Naruto and the Unconventional Sealing
Naruto minor crossover with discworld.
Summary: AU What if when Minato tried to seal the Kyuubi in Naruto, he managed to summon not the Shinigami, but instead Death?
"Normal person speaking"
"This means someone is thinking these lines."
Flashbacks will have a break before and after.
Name no jutsu: this is for jutsus obviously no breaks for them if they are mentioned in flashbacks they will appear as so: name no jutsu, or the English names.
Death, Death of rats and other 'higher beings' along with inners talk and think like this.
I don't own Naruto or Discwold. If I did then I would be getting paid to write… Also my writing would be worth paying to read.
A/N: I decided to release the updated chapters with this one since I warned everyone about it last chapter. They are still far from perfect but they should hopefully be better in some way at least. Once again I didn't change the story in these chapters I just cleaned them up and made them easier to read than they were.
Chapter 10: Beaches, Trees and Carpenters
It was a nice calm and relaxing afternoon near the sea, little did the unsuspecting and carefree Families know of the terror descending upon them at this very moment. Buildings and monuments would fall in the horrible aftermath. People would disappear before the sunset that day never to be heard from.
In the distance, there were flashes of red fiery fur and demonic claws tearing through the weak defenses of the many structures. A tail could be glimpsed from time to time. Screams of a certain nature could be heard from all around.
"Ha Ha Ha! Fear me! Yes! Yes! Sweet wonderful destruction! All of these Buildings will fall!" Thought the Kyuubi taking glee in the chaos.
"Yes. I am sure those sand castles are no match for your powers and the little sand men aren't moving because you scare them so much Fox." Thought Death in response. The two had a mental link due to the sealing when in the outside world together.
A small little cute fox looking puppy with red fur and a very fluffy tail stopped his destruction and let out a little growl as he swiped at another wall of the sand castle. "Awwww… Look at him! He's so cute!" screamed a young girl, probably 10 years old, in delight. "Yes he is showing that castle whose boss." giggled the beautiful older sister in her late teens back from her first year at college.
Kyuubi didn't really like pretending to be a fox and dog hybrid. He felt it demeaned him, but they quickly found out that if he still looked like a fox then the animal control in the area would try to get Death to release him back into the wild or donate him to the local zoo. Kyuubi agreed to take this form so he could visit the beach mostly undisturbed whenever he and Death made a trip. Plus there were some benefits to this smaller form Kyuubi soon found out.
"You don't mind if my daughters play with your pet some do you sir? We lost a pet awhile back and aren't ready for another one yet. We have to wait since we're moving before this summer is over." said a woman very attractive for her age, especially since she had two kids, one already in college.
"Not at all ma'am. In fact he likes the attention especially from girls." Echoed the reaper. Death was in his human form that people commented on as "A sort of bony fellow…. Hard to determine his age though. He is very polite and well-mannered." In his human form, Death was a very nondescript male that aged anywhere form 25 into his late 50s somehow.
The tiny terror was now a bit tired after laying waste to the defenseless yet imposing castle. After the girls heard Death's answer to their mom's question they squealed a little and started playing with him some, petting him and snuggling him. Kyuubi liked this, especially when the older daughter got her turn and snuggled him close and he got to feel her wonderful soft bikini clad breasts and gave her face a little lick much to her delight. Yes it didn't take long for the fox to enjoy this form when he first donned it on their second trip. The many beautiful swimsuit wearing goddesses seemed to really like small, cute and cuddly animals.
"I wonder what Naruto would say if he saw this. Or maybe his Mother Kushina?" thought Death in a tone that didn't have any emotion at all despite the statement's joking nature.
Kyuubi unfazed by Death's prodding replied nonchalantly, "Naruto would probably be jealous, if he wasn't laughing his ass off. Kushina would probably be angry. But only because she knew I was taking advantage of the situation."
Death was enjoying the beach breeze and the sound of the ocean from under a beach umbrella nearby while reading a book. He wanted to bring the green bottle along but after their last trip he decided it was best to leave it in Naruto's mindscape.
-Flashback-
Death was relaxing in a private part of the beach with the green bottle next to him. Kyuubi was off chasing sea gulls somewhere since he claimed, "It's a challenge in this form to catch them. And no one will mind if a few go missing, I'm sure." Death didn't really care; when he wanted to leave he would be able to get the fox 'demon' back in an instant, besides the peace and quiet was nice.
It was early in the beach season for this planet in particular so it was pleasantly peaceful. There was the occasional vacationer from time to time and the staff here actually patrolled and collected garbage along the shore that either blew away or wasn't disposed of properly by some idiot.
They had been there a while without incident and the reaper actually managed to get to know some of the beach clean-up workers. One of these workers was actually near him at present and noticed that good old Bill Door was alone relaxing with an empty green bottle next to him a little ways away. The worker thought he would do the gentleman a favor and take care of his empty bottle.
As he approached and picked up the bottle the air suddenly got very cold and heavy, and he heard Bill say in an otherworldly voice. "What are you doing?" The voice scared the poor worker as he placed the bottle down where it was. In fact, a certain fox even felt the effects and shivered a bit. The Tanned beauty with dark hair and warm brown eyes said in a sultry voice, "Aww… The poor dear must be a little cold from that breeze just then." She snuggled him closer to her wonderful, glorious and well-endowed chest.
The worker said in a scared tone, "Sorry sir I just thought I would take care of this for you. That is all."
Death's presence lessened after that and he said to the worker, "Sorry. I got mildly upset there… It's just that this green bottle here is important to me…. It has… sentimental value. Forgive my actions." The worker nodded in return glad that Bill Door wasn't still angry at him. He thought he saw a skull with fiery blue glowing orbs for a second there.
He soon forgot about that part though. Death could hide his presence really well so well that if he wanted, people would forget he was ever there seconds after seeing him. Even if he just bought a meal, drink or some other item. He still paid them with his currency which was always the right amount for what he purchased.
The worker soon was smiling again and said, "Good afternoon Mr. Door. I should get going, busy you know." He wasn't sure why he approached Mr. Door in first place. "Good afternoon to yourself and Goodbye sir." Replied the reaper.
-End of Flashback-
After that incident Death decided to leave the green bottle at his vacation home in Naruto's mindscape. He didn't want to keep others from doing their work. Also he didn't like scaring hard working and punctual people.
{-} {-} {-}
Back in Konoha the D-ranks were still boring but they weren't as much of a pain as they used to be. In fact, Team Seven had favorites that the tried for from time to time, including the ever dreaded Tora retrieval mission that always kept popping up. All Genin feared this mission, even Sakura and Sasuke had at first due to all they heard of it. But then they got it their first time and it was very different to say the least.
-Flashback-
They were hunting down a cat. Konoha Genin, and promising ones at that, were hunting down a cat… They were considered adults in their village, since they would lay down their lives to protect its citizens if need be. However, they were now hunting down a cat… The only consolation was that this cat was feared and respected as an adversary by the others. It really was a mission that required a lot of skill and ever changing plans.
Kakashi was running the mission from afar ready to pull out his Sharingan if need be. He wasn't using it as crutch anymore but Tora… Tora was fast… When it came to speed Gai saw Tora as his eternal youthful rival. Everything else it was Kakashi as his rival, but not with speed.
Sakura and Sasuke lead the cat to the agreed upon location. It wasn't completely secured even with Naruto moving to block the main exit. Naruto stood there facing Tora. The cat faced Naruto. The others got ready to make a move in case Naruto missed her. Kakashi revealed his Sharingan. The thing that happened next none of them expected.
The two were staring at each other for a bit. Naruto started running towards Tora. Tora ran towards Naruto. Tora could somehow tell that this human in front of her wasn't bad and seemed friendly. The two ran towards each other Naruto opened his arms and the observers could have sworn the scenery changed into some kind of grassy hill by a mountain range with a partly cloudy sky that any Nara would love to watch.
Sakura tried dispelling a genjutsu since she thought she heard singing and music in the distant background. Even Kakashi's Sharingan couldn't break it. "At least it isn't as disturbing as the Gai and Lee Sunset." Thought the one eyed Jonin.
Naruto was saying loudly, "Tora!" The cat was calling happily, "Meow!" They continued this and would have made Gai and Lee jealous of their 'youthfulness'. The two met as Tora jumped into Naruto's opened arms. Naruto hugged the cat a bit and petted her, but not too hard. He placed the cat on the ground and magically pulled out a cat toy from somewhere. He did this sometimes, he would pull out random stuff from seemingly nowhere.
Sasuke's stoic facade didn't hold up. He was staring in confused awe… This was the dreaded Tora? He knew Naruto had a knack and fondness of cats but still this was unexpected.
Kakashi thought about having them complete the mission but for some reason he didn't want to ruin this moment. He instead decided to spend some one on one time with Sakura and Sasuke since they were surprisingly behind Naruto in some areas.
{-} {-} {-}
After enough time had passed for a normal Tora mission to have been completed, they returned the cat to the Daimyo's wife. When they saw how overly affectionate the owner was they sort of felt bad for the cat. Naruto was trying hard to fight back tears as was Tora. The two then looked at each other and mentally told the other they will play again sometime.
-End of Flashback-
The Tora mission soon became a favorite of their's since it was easy for them and gave them more time for training. They started to return at the time it would take for a very quick Tora capture. Team Seven now held the record and since they trained, or in Naruto's case played with the cat, they appeared to have been busy with the mission.
Whenever people asked how they did the mission so successfully they just answered, "It wasn't easy. We had to work real hard at it." The Hokage knew the truth but didn't say anything about it. He actually found the whole situation amusing.
Danzo was half tempted to assign a root team to look into the matter, but decided that there really were more important things to work on. Working from the shadows for Konoha wasn't easy and then there were the Brooding skill level experiments.
Hinata also knew truth behind the missions but she wasn't saying anything about it. Most of the other Genin teams didn't really pry into the matter, if Team Seven wanted to chase the 'Demon Cat' they were perfectly fine with that.
Sasuke was happy with the arrangement as well. He got more training from his Sensei and holding the record for the Tora mission looked good on his record. It didn't matter that there wasn't any actual work on his part to complete it. Naruto and Tora seemed to have come to an odd unspoken agreement on a meeting location somehow. This made finding the cat easy.
The avenger actually liked his team. He wouldn't mind staying in Konoha with them if he didn't have to go and kill Itachi. Sakura was a serious Kunoichi now and didn't fan girl anymore. Naruto was a rival that forced him to push himself to new heights. Kakashi-sensei was helping him a lot and would help even more once he got his Sharingan. It still bothered him it hadn't awakened yet, but not as much as it once did, since his talk with Kakashi-sensei.
-Flashback-
Kakashi told Sasuke not to worry so much about his Sharingan waking up yet. Sasuke scowled, "I must awaken it! I am not a worthy Uchiha without it. Besides what can I train in without it?"
Kakashi frowned and then told him about Obito. How his best friend was seen as an inferior Uchiha because he didn't have it awakened long after they were teammates. He told him how Obito made up for this by really learning his basics and Taijutsu. He also talked about how the carefree Uchiha had trained his reflexes and could use the clan's fire techniques with speeds that would leave others in the clan jealous.
The one-eyed sensei then finished by telling Sasuke how when he did finally awakened his Sharingan it was already in stage two and he used it his first time better than some that were practiced with it and had the level three stage.
This caused Sasuke to do all he could while training and he wasn't as angered when they were taught something that Naruto already knew. Instead the Last Uchiha would prove that he could train and use the training in a way that only an Uchiha would think to do.
-End of Flashback-
Currently Team seven just finished the Tora mission for the day. They were now going for some team training. Kakashi was going to start them on a new training exercise.
"Alright chakra control is very important for ninjas as you three know. They teach you the leaf exercise in the academy but there are more exercises. One is Tree Walking." Kakashi then continued knowing full well that Genin didn't believe it at first. "I know it is hard to believe so allow me to demonstrate." That said the Sensei went and climbed up a nearby tree without his hands.
Sakura and Sasuke watched in awe. Naruto was used to it and more. He was glad though his teammates were going to be learning it. He knew if Sakura kept training in it she would get even more skilled with chakra control. It also would help the Uchiha to make better use of his techniques having better control.
"I want you to each give it a try. You need to focus a fixed amount of chakra on your feet. The trick is finding out how much to use. Too little and you will slip. Too much and you will break the bark. Once you have this amount down you need to keep it and make it to the top. This exercise is something to keep practicing until you can do it almost instinctively." He then tossed each a kunai and instructed them to use it for marking their progress.
The three Genin stared at their chosen tree. Sasuke was determined and went first at a running speed. He made it a few steps but that was probably more momentum than anything. He soon fell back down after quickly marking the tree.
Sakura took a more tactical approach. She kept testing with her feet to find the right amount of chakra. Once she found it she took to the tree. Her first try she got to a branch a third of the way up. She felt proud that she got that far so quickly though she partly knew that her smaller reserves made it easier for her. She was working on it but she still had to catch up to the others she felt.
Naruto decided he might as well not hide that he knew this exercise. So he casually walked up the tree, to top of it in one try much to the others astonishment. Once he got back down he looked at their expressions and shrugged as he said to them, "I started doing this exercise long ago and still do it regularly since chakra control is an ever going battle for me. I mean y'all saw how bad my clones were at the academy. Control is still a battle for me even now."
Sasuke glared with renewed determination and decided to take a leaf out of what Sakura's book and found the right amount first before going on with the exercise.
The pinkette stared for a bit, sighed and said to herself, "I don't think he will ever cease to surprise me…" With that she continued the exercise.
Kakashi said, "Naruto come with me I need to ask you some things. You two keep at it. I will return in a bit and check on your progress." They nodded as Naruto followed his sensei.
Once they were a bit away. Kakashi turned to Naruto and asked, "Okay Naruto do you know water walking as well?" The blonde shinobi nodded. Kakashi sighed, "I guess I should have seen this coming. You are a lot further along than the others… The surprising thing is you got that far with little help from others."
Naruto frowned at his sensei, "I can still learn a lot… It is just my parents figured when it came to training, it was best if they just told me basic stuff and then helped me some when I asked for it…. Besides walking on trees and water is awesome! So I made sure I got it down well!" Naruto grinned widely at the last part.
Kakashi laughed a bit before bringing out a sheet of chakra infused paper and handed it to the boy, "Alright I was going to do this eventually anyways. It is just you need good control to get the best from this. This sheet of paper will tell me what your nature affinity is." He then explained what the different reactions from the paper mean before giving it to Naruto and telling him to channel chakra into it.
As Naruto channeled his chakra into the paper it ripped into many different pieces. Kakashi let out a small whistle. Naruto looked a little bit confused before voicing his thoughts. "Don't Jonin usually have two affinities? What does it mean if I only have one?"
Kakashi laughed and answered, "Yes they do. As far as I can tell form that. It shows that you have a huge affinity to wind. I bet you have a secondary affinity but it is common for only one affinity to be shown in this test. Once you have a better handle on your affinity we will try again and you can actively hold back your wind chakra allowing your second affinity to show itself. Besides Wind is the most offensive and I am sure a ninja like you will find a way to only need one affinity and still be considered a Jonin in the future if nothing else." Naruto smiled at the praise.
After Kakashi gave him instructions on how to start working on his nature chakra and explaining that it might take some time he gave Naruto some exercises for training and went back to see how the others were doing.
{-} {-} {-}
After their training was over Kakashi left and dismissed them for the day. Naruto stayed there and started meditating since he knew Hinata would be free soon and come to join him for their training. Sakura also stayed behind continuing the tree walking exercise and some exercises to increase her reserves.
She stopped to take a little bit of a breather and saw that Naruto was working on something, but she couldn't see what it was, since his back was to her. "Hey Naruto, How is it you are so far ahead? I mean I know you train a lot but there has to be more to it than that. Sasuke trains just as much if not more, yet you are still ahead in ways."
Naruto thought for a second before turning to Sakura and answering her. "I think the answer is I train with someone else. There is only so much you can learn from scrolls and books. Having someone to spar with helps out a lot. I am sure you noticed this once Kakashi-sensei started doing so with us. Also having people to bounce ideas off of can lead to new discoveries and ideas for jutsus. Sasuke refuses to train with others outside of team training, so he is actually missing out."
"I guess you are right about that. I need to find someone to do that with. Someone closer to my own level." Sakura commented.
"It wouldn't hurt. Also training with others is kind of fun in a way."
After that the two went back to what they were doing.
{-} {-} {-}
After a while Naruto stopped what he was doing and said out loud to no one in particular. "Alright how long were you there this time?"
Sakura was a bit confused until she saw Hinata come out of the forest with a slight blush and smile as the dark blue-haired girl said, "Ohhh… I would say 20 minutes. I was hoping I could go 30 but that didn't work out. I wanted to prove to you that I could actually hide form you if I wanted to Naruto-kun."
The pink-haired girl was surprised as she landed on the ground. She hadn't noticed Hinata at all.
Naruto gave a little laugh and scratched the back of his head, "Guess I have a ways to go then if you were hidden for that long. A Hokage needs to be aware at all times after all."
Hinata smiled at Naruto and then turned to Sakura. "Tree walking? Did your sensei teach y'all that today? Kurenai-sensei hasn't taught us that yet. She plans on teaching us tomorrow after our daily chores I think."
Hinata and Naruto laughed at this and Sakura felt a little left out and said, "What's so funny?"
Naruto then told her about the Hokage manual's definition of D-ranks. She found it funny but wasn't happy that they were listed like that. After they stopped laughing she asked, "So Hinata what are you doing here?"
Naruto answered for her, "Remember how I told you I train with someone?" Sakura Nodded. "Hinata-chan is who I train with usually."
"Speaking of which lets get started Naruto-kun."
"Sure thing Hinata-chan." Naruto said in a sing song way that made the Hyuga heiress blush.
Sakura decided to take a break and asked, "Can I watch you two train together?"
The two looked at each other before they both shrugged and nodded she could.
{-} {-} {-}
Sakura was amazed after watching their training. They did the tree walking exercise first but they did more than just that exercise alone. They started to increase their speed with each trek up the tree. After that they started throwing punches at each other and blocked the other's punches while running up the tree.
Next the two started using minor jutsus while they went up and down the tree. Once they did this a couple of times they then started throwing the jutsus at each other. They took turns and dodged the jutsu while still making their way up and down the trees.
Eventually the two jumped down and rested for bit before they then started stretching. They made their way over to the pond near the training ground. Sakura followed wondering what they were going to do next.
Once they got to the pond Naruto took off his jumpsuit's jacket, and Hinata tossed her thick jacket as well. Sakura couldn't help being a bit jealous of Hinata's body. "Damn…. Why can't I be better endowed like her… I mean we figured she was hiding something under that jacket of hers… But damn…. She would make all the girls jealous. She doesn't diet or anything either… Guess it is as useless to a Kunoichi as others said." Thought the pink haired girl to herself. She also had to try hard not to stare at Naruto too much. She didn't want to get Hinata angry at her. She especially wouldn't after seeing the next part of their training and how far along the Lavender-eyed girl was.
Hinata and Naruto walked on the water and after doing a few laps running around the pond they started to spar with each other on the surface of the water. They threw punches and kicks at each other that appeared more graceful and elegant than a spar usually is.
Sakura was amazed as she watched them. "It's like they're dancing almost. That has got to be tough to do. We will have to get that good as well." Said Inner Sakura to her outer self. Sakura silently agreed.
Next Naruto started sending waves of water at Hinata who was using her clan's style to blast the waves back. After a few minutes of this the two spoke quietly about something and then Hinata started again. This time however, Hinata was doing something new that Sakura had never heard a Hyuga do before. Hinata started spinning really fast but instead of forming a ball like the rotation she formed blades. Hinata was using this technique to actually cut the water rather than just blast it back. Naruto made some shadow clones and had then try to attack instead of being blasted back and dispersing they were cut in half before dispersing.
Hinata stopped and Naruto hugged her and said, "That was amazing Hinata-chan! Did you complete it?" Hinata blushed and responded, "No not yet but I am getting there once I finish it I will be able to control the size of the beams." Naruto grinned widely, he was happy for her. "That Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō (Protective Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms) really is cool! I can't wait until you finish it." Hinata just blushed as she said in her soft alluring voice, "Thank you Naruto-kun."
Sakura was about to say something thinking they were done when Naruto made more clones that took up different positions around the pond. The real Naruto went and stood back to back with Hinata as the two took ready positions. They then did another dodging exercise and occasionally sent kicks or punches the other's way. This exercise was a way for them to be more aware of their surroundings in the middle of an intense fight.
They continued this for a while as Sakura watched from the sidelines feeling a bit down, jealous, and romantic. She was depressed because she was once again wondering how far behind she really was. Naruto and Sasuke were one thing but Hinata as well? The Hyuga heiress was training with Naruto all this time, but Sakura was wondering if everyone was training with a partner except her.
She was jealous because she wanted to have that kind of a thing going on with a guy. She did take her training far more seriously now and left some of her fantasies behind her but she was still romantic in her own way and had dreams about romance. It was just now instead of being rescued by a handsome prince. She fought side by side with a handsome prince. She, even before seeing her two classmates, had thought with the right person training could be quite romantic. Seeing Hinata and Naruto just confirmed her thoughts.
In the meantime, she would have to see about repairing her friendship with Ino and maybe if they were close to the same level the two of them could train and help each other out. Sakura was pretty sure that Choji and Shikamaru didn't train extra if they could avoid it or at the most they trained with each other. Besides Sakura had to admit that she was lonely, having alienated herself during academy for her misguided crush.
After their intense training Hinata and Naruto got off the pond and were laying on the grass. Sakura walked up to them and said, "That was amazing! Do you two do this often?"
The answer surprised her, "We aren't done yet. That was our usual warm up. Now we rest for a bit and then do some more training before calling it a day." Naruto grinned as he answered.
Hinata smiled and added, "We usually help each other think of new ideas or go over what we were told to practice by our senseis. It might be cheating a little bit in some way but we don't share absolutely everything."
The pink haired girl sighed, "I don't think I will ever catch up to you all… I will have to try my hardest so that I won't bring others down at least. Oh well. As much as I would like to keep watching you two, I do have some other things to do and if I don't train on my own I will just fall further behind everyone."
"I don't think you are as far behind as you think Sakura-san. Naruto and I are exceptions, not the norm. We started training together like this after the Hyuga incident. Most Genin don't get serious with their training until after they become a team. It is just that most of our classmates are clan heirs in some form or fashion so they got training from their families." Said Hinata seriously.
Sakura frowned a bit and said, "I'm from a civilian family and I hate to say it but I neglected my training for stupid reasons in the academy…. I don't think I am even to the others in our class."
Hinata stood up suddenly. She didn't want to have to say this but she had to make sure that Sakura knew of the dangers Kunoichi face in general and where she does actually stand. "I didn't say you were even with the others in the class. I said you aren't as far behind as you seem to think. You are behind Sakura-san but you can and are making up for it. But I have to know…. Have you thought about the dangers Kunoichi face in particular?" Hinata was speaking firmly. Naruto wanted to tell Hinata to back off but didn't. She was right, if Sakura didn't know she needed to know now before it was too late.
Sakura looked wide-eyed for only a brief bit as she realized what Hinata was talking about. She frowned and said, "I know about that, but I try not to dwell on it. I don't like thinking about it or talking about it for obvious reasons."
Hinata frowned and said apologetically to the pink haired girl, "I am sorry but we were a bit concerned that you hadn't fully realized that, due to your…. Distraction in the academy."
Sakura sighed and shook her head before once again asking, "Was I really that bad, that people thought I had no clue what I was getting into?"
She got only silence in return. She rubbed her forehead and said, "I know. I haven't really lived up to being the 'smartest' Kunoichi lately, but that's because I have been getting shock, after shock, after shock… That happens around Naruto a lot… That stupid ultimate prank of his… Our team assignment incident… his shadow clones and kami knows what other shocks he has up his sleeve waiting for us… Also Sasuke seems all too eager to every so often throw in something random as well."
Hinata giggled and Naruto scratched the back of his head and gave a nervous laugh.
Sakura finally said goodbye to the two and left.
Hinata and Naruto kept training after Sakura left. The blonde shinobi told Hinata what he was told to work on by Kakashi sensei. Hinata was impressed. It seemed that the lazy Jonin was actually a good teacher since he was trying to teach them well and arriving on time.
{-} {-} {-}
Sakura went and looked for Ino. She found her resting on her home's porch. Sakura swallowed and walked up to Ino. She was ready for the worst of it and she would put up with anything Ino threw at her and hope for the best. She was even ready to admit her mistakes at the academy if she had too. Still it wasn't going to be easy she thought.
Ino looked up as she heard someone approach. She frowned a bit and said a bit harshly, "What do you want Forehead girl? I figured I would see you soon. Come here to gloat about being with Sasuke?" Ino regretted her tone when she saw visible signs of hurt on the pinkette's face. It almost reminded her of when she first met Sakura. Though there was strength to her now, unlike back then.
Sakura looked Ino in the eyes and said in a soft tone, "Look Ino… I didn't come here for such a thing… I was hoping we could talk. Maybe figure things out with each other."
Ino wasn't sure what to think. She could see sincerity in her ex-best friend, but Kunoichi were good at deception when needed. The blonde haired, blue-green eyed girl hated Sakura, but only because she threw away their friendship. Ino wanted her back as a friend but she wasn't going to make it that easy for Sakura to get forgiveness. So she motioned for Sakura to follow her to her room, and the pink haired girl followed.
Once they reached her room which hadn't changed that much from what Sakura remembered. The blonde girl turned to her. "Alright Forehead I will listen but if you start gloating or anything I will throw you out of here if I have to." She pointed to the window along the wall as she said this.
Sakura clenched her fist trying not to burst out bawling for her friend to come back to her side. She really did miss her. "Ino… I am sorry for all of the things I said to you…. I was foolish and stupid. I shouldn't have done what I did to you Ino."
Ino stood there not sure what to make of this. She said to Sakura in a voice that came off a bit haughty but not intentionally, "This isn't some trick is it? Are you trying to get me to back off from Sasuke so you can get him instead? You were the one that said we couldn't be friends after all because we liked the same guy."
Sakura felt a little angry. She had enough of everything going on. She didn't need Ino reminding her how stupid she was even if it was unintentional. "Look Ino. I know I was stupid ok! I was chasing after a guy I didn't even understand. I broke off the only friendship I had. And my training suffered because of it. I don't care about Sasuke like that anymore. He is my teammate I will fight by his side but I don't want to be with him anymore… I hate that I stopped being friends with the first person to ever be nice to me. I shouldn't have done all of those stupid things I did…"
She was crying now but she continued. "I tore away from my closest friend. Sure I have maybe one or two but I am not close to them like I was with you… I want that back… I want to be your friend again. I want to do things with each other again like shopping, hanging out, and maybe even training. I want that with you if you want it as well. Even if I have to swear never to chase Sasuke again or something stupid like that." Sakura was still crying after her words finished, because of all the emotions that were running through her.
Ino stood there surprised by everything. Before she knew it she grabbed Sakura in a hug. Sakura sobbed a little more. As Ino said to her softly, "I do want that Sakura. I won't make you do anything stupid like swearing never to follow Sasuke again. Please stop crying…. You always were a bit of a crybaby. I never wanted our friendship to end you know… I thought even if we still liked the same guy we could be friends." Ino was a little teary eyed herself, but she did her best to hide her tears.
The two spent time catching up after that and seemed to still mesh well like they did those years before. Sakura could tell that she wasn't fully forgiven, but she thought things were going better than she deserved with Ino. Ino had agreed to go shopping some time saying, "Since we are Genin now we need supplies and more clothes!" Sakura agreed with her, training really wore out her wardrobe even if that wasn't exactly what Ino was thinking.
{-} {-} {-}
Things seemed to keep speeding up as time went on. All of Konoha's new ninja were getting stronger. Sakura was glad that she managed to talk Ino into training with her. Sakura was glad to learn that Ino was indeed closer to her level, even if the platinum blonde was ahead of her. The two were benefiting from their training together and once again Naruto proved to be right. It was fun training with someone else.
Sakura was particularly happy today because Kakashi said they would soon be moving on to water walking. As usual the Genin arrived a bit early to do warm-ups or a little light training. Sakura felt more confident in herself after everything that had happened and really liked her team.
As she approached their meeting spot she saw Naruto waiting but not Sasuke. She was surprised by this because Sasuke became obsessed with the tree climbing exercise and was always seen doing it every morning. He mentioned something about 'The Uchiha way to tree climb'.
"Good morning, Naruto. Where's Sasuke?" She asked Naruto while standing next to him.
Naruto pointed to the tree trying not to laugh. Sakura curiously looked to where he was pointing and gasped while staring blankly. If she hadn't gotten used to her teams' eccentric ways in some regard, she would have been sure her brain was playing tricks on her. She was used to this so she instead just questioned, "Sasuke? What are you doing?"
Up in the tree Sasuke was standing upside down with one leg on a thick branch. If that wasn't strange enough he was in some kind of strange meditation pose concentrating really hard. His thumb was touching his middle finger, the two fingers forming a circle in each hand. He was even humming as well.
Naruto couldn't hold in his laughter anymore and started rolling on the ground laughing really hard. Sakura, despite her concerns for the raven haired boy's mental condition, started laughing as well. Naruto managed to get some words out, "Well Sasuke... I can definitely say that you have trained in a way only an Uchiha can."
Sasuke glared (level one) at the short messy haired Shinobi, before scoffing and saying, "Laugh if you want. You're just jealous that you can't do the Uchiha Clan Secret Tree Meditation. You have to have a brooding skill of at least 18."
At that moment, Kakashi arrived via a combination of the rooftop express and the all-purpose transportation jutsu. He looked up, only briefly surprised for a second, to see Sasuke standing upside down. He was used to seeing strange things but more so now because of his team. Despite all his years as a Jonin and in ANBU he still gets a little surprise from his Genin from time to time.
"Really who else materializes cat toys at random and carries on about brooding skills and glare levels. Also Sakura has natural pink hair. Natural. Pink. Hair." Thought the sensei to himself. His mind then curiously and perversely wondered if all of her hair was pink. He quickly dismissed that thought though. After all he may be a pervert even dare he say it a 'Super Pervert' but thinking that way about his student was just wrong, even by his standards. While she was still so young at least.
It turned out to be a normal day for the team. They got through two D-Ranks rather quickly, much to Sakura's and Sasuke's relief. They were eager to learn how to water walk. They started training after Kakashi demonstrated how to do such a thing and Naruto proved to Sasuke that he already knew this as well. Though Sasuke wasn't as surprised now, it seemed only natural to move to this next if you knew tree-walking. He would still find a way to do water-walking Uchiha style which he knew would be better anyways. While they tried to stay on top of the water but still fell in from time to time, which made Sakura glad she brought a towel for this reason, Naruto continued working on using nature chakra.
They eventually went their separate ways. Sasuke went to train in private like usual. Sakura was going with Ino for some 'Urban Recon Training' at the shopping mall. After all, Kunoichi were often used for recon and infiltration. Especially, the ones that could go in and seem like a normal young woman, this included knowing how to move through a mall and other public areas undetected. If you happen to see an outfit that you really liked there was no harm in going into the store, doing some small talk while trying on clothes and buying them; it added to the authenticity of your recon. Besides she enjoyed shopping with Ino and did need some better training clothes.
Naruto trained like usual with Hinata, trying not to get too caught up in the Dark haired girl's beauty. He did eventually make a small breakthrough on his training. He decided that a visit to his favorite ramen stand was needed in celebration. He asked Hinata if she could go but she had to decline saying she had some important clan business to attend to as she gave him a hug and headed towards home blushing furiously. She just knew she would have some pleasant dreams that would cause her sleep to be a bit restless tonight for good reasons. She noticed Naruto trying to steal glances at her from time to time, which she figured was huge progress.
{-} {-} {-}
Naruto was a bit bummed that Hinata wasn't coming but he understood. He was just about to turn in to the Ramen restaurant when he heard a familiar echoing voice. "And you're sure you won't take the gift of immortality in exchange for how you make such a wonderful dish Teuchi-san? Or would it be –sama. Given your status as master of the ramen? I still can't figure out these different suffixes you mortals use here."
Teuchi gave a hardy laugh as he said, "Once again Death-sama the answer is no. I never saw the reason for such things as immortality. Seems like it would be lonely without family. Besides If I did that I think my wife would come and haunt me for all eternity for not meeting up with her when the time came. I only hope that my wonderful daughter Ayame will have at least started dating before my time comes." Teuchi said the last part a bit louder.
Ayame poked her head out from the back and glared at her dad as she said, "I will once I see a man that is worth it. Besides I am rather busy helping you out. You won't even let me go on that cooking trip, I have been wanting to take for some time now." The ramen goddess went back to work in the back.
"If her skills are even half as good as yours with ramen then she is right. Not many would be worthy of such a talented woman. But I believe that she will find someone in time. Daughters do that after all. And when it happens you find yourself wishing to have the little girl you once knew back. But it will probably work out for the best." Death echoed his wisdom. He did have a daughter himself after all and she was married now.
"You are probably right. Anyways what can I do you for today Naruto?" said the Ramen Chef turning to the blonde shinobi making his way up to the bar.
Naruto smiled as he responded. "Two miso and one pork. Ossan!"
"Only three bowls today Naruto? That is unusual. Are you alright?" Teuchi asked with concern in his voice.
"Yah I'm good. Just later than usual and you know how my mom is. She probably has cooked up enough food to feed a couple of armies. So I can't have too many bowls of ramen. Sorry."
The chef laughed as he headed into the back with the order and had Ayame take some time at the front. She cheerfully greeted Naruto and a bit more warily greeted Death. She didn't hate him or anything, he was just a bit off putting. She hadn't gotten used to him yet.
Death let them actually see his true form when he first approached Teuchi with his offer on behalf of the very curious gods. He didn't bother keeping from their sight after that. Teuchi didn't mind he was a bit shocked at first but he got used to the reaper. Ayame didn't mind him either, he was a nice enough fellow, but she couldn't help but fear her dad's time was coming soon. She wasn't ready for him to be gone yet.
Naruto then turned to the black cloaked figure and said cheerfully, "Hey glad to see you're back Death. How was the Beach?"
"Great Naurto. He had a great time as well. He caught a total of five sea gulls. A new record for him."
"Just five I mean he is huge… why sea gulls anyways?" questioned Naruto.
"The thing is when we are at the Beach he is in a smaller form. Since his other form would draw unnecessary attention to us. He chose Sea Gulls because, I quote. 'They are a challenge and no one will miss them if a few disappear.' How have things been going here my friend?" replied Death.
Naruto grinned widely, "They have been going well and I have been learning a lot from Sensei. Oh yah you have to meet Tora tomorrow when we get her retrieval mission. I am sure you will like her." Naruto then started eating the ramen that was placed just in front of him.
Death looked at Naruto and would have raised an eyebrow if he had any as he said, "Okay… What happened to the Death of Rats he wasn't in your mindscape once we returned?"
Death then continued eating his meal that seemed to have somehow disappeared once in his mouth and didn't seem to make a mess or anything since he didn't have a digestive system. Well at least one that can be seen anyhow. Naruto was used to this so it didn't bother him.
Naruto paused to answer, "He had some business to attend to and he was then going to check in on Quoth the Raven at O. M. I. A. I. headquarters. He is hoping that the recent strike is over, so that he can once again; 'enlist his services so you two won't be burdened with unnecessary hardship that stretches beyond your already heavily filled and difficult schedules. Were I to meet another being in your presence, thus requiring one of you two to server as my interpreter, going beyond the bounds of your duty; I would feel saddened that I am talking up your time.' I told him I didn't really mind and it was alright. He insisted he at least try to bring Quoth back nonetheless"
Death simply replied, "I see." before they continued their respective ramen dishes while talking to each other and Ayame, who finally admitted her fears of seeing Death around. She felt much easier and started to enjoy his company once he assured her that Teuchi's time was far from ending.
{-} {-} {-}
The next day Team seven took on the Tora mission once again.
The students were busy training, even Naruto. Kakashi meanwhile was stunned and couldn't help but stare. "I thought I had seen some of the strangest things in my days in ANBU… Then you all proved me wrong… But this…. This I never thought I would see." Kakashi-sensei didn't know he had voiced his thoughts out loud, so he was surprised when he heard Naruto talk to him.
"I told him I would introduce him to Tora today." Naruto said a bit jealously it sounded. Kakashi just nodded still not sure he was seeing what he was.
In front of him by a nearby shade tree, the Grim Reaper, who could scare even the most jaded and emotionless veteran ninja, was sitting on the grass delicately stroking Tora's back. His scythe that gave off the most uneasy and supernatural aura leaning upside down on the tree's trunk. "He looks so…. Innocent? 'Cute' women would say…. Less frighten than a newborn child there petting a cat… Petting Tora of all cats! Hell even all of the Sasuke-kun fan girls would stop chasing Sasuke for a bit after seeing this." The one-eyed man thought.
Sakura wasn't paying attention to Death now. She squealed louder and more fan-girly than ever when she first saw this scene and got it out of her system for the moment. "I can't believe that Death is a cat lover. Even though he is all bones and has a presence unmatched to him, he looks so cute like that." Sakura thought to herself.
Sasuke couldn't comprehend this situation at all so he tried his ignore approach. It was working partially but not anywhere near like usual. He just continued his training the best he could wondering what was with Death's love for cats.
Naruto was a bit jealous. He was jealous because he could hear Tora purring all the way across the training ground. "I got her to purr lots of times but I have never gotten her to purr that loudly… She took to liking him even faster than she did me." Naruto then tried the new jutsu that Kakashi taught him to see if he was making any progress on his Nature affinity. "Fuuton: Daitoppa(Wind Style: Great Breakthrough)" As a result, many tree branches and leaves broke off. He was glad that he at least was able to develop the jutsu correctly even if it wasn't as powerful or as focused as it should have been considering the chakra he used. Naruto kept trying a few more great breakthroughs until he felt it was decent enough and he should move to another jutsu and come back to it later. He then went over a few more moves that Kakashi-sensei told him about and read the scroll that had more detail on the moves.
Kakashi finally managed to tear his eyes away from Death and went to help his students. He gave Sakura and Sasuke some more tips on how to walk on the water's surface better and then had them do more difficult moves. His goal was to get them to do this instinctually much like how he noticed Naruto did, and like tree climbing was to them now.
He then made his way to The Orange clad ninja. "How's it going Naruto-kun?" Naruto stood up and demonstrated the great breakthrough. Kakashi whistled, "You sure can learn things fast. Needs some more work but it is definitely working correctly."
Naruto smiled as he said, "I will work on it some more but I wanted to start working on this one here." He pointed to the third jutsu listed on the page.
Kakashi thought for a bit before instructing, "Be careful with that one. Make sure you are away from others when practicing it. I told you wind is very offensive. If you hit an ally or friend with that it won't be pretty. Why do you want to learn that one already?"
Naruto answered, "I think it would be good to have that one as a move to quickly end a fight if things get bad once we are on C-ranks. Plus it could be handy in other ways as well."
Kakashi thought for a minute and said to his student. "This one here the second one will actually help you better control that third one. There isn't really an order to these but this one will help you with many of these and can also be useful to end a fight quickly."
Naruto thought for a minute and nodded, "I just thought it could be messy in a way. It could be deadly."
Kakashi understood what Naruto meant and turned to the Blonde haired ninja to look him in the eye. "Yes it can be messy but so can that other one. The second one however is easier to control. It doesn't have to be deadly if used properly. But if you lose control of it, the potential damage is more manageable. It is good that you don't want to kill Naruto but sometimes you won't have a choice."
The Blonde Genin gulped and nodded his understanding. Kakashi then eye-smiled at him and said, "Good. Be careful with that one as well. But I have confidence that you will be able to get a hang of it quickly. You can also control the power in it as well. Make it less deadly if you need to." Naruto was a bit glad to hear that. He knew he would kill sometime but he would rather not try for killing even if it would be easier.
After some time Naruto got the jutsu down and was already getting a better understanding of how it worked and how easy he could modify it to his liking. Kakashi eye-smiled as he got up and said, "Now let's go get Sakura and Sauske. I think it is time to return Tora. I get a feeling it won't be easy. I think I heard Death-sama whispering something about how fine her coat is and pleasant her company. I still can't get that scene out of my head."
Naruto chuckled as he got up and said to his sensei, "Death is full of surprises really. He is a very Hospitable Host, good cook, and has a wonderful singing voice, surprisingly enough."
Kakashi laughed a bit as well, thinking about the good cook part and for some reason imaging the Reaper in some kind of brightly colored kitchen apron that clashed with his black robe.
{-} {-} {-}
After some protest form Tora, they managed to get her away from Death and then took her back to the Hokage tower. She was a bit sad, but at least she was being carried by Naruto. He wasn't the black cloaked bony man but the orange clad boy was alright. Once Tora left with her owner the Hokage asked what the next D-rank they wanted for the day was.
Kakashi sensed Sakura's and Sasuke's irritation at another D-rank. Naruto was a bit irritated as well, though he hid it fairly well. The easy going Jonin couldn't blame them they were ready for a while now for a higher rank mission. The only reason why he hadn't gotten them one sooner was because they were eager to learn and train. He had gotten their chakra control up high, improved their speed and strength, helped them with their Taijutsu, and taught them a few jutsus as well. Add to that their increasingly better handling of Naruto's KI and said boy improving it as well. He felt they were ready for a C-rank mission if there was one. Which having overheard a man asking earlier if a team had be found yet before hitting the bar he figured there just might be.
"I am sorry Hokage-sama. But I think we are done with D-ranks for the day." He paused for a second noticing the barely contained irritation before continuing, "I, Kakashi Hatake, Jonin-sensei of Team seven believe that they are more than ready for higher ranked mission."
The three Genin shouted in glee. Naruto knew that C-ranks could be boring and long but he was ready for something more that D-ranks and training.
Minato looked at Sakura, Sasuke, and his son, and saw the excitement they had in their eyes. He also saw the knowing look in Kakashi's eye as well. He let out a laugh and then said, "Well you are in luck. I just so happen to have a C-ranked mission here. It is an escort mission for a civilian contractor. These kinds of missions usually aren't too difficult. However, as I tell everyone, 'The ninja world is full of surprises.' There may be more to the mission than you think; so be careful."
Sakura and Sasuke didn't catch the extra emphasis to what the Hokage said. Kakashi caught the underlining meaning, and Naruto noticed there was something more as well. Kakashi frowned under his mask. He knew what had probably happened. It explained why the man was extra eager from what he heard earlier.
Sometimes people that couldn't afford a higher level mission for whatever reason would give misinformation about it. He guessed that his sensei had some ideas about the man's situation. It was still upsetting though. Konoha has always been willing to work with clients in this kind of situation and make arrangements. Unfortunately, people didn't always think this was the case. Might be because Konoha was known as the strongest hidden village, and since the others were less diplomatic, people assumed Konoha would be worse.
People didn't realize that a huge part of why Konoha was so successful was because they were diplomatic and would make agreements. Another unfortunate truth was that most of these arrangements happened after the mission instead of before.
Minato knew this happened more often than it should so he made some improvements to Jonin attire. It wasn't visible to the naked eye but he designed a seal that allowed almost instantaneous communication between him and Jonin leading missions. He was still improving it and wanted it to be thoroughly protected and efficient before giving it out to more ninjas. The ones trusted with it knew of the kill switch that they could easily activate when they were in a tight spot and unlikely to make it out alive. If they made it out which did happen the seal was easily recreated and placed back on their uniform.
This seal gave a huge advantage to the village ninja, which they weren't eager to share even with their allied nations. In fact, other than the ones that had this seal on their uniform no one else knew about it except a very select few. Hiashi knew about it since he helped Minato make it undetectable to the Byakugun. Fugaku Uchiha knew about it as well before he passed on. He helped make it invisible to the Sharingan, before things started falling apart for his clan and then the massacre. A few others helped with its creation and also knew of it.
After Sakura and Sasuke quieted down, he said to one of his ANBU, "Bring me Tazuna… I believe he might still be at that bar he went to earlier." The ANBU shushined away and once again the three Genin all thought, "I have got to learn that move." After a few more minutes in which Minato told them the details of the mission and how good it was that their Sensei already deemed them worthy of higher ranked missions, Tazuna walked in with the ANBU from earlier.
The man was tall and muscular, since he was a carpenter, with dark eyes, grey hair, glasses and a towel around his neck wearing work clothes and a straw hat. He also reeked of sake. He stared at them trying to calculate their abilities. Not really a wise thing to do, having no training himself. Tazuna had come up with some difficult math and highly advanced calculations to determine their strength and found it lacking.
"Hokage-sama? I asked for ninja not little brats! Can they even fight at all? They are so small. I thought Konoha was better than this." Barked the drunken bridge builder. His difficult math amounted to: small kids, one with a bright Orange suit and one with pink hair. No scars, no bulky muscles, no black outfit covering everything but their eyes and no sword on their backs. Must not be ninjas.
Sakura and Sasuke were glaring at him. And Naruto was grinning in a containing my anger kind of way. Naruto then said to their client, "Oh we are ninjas. Don't worry we know with kunai the pointy end goes into the bad guy."
Sakura and Sasuke started glaring at Naruto. Kakashi rolled his eye and sighed. Sasuke glared (level 2) and growled to the blonde haired shinobi, "Dobe… this is no time to make jokes and well…. Be a dobe."
Naruto gave a mock serious expression and said in his 'Dead Last' tone. "But Sasuke-teme. I am serious. Pointy end goes into the bad guy…. Don't you remember? It was even on our test."
Sakura tried her hardest not to explode on Naruto. "I can't believe he just said that? What is wrong with him this isn't the time to make jokes…." She thought to herself. Inner Sakura was actually enjoying the scene but answered the rhetorical question nonetheless. "He is just playing up the idiot card because our client here is making a fool of himself. How would a mere carpenter know a ninja with just a glance?" Sakura sighed and composed herself.
Kakashi already sensing more of Sasuke's anger decided he would speak up and break up the atmosphere. "Don't worry Tazuna-san. I am a Jonin-sensei and despite their sometimes childish behavior they are very promising Genin. This is just a C-rank mission after all. If somehow things were to actually get out hand, which I doubt will happen when handling bandits, I can jump in and take care of it. Even mere 'brats' as you called them can easily take on bandits without any problems." Kakashi took note of Tazuna's slight cringe as did Naruto and Sakura. "I will have to tell Naruto about being professional even if the client unwisely disrespects your village and its leader, your Father." Thought the sensei to himself.
The fourth Hokage then turned to Tazuna and said, "Anyways they have the details you provided us unless you have anything else to add Tazuna-san." Tazuna gave a barely audible, "No Hokage-sama." The fourth then said, "Good. Kakashi if you will." He motioned for the one-eyed jonin to dismiss his team with instructions.
Kakashi then clapped his hands together and said, "Great. Then everyone meet at the front gate in two hours. Be prepared for a lengthy mission but travel light. Dismissed team."
The ninjas and their client gave the Hokage their respectful goodbye as they left. The Genin went to get ready for the mission and the Sensei tried to see if he could glean anything more from their client before the mission started.
A/N: I know cliff hangerish… But I thought this would be a good stopping point. I don't want anymore 14,000 + word chapters. Hell their current length might even be too long for some people. Sorry it took so long to get the revised chapters up but it gets tough reading the same thing again and again. Until next time.