Author's Notes: This is the final chapter of this story. Now I'd like to thank everyone for their continued support and I'd like to give special thanks to everyone who stood by me since the beginning. Now, the tale of their journey to the future may be complete but you know what they say : Where one story ends, another begins. The sequel will be posted in a week and I'll post another chapter here to let you know. Anyway, enjoy the finale!
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto
It's already been a week since Team 7 returned to their timeline and things were going well for everyone. Naruto had shown progress with the Flying Raijin but there was one other thing in his mind ever since he got back.
Hinata Hyuga.
The day after they got back he searched for her. And the day after that. And the day after the last one. He had spent 5 days looking for Hinata but it was like she had just dissappeared. Until he ran into Kiba and Shino who told him that Hinata was still in the Hospital and wouldn't be released for until a week.
Stupid Naruto.
Sasuke had spent everyday mastering and refining his techniques and when he wasn't doing that he was doing chakra control excersises to get his reserves up. Not much progress with that.
Sakura was also doing remarkably well. She had been studying the scrolls Older Sakura gave her for hours every day and had gotten down the basics.
"It seems like all of my students are a bit... diffirent." Kakashi thought before putting his book away.
He sighed as he observed Naruto and Sasuke in front of him.
"It looks like these two have matured the most..."
"Shinobi kumite... Are you both ready?"
Naruto and Sasuke both nodded.
"Hajime!"
Naruto took out a pair of kunai and Sasuke jumped back, gaining some distance between them. Naruto grinned.
"So what have you been doing for the past week?" he asked throwing a kunai at Sasuke.
"I've been... progressing." Sasuke answered as he deflected the kunai.
Naruto swiped swiftly without letting up for a second, forcing Sasuke to use Substitution.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" 10 clones poofed into existance.
"Shadow Clones..."
Sasuke weaved a few hand-signs and called out his technique.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"
The fireball eliminated 6 of the clones, the 4 remaining clones saw the opening and lunged at Sasuke with newfound ferocity and coordination that Kakashi had never seen before.
"He's coordinating his clones attacks perfectly. Naruto never did that..." Kakashi thought to himself. He refocused on the spar when he saw the Naruto's weaving hand-signs.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu."
"That's a new one..." Sasuke thought as he either side-stepped or blocked the shuriken with a kunai.
Naruto used this jutsu as distraction while his clones prepared another assault.
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough."
The gusts of wind forced Sasuke back as the original Naruto lunged at Sasuke once more.
Sasuke could feel the bruises forming on his skin and chuckled.
"Naruto... you've been training." Sasuke said grinning.
Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "Not much though. I still need to get that jutsu down too, remember?"
Sasuke nodded. "Anyhow, I think Kakashi is having a heart-attack. He's propably thinking something like 'who the hell are we and what happened to his team'."
"Yeah, I think so too. Let's end this on a high note." Naruto said as he put away his kunai.
"Hmph. Fine." Sasuke made three hand-signs and called out his jutsu at the same time as Naruto.
"Lightning Style: Lightning Dragon Jutsu!"
"Wind Style: Great Banshee!"
The two techniques clashed kicking up wind, dust and leaves everywhere as Kakashi stared at his two students with shock.
As the jutsus faded away, Naruto and Sasuke stood there panting but grinning nontheless.
Kakashi got over his shock and coughed to get their attention.
"A-All right you two. T-That was great. Now, finish the spar with the seal of reconciliation so that I can have a word with you."
Naruto and Sasuke paled but did as instructed. After ending the spar, they walked slowly towards their sensei.
"Now, are you willing to tell me where exactly did you learn those techniques?" he asked them.
"W-Well sensei, we kinda...uh..."
"Naruto and I saw them in scrolls during the mission." Sasuke finished.
"Hmm. That is possible, but those strategies and moves, Naruto, I'll be honest, you never were the sharpest kunai in the pouch." Kakashi said.
"I've been thinking..." Naruto said simply.
"I can live with that. You are the most unpredictable ninja after all..."
Naruto smirked and crossed his arms.
"And now we come to you Sasuke..."
Sasuke gulped.
"I offered to train you three weeks ago and teach you a new technique, am I right?"
He nodded.
"And is it also true that a week ago you refused and went off to train on your own?"
He nodded again.
"Where did you get extra training and where did you learn lightning jutsus?"
"I... uh... I"
"Sasuke and I found some scrolls in the Uchiha Compound a week ago..." Naruto finished for Sasuke.
Kakashi thought for a few seconds before looking up.
"You two... keep doing what you're doing." Kakashi said.
"R-Really?" they both looked up at him in surprise.
"If you two have gone so far in just a week then I really can't do anything to interfere." Kakashi sighed again.
"Wow, thanks a lot sensei!" Naruto whooped as he jumped around.
"Yeah, yeah. You two are dismissed for now." Kakashi waved them off.
"Bye Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto and Sasuke sunshined away from the Training Field.
"Even if they read the Third's scrolls, to learn all of that in 2 weeks, on their own... it takes incredible potential. What do you think sensei?" Kakashi thought before walking off.
Six Days Later
Naruto sat in his chair with a sigh. It's been two weeks and the exams were tomorrow. He thought he would have it down by now but it seemed impossible. His apartment was a mess. Messier than normal. Scrolls and Ramen cups thrown all over the place. He smelled but he didn't care. He opened another cup of Instant Ramen and started chewing down, at the same time going over the book on seals Pervy Sage had given him a week ago when he asked. Surprisingly the old fart didn't argue at all. He actually seemed proud of Naruto. The book itself was written by the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze. Who would've thought...
"Okay..." He went through chapter 5 once more. It talked about advanced seals and methods and also mentioned the diffirances between summonings, sunshins and time-space barriers. All three had one thing in-common.
Instant Transportation.
Naruto couldn't have learned about seals any faster. He absorbed the information like a sponge and it never was enough. He experimented, tested and created many seals just for the heck of it. It was thrilling to him. Seals were surprisingly very complex, the reason why the art of sealing wasn't practiced by many. Naruto couldn't figure out why...
"Just gotta carefully follow the formula for the jutsu and... Done!" he said as he applied the seal on another kunai.
"Come on, come on..."
2.5 seconds.
The flash of yellow light now lasted almost 3 seconds.
"Almost... but still not quite there..."
Every time it was the same. If he could get it to flash for 3 seconds straight then he would have accomplished his goal.
"Let's see... the closer the objects are the fastest... nope. The chakra used can affect the summoning... not that. The Flying Raijin's speed is affected by... bingo."
Naruto read carefully.
"To use time-space teleportaion you have to use seals. Every seal has a formula which is not provided... yeah no shit." Naruto said darkly.
"Your formula is key to the effects you want to get. If you want to use a barrier, a trap or teleport a single person or more through direct contact. For more information, consult page 1010. This fucking..." Naruto sighed as he skipped to page 1010 for the umpteenth time.
"I don't get it. It says go to page 1010 but it's blank! Is it just Jiraiya's book or did Dad think it would be funny? Cuz it's not. Any ideas Nine-Tails?" Naruto asked.
"How should I know. I can't read a book... plus I never got sealed in your bastard of a father!" the Nine-Tails spat.
"Okay, okay. I was just asking. Jeez... don't be such a bad sport... Anyway I think I'll take a nap for now." Naruto told the fox.
He rubbed his eyes as he yawned wide. Next thing he knew he was already asleep.
XXXXXXXX
"What... where am I?" Naruto asked to no one in particular as he observed his surroundings.
"Is this a dream?" he asked again. Everything around him was white and he couldn't see anything else.
"That's not right. I guess I'm dreaming after all... I've had weirder dreams anyway."
"Naruto?" he heard a voice calling his name.
"Hello?"
"Naruto?" the voice called again.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" he said as he grabbed a kunai on instinct.
"Right... this is a dream." he thought putting the kunai away.
"Is it now?"
Naruto eeped and turned around in surprise.
"Y-You're..."
"Hello Naruto. You've grown." the man in front of Naruto said calmly. He had spiky blonde hair and sky-blue eyes. He wore a Hidden Leaf Jonin vest underneath his white cloak with a red flame design. He was...
"D-Dad..." Naruto managed to say after a few seconds of shock.
"Look at you. You've gotten big. Well, not as big as I was when I was your age but still." Minato said.
"Dad?"
"Hm?"
PUNCH
Minato doubled over in pain from the punch in his stomach. He looked at Naruto in surprise. His son could sure pack a punch...
"Why?" was all that Naruto asked.
"I had to..."
"No you didn't! You could have picked anyone! Why me? YOUR SON!" Naruto screamed through tears as Minato simply watched.
"I was alone and hated for something I never did. People were afraid, angry. They did things..."
"I'm sorry. That was not how things were supposed to go..." Minato said as he held back tears of your own.
"Well there's nothing you can do about it now. Being dead and all..."
"ENOUGH!" Minato finally let the tears escape.
"I did everything I could! Me and your mother! But it was not enough! I was the Hokage and I had to protect my village!"
"WELL INSTEAD OF CHOOSING TO BE A FACE CARVED IN STONE YOU COULD HAVE BEEN ALIVE AND SAID WELCOME HOME EVERY TIME I GOT BACK!"
"Naruto..."
"A rock can't say welcome home, or 'I love you', or cook for me. Insted I was all alone. I was hated by everyone and I lived off trash until the Old Man gave me my apartment."
"I..."
"Don't tell me your sorry..."
Minato looked down.
"... because I know you are."
"Excuse me?" Minato was confused. Did his son hate him or not?
"I get it that you didn't want to place that burden on me, and that the Hokage has his duties. After all I want to be Hokage one day just like you." Naruto grinned.
"Naruto, no matter what you think of me there will always be a single truth and that is that both me I and Kushina love you."
"I know Dad. I know."
"Come here."
Naruto did as instructed and walked towards his father. Minato knelt down to Naruto's level and hugged him.
"D-Dad?"
"Yes son?"
"I love you." Naruto tried to hold back his tears but they just kept coming. He gave up and sobbed freely.
"I love you, I love you, I love you so much!"
"I love you too son." Minato hugged him tighter. "I wish your mother was here to be with us."
"Wait. This is a dream. Why can't Mom come?" Naruto asked.
"Naruto this is no dream. We're inside your seal." Naruto broke the embrace and jumped back.
"SAY WHAT?"
"Calm down. I had it built so that I could give you guidance when you most needed it. I think now is the time." Minato told his son. Naruto nodded.
"So, you know what happened?"
"About the trip? Yeah I know."
"So how can I master the Flying Raijin?" he asked.
Minato chuckled.
"Hey what's so funny?"
"I'm sorry Naruto but it's been right under your nose..." Minato smiled.
"Now that you mentioned it what's the big deal with that page 1010?"
"Can't you figure it out?"
Naruto shook his head.
"It's a code. A code just for you."
"What do you mean?"
"Naruto when is your birthday?" Minato asked.
"It's October 10th. So what does that have to..." Naruto suddenly stopped as realization appeared on his features.
"Do you get it now?"
"It's not 1010. It's October 10. October is the tenth month of the year! Stupid, stupid Naruto!"
"Go to that page and focus your chakra through it. The answer will be revealed. Now... I'm afraid my time is runnning out. I don't have much chakra left." Minato said as he observed his hand fade away.
"Wait Dad!"
"Yes?"
"If you see Mom, tell her that I love her!" Naruto said smiling.
"Will do son. Take care."
And with that, Minato Namikaze vanished and Naruto woke up.
"DAD!" he got up with a start, scrolls flying around. He turned to look at his clock. Somehow, he had slept through the night and now had to be at the arena in 2 hours.
"Oh yeah! Page 1010!" he quickly found the page and focused chakra through his hand. Suddenly, letters, numbers, kanji and a formula at the bottom of the page appeared.
"This, this is... everything I needed!" Naruto shouted in excitement as he grabbed another kunai and formed the kanji written on the page. He focused his chakra and touched the kunai, the seal forming on it. He crossed his fingers and observed carefully.
1
The seal glowed a yellow color.
2
The flash of the seal brightened and spread into the seal Naruto formed.
3
The glow stopped and the kunai was now marked with the seal for the Flying Raijin Jutsu.
"YEEEEEEEEEES!" Naruto jumped around the room as he kissed the book over and over again.
"Thanks Dad!"
He set the book down and decided to get some new kunai. After that he would return to mark all of them. And take a shower. And see Hinata.
"That's right Hinata is getting out of the Hospital today! I've got to hurry!"
XXXXXXXX
Sasuke got out of bed and dressed with vigor not usually seen early in the morning.
"Today's the day..." he thought to himself as he brushed his teeth.
He got out of the bathroom and grabbed the katana he had hanged on his wall. He seathed it, wore his tool pouch, strapped it to his thigh, wore his headband and sighed.
"Naruto, for everyone's sake I hope you got that jutsu down."
And with that he left the apartment.
XXXXXXXX
30 minutes later, Naruto returned with everything he needed. The tri-pronged kunai were custom made so he had to wait a bit before they were ready, and he ordered twenty of them too. The handle was orange (of course) and the blades were black. He marked every single one of them and put them in his kunai pouch with the rest. He quickly had a shower and had breakfast.
"One hour left." he thought as he stormed out of his apartment.
Naruto stood atop a pole in the middle of the village. Staying perfectly still, he gathered Nature Energy and mixed it with his own, entering Sage Mode in a matter of seconds. From up here he could sense everyone's energy and their location. Though there was only one person he was looking for.
"She's... at Team 7's training ground?"
He leapt down and headed towards his destination.
Ten minutes later, he arrived at the field and sure enough, Hinata Hyuga was hiding behind a wooden post. It seemed like she was waiting for someone. He quietly went around and behind her and tapped her shoulder.
"Hey Hinata."
Hinata squealed in surprise and turned around to see Naruto Uzumaki right in front of her, his face inches away from her own. He also looked a bit diffirent if his new outfit was any indication. Nevertheless, Naruto Uzumaki was inches away form her and she had squealed in front of him.
"Oh god!"
She instantly blushed a deep red and almost fainted.
"H-Hello N-Naruto-kun. H-How are you doing?" she asked him timidly.
"Well I uh... was looking for you. Sorry I didn't visit you in the Hospital. I don't really like them and I wanted to see you when you were better." Naruto said smiling.
"Oh, it's o-okay N-Naruto-kun. I was h-hoping to see y-you too. That's why I came here..." Hinata said stuttering horribly.
"I can see that."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"So... what did you want to talk to me about?" Naruto asked, breaking the akward silence.
"You're fighting Neji-nii-san today." Hinata said simply.
"Yeah. You two are cousins right?" Naruto asked and she nodded.
"Don't you hate him at all?"
"W-What?"
"I mean... after everything he's done to you..."
"N-No I don't. Neji-nii-san is a good person deep inside. It isn't his fault for the h-hatred between the Main and Side Branch."
"So you won't mind if I beat him?" Naruto asked again.
"This is the Chunin Exams. I-If you were to attack him randomly... that'd b-be diffirent."
"Diffirent how? He hurt you so bad! He deserves it! I wanna..."
"N-Naruto-kun?"
Naruto looked up. "Yeah?"
"Is there s-something wrong with your eyes? T-They're red!"
"Huh? Oh. It's nothing." He closed his eyes as his anger subsided.
"N-Naruto-kun."
"Hm?"
"I... I wanted to thank you for cheering for me." Hinata bowed.
"Why? You deserved it. You rock Hinata!" Naruto told her making her blush yet again.
"S-Still, I lasted t-that long thanks to y-you N-Naruto-kun." Hinata said looking down.
"That's not true." Naruto told her simply.
"No I mean it! When you cheered for me... I felt like I had become stronger. After the Prelims ended, I started liking myself a little more... To other people it may not seem like much but I felt like I was able to change for the better. I think... it's all thanks t-to you Naruto-kun." Hinata said with a slight blush.
"Me huh?"
Hinata nodded.
"Hey Hinata?"
"Y-Yes?"
"Do you really believe all that? I mean, I may know lots of jutsu now and stuff but in the end... I'm just a big idiot. I always screw up, I failed so many times and I still have some things to figure out for myself. In the end... the reason I act so tough is because of my frustration of always failing..."
"That's not true!" Hinata stopped him.
"Huh?"
"Even when you fail... in my eyes you are a proud failure!"
"How is that any better?" he asked and she blushed.
"Well you see... it's because you're not perfect. It's because you fail. You have the strength to get back up and suceed. I think that is what true strength is... I...I think you're an incredibly strong person Naruto-kun." Hinata finished not meeting his intense gaze.
"Thank you Hinata." Naruto finally said.
"Huh?"
"You know... I always thought that you were a plain looking, terrified, dark weirdo."
Hinata looked down in dissapointment.
"But... I've been thinking a lot the last month and I really..."
"Can I do it? Can I say it?" Naruto thought.
"Hinata... I really like you."
"I like you too Naruto-kun. I consider you one of my b-best friends." Hinata smiled.
"No... what I'm trying to say is..." Naruto sighed.
"Yes?"
"Um... W-Would you like to go to Ichiraku's with me one day?" he finally asked.
"D-Dinner?"
Naruto nodded.
"L-Like a d-d-date?"
"Yeah... a date. If you'd like it to be one..." he scratched the back of his head smiling.
"I-I'd l-love to go on a d-date with you N-Naruto-kun." she finally said, her blush tomato red by the time she finished her sentence.
"R-Really?!" Naruto asked with wide eyes.
Hinata nodded furiously.
"Come on Naruto-kun. Leave so that I can finally faint..." Hinata thought.
"AWESOME! Thanks Hinata! Damn it. I have to go."
"It's okay, we'll talk after the e-exam..." Hinata said.
"Okay. Oh and don't forget to come watch me kick Neji's ass!" Naruto said before he took off towards the arena.
"Bye Naruto-kun."
"Bye Hinata!"
"He's gone."
Finally, Hinata fainted with only one thought going through her mind.
"He asked me out!"
I hope you enjoyed the story :)
Stay tuned for the sequel and as always...
Andrew... out!