Uchiha shows the most talent and aptitude. He outclasses everyone in all major areas," spoke Mizuki.

"But his attitude is an area of concern that I hope he gets rid of," interjected Iruka staring at his partner with irritation; he hated to be interrupted. "Another student with this problem is the Nara heir, though his attitude is completely different compared to Sasuke. But it's an attitude I hope to change in the coming year as well. The other heirs and students that come to mind are Hyuuga girls, Hanabi and Hinata. They are complete opposites and even being 3 years younger than her older sister, Hanabi is a tenacious fighter in combat. I'm not sure why Hiashi moved his youngest daughter up, but I can say that she does have the skills needed at the higher level."

"The Aburame heir surprises me as well, Hokage-sama," spoke Mizuki once again. "He is well versed in many areas and I can see him climbing the ranks quickly if given the right chance."

"I see," thought Sarutobi out loud. 'This class has the potential to be one of the best we have seen since Kakashi graduated.'

"Well I'm looking forward to it, and as you know I will be at the academy next week to give the speech to the graduating year students. It looks like in a year, Konoha's standing as strongest village will grow. Thank you again gentlemen, and I will see you in a few days."

"Thank you Hokage-sama!" replied both men. They both bowed and made their way out of the office.

Once they were clear, the Hokage spoke out loud. "So my student finally comes home. You have heard what they have said about the next graduating class, what do you think Jiraiya?"

The said man simply fazed out from the wall behind the Hokage and walked over the lone couch by the Hokage's scroll library. Without a thought he simply laid out on the couch till he was comfortable.

"Well sensei, it looks like the next batch show some promise, but most instructors say the same every year, so it's nothing new. The real test will come on their first serious mission. There will never be a team as great as ours was," he smirked. 'Well I was great at least. It just took forever for everyone to see it.'

"I've got some info that I'm sure you would like to know about, but before I get into that how come neither of those instructors spoke about Naruto? This would be the same year he would be graduating right? No wait let me guess, he is like his old man and he graduated early? Haha...that's it. Minato must have had some strong genes." Being the legendary pervert his mind shifted to paradise, 'I would have loved to show Kushina how strong my genes were too.'

The next thing Jiraiya heard was simply nothing at all. For a complete 2 minutes the office was filled with silence and the atmosphere shifted to a feeling a gloom. Jiraiya rolled over to look at his sensei and immediately knew something was amiss. Thinking this was not the time for his perverted thoughts he asked Sarutobi. "So how is the little squirt? I'm eager to see how he has grown."

"Jiraiya Naruto is dead." The old Kage couldn't even look at his student as he said it.

Jiraiya instantly burst into questions. "What? What do you mean he is dead? What happened? Did he die on a mission or something? I'm not getting it, who killed him? Why didn't you tell me?"

Talking about Naruto brought up feelings he didn't want to feel again, and Sarutobi began to get angry and steamed up. He turned to his student and pierced him with a glare. "Shut up!" he roared. Jiraiya abruptly stopped talking wide-eyed. It had been a long time since his sensei had yelled at him.

"You don't even know what happened, and I shouldn't tell you anyway. But it has been years Jiraiya! He has been dead for years. He would be going on 12 this year, but he never even got a chance to see a complete day. He died, no actually he was killed; murdered. He was killed by the people of this very village. I tried to reach you after it happened but I see you never received my messages. I couldn't find you. They killed him while he was yet an infant, and he was barely a day old Jaraiya. One day! They believed he was the demon, and they killed him for the havoc that the beast caused."

"How could they?" asked Jiraiya in disbelief. "He was a child, an infant, didn't they see he was a hero? How did they find out?"

"I had no choice Jiraiya, I gave a speech of how Minato defeated the beast immediately after he sealed it, but most of the shinobi knew Naruto was somehow connected to the Kyuubi. I was asked to be Hokage again and I immediately had to fix the damage done to the village with haste. I did have protection for the boy. In fact ANBU were guarding him, when he was attacked."

"You should have done more, the seal was still fresh, and where were the people who were looking after him?" hollered Jiraiya.

"YOU were the one who was supposed to look after him!" shouted Sarutobi in defense. " I did all I could, don't you blame this all on me. I know I could and should have done more and I tried. If I had another chance it would surely be different, but what can you say? Where were you?"

The white haired toad sennin had no reply to that. It was true. When he found out his favorite student was going to die, he ran away from the reality, responsibility, and failure that he couldn't help prevent. There was simply no other way to defeat the beast other than having his student die.

"You ran off like a coward. You, the sensei of Minato Namikaze, ran off like a washout and scaredy-cat. You were supposed to be his godfather. Had you been there, maybe we would have seen him grow up into something great. He definitely would have lived and would have known love and affection. Both Minato and Kushina died for nothing now, and you knew about them, but you left him anyway. If you want to blame me, then you need to also blame yourself," distressed the aged leader.

'He's right,' thought Jiraiya in remorse, 'and now look at what we let happen.' The look his sensei gave him at that moment told him everything. Both men were regretting their decisions around the event that undeniably changed their lives.

"I know this news is troubling Jiraiya, and I regret what happened. I wish you would have been here, but that moment is long gone. I have put that behind me and moved forward. I have to in order to lead this village. That happened years ago; you should move forward as well, there is nothing that you can do about it now anyways," stated the wise old man as he stood and looked out over his village.

After a few minutes of reflection Jiraiya decided it was best to think more on what he just learned later. "Well I did come here to give you some important news. I'm sorry about Naruto, and I didn't mean to blame you sensei. I'm sorry. I came to let you know that it appears that in the last couple years Rice country has transformed. By the looks of things it has become evident that they are creating their own shinobi village. The problem is I haven't located it nor encountered any shinobi from such a place."

'Well...This is troubling news,' thought the Hokage. 'I'm sure the other nations will feel the same. Rice country is relatively close to us, not to mention Taka, Iwa, and Kumo. This may begin to tip the scale of power again.' "Please keep me informed. I have noticed a shift in Rice country as of lately as well. We rarely receive missions from that area anymore."

"Alright I will have my contacts be on the lookout. The other news I came here about is on Orochimaru. After I left I followed his trail, and found out that he joined this group of rouges. There was only a few pieces of info that I could find on the group, but what I found is concerning. This group is comprised of S-Rank criminals from all across the elemental nations and there are 10 members. Actually, scratch that, there are 9 now. Before I returned I learned that "the Snake" actually left the group but I don't know why. Apparently his departure was not on good terms."

"So that is where he ended up, huh? A group of S-Rank criminals, that alone can't be good."

"Those were my thoughts as well," said the sennin as he turned to leave. "There is one other thing you should know about also sensei," he spoke as he was ready to jump out the window.

"And what might that be?"

"Itachi is part of this group as well. My contacts are keeping me posted on anything they find, but that was the main reason I decided to come home. Keep your eyes and ears open on this group, I have a feeling they will be making waves and coming out into the open very soon. I don't know the name or their goal, but they are bound to shake up some things and cause havoc. I don't even know any more of their members, but I will tell you once I have found out anything else."

'Hmm...Times are shifting, and it looks like things will be shaking up soon,' pondered the Hokage. "Well thank you and be sure to stop by more often. I don't get to see you anymore and it has been too long Jiraiya. Let me know if you find out anything on Tsunade as well."

"I will try sensei, I will try."


Rice Country

Ozumo Tsurugi, a fresh jounin made his way through the dimly lit hallways of his masters quarters. As he bypassed 2 guards outside two abnormally large oak doors he steeled himself, proud of his latest accomplishments in moving up the ranks.

'He chose me,' he thought with excitement. 'I must have finally caught his eye. I wonder what kind of mission he will send me on? Probably A-rank or maybe an S-rank. I'm definitely good enough. Looks like I might go solo on this mission too. Ha, Misumi will be jealous when I tell him about it. I hope he comes back soon."

With a light knock and a soft "come in," young Ozumo made his way into the office. He stepped in proudly hoping to please his master making a small show of himself. The office was lit by one lone torch placed by the wall wear his serpentine leader's desk. As the doors closed behind him he put on a large smile in an attempt to satisfy his leader.

"You called for me, Orochimaru-sama," he greeted in a cheerful manner.

Orochimaru simply ignored the acknowledgement looking at piles of notebooks on his desk. After a moment he turned in his chair and spoke to a figure behind him. The said figure was basked in darkness and Ozumo could only catch the reflection of what he believed were glasses before the figure returned to his pitch black habitat again.

"Who is this?" Orochimaru asked.

The nameless black person presumably a male, gave a giggle to his superior's lack of remembrance. "You just summoned and called for the man, Orochimaru-sama. I believe you want him to be your messenger bird to Onoki. I think his name is Ozuma or Ozumi, or something like that, you just promoted him to jounin I believe."

As Orochimaru focused his attention back on some of his notes, a light bulb seemed to flash in his mind. "I remember now, he is the brother of Misumi correct?"

"Yes, he is the older of the two." Glasses flashed in the background again.

"Ah a worthless prospect compared to his brother. He didn't have the same blood-type as Misumi so I couldn't use him. That is a shame," spoke Orochimaru once again still ignoring the shinobi in front of his desk. Orochimaru shook his head as he remembered the successful experiment performed on the younger sibling.

'My brother?' thought Ozumo. 'So he did something to him? I was told he was on some important project. He's only a genin and an old one at that, but he said he was selected for something big. A Messenger bird? I'm going on an important mission just to deliver a message? This has to be a mistake.' Consumed in his thoughts, Ozumo started to shake at the embarrassment he was receiving.

"Orochimaru-sama I promise I won't let you down," he uttered in an attempt to show his leader he could trust him.

Once again Orochimaru gave him the silent treatment as he scribbled and wrote in his notebooks. It looks like he was figuring out something that had been plaguing him.

Ozumo was at a loss of what to do. His master obviously didn't think was he very important even after calling him into his office. For 5 minutes he stood in silence, waiting for his orders until he couldn't take the uncomfortableness anymore. In anger at the disrespect he started to radiate a little of his meager killing-intent in an effort to finally be seen.

The moment his killing-intent hit Orochimaru, the "Snake Sennin" paused in his scribbling. He turned to his accomplice behind him again and spoke once more. "Kabuto, what is this fool's name again?"

Once again glasses flashed and Kabuto laughed softly, "Ozumo Tsurugi, my lord. I just told you."

"Ahh well...I will have to tell Misumi, he is an only child now." With no effort in his actions nor even looking up from his research, Orochimaru picked up a small scapel and launched it at the young man, who was now noticing his grave mistake. The scapel pierced the area between his nose and left eye sinking in until the handle of the instrument could only be seen. With a plastered wide-eyed look on his face the fresh jounin slumped to the ground dead.

As soon as the ninja hit the ground, Kabuto spoke up from behind his teacher and finally came out from the darkness. "You do realize that you need a new messenger now. That was the second one you killed this week and you even chose him out the others."

"I don't remember ever selecting someone dumb enough to try to intimidate me with killing intent. I think I will forego the messenger and go myself now. I haven't seen old Onoki in a while so it will be nice. And I think I can use his hatred of Konoha to my advantage. I think Iwa will be better help than Suna."

"I see. Well I'm about to head back myself to check off another successful mission completed. Sarutobi is much stricter than he used to be."

"Well keep me informed of any news, like always Kabuto. My plans are slowly coming to fruition. Konoha will fall and "the Old Monkey" will die along with it. Remember who's your real master."

"Hai, of course Orochimaru-sama!"


Iwa

High atop a boulder on Mount Puma, Naruto sits meditating. After a short spar with his sensei, Roshi told the young shinobi in training to meditate and think on the mistakes he made. He had progressed tremendously after 1 year of studying under the elder man, but he needed experience in combat and Roshi explained that it would only come in time. His sensei always placed restrictions on him before every spar and Naruto had to get creative, never relying on the same strategies. His last strategy almost worked, but he was impatient.

FLASHBACK

In the middle of a small clearing on the mountain Roshi sits on a small boulder near his home. An observer would guess the old man was potentially sleeping, or staring at the clouds, but he was actually meditating and feeling the flow of chakra throughout his body. Without warning the old man gracefully flips off the boulder dodging two kunai aimed at his neck and spine. Before landing from his flip, the man swipes his right hand out snatching a third kunai out of mid-air aimed at his blind spot.

Disturbed from his meditation by his student, Roshi tosses the caught kunai back into the direction it came from, barely missing it's target sinking into the rock on the nearby cliffside. Underneath his feet erupts a small hand, but the wise fighter simply sidesteps the attempt to pull him underground. 'So he leads with Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu first huh? Well there is number 1,' thought Roshi.

Not fazed by his students attempt to drag him underground Roshi stomps the ground with his right foot showing a mastery of doton chakra manipulation. "Doton:Doruku Gaeshi no Jutsu," he whispers. Immediately a huge stone wall erupts from the ground in which Naruto is laid upon, surprise written on his face. Using his skills and concentration, Roshi tilts the wall so that his student begins to fall toward him. The wall begins to incline to almost completely vertical before Naruto decides to make his move.

Using his creative mind, Naruto adapts to the challenge and uses the wall as a walkway. He runs down the wall toward Roshi throwing another kunai as he draws closer. Being in close range to the kunai, Roshi has no choice but to abandon his jutsu as he spins out of the way of the flying instrument. As Roshi's back is turned Naruto lashes out aiming a chakra infused kick at his teacher's sternum. Roshi blocks with left leg, while still in rotation and he crosses his arms across his chest catching Naruto's follow up punch. Using his doton mastery again he finishes his spin with his right leg, hardened to feel like steel, catching his off balance student right in the face.

Off balance, and slow to recover Naruto takes the kick with wide-eyes as it lands with bone-crushing force. The snap kick sends him flying, but when he lands his body immediately crumbles, signifying it's an earth clone. 'Tsuchi Bunshin no Jutsu, there's number 2,' smirks Roshi.

"Is that all Naruto? I know you can do better than this. You have one more left, you need to keep your opponent off balance." 'You still have much to learn...'

Before being able to finish his thoughts, another pair of hands erupts out from underneath Roshi, and Roshi's eyes fly up in surprise. This time he jumps much further away and as he lands he promptly punches the ground, causing it to fissure as shockwaves head towards the target. 'Well, I might have spoken too soon. He actually grazed my ankle on that one and forced me to use Doton:Doryuu Kekai,' reflected Roshi. 'Another Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu, I wasn't expecting that.'

Before the underground shockwave reached Naruto he burst out of the ground. Without wasting time he dashed at Roshi using his top speed making a crater as the ran forward.

Thinking on his feet Roshi prepared for his student's charge again, 'He's resorting to speed now. It's time I show him one of his glaring weaknesses.'

Acting like his protege', Roshi runs at Naruto throwing kunai to alter the boy's path. Seeing the kunai flying at him, Naruto changes paths veering off to the right. The sudden motion makes Roshi pause in pursuit. As the boy jumps off a huge boulder to head towards him again, Roshi begins to make handseals. "Doton: Iwa Keiro!"

Small chunks of earth pop up in Naruto's path striking him roughly. As a particularly large chunk catches him in the left side Naruto momentarily stumbles and Roshi takes advantage of the opportunity. With a quick 'Shunshin' Roshi closelines his student knocking him unconscious.

'Well well...he's getting better, and his awareness has grown from when we first started. If I had took the limitations off for this challenge then I am sure he would have succeeded and definitely lasted longer. He's been with me a year and he almost got me with that second underground decapitation jutsu. I was sure he was going to use a different jutsu as his third and final choice. I guess it is time then. He didn't draw blood yet, but grazing my ankle will get him a few points. It's time to up his training and prepare him,' thought Roshi as he stood over his students motionless form.

When Naruto awoke from his unconscious state, he sat up and took note of his sensei sitting on the boulder a few meters above him. It was obvious that he didn't succeed in the spar; he never did. This was one of his best attempts though. He finally stood and cracked his muscles in his back. After laying on the solid ground for so long he back was a little stiff. In a few quick leaps he was seated beside his sensei. "So how did I do that time sensei?"

"You did well but you need to remember to control the flow of the battle better boy, you were impatient at the end. That time the limit was 3 jutsus. It was to simulate a battle where you had run into an opponent when you were low on chakra. Most shinobi can only get out 3 jutsus when they are in such a state. To kill their enemy during that time is a blessing, but most just injure their opponent enough to allow them to escape, make sure you remember that."

"I understand. So that is why you always challenge me to make you bleed. I almost got you today. One of these days I'm going to do it."

Roshi only laughed at that. "You have a ways to go before you could cut me boy, but I will admit you are improving. Go rest and meditate before you go home, that is all we will be doing today. I have to take care of some things. You only have one more year to be under my teachings and I will be switching things up in your training so I have to prepare. I will come get you in a few so go meditate now."

"Hai sensei!" spoke Naruto.

END FLASHBACK

"Naruto let's go, today I will walk with you back down the mountain," said Roshi.

As the two descended down the mountain both were lost in their own thoughts. Roshi was thinking about the next training he would implement with Naruto. And Naruto was focused on bettering himself until he could finally nab his sensei in a spar. The old man didn't look like much but Naruto knew his teacher was one of the best shinobi in all of Earth Country and possibly the entire elemental nations. One thing Naruto learned to respect was his teachers attitude. At first the man seemed harsh and he expected a lot, but soon Naruto began to expect a lot from himself as well. His sensei never pulled punches, except for the kind that would kill him. The old man was a master at manipulating the earth element and he once told Naruto he actually preferred fire over earth. Naruto had asked when he would begin learning to manipulate his primary element but Roshi told him to hold off until he gave the ok. Every morning Naruto still carried water up the mountain but now it took him 20-30 minutes to complete his task instead of the 2 and a half hours that it took when he first began. The volume of his training chore changed as well, as he was required to carry 5 gallons now instead of 2.

Within ten minutes the duo reached the ground, and that is where they would part ways.

"Naruto have a good weekend and I'm sorry to say that you have the next month off as well. Come back prepared, once the summer break is over. I figured you could use the time off, so relax and don't forget to meditate. Knowing you, you will probably go train yourself instead of relaxing though. If you would like we could begin your training for the final year a little early. That's why I said have a good month off instead of three months. Just meet me here a month from now at your regular time if you want to start early," uttered Roshi as he walked toward the area he first trained Naruto in.

"Thank you sensei and I think I will take you up on that offer,' replied Naruto in excitement. He really didn't want to end his training, but he figured he could catch up with Aizen and see if they could train together like the old times. "Have a good weekend as well sensei, and see you in a month."


Tsuchikage's Tower

With another year completed in the academy and a fresh new set of shinobi joining his forces, Onoki knew his village was getting stronger and more powerful with each passing year. The last year had seen his village complete over 25 S-Rank missions, and at least 100 A-Rank's and he was proud to say that number because there was no outside help included like in the past. His shinobi force now numbered just over 4 thousand, and he knew his village could successfully defend against almost any threat posed against his home. But for Onoki's plan to become the strongest hidden village, he still had years of building prestige still to come. During the 3rd war his shinobi numbers were near 7 thousand and he was still defeated. His shinobi now were of much better quality than back then, but he still believed he needed more.

Above the shinobi numbers his village had to expand its recognition once more. Konoha, and their allies of Taka, dominated and were given missions in the territories his village used to reign supreme in. 'I need to get those areas of influence back, but how?' thought the short Kage as he looked out over his home.

"Sir, I'm sorry to disturb you but there is a messenger from Rice country that declares he has some important information for you."

"What is this information on Yuri?" asked Onoki.

"He says that he can only speak with you sir," Yuri replied nervously.

"Send him in...this is unusual. But I will handle this."

"Hai Tsuchikage-sama"

As the door opened Onoki observed the man who claimed to have important news for him. He was fairly normal, and dressed like a standard shinobi. He wore dark heavy clothing and no visible headband, but plastered on his left shoulder was a purple musical note. He had a mask covering his lower face and he wore glasses. Before Onoki, could continue his observations the dark haired young man spoke to the Tsuchikage.

"Thank you for your time, Tsuchikage-dono. I think you will be glad to hear what I have to tell you."

"What was so important that you had to tell me directly? Also it is polite to give your name when you first introduce yourself. Why should I listen to you when you show such lack of respect?" questioned Onoki.

"Kukuku... I like you Tsuchikage. Please forgive me for my mishaps, my name is Ozumo Tsurugi and I'm from Rice Country. I would like to propose an alliance for our two nations."

'An alliance? This is unexpected, what do you have to offer me?' thought Onoki. "Well Tsurugi-san what does your country have to offer Iwa? Military aid? Financial aid? or some type of trade? I don't see what I have to gain by this alliance."

"Hahaha," chuckled Ozumo, "why we can offer you all of those and much more Tsuchikage. You see Rice country has just started its own shinobi village, Otogakure, the Hidden Sound Village. I can guarantee that you would benefit from us. Your village is still growing from your struggles in the 3rd Ninja War and my village has over 3 thousand shinobi, 700 of them are jounin. We are small, but we pack quite the punch."

"You keep saying my village, when you talk about this Oto,"uttered the Tsuchikage. "Also it would be unwise to infer that my village is weak. I can promise we are far from that. You are testing my patience, and the disguise you wear is too plain for a diplomatic meeting. Who are you?" questioned Onoki. He slowly began to leak his killing intent.

"Kukuku... you should think about this opportunity Onoki," spoke Ozumo, this time his voice seemed to change a little. It now sounded more sinister. "You hate the leaf and I hate them as well, and with my village's help, we can see it burned to the ground. I know you would give anything for their destruction. I'm giving you the chance."

"Who are you?" asked Onoki. Sensing a shift in the room, he reached in his sleeve and launched what appeared to be a simple stone at the man in the room. Ozumo shifted to dodge but he didn't move fast enough. The small peeble caught him in the arm, and immediately it began to turn to dust. As his arm crumbled so did Ozumo, he was an earth clone. "I don't like when a person doesn't speak directly to me."

"Onoki, Onoki, Onoki...Kukuku, you are a stubborn old man. I present you the opportunity of a lifetime but you shoot it down," spoke Ozumo, who quickly was recognized as Orochimaru as he melted out of a nearby wall.

"Orochimaru, so you the one behind this Oto village. My spies have told me Rice Country has changed over the years. You have some nerve coming into my village. I didn't know you were so foolish."

Orochimaru simply frowned at the insult, it seemed this was not going to plan as he thought it would. "Why are you are still Kage Onoki? Don't you think it was time to let someone else take over. You and my old sensei, have been in office for too long."

"Hahaha," this time the short Kage was the one to laugh at his adversary. "Sarutobi, has become content and weak as a leader, don't compare me to him. Over the years I have simply gotten stronger with age. Do you care to test me out?"

Orochimaru could only scowl as his slight jab of strength was simply sent back his way. Maybe Iwa wouldn't be perfect for his plans, and he should go to his backup plan. Yep, the backup was looking more probable. Now he just had to make his escape.

Onoki felt another shift in the room, and with another swipe a pebble successfully took out another earth clone. "So you run like a coward now Orochimaru? I see...your still the same as you have always been. You come into my village to try to intimidate me into helping you. That is just the kind of snake you are. ANBU!"

Realizing his failure, Orochimaru spoke up as he melted into the wall. He could feel the nearby ANBU chakra signatures closing in and he had to get away. He decided to leave some parting thoughts with the Tsuchikage.

"I will destroy Konoha Onoki, after I'm done with them then I have no problem taking care of you as well."

"It is impossible for a snake to burrow through stone, Orochimaru. Remember that..."

End


Jutsu List

Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu - (Earth Style: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique) The user, emerging from the ground below the target area, pulls down the opponent so that only their head is above ground. Unable to move, the opponent can easily be decapitated or tortured.

Doton:Doruku Gaeshi no Jutsu - (Earth Style: Terra Shield) After striking the ground with their hands or feet, the user creates a large wall of earth in front of him/her. The defence is not perfect though, since a hard or drilling impact can puncture the wall. Also, since this technique only guards frontal attacks, the enemy can easily attack from the side or even from above.

Tsuchi Bunshin no Jutsu - (Earth Clone Technique) The user creates clones of earth and mud. Since they are made of such materials, they can reform after being hit by physical, water or wind techniques.

Doton:Doryuu Kekai - (Earth Style: Earth Fissure) This jutsu splits the earth apart to make a fissure. The size of the fissure is proportioned to the amount of chakra of the user.

Doton: Iwa Keiro – (Earth Style: Rock Trail) The user slams their hands on the ground and giant rocks rise up and jag the opponent from underneath.

Shunshin - High speed teleportation technique, distance depends on chakra usage and familiarity of teleporting area.