Naruto of the Whirlpool
By: Sheltie
I don't own Naruto at all
A/N: sorry for such the long wait, but here's the 10th chap. Enjoy.
Chapter 10
Tenten was breathing hard, sweat dripping off her face. Lan Fan was working her hard. She thought Yuffie worked her to the break and beyond. But it seemed Lan Fan wanted to push her even further. At the moment Lan Fan was putting her through her paces through an obstacle course with a twist. She had to hurl kunai and shuriken at targets as she went through the course. It didn't help that Lan Fan threw small lead filled beanbags at her if she slowed or missed her target. The course was to increase her speed, dexterity, flexibility, and stamina.
"Take a rest for now" Lan Fan said.
Tenten fell on her butt totally exhausted. Her arms felt so numb and she didn't think she could even pick up a kunai or shuriken.
"Here" Lan Fan said as she tossed a water bottle at Tenten.
Tenten caught it though she winced since her arms were strained. She took a deep drink not even thinking what was in it since she assumed it was just water. But it wasn't water that was for sure. It didn't taste disgusting, but different. She looked at the bottle with a curious look.
"Like it, the medical team here created it to help recharge our batteries faster. It also helps mend and sooth tired and overworked muscles. It's not a cure all, but it does help" Lan Fan said.
"It's different" Tenten said as she drank a little more feeling the effects of the drink already.
"Just be glad that's how it tastes. When it was being tested it tasted horrible" Lan Fan said with a scrunched face as she remembered.
Tenten didn't even want to think about what this drink tasted before.
/Scene Break/
"What the hell is wrong with this freaking rabbit?!" Ino screamed.
"This is very troublesome" Shikamaru sighed tiredly.
Chouji was breathing hard as sweat dripped from his brow. He felt like he was going to keel over any moment now. He had never been pushed this much physically before and that includes the chunin exams.
Team 10 were in the middle of the Capture Puck mission and though they were doing a bit better than team 7 they were still having a very hard time catching the rabbit.
They were taking a small break from their initial chase of the furry creature. They would swear that this rabbit was more of annoyance than even the catch Tora mission in Konoha.
Puck then appeared and waited patiently for team 10 to look its way. Then it wiggled its butt and shook its puffy tail taunting the shinobi team.
"I'm going to kill that rabbit and Chouji you're going to have rabbit stew!" Ino screamed.
Shikamaru closed his eyes and sighed.
Chouji though agreed with Ino. There'd be rabbit stew tonight.
/Scene Break/
Asuma was in the viewing room with other NW shinobi who were placing bets on his team and how long it would take them to catch Puck among other bets. Naruto sat next to him observing the event on screen. Around him and Asuma there was the sound of laughter as other ninja laughed at team 10's plight.
"I can't believe you bet on this" Asuma said as he watched other NW shinobi and kunoichi placing their bids on how long his team will take in catching Puck.
"Hey, we all need ways to relax and since we ninja love to gamble why not" Naruto said with a shrug.
"I guess" Asuma said.
"Want to make a wager on your team?" Naruto asked.
"What kind of wager?" Asuma asked curiously.
"Oh, just if your team catches Puck in a certain amount of time then I'll see if I can talk to my aunt in getting you and your team a better mission that's out of the village" Naruto said.
Asuma mulled over this then nodded.
"Agreed. What's the time limit?" he asked.
/Scene Break/
Tenten dropped from exhaustion. Lan Fan stood over Tenten not even winded at all. Tenten thought her training with her former sensei Guy was insane and all, but Lan Fan was a different level of crazy. A more focused crazy and all that focus was on her. Lan Fan had put her through her paces in a furious spar.
"You've gotten a whole lot better than before" Lan Fan said idly.
"This… is... insane…" Tenten panted as sweat dripped from her face.
"You need to work on your stamina" Lan Fan said.
Tenten had been worked into the ground once again. Lan Fan was a real slave driver.
"Come on, you've had enough of a break. Time for round two" Lan Fan said.
Tenten just groaned as she slowly picked her body up. She swayed a bit then got her balance back. She then got into a fighting stance ready to spar against Lan Fan. She just hoped she'd last longer than last time.
"Why are you putting me through all of this?" Tenten asked.
Lan Fan looked at Tenten and sighed.
"I apologize if you feel my methods are brutal and ruthless, but the Kisaragi clan has a pretty good record of keeping the Uzumaki clan safe and we work ourselves senseless to keep that reputation. I know you are unused to this, but you will notice the benefits of this training when the time comes and you need to protect an Uzumaki" she said.
Tenten just nodded and the spar began.
/Scene Break/
Mika just sighed. She was looking over all the girls she had seen take an interest in Naruto. So far the list had Temari of Suna on it then there was Samui of Kumo, but there were others too. Mika rubbed her forehead.
"Why does he have to attract so many girls" she mumbled.
Her mind tried to figure out a way to narrow the list down, but nothing was coming to mind. She needed to look up the Uzumaki laws for help.
/Scene Break/
Kurenai and Hinata were in Selene's office. Hinata was a bit shocked since Selene decided to tell her why she was really sent to NW.
"B-b-b-b-but I really don't like Naruto. I mean, he's nice and all, but I kind of like someone else" Hinata said as her cheeks went a nice pink color.
Kurenai had a very good inkling who it was.
"And who would that be?" Selene asked in a very kind fashion.
"Ryo" Hinata whispered.
"Ah, I see. Hmm, this does throw a wrench in things since your father wanted a marriage between you and Naruto to protect you" Selene said.
Hinata frowned. She understood what her father was trying to do for her, but she just didn't have those kinds of feelings for Naruto at all.
"But I think I can find a way for all of this to work. Let me check on some things first" Selene said with a very familiar foxy smile on her face.
/Scene Break/
A few weeks later
"So it was a bet?" Selene asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah, I bet the jounin of the Konoha team if his team could catch Puck in a certain amount of time they could have a mission out of the village" Naruto said.
Selene sighed and massaged her temples.
"Come on auntie, they're alright, heck, they're a lot better than the last team. I think they've done enough too. They did all the missions you gave them and did them well too" Naruto said.
"Fine, I've read your reports on them and I guess they deserve a chance. But I need to find a NW jounin to go with you just in case" Selene said.
"What about Hideko sensei?" Naruto asked.
"He's out on missions" Selene said.
Naruto just nodded.
"I'll find someone to go with you and the Konoha team" Selene said.
/Scene Break/
Tenten blinked.
"I'm going on a mission?" she asked.
"Yes, Lady Selene needs a jounin to go on a mission with Naruto since she doesn't trust the Konoha team they sent" Lan Fan said.
"But I was a Konoha nin" Tenten said.
"You were, but now you're a part of the Kisaragi clan and you're bound to never go against the clan" Lan Fan said.
Tenten just nodded aside from all the training she was getting, which was a lot. She was also getting lessons in her clan's history and it was vast. She learned things she never knew before. Thankfully she liked learning and the classes she had weren't boring lectures. Well, they were lectures at certain times, but the Kisaragi member in charge always made sure it was fun and interesting and not something you'd fall asleep to. And if you did fall asleep then they'd hurl a very sharp point object just mere inches away from your head or other body part. This made you want to stay awake.
"This will be your first mission as a member of the Kisaragi clan. So you can use all that you've learned on this mission. But don't try anything that you don't feel comfortable using. Casualties in the field happen when ninja use techniques that they aren't prepared to use" Lan Fan said.
Tenten just nodded.
"Good, I'll let Lady Selene that I can go, then I'll give you the details of the mission" Lan Fan said.
/Scene Break/
Naruto stood there with team 10. They were waiting for Lan Fan and Tenten. They soon arrived.
"Lan Fan, as soon as I heard you'd be coming I got excited. It's been a long time since we've seen each other" Naruto said smiling wide.
"It is good to see you Lord Naruto" Lan Fan said bowing.
"Eh, why's she bowing to him?" Ino asked.
"Naruto is one of the last pure blood Uzumakis left. He's considered royalty here" Tenten said.
"So he's like a prince?" Ino asked.
"I guess" Tenten said with a shrug.
Ino stared at Naruto like she was looking at him for the first time. Shikamaru groaned. He just knew what was going through Ino's head. Chouji just shook his head. Asuma pulled out a pack of cigarettes, but before he could pull one of those death sticks out of the pack was skewered by a kunai.
"Hey!" Asuma exclaimed as he dropped his pack.
"Those are going to kill you."
Everyone turned and found Mika walking towards them.
"Mika, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked.
"Just came to wish you good luck and hope you return safely" Mika said.
Naruto smiled and hugged her and she hugged him back.
"Right, lets get going" Lan Fan said.
So team 10, Naruto, Tenten and Lan Fan headed out.
/Scene Break/
The group moved quickly and silently.
"So what's the mission?" Ino asked.
"To take out a bandit camp that's growing. We must take it out before it grows too big and decides to attack larger targets" Lan Fan said.
"We should probably tell one another what our skills are so we know what's what" Asuma said.
"Excellent idea" Lan Fan said.
So they told one another what they could as they tree jumped.
Soon it was dark and they had reached the camp.
"Okay, here's what we're going to do…" Lan Fan said.
/Scene Break/
"That was easy" one bandit said.
"Yeah, I know, ninja my ass. They were pathetic" another said.
"At least we were able to grab one of them" a third said.
"Heh, I wonder how much we can get for her pretty little body?" a fourth asked in a lecherous tone.
"If she's fresh than a huge shit load, and by the looks of her she is fresh" a fifth said.
In the woods a just a little beyond the camp team 10 and the Uzu team waited.
"Okay, so we all know the plan?" Lan Fan asked.
There were general nods.
"Okay, I am handing out the comm. links. The frequency should already be set, but if it isn't then dial it to 4.5" Lan Fan said as she handed out the radios.
Team 10, Naruto and Tenten checked the comm. link's frequency before putting them on.
"Good, on my mark…."
/Scene Break/
The bandit standing guard looked absolutely bored.
"Man, this sucks. Why did I have to pull the freak short straw" he muttered to himself.
He never noticed Lan Fan sneak up behind him. She pulled out a serrated kunai and slit the guard's throat as she clamped a hand over his mouth to stop him from making a sound. Once she felt he was dead she dragged his body into the woods.
"One guard down, any others?" she asked through the comm. link.
"There are no others. They must be very overconfident to only have one posted" Naruto said.
"It appears so, but keep your guard up" Lan Fan said.
"Right" they all said.
"Good" Lan Fan said.
A deluge of metal weapons rained down on the bandit camp. This caused chaos and turmoil as the bandits were surprised. A lot of them were cut up and some were killed. But there were plenty of them still alive. Lan Fan and Asuma stayed on the edges with Fan Lan using her shadow clones to seal the perimeter to keep any bandits from escaping. She was letting the others to do the job, but ready to jump in if needed.
/Scene Break/
Naruto leapt into action as soon as the barrage of raining weapons ceased. He engaged his first bandit.
"You brat, you die!" he shouted.
"In your dreams" Naruto snarled as he shoved a kunai in the guy's chest.
He then moved to his next opponent.
/Scene Break/
Tenten had a katana out as she hacked and slashed her way through her group of bandits. They were cut up, but nothing too serious to hinder them. Tenten was having fun since she was able to actually fight and not hold back. She did find she was faster than before.
Huh, so all that torture actually helped me she thought.
/Scene Break/
Team 10 were fighting, but not having a great time. Ino kept being pushed back. Shikamaru didn't have time to come up with a plan and Chouji was tiring. They just weren't full ready for this. Not to mention that when they looked to what Naruto and Tenten were doing they blanched. They were seeing death up-close.
/Scene Break/
"Asuma, you better get in there and save your team before they become statistics" Lan Fan barked.
"Right" Asuma said.
Lan Fan was displeased at what she had seen of team 10. She then created some shadow clones to cover Asuma's spot.
/Scene Break/
Naruto wiped his brow as he finished another bandit. He had placed several seal on some of the bandits to scorch them alive, freeze them, paralyze them and stab them in a major artery, and blowing off a limb or two. He couldn't use a lot of his seals since it was close quarters and he didn't want to harm his teammates. So he had to limit himself with the seals he could use.
When I get back home I am going to make more seals that doesn't cause a wide berth of destruction he thought.
/Scene Break/
Tenten was breathing hard. She had to toss away her katana since it had broken. She unsealed a battle-ax and got ready to go again.
"Who's next?" she asked.
/Scene Break/
Asuma slashed and killed the bandits in front of him while guarding his students. Team 10 wasn't idle as they did what they could. But not much. Ino threw kunai at the bandits, but only cutting, not killing them. Shikamaru was doing his best to keep his head as he helped Ino with Chouji doing the same. This was a real life lesson for team 10, a growing experience that will either make or break them.
/Scene Break/
The final bandit fell and it was time to check things. The smell of the dead bodies made team 10 very nauseous. They went to the nearest bushes and hurled their guts out.
"Your team never had their first kill?" Lan Fan asked with a frown.
"No" Asuma said shaking his head.
Lan Fan shook her head and left.
Meanwhile Naruto and Tenten were looking through the tents for anything valuable. Naruto was going through one when he found a girl unconscious. He checked her pulse and found she was alive then he noticed she was wearing a headband and what the symbol was on the headband.
"Crap" he muttered then created a clone.
/Scene Break/
"You did a good job Tenten" Lan Fan said.
"I did?" Tenten asked.
"Yes, you kept your head and did your job. Well done" Lan Fan said.
Tenten stood a bit straighter hearing this.
"Lan Fan, we might have a problem" the Naruto clone said.
"What is it?" Lan Fan asked with a frown.
"Come on, take a look" the clone said motioning them to follow.
Lan Fan and Tenten did and they got to the tent the real Naruto was in. The clone disappeared.
"The girl's an Iwa nin" Naruto said.
"Well shit, ain't this something" Tenten said.
"She alive Naruto?" Lan Fan asked.
"Yeah, she is" Naruto said.
"Any injuries?" Lan Fan asked.
"Not that I can tell, but I don't know about internal" Naruto said.
Lan Fan pondered for a moment then sighed.
"We'll take her back with us and give her medical treatment and then contact Iwa about their missing kunoichi" she said.
"Are you sure?" Tenten asked.
"No, but it would be cruel to leave her like this" Lan Fan said.
So Naruto picked the Iwa kunoichi up and carried her out. They then met up with team 10.
"Who is she?" Ino asked.
"Just a captive" Lan Fan said.
/Scene Break/
Back in NW the Iwa kunoichi was in the hospital while Lan Fan, Naruto and Tenten were in Selene's office. She had dismissed team 10 after congratulating them on their first mission out of the village for NW.
"Lan Fan, why did you decide to bring back an Iwa nin?" Selene asked.
"I did what I thought was right at the time. I couldn't bring myself to killing an unarmed kunoichi even if they are Iwa, and I couldn't leave her either" Lan Fan said.
"I was hoping to keep Iwa blind longer, but I guess that's not possible any more. I shall contact them right away" Selene said with a heavy sigh.
"Um auntie, how do you think they'll react to knowing that Whirlpool is still alive?" Naruto asked.
"That I don't know, but I will increase security all the way around" Selene said.
Naruto nodded.
"I hear you did a very good job on your first mission as a NW nin Tenten" Selene said.
"Yes, Lady Selene" Tenten said standing up straight.
"Good job, I look forward to see how you progress. Dismissed" Selene said.
/Scene Break/
Naruto went by the hospital to check on the Iwa nin. He found Mika exiting the room.
"So how is she?" he asked.
"She's fine. I think she was drugged for the time she was with them to keep her from escaping. She had a bump in the head, but it's been healing. Other than that nothing else inside or out. She was lucky" Mika said.
Naruto just nodded.
"Can I see her?" he asked.
"Sure" Mika said then left to make her rounds.
Naruto entered the room and found the Iwa nin laying there.
"Who are you?" he asked.
/Scene Break/
For a few days team 10 had some rest and in that time they had a lot of time to think. They were in the park since their hotel room was too stifling for them to be in. Though being out in warm sunshine didn't help their moods they were in. Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji were trying to come to grips with what they saw. Asuma was grumbling since he didn't have his cigarettes and he needed one right now.
"Asuma sensei?" Ino asked.
"Yeah Ino" Asuma said.
"What they did, they killed. Why?" Ino asked.
"It's our job Ino. You know this" Asuma said.
"I-I-I know, but the way Naruto and Tenten killed those guys and not even blinked. Is there something wrong with them?" Ino asked.
"No. I've heard that NW shinobi are trained very young and are ready for these kinds of things. They already have their first kills out of the way. As for Tenten, she was a Konoha nin before this and she already had a year under her belt. So she'd already had her first kill" Asuma said.
"But they didn't even react to killing" Ino said.
"They did, but they held it in for the mission. I am sure they are doing something to get over killing those guys, but they won't lose too much sleep over them" Asuma said.
"How can you say that?" Ino asked shocked.
"They were bandits Ino. Bandits who murder, rape, and pillage as common as breathing. They had what was coming to them" Asuma said with a very serious voice.
This made Ino keep quiet.
"So does that mean we're going to be killers?" Chouji asked.
"Nope, you'll all be the same as you were before."
This had team 10 turn and standing before them was Yuffie.
"What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked.
"Simple pineapple head" Yuffie said, which made Shikamaru mutter 'troublesome', "we are not cold heartless killers. Naruto and Tenten still feel, they are still human. When you start enjoying killing then it's time to hang it up. Besides they have something to fight for."
"Something to fight for?" Ino asked.
"Yup, every ninja has something they fight for whether its personal or not. Some want to protect their village others to protect their family, maybe to protect their team. It's all up to you, but it does make it a little easier, but you'll never get over it. It's something you need to live with if you want to continue to be ninjas. This isn't kind of la-la fantasy land. This is real life and it can get cold and heartless at times."
Asuma couldn't disagree with Yuffie on this. He knew what she was talking about since he had seen stuff that still haunted his dreams sometimes.
"So what can we do?" Ino asked.
"Hm, you have two options, well, three actually" Yuffie said tapping her chin.
"Which are?" Shikamaru asked.
"One, you don't change and be the same and end up dying on a mission" Yuffie said.
This made the three genin turn pale.
"Two, you can quit and become civilians" Yuffie said.
This made the three genin think about.
"Three, you can stop your little emo party and train to get stronger" Yuffie said.
"How is that an option?" Chouji asked.
"Simple. You train and work hard to get stronger. You do that to protect not only each other, but your home and families. You fight for something that's worth fighting for. That will give you strength and energy to get keep moving. You all want to protect not only yourselves, but your family and village right?" Yuffie asked.
This made them think.
"Well I better go. I need to see how my little niece is doing. See ya" Yuffie said.
This gave the genin of team 10 a lot to think about.
/Scene Break/
Mika closed the books of all the NW laws that were there. She sighed.
"Okay, that was a big waste of time really" she said as she massaged her temples.
Reading all those laws not only strained her eyes, but gave her a headache. They strained her eyes since they just had to be in small print and she had to use a magnifying glass to read them.
So far she hadn't found much that would help Naruto with his problem. She had made charts on all the girls that are interested in him to find which one would be more compatible, but came up with nothing solid. All the girls were great really.
"Well, I better tell Naruto what I've found" she said with a sigh.
/Scene Break/
Hinata swallowed hard as she looked at Kurenai.
"Go ahead Hinata, you never know unless you try" Kurenai said.
Hinata nodded though inside she was very nervous.
The two were in front of the Kisaragi compound.
"Can I help you?" a guard asked.
"Y-yes, is Ryo here?" Hinata asked.
"He is, can I ask who you are?" the guard asked.
"Hinata Hyuga" Hinata said.
"I see, wait here" the guard said.
He disappeared and Ryo came out and smiled.
"Hello Hinata, Kurenai. What can I do for you?" he asked.
"I, um, was, wondering if you'd like to go on a walk with me?" Hinata asked shyly.
Ryo felt his face turn a bit red and the guard saw this and smirked. He had never seen Ryo like this and this. Oh, he was going to tell the rest of the clan about this when he was off-duty.
"Sure" Ryo said.
Hinata felt relieved and she smiled.
So the two walked with Kurenai walking a little behind them to give the two a bit of room.
/Scene Break/
"You mean you found nothing?" Naruto asked with a frown.
"Nothing in the laws, but that doesn't mean I didn't do a thing. I did make a list of girls I know who like you" Mika said.
Naruto and Mika were sitting in his apartment. Naruto took the list and looked over it. His eyes widen at all the names.
"That can't be right, there's no way that this many girls like me?" he asked in total disbelief.
"It's all true Naruto. And you have no one to blame, but yourself really" Mika said.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.
"You're a nice guy Naruto. All girls like nice guys, but then they see how strong you are along with your kindness and you're kind of the full package" Mika said.
Naruto groaned as he put his head on the table and his hands on the back of his head.
"What am I going to do, I can't choose" he mumbled.
"Yes, I thought of that. I did find that there's no reason to really choose between them" Mika said.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked raising his head.
"Well, it means you can marry as many girls as you want" Mika said.
"WHAT!?"
End of Chapter
A/N: okay, I finally got this chap done. I really have no idea what the next chap will be about. So it will be a surprise really. Thanks for reading and please review.