Mid-Childa Naruto
aka: Mischief Fragment - Mjolnir

a possibility raised by Greylle
Archived by Solitare and reposted by TheBeardedOne.

The plan was to drop this. Time restrictions and there are a few magic-Naruto stories already out there. i haven't run into one quite like this though, and plot details just keep fitting themselves into place. Which is why it's been seperated out from the Omake and put here.

Various characters from various series. Mainly Nanoha and Naruto.


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Chapter 9: Back from Wave

"I see," said the Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, as he considered the young girl before him. Also keeping in mind the two older and one younger girl who were outside acting as bodyguards.

"Do you?" asked Hayate, glancing at the Hokage and then the middle-aged fellow nearby.

"Yes," said the Hokage. "Though admittedly I have not run into this situation before."

"Just to be clear on this, I'm willing to support Nanoha, Fate, or Nanoha AND Fate if they decide to go this route," summed up Hayate.

"Understood," said the Hokage.

"There is no legal reason for not doing this," said the white-haired guy. "Naruto is the last member of his clan, and the holder of his family's bloodline."

"Why exactly are you here for this discussion?" asked Hayate.

"You understand this is all top-secret?" asked the Hokage.

Hayate nodded, now interested instead of irritated.

"I'm Naruto's godfather," said the white-haired fellow. "Jiraiya. I will also be taking a more active hand in Naruto's training in the near future."

"I see," said Hayate, now gauging the two men. "You both are fairly powerful mages, or ninja, within this world's structure?"

"Any Hokage has to be, it's a job requirement," said Jiraiya. "I myself have been a spy and agent-abroad for awhile, but I'm also one of the Three Legendary Ninja of the Leaf Village."

"Oh?" asked Hayate. "I'm sure Signum and Vita would love to spar with you sometime. Just to get further information on how your world's ninja compare with our knights."

Jiraiya paused as if he sensed much pain in his future. "Perhaps. It might be interesting."

"So where do you stand in all this, other than assisting Nanoha or Fate?" asked the Hokage.

"Undecided right now," said Hayate with a shrug. "Naruto, thanks to almost two years spent with us, is almost fourteen. Hinata, as I understand it, is twelve. Nanoha and Fate are both thirteen, as am I. We have time before such decisions really must be worked out. I'll just observe from the sidelines, it may be entertaining. Though..."

"Yes?" asked the Hokage.

Hayate closed her book and looked directly at Jiraiya. "Are you the one who wrote that book?"

"What book?" asked Jiraiya.

"Icha Icha," responded Hayate.

"Uhm, aren't you a little young for that reading material?" asked Jiraiya. Odd, he wasn't getting any feeling of impending doom from this little girl.

"Yes, it didn't make much sense to me when I found it amongst Shamal's medical texts, apparently she got it from Captain Lindy who picked it up when visiting your village," said Hayate. "I think she's a fan. Shamal!"

A blonde woman entered the room.

"Yes, I'm the author for the very popular 'Icha Icha' series," admitted Jiraiya cautiously.

Shamal's eyes widened slightly. "Oh?"

The Hokage coughed, as he WAS trying to develop relations with the TSAB, but wasn't entirely sure how this development was going to effect any part of it.

Just that he had a bad feeling about it.

.

.

Tazuna glanced up at the bridge support, where Sakura Haruno sat and watched the area.

"Uhm, boss?" asked a mason.

"She's there to guard us," said Tazuna. "She's a ninja. So no, you may not flirt with her. Get back to work."

"Right," said the mason, heading back to his section of the bridge.

Tazuna grumbled something under his breath, turning his attention back to the work himself for a few minutes. On some impulse, he glanced back at the kunoichi up there.

Who looked steadily back at him with those seafoam green eyes.

"I don't think it's that," said a familiar voice.

Tazuna managed to contain himself enough that he only jumped a couple of inches. As he suspected, the cat was looking particularly smug and superior at her little prank. "What?"

"She picked a high vantage point to be able to see over a long distance," said Kurochan, still in catform. "She also wants to be alone right now."

"Hmph, kids," mumbled Tazuna.

"True," admitted Kurochan. "And she's handling it a lot differently than I would."

"Oh?" asked Tazuna, not knowing exactly what had happened but having an idea that someone must have done or said something that pretty much put the three young ninja on edge.

"Yes," said Kurochan. "I'd have beaten him within an inch of his life, then kissed him very thoroughly, and THEN I'd have said something about him wanting to play with dolls."

"I see," said a Tazuna who quite obviously did NOT have an idea what was going on.

"I have a question for you though, Tazuna the bridge-builder," said Kurochan. "You're certainly not an ideal person to question, but Kakashi is even less so. Maybe I should ask your daughter."

"Tsunami?" asked Tazuna.

"Yes," said Kurochan, getting up. "She might have some answers for me. She wasn't at her home, so perhaps you'd know where she is?"

"Probably working on fishing nets," offered Tazuna after some thought on it. "Go along the shore to the right, there's some fishing vessels still in operation."

.

"Tsunami?" asked the cat.

"Uhm, 'Kurochan', isn't it?" asked Tsunami, who was really really not used to talking cats. Though she HAD seen a few times that Inari was playing with the cat and the cat was acting rather more cat-like.

"It got boring watching Naruto and Sasuke competing to see who could slash a tree higher," confessed Kurochan. "Sakura's watching over Tazuna. On the other hand, I have questions for you."

"Why not ask your sensei?" asked Tsunami.

"He's a guy," said Hanabi.

"Ah," said Tsunami, figuring out that it was about female matters that the cat wanted to ask her about. "Your mother is unavailable?"

"Died before I was a year old," said Hanabi.

Tsunami paused in her repair of a fishing net to consider the oddity of her being asked to give womanly advice to a talking cat. A talking ninja magical cat.

.

"TAZUNA!" called out Gato as he advanced, his flunkies fanning out to either side of him.

The workers gathered behind Tazuna who looked a little worried.

"Tazuna," said Gato, stopping at a few yards away from the bridgebuilder. "You were warned."

"Not everyone caves to your threats, Gato," replied Tazuna. "Why did you wait this long?"

"'Wait'?" asked Gato. "I've sent ninja, mercenaries, and another ninja after you. Now though, you're unguarded by those fools."

"Uhm," said Tazuna, glancing up at the building support and not finding the girl he'd expected to see there.

"All you've got is some weak little slip of a girl," said Gato. "I've broken girls that were more of a threat than that little pink-haired slut. I -"

[Battle Mode - Engaged.]

Suddenly the four mercenaries to Gato's left were all flying in different directions, one knocking Gato over in his arc, and there was a kunoichi crouching there in the center of what had been their formation.

Sakura Haruno stood slowly up. She cocked her head, eyes closed, and when she opened them there seemed to be a green flash.

Mercenaries took an involuntary step back, fingering their weapons.

Gato scrambled clear, cursing the mercenary who'd knocked him over.

"Am I to understand," said Sakura slowly, each word enunciated carefully. "That you referred to a genin of the Leaf as a 'little slip of a girl'? That you called that same kunoichi a 'slut'?"

"You don't scare me," said Gato, not wanting to be seen as backing down. "You guys, get her!"

Ka-chunk! Bweeeeeeeee!

The mercenaries had started forward when the girl in question produced a tube from one forearm which was gathering a globe of light at the end pointed their way.

"Sensei says we aren't to assassinate you," said Sakura.

Several mercenaries gave sighs of relief.

"That doesn't mean I can't hurt you," pointed out Sakura.

[Special Technique: Grenade]

.

Kakashi turned in the general direction of the bridge.

"Did you hear that?" asked a panting Sasuke.

"What sounded like screams of fear and pain, with an explosion or two?" asked Naruto.

"Yeah," said Sasuke, drawing himself up.

"You guys stay here and continue to practice," said Kakashi, "I'll check this out."

Sasuke blinked at the little puff of smoke where Kakashi had been. "I really hate it when he does that."

"Yeah, annoying ain't it?" agreed Naruto.

.

Kakashi Hatake sighed as he heard the sound of Tazuna yelling.

Sure enough, when he got there - it was discover a section of bridge had been blown up and there were mercenaries littering the area.

"Uhm," said Kakashi. "Gato - I presume?"

The guy whose back was pressed up against a support pillar by a hand circling his neck managed to croak something.

"Sakura? Report," ordered Kakashi.

"I didn't realize the bridge was that fragile," answered Sakura, releasing Gato so that he could wheeze and gasp on his knees.

"F-f-FRAGILE?" was the predictable reaction from Tazuna.

"It's only minor damage to the surface," pointed out Kakashi. "Now, Sakura, you know we're not allowed to upgrade this to an assassination mission."

"That's right you stupid #&$$!" said Gato. "Who do you think I am?"

"Oh dear, this isn't going to end at all well," predicted Kakashi.

"I'm Gato the shipping magnate," continued Gato. "I have money and connections. How dare you manhandle me like this?"

"You'd be a lot more convincing if your voice didn't keep breaking," pointed out Kakashi, tastefully avoiding the mention of any soiling of garments. "Still, he's right Sakura. You can't kill him."

"Uhm," said Tazuna, looking at several of his employees who were holding large metal tools and looking VERY tempted.

"You see," said Gato with a sneer. "I'll recover from this and make all of you pay."

"So," said Kakashi, "try to leave him alive enough that someone else can finish him off."

"Wha?" said Gato as Kakashi vanished.

Inner Sakura spoke in the calm melodic feminine voice that was similar to those of the Mid-Childan Intelligent Devices. [Congratulations. You have won a free trip to: World. Of. Pain.]

Outer Sakura merely grinned in a non-humorous manner and cracked her knuckles.

.

"Hey, that's her," said one of the toughs, moving towards Tsunami.

The cat on one of the dockside pilings gave the two of them a glare.

"Hey you, we're taking you hostage," said the other tough. "They left you all alone, eh? Well..."

The cat leapt down, shifting into a little girl with catears and a tail before her feet touched down.

"You were saying?" asked Tsunami.

"She's just a little girl," said one of the toughs, moving forward. Who then stopped when he realized his companion had just put his sword back in the sheath and was now backing away. "What?"

"I've seen those eyes before," said the second tough, continuing to back up. "That's a Hyuga. She was able to use a ninja technique to turn into a cat. So she's a ninja, and one of those elite clans with a bloodline thingie. I'm pretty good with a sword, I know all the basics. I ain't up to going up against no elite ninja."

"Aw, come on," said the first tough, moving forward again. "How tough could some little girl be? She's got to be maybe seven or eight at most."

"Byakugan," said Kurochan, causing the blood vessels near her eyes to extend.

This caused the first tough to start running forward, raising his sword high. The second tough apparently decided that his interests were best served looking for other employment.

Tsunami watched as the little girl drove two fingers into the descending arm, dodged the strike, and then slammed her other palm into a knee.

"You have lost the use of one arm and one leg," pointed out Kurochan as she stepped backward twice to place herself out of immediate strike-back range. "Do you want to run away like your friend?"

"You're just a little girl," said the goon. "I can't fall to you!"

"We'll see about that," said Kurochan, sounding as if she were bored by the whole thing.

Nearby, Inari watched with wide eyes. Apparently, if they knew how to do it, even a little kid could stand up to Gato and his men.

.

"So, what was it, Kakashi-sensei?" asked Naruto, standing on a tree with his body parallel to the ground.

"A little wobbly there, Naruto," pointed out Kakashi as he checked for signs that Naruto was using his flight jutsu. His hammer was on the ground though, so maybe not.

"It's difficult to maintain," admitted Naruto. "I'm used to doing things differently."

"So what was up?" asked Sasuke, sitting on a high branch.

"Sakura was attacked by Gato and some cheap thugs, not like the weapon-masters you faced earlier - these guys couldn't use chakra at all and couldn't get behind her," explained Kakashi, sitting down on a tree stump and pulling out his little orange book.

"Oh?" asked Sasuke, sounding interested.

"You probably don't want to be there right now," said Kakashi, finding his place within the book and quickly picking up the narrative.

"Why not?" asked Sasuke.

"First, you're still working on the tree-climbing exercise," said Kakashi. "Second, I think what you said to Sakura played to some fears she might have since her accident."

PAM! went a small explosion as Naruto's feet were propelled from the tree trunk.

"Naruto, control," said Kakashi, without looking up.

.

.

Hayate left the two old men behind, knowing they'd be discussing the situation. Not that she could blame them as there were an awful lot of considerations that those two had to take into account. Especially the older of the two - who had given her the impression as being a fairly responsible sort.

When she noticed that Zafira was the only one of her Wolkenritter still present guarding the door, she immediately came to several conclusions about that. "Shamal?"

"Hmmm?" asked Shamal, looking innocent. Which in and of itself spoke volumes.

"Where are Vita and Signum?" asked Hayate as Shamal followed one step behind her and Zafira in his humanoid aspect followed discretely.

"They... had some business to tend to while we are here," said Shamal.

"Where's Fate?" asked Hayate, shifting gears.

"She's gone to meet with Hinata," answered Zafira.

"Nanoha?" asked Hayate.

"Back to visit her family on Earth," said Zafira.

"So... do you know where Vita and Signum went?" asked Hayate.

Zafira sighed deeply, shook his head once, then shrugged. "They had a lead on where Naruto is."

"I see," said Hayate.

"At maximum speed, it will still take them a few hours to get there and back," offered Shamal.

There was a brief silence as they exited the building and stood in the street before Hayate made her decision. "Let them. They won't kill him and it's best if they get that out of their system early on."

Zafira nodded, having expected that response.

"So, are you going to punish me for letting them go?" asked Shamal.

"Why don't you have that 'Icha Icha' writer punish you for me?" said Hayate with a certain degree of exasperation.

"Yes, Mistress," said Shamal.

"I really don't get..." Hayate stopped and glanced at the space formerly occupied by the blonde Wolkenritter. "I really really hope that when I get to the age that I COULD understand such things, they will still make no sense to me."

"As do I, Mistress," muttered Zafira.

Hayate heard, but decided to let that one go.

.

"So," said Sasuke.

"Yeah," said Naruto.

"Can one of you give me a hand?" asked Sakura.

Naruto looked at Sasuke. Sasuke glanced back, shrugged.

Naruto and Sasuke began politely clapping.

"Not what I meant," said Sakura, glaring at the other members of the team as she tried to reach spots on her that she wasn't currently flexible enough to reach.

"Now, Sakura, about your performance," said Kakashi.

"I didn't kill him," protested Sakura.

"No, you just beat him severely and let the townspeople kill Gato," said Sasuke. He shrugged again. "Good. Vengeance is best served at the hands of those wronged."

Sakura hung her head briefly.

"But vengeance doesn't need to be one person acting alone," pointed out Naruto.

Sasuke shrugged again, not bothering to comment.

"That and the villagers DID need to learn that they could face their fears. As long as they're not going directly up against ninja. So," said Kakashi, breaking his silence. "What have we learned from this?"

"Wear gloves because I can't get any help in getting the splatter off?" asked Sakura.

"I'll help you," said Naruto, rolling his eyes at Sakura's evident disappointment.

"Nothing learned?" asked Kakashi.

"Well," said Naruto, taking out a small kit from his pack. "Sakura's always hit really hard - so that isn't it? Uhm. Let your teammates work out their frustration on something besides yourself?"

"That sounds like a valuable lesson," admitted Kakashi, "though not the one I was looking for."

"Vengeance is best delivered up close and personally?" asked Sasuke.

"Definitely not the lesson I was looking for," said Kakashi.

"This is one of those 'look underneath the underneath' things, isn't it?" asked Naruto. "I'm kinda direct, Kakashi-sensei. Hidden meanings aren't exactly my strength."

"Watch where you're rubbing, Naruto... hey, that stuff's good," noted Sakura.

"Multisurface cleaner," explained Naruto. "One of the things in that repair kit I got for you."

"Sakura, why didn't you signal that you were being attacked?" asked Kakashi.

"Oh," said Sakura. "Uhm. I forgot?"

Sasuke frowned a little at that.

"Well, you handled the situation, and everyone survived," began Kakashi.

"Gato didn't," pointed out Sasuke.

"Everyone important survived," said Kakashi. "So lesson learned. Right?"

.

.

The trip back to Konohagakure was quiet and uneventful. Kakashi-sensei, nose pointed in a book, had the rear. Kakashi was preceded directly by Naruto, who was trying another chakra-control exercise (this one involving floating a leaf over his forehead) while walking and maintaining three Wide Area Search balls.

Sasuke took the lead, with Sakura directly behind him.

Quiet. Peaceful. Uneventful.

[Warning. Vita.]

"Ack," said Naruto, coming to a sudden halt and not noticing the leaf fluttering to the ground now. "You're sure?"

[Affirmative, Master.]

"Oh. HELL," said Naruto. "Mjolnir!"

[Set Up. Barrier Jacket On.]

"Vita? I know that name," said Sakura.

"What's going on?" demanded a sulking Sasuke, looking around and not seeing anything. It was a large flat area. What had been rice fields sometime in the past, no indication they'd been used recently though.

"I got Yuuno to come up with a background spell that would let me know when certain people who have a certain tendency to cause massive destruction are nearby," said Naruto. "Vita's idea of saying 'hi how are you' usually involves massive property damage."

"That was it," said Sakura, nodding and now looking around herself. "One of the 'Wolkenritter' who work for Hayate Yagami."

"Right," said Naruto. "I'd better get airborne, she'll target me."

"We can handle ourselves," said Sasuke to Naruto's feet as Naruto was already accelerating at high speed.

"If it was anything like the fight I witnessed earlier," said Kakashi, putting one hand up near his headband, "it will be best viewed at a distance."

Sasuke watched, looking bored on the outside. There was Naruto, flying up higher and higher.

Boredom was put aside when a short girl in red suddenly appeared, wielding a hammer more than five times her own size. Naruto blocked using that "round shield" jutsu he'd used a couple of times before.

The girl kept the pressure up with attacks that were fairly rapid for someone wielding something that massive, and Naruto kept his shield up, but the impasse was broken when a SECOND girl showed up.

This girl, no - more a young woman, wielded a sword. Every movement was precise and measured, and she was apparently used to working with the shorter girl. There were definite signs of teamwork between the two as they went after Naruto.

"So... are they friends or not?" asked Kakashi.

"I thought they were friends, but they act like they're out for blood," commented Sakura.

Sasuke tracked the attacks as the sword became a whip and the hammer became smaller and started throwing energy bolts around. He needed one of those.

The smaller girl tossed something into the air, then used her hammer to aim those somethings at Naruto. Naruto continued to block with Round Shield, still fending off attacks from the taller girl with ANOTHER Round Shield.

Sasuke appreciated the beating that must be occurring, because he hadn't seen those Round Shields get nicked and sliced up before. Then the sword-bearer got through, and Naruto dropped the technique to engage in high speed dodging while flying as if two homicidal maniacs were on his tail.

Naruto dodged, twisted, spun, and took the fight up into the clouds.

The tall one did something, shifting her sword into a longbow of some kind, and exploded the cloud. In a fireball. That had to be a few miles in diameter.

An orange streak came out of the fireball, again dodging rapidly, and the two girls became similar but different colored streaks in the distance as they pursued.

"It would be awfully inconvenient if, after accomplishing the mission, Naruto's friends killed him before we got a chance to report," noted Kakashi.

"So, Sakura," asked Sasuke, not taking his eyes off what he could see of the battle. "What can you tell me about these 'Wolkenritter'?"

"Uhm, not much actually," said Sakura, who was watching things go on herself. "They're the personal guard or something of Hayate Yagami who is a friend of Nanoha and Fate who are both friends of Naruto."

A particularly large explosion occurred in the distance, and then the streaks all went groundward - one still zig-zagging and the other two pursuing.

.

"Zabuza-sama?"

Zabuza put out one hand and caught a deer that had been hurled nearly a quarter-mile by one of the explosions they were watching. Other than a slight grunt, he didn't say anything.

Haku looked at the deer, then back at where the various jutsu were hitting the fan. "I am glad that we did not have to fight them."

"Venison," said Zabuza, hefting the deer carcass. "So... older sister, little brother, youngest sister?"

"That is what it looked like to me as well," agreed Haku.

A series of explosions formed a trail that fountained fire and dirt skyward.

"Uzumaki," said Zabuza. "I think, Haku, we should investigate that job in the Broken Lands."

"But, Zabuza-sama, that's very far away," pointed out Haku.

Zabuza was silent as some form of chakra attack followed the orange comet that was streaking and zig-zagging around the sky.

"I see your point, Zabuza-sama."

"Thought you would," said Zabuza. "Let's get a little further away before we set this up. Use your ice techniques to dry out what we can't eat tonight."

.

It was bound to happen at some point. Naruto zagged when he should have zigged.

Sasuke winced as the orange streak fell to the ground, followed by the two other streaks of light.

"Excuse me," said Kakashi before vanishing.

"That girl," breathed Sasuke. She was ruthless, powerful, and whatever Naruto had done - vengeful. WHY couldn't he meet more girls like THAT?

.

"Vita."

"Signum."

"That last part was completely unnecessary."

"I just... got a little carried away."

"Exactly how are we supposed to give him the 'If you make HER cry, we'll make YOU cry' speech if he's buried in the ground and unconscious?"

"I said I got a little carried away! It's not like YOU haven't done as bad."

The two girls turned as someone snuck closer to them.

"You must be his teacher as far as these 'ninja arts' are concerned," said the taller of the two. "I am Signum."

"Vita," announced the shorter of the two.

"You were beating Naruto out of the sky because you wanted him to treat someone well?" asked Kakashi. "Do you two already know Hinata then?"

"No," said Signum.

"We probably should speak with her as well," said Vita.

.

"Something wrong, Hinata?" asked Fate, putting her teacup down.

"I just got this feeling of awful doom coming over me," said the paler-than-usual Hyuga. She shuddered once and hugged herself, wondering what THAT had been from.

"Oh," said Fate, considering. "I get those every so often myself."

.

"Wake up!" SMACK! "Wake UP!" THWACK! "WAKE UP ALREADY!" WHAM!

"So, if you haven't met Hinata," said Kakashi, wincing at the beating the short girl was giving Naruto in the interest of waking him up, "who exactly is Naruto going to make cry?"

"Nanoha, Fate, and possibly Hayate," said Signum.

"How does that work with Hinata?" asked Kakashi, because this sounded strange and he was aware of Sakura catching up with him and Sasuke not too far behind.

"That's up to Hinata," said Signum, shrugging. "No, we ARE aware of Naruto being engaged to Hinata Hyuga and Tenten."

"That's right," said Vita, dropping Naruto so she could pose dramatically. The forms were important at times like this after all.

"Naruto's engaged to TWO girls?" said a startled Sakura.

"Yes, and Fate and Nanoha and Hayate may or may not join them," began Signum.

"Naruto's engaged to FIVE girls?" exclaimed Sakura.

"Yes, and this might work out for the girls involved," said Signum, "but we want to impress upon Naruto how seriously we consider Hayate's happiness."

"I think you impressed the landscape more than anything else," drily noted Kakashi. "Isn't this a bit much? He's only twelve."

"It's a few years off before it becomes a pressing issue, but it was best to have certain things clear from the outset," stated Signum. Who didn't bother to correct Kakashi regarding Naruto's age as he'd spent very close to two years away from the village. As she understood it - one second had passed for them so that might be a reference to his official age and not his biological age.

"I see," said Kakashi as Sasuke finally joined them. "By the way, nice staying back out of immediate destruction range, genin."

"Uhm," said Sakura, having the grace to look at least mildly chastised at the reminder.

"I'll make sure Naruto gets the message when he wakes up," Kakashi assured the two girls.

.

.

This ends the Wave Arc, and next we get into Chunin Exam time.

On an unrelated note, does anyone know where I can find a pic from Rebuild of Evangelion - there's an image after Shinji falls on top of Rei that shows her pills and the prescription info. if i get a pic of that, i might be able to get it translated and figure out if it's an immunosuppressent - which is something a half-angel clone might need to avoid tissue rejection. (my theory at least)

As to who ends up with Naruto, if anyone does, that's another question altogether.