And here we are for Chapter 10! Happy 10th Chapter Anniversary! Whee! But that just means we need to push forward! Let's press on to Chapter 10: The Absentee Toad Sage!
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Naruto wandered the village in a huff. It had been two days since the end of the preliminaries, and the EggFox's mind was buzzing.
"I still can't believe that you called it the Sonic Spinball." Eggman's voice came from his communicator."
"Egg-jiji, we've been over this, alright? I can name my moves however I want. Besides, what did you want me to do, name it after myself?"
"It'd be better than naming it after my worst enemy!" Eggman shot back. Naruto sighed. They had had this argument three times, and it was beginning to wear on his patience. As he headed for the hotspring after another day of back-breaking training with Zabuza, Naruto blinked as he heard a perverted giggle.
Naruto's expression was set in a scowl as he began to step forward, pulling back the sleeves of his jacket to deliver a beating to a pervert. He spotted a head of long white hair and a red jacket as he approached, raising an eyebrow. The pervert kept up the giggling, appearing to scribble things down.
"Hey, pervert. I know you know I'm here. Turn around or I yell." The white-haired man turned around, and Naruto's face was instantly alight with rage.
"Yeah, what do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" The pervert suddenly felt a wave of killing intent and looked at Naruto, who's eyes narrowed. "Oh...You know, don't you?"
"You're damn right...Godfather Jiraiya." The words struck Jiraiya like a kunai to the heart and he beheld Naruto with a shred of fear. "I know all about you and your ditching me."
"Well...y'see...the thing about that is..." The toad sage looked around for a way out, but Naruto's summoned shadow clones to surround him. The white-haired ninja sighed. "Alright. Let me be honest, kid." Jiraiya kneeled so he could look Naruto in the eye. "I honestly cared too much to let you be raised by me." He raised an orange book Naruto recognized as Icha Icha. "I write these for a living and I'm always on some sensitive spy mission for the Hokage. I wouldn't have been a good parent. I tried reaching out to your godmother Tsunade, but she never listens to me." The older man shook his head. "I thought someone would adopt you. Because I believed in your dad's faith in the village. And I was wrong. So I'm sorry."
Letting Jiraiya finish his speech, Naruto frowned, his glasses shining as he looked deep into his godfather's eyes. After a moment, he backed off. "Fine. But you're making it up to me...First, dad told me to do this." He then whirled around and punched Jiraiya right in the face, the older ninja unprepared for the strike, and actually hitting the wall of the hot springs.
The sage rubbed his eye, which was quickly bruising rather bad. "Ok, I deserve that..." Then he heard the screaming of women from inside. "Maybe that too." He looked around for his godson, but Naruto was gone, and the screams were quickly going from surprise to rage. "Oh geez..." And then he was gone.
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It was almost an hour later when Jiraiya had finally managed to ditch the last angry kunoichi. He stretched and panted as he tried to regain his air.
"Nasty habit you got there Ero-Sennin." Naruto chuckled from on top of a tree branch, surprising the old man. "I can see why you didn't want me with you."
"Your parents would be furious if I turned you into a pervert." Jiraiya responded cheekily. "Alright, Naruto. You wanted me to make it up to you, so let's get started. I'm gonna teach you a jutsu for when you meet an opponent that's much bigger than you. Summoning!"
Naruto frowned. "I don't need that..." His thoughts went to Gaara and his bad feeling. "But I guess it couldn't hurt. Been studying the Rasengan for weeks." At Jiraiya's incredulous look, Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yes, I've gotten access to mom and dad's library too. Now let's get this show on the road."
Jiraiya slowly nodded and did some rapid handsigns. "Summoning Jutsu!" Just like when Orochimaru invaded, Naruto found himself staring at a gust of wind and smoke, revealing a huge toad with a scroll on it's back. "Hello, Gama. It's time to pass on the contract."
"Hi there! The name's Naruto Uzumaki Robotnik!" Naruto waved. Gama looked to Jiraiya slowly, as if raising an eyebrow. Jiraiya simply shrugged, not knowing what the blonde genin meant. The toad slowly nodded, using his tongue to grab the scroll off his back and give it to Jiraiya.
"Alright brat." The toad sage opened the scroll, revealing a list of names. "Sign in blood and put your handprint on the bottom. Also in blood."
Naruto sighed and cut open his index finger with a kunai, writing in his name. "Naruto...Uzumaki...Namikaze...Robotnik." He then slapped his hand on the bottom, leaving his signature. Jiraiya handed the scroll to the toad, who disappeared.
"Alright. Now, do just as I did. Do the hand signs and put your hand on the ground. For the first try, I want you to put as much chakra as you can into it."
Naruto grinned and slowly began to focus, his eyes shutting in concentration as he performed the handsigns. "Summoning Jutsu!" The gust of wind was immense, but when the smoke cleared, all that was there was a tiny toad, orange in color.
"Hi there! I'm Gamakichi!" The toad waved with a smile at Naruto. "You're our new summoner, right?"
"Yeah, that's right." Naruto grinned, getting down to Gamakichi's eye-level. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki Robotnik. But if you like, you can call me the EggFox." Gamakichi nodded. "Well, I can stay for a while, but Pops will be really worried about me. I'll see you later!" And the toad dissipated in a puff of smoke.
"Not bad." Jiraiya grinned. "You must be training all the time. You can walk on water, right?"
"Yeah, it took me a while to pick up on it, but I got it. It was the constant flow of chakra that got me." Naruto shrugged.
"Well, you did good for your first time, Naruto. But we need to go bigger. As nice as Gamakichi is, right now his only real use is as a messenger toad. We'll need to train more. But as it is, I don't think you can summon anything bigger than him without help. And I know just where to look."
"Where, Ero-Sennin?" The sage pointed at Naruto's stomach, and his eyes widened. "Oh hell no. I'm not asking him for help."
"Why not?" Jiraiya actually looked surprised that Naruto wasn't chomping at the bit to get an advantage.
"Whenever I use that furball's chakra, I get more aggressive. Obviously, it's trying to get me to use it's chakra more often and eventually take over my brain. No way." Naruto crossed his arms emphatically, considering the matter settled.
Jiraiya sighed. "Alright, look, Naruto. There are other jinchuriki besides you. And they didn't have the benefit of not knowing and having a relatively peaceful life like you did. I know for a fact that Suna has the One-Tail, Shukaku, sealed inside someone." Naruto's eye twitched. "And they all use their beast liberally. This isn't a matter of you alone. If you're going to fight and get stronger, you need to think like a ninja and use everything you have at your disposal. You got that?"
Naruto sighed, throwing up his arms. "Fine. But how do we go about it? No matter my chakra levels, the furball's stuff has only risen when I'm in mortal danger. Like when Orochimaru attacked me and my team in the Forest of Death."
"Well then, we'll just have to replicate the circumstances, and get you in mortal danger." Jiraiya shrugged with a grin. Naruto glared at him. "Look, if we can do this and you can master summoning AND drawing out some fox chakra, we can move on." Naruto slapped his palm to his face in frustration. "I suggest that, if you have anyone you wanna say goodbye to, that you do it now."
Naruto sighed. "Fine. To the hospital, then."
"Ooh!" Jiraiya teased lecherously. "Is it a girrrrrrrl?"
"Yes. And YOU will be staying outside."
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Naruto slowly headed for Hinata's room, adjusting his jacket. He didn't know why he was nervous...or why his heart was quickly leaping into his throat. It must've been the jitters before his potentially life-threatening training. Nevertheless, Naruto was about to open the door, when he heard a stern voice. Naruto raised an eyebrow and put his ear to the door.
"Losing to a branch member...I am disappointed in you, Hinata." Naruto scowled as he heard the voice berate her. What worried him more was that Hinata was not talking back. "Once you are out of this place, we are going to have a serious discussion about your position as heir to the clan."
"Y-Yes, Otou-sama..." Hinata said meekly. That was the last straw. Naruto opened the door smoothly, causing the man to flinch and activate his Byakugan.
"Shame you didn't use that five seconds ago." Naruto said smoothly as he stood at Hinata's side, the opposite side the man, Hinata's father, judging by the girl's honorifics, was.
"It would benefit you greatly to not eavesdrop on a private conversation you brat." Hiashi scowled.
"Aw, what's the matter, Hyuga?" Naruto said in a sing-song voice. "Don't want the fact that you're verbally abusing your daughter and putting up unfair standards to get out?"
"They are not unfair." Hiashi responded, but there was an edge to his voice. "She is main family. She should be better."
Naruto's response was a chakra blade to activate. "She is also not your typical Hyuga. She is kind, caring, sweet, and not at all arrogant. Unlike yourselves."
"How dare you, you insolent little...! Who do you think you are!?" Hiashi looked furious. Hinata looked between her father and her crush with simultaneous confusion and fear. Naruto was known for not holding his tongue, and her father was...big on respect to say the least.
"Yes, yes, how dare I. Who do I think I am? I'll tell you who I am. I am Naruto Uzumaki Robotnik. I am the one who's going to hand your nephew his ass in a month. And right now, you're giving me a strong case of taking you on too, with how you treat your own daughter so negatively."
Hiashi's Byakugan flared with his temper. "You dare threaten the head of the Hyuga clan?"
"No. I simply state fact. You're the one using a jutsu right now, in a hospital room, in public. Your arrogance is showing, Hiashi Hyuga." The Hyuga scowled and deactivated his doujutsu. "You believe you and your clan superior. Above others. Well...tell you what. After the Chuunin Exams, y'know, after I curbstomp Neji into the ground until he's tasting my boots for weeks, I'm going to submit an open challenge. The greatest champion of your own clan or any other, versus me." Naruto grinned widely. "We can discuss stakes later. For now, if you have nothing to say, get out. I have something actually important to discuss with Hinata." The elder Hyuuga in the room scowled deeply, but left with snort.
"Naruto-Kun..." Hinata said softly. She had never seen anyone stare right into her father's eyes and stand up for themselves before. And the fact that he did it for her was just...
"Ah, sorry Hinata-Chan." Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that. I just overheard and couldn't help but burst in." He sat down next to her with a smile. "You doing ok in here? The food is terrible."
"Y-Yes Naruto-Kun...I..." The shy girl was interrupted by Naruto gently holding her hand.
"Look...I'm going to be going on some dangerous training for the next month. My life is at risk here. So, in case I die..." He removed a small gizmo from his jacket, and odd, orbular thing. "This will tell you everything you need to know. And...goodbye, just in case." Naruto suddenly chuckled. "But in all seriousness, I doubt this can kill me. Just keep it a secret, you know?" He winks at Hinata, who can't help herself but giggle at Naruto's...self. She always could make her smile.
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"So...what're we doin' all the way out here?" Naruto asked as he and Jiraiya walked away from the village. The area was still heavily forested, but Naruto was missing the EggDome already. Jiraiya kept leading him around, seemingly in circles.
"I told you, we're giving you the power needed to win." Jiraiya said as he kept walking. Finally, he stopped at a small part of the path. "You said goodbye to whom you needed to, right?"
"Yeah, sure. Why?" Before Naruto could say anything else, Jiraiya gave him a hard shove, forcing him through the bushes, and right into an immense chasm. "OH YOU SON OF A BIIIIIIIIIIIIII..." Naruto screamed as he went hurtling down into the pit. Naruto rolled so he could see down. There was nothing he could see (thankfully), and the sharp-looking rocks on either end were going too quickly for him to latch on with chakra. "...Shit." He groaned as he tried to reach the fox internally. 'Dammit Fox! If we don't work together, we're both going to die!'
Naruto blinked. The cave was gone, replaced with the weirdest thing Naruto had ever seen. The walls were like the EggDome, silver and streamlined, with a periodic shut door with a few buttons. Periodically, there was a hallway with trees, although these trees looked half-dead with bits of metal hanging off of them. And the entire time, there was water up to his ankles, making him shudder with the unexpected sensation. He slowly walked the halls, he heard the sound of heavy breathing. As he followed it, the ambient temperature increased until Naruto was standing in front of a cage. Well, a massive Prison Egg would probably be a better descriptor. A large, ovular capsule held something which was glowing red behind the equally-large viewing screen. There was a seal just below the button that in the real world would've released the prisoner inside.
"Come closer, human..." A voice seemed to come from nowhere, calling to Naruto. Naruto laughed.
"Do I look that stupid, fox?" He asked. "Forgive me if I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to come close to the cage my father built." The fox raged and clawed at the few openings it could reach in the Prison Egg, thrashing and shaking it's cage. "C'mon now. Don't be like that. We can work together."
"Work together? With a lowly human?" The Fox snarled, seeming appalled at even considering it.
"C'mon. I know what you want. Freedom. I'm not going to just let you out, but I'm willing to cut you a degree of slack. Here's what I'm proposing. You let me use your chakra, and I'll give you a bigger place rather than that Prison Egg. Let's say...a replica of Konoha." The fox's ears perked. "There you can terrorize all you want inside my mind. If you can make it so we can communicate freely, go ahead. But, if you try to kill me or take control of my body, I won't hesitate to kill us both. In fact, I'll be placing a bomb on me for that very purpose. Got it?"
"How arrogant to think you can barter with me...I like your attitude brat." Naruto chuckled.
"Please. Egg-Jiji has dealt with far more potent threats than you. A God of Destruction, a giant lizard capable of blowing up this world, and the incarnation of the planet's darkness itself. All of these things he's dealt with, and you think I'm scared of YOU?" Naruto laughed. "No, I'm saying, let's let bygones be bygones. Neither of us is happy with this arrangement, so why not make it a bit more comfortable for us both? What do you say, we got a deal?"
The fox snorted, tendrils of red chakra moving towards the EggFox. "You may want to hurry. We don't have much time before we hit the bottom..."
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Naruto's eyes snapped open as the crevice around him came rushing to meet him, panicking he immediately bit his thumb and began making handsigns, feeling a sudden rush.
"SUMMONING JUTSU!" Naruto shouted, and the biggest cloud of smoke and air Naruto had ever seen burst onto the field, revealing a massive red toad smoking a pipe. His hands and feet shot out into the walls, stopping the pair from dropping further and smacking Naruto onto the toad's back.
"Why have you summoned me here, Jiraiya?" The toad exclaimed furiously. "Answer me!"
Up above, Jiraiya winced at the screaming. Hopefully Naruto could handle this with tact.
"Jiraiya didn't summon you, Toad-Sama." He said, climbing onto the creature's head. "I did."
"HA! That's rich, kid. Who are you, and where is Jiraiya?" The toad replied, before jumping up before Naruto could answer, making the EggFox scream as he landed in the forest.
"I DID summon you! And as for who I am...I am Naruto Uzumaki Robotnik! Son of the Fourth Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki! And if you won't let me summon you in the future, you can cross my name off that scroll for all I care!" Naruto yelled, losing his temper with the toad quickly.
"Huh, you got spunk kid. Since you already know your parents, I can dispense with the greeting I was told to give you, and can give the greeting I want to." The toad reached around and grabbed Naruto, and pulled him to his eyes. Naruto sat cross-legged in the toad's palm. "I am Gamabunta. The boss of the toads. It was I who led your father to his final fate with the Kyuubi." He examined Naruto closely. "You look a lot like him. So...Jiraiya taught you the summoning technique, huh?"
"Yeah, and I summoned you within a day. Nice, huh?" Naruto kicked back, uncrossing his legs.
"Impressive. Normally I'd give you some kind of test. Like making cling to my back as I try my hardest to knock you off until sundown."
"I can still do that, Toad Boss." Naruto grinned, Gamabunta chuckled.
"Good! But I think I'll give you a free pass this once, since you showed some respect. BUT, the second you're legal age, we share a drink together, or the deal's off. You have some guts, boy. I like that, but I also like your respect. So, until we can share that drink, I guess you can consider yourself my newest subordinate!"
"Of course, Gamabunta." Naruto scowled a little at being called a subordinate, but shook it off. "I hope we can have a productive friendship." Gamabunta laughed, and then deposited Naruto on the ground.
"Sure thing, Kid. Just remind me to give Jiraiya an earful the next time he summons me, ok?" The toad winked before disappearing, Naruto grinning madly as Jiraiya appeared before him.
"Well, you seemed to have learned how to use the Kyuubi's chakra rather well. So I'll just be off then." Jiraiya turned, only to see another Naruto behind him, his eyes glaring.
"No dice, godfather." Naruto growled. "You're going to teach me how to do something else now. Something my father left in his libraries."
"Kid, you cannot handle that jutsu right now." Jiraiya looked pale
"Did I SAY it was that jutsu? Now, you teach me what I want, or I swear to Chaos I will show you a horrible fate."
"Alright, alright." Jiraiya sighed, putting up his hands. "We can start in two days, alright? Tell everyone you're ok. Just give me a day, alright? I didn't expect you to master Summoning that quickly."
Naruto chuckled. "Fine, fine. But it's expected that I would be able to do this so quickly. I AM a genius." Jiraiya sighed as Naruto walked off.
"Jeez...What happened to him? I expected him to be loud, but to be THIS arrogant? And what's with that nickname?" Jiraiya scowled and covertly began to tail the Egg Fox. He was surprised to see Naruto quickly lose him, ducking into an alleyway and when Jiraiya went to find him, he was gone. "That brat's full of surprises.
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Naruto stood in the machine shop of the Death Egg, the hologram of Dr. Eggman standing next to him.
"You've made some real progress on your training, Naruto." Eggman said with a grin. "I'm impressed. And your shadow clones have most likely been making incredible progress on your machine work. If only you would let me see it."
"Father, I told you," Naruto said with a sigh and a stretch. "My robots will be unveiled soon. I am working on a set for a very special purpose. I've got something special planned for the exam finals, but it needs to be a secret." Naruto straightened his jacket and gave his holographic father figure a look.
"Well, I guess we know where you got your flair for the dramatic." Eggman grinned as he walked off, Naruto following.
"Any updates from my Fox Bosses?" Naruto asked as he sat in the big chair in the control room. It was a massive round room situated almost on the bottom floor of the Egg Dome, with computers galore, and an Egg Mobile plugged into a hole in the center for the central command center. "They should be reporting in, right?"
"Indeed. Haku has been tracking the council, looking for those who might resist us once we rise. The biggest candidates seem to be the Hokage's two teammates. Koharu, Homura, and that old warbuzzard Danzo." Eggman reported.
Naruto hummed to himself as he stroked his chin. "Why would they oppose us? I would think those fossils would enjoy having such a glorious war-machine on their side."
"Well, Koharu and Homura are old and set in their ways. They talk of restricting you to the Hokage, who won't hear any of it. As for Danzo, well, Haku has found information that tells his ROOT force isn't nearly as defunct as the Hokage would like."
Naruto scowled at that. "If he's willing to disobey Jiji, then he'd betray us in a heartbeat if he thought he could control us. Those other two are no trouble, but I want Danzo monitored. Inform Haku that I want more information on this ROOT before the Chuunin exam finals. Locations, armaments, numbers, anything he can find." Eggman nodded and Naruto sat back in his chair. "Oh, and tell him to look into the Hyuuga family history. Anything significant between now and when I was born."
"Of course. Know thine enemy after all." Eggman grinned.
Naruto sighed. "Something like that. Anyway, how's Zabuza's mission going? He report back yet?"
"Zabuza's returned from his mission, a few more mediocre Rain-Nin are now in the brig. As a bonus, he's been able to locate, disable, and capture one Aoi Rokusho, who just so happened to be hiding in town under a transformation jutsu. We've captured the Raijin sword as well."
"Hmph." Naruto grunted disinterestingly. "I believe you were watching, Egg-Jiji. How one-sided would you say this battle was?"
"Very." Eggman said with no hesitation. "He may have been made a Jonin in the Rain Village, but Aoi's skills were mediocre at best. He managed to disable Zabuza's cybernetics with the sword temporarily, but Zabuza made short work of him soon after. He awaits your judgement in a Prison Egg now."
"Hmph. I have no need for mediocre ninja as my Fox Bosses. I'm looking for ninja of true power and skill." The Egg Fox sighed and stretched out in his chair, putting his feet up. "But, he may have another use. I have a theory, Egg-Jiji. You've told me that back in your heyday, that the energy from the Chaos Emeralds could do almost anything. Isn't that a lot like how chakra works?"
"My boy, I'm surprised I didn't think of it sooner. Now that you mention it, the two do share similarities."
"And if we can find the connection...oh, the things we could do." Naruto grinned as he stood up. "How are the repairs of the Roboticizer, father?"
"Complete. We only need your say-so to test it."
"The word is given! Save Gato for last. He's useless as anything but labor, and I've got a plan for him in the future. In fact, do Aoi first. When it's done, I want his systems analyzed for traces of his chakra network. Oh, and bring the Raijin blade to me. I think it'll make a fine addition to my armory."
Eggman and Naruto shared a laugh over the ninja's fate, their plans coming together, and the pending destruction of their enemies.
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And so the days had gone by, turning into weeks, and before anyone knew it, the Exams were only two days away. Naruto found himself having both days off from Jiraiya. Weeks of practicing, both with the Toad Sage and a returning Zabuza had left him bruised in several places, and having his Shadow Clones working around the clock was taxing on his mind. So maybe he did need a break.
The Egg Fox was making his way to the hospital, to see Hinata, when he heard an odd noise coming from down the hall, rushing there, he saw Shikamaru sitting in Chouji's room and grabbed him.
"What do you think you're doing, Naruto!?" Shikamaru exclaimed indignantly, as Naruto dragged him along.
"Don't give me that. You heard what I heard, I know you did. And your specialty is immobilization and strategy, two things I'm not so good at. So you follow me, or I rip your head off for neglect. Got me?" Shikamaru groaned but ran under his own power from that point on.
"It's coming from Lee's room." Naruto said with wide eyes as he kicked down the door, Shikamaru's shadow racing in immediately and attaching itself to the intruder, Gaara, who just so happened to have his hand above the unconscious Leaf-Nin.
"Why are you stopping me?" Gaara said with his usual eerily calm expression.
"Because I have a use for that bushy-brow. And I don't need you killing him." Naruto crossed his arms. "You've beaten him. Crippled him, probably for life. Isn't that enough?"
"No." Gaara said simply, and Shikamaru and Naruto flinched as the Sand-Nin's bloodlust began to leak through. "I need to kill him. To confirm my existence. To show that I have meaning. Every second he still breathes is an insult."
"That still doesn't explain why you have to kill him." Naruto snorted. Shikamaru began to sweat, under the strain of maintaing his Shadow Imitation and from Gaara's killing intent.
"I...am a jinchuriki." Gaara explained slowly. "The one-tailed tanuki, the Shukaku, was placed inside of me before I was born. I was born to be a weapon of the Kazekage. Born to fight...Born to kill. The meaning of my existence is killing. I must kill him to prove that my existence is worth something."
"That's enough." All three of them turned to see Might Guy standing in the doorway, eyes locked on Gaara. "Don't you have enough to worry about with Sasuke in the finals?"
Gaara growled, but walked away, mumbling something to himself.
As Shikamaru left to go back to Chouji, Naruto's mind scrambled. 'A Jinchuriki. Just like me. He has a demon in his gut too. And odds are it's not nearly as silent and scheming as Kyuubi-Kun.'
'I heard that.' The fox grumbled to Naruto.
'Good! You were supposed to hear it. Now...This guy...Judging by his general attitude and all-round style, he probably didn't have friends. In fact, that omnipresent sand shield makes me think that someone probably attempted to kill him. Multiple times...He's going to be a problem during the rising. Probably THE biggest problem.' Naruto snapped out of his thoughts to see Guy languishing over Lee's unconscious body. Slowly, he stepped forward, placing a hand on Guy's shoulder.
"I..I'm sorry, Naruto." Guy said, wiping his eyes. "I thought you had left. Excuse my tears. It's just that..."
"Lee's like a son to you." Naruto said with a soft smile. "It's obvious that he modeled his look off you, and respects you just as a father would a son. He wants to be like you. A fierce warrior who relies only on Taijutsu."
"Yes...but the doctors say that if he recovers, he won't be able to fight for the rest of his life."
"Then they're stupid. Because Lee has something they don't." At Guy's quizzical look, Naruto jabbed a thumb to his chest. "Me."
Guy chuckled. "I'm afraid I don't understand. Pardon me for saying so but you don't really seem the type to use medical jutsu, personality or chakra control-wise."
"Good thing that's not what I'm proposing. Guy-Sensei, I know it's hard to believe, but I have access to things medic-nin can only dream about." He said, stone serious as he looked at Lee's body shift in pain. "I didn't know Lee for long, but he became my friend. And I look out for my friends. The procedure will be...difficult, with all the damage Gaara did. I'm going to need a legendary medic-nin to help sustain him."
"The only medic-nin with that kind of skill is...Tsunade." Guy said regretfully.
"Then after this Chuunin Exam business is over, my next order of business will be dragging her ass back to Konoha." Naruto stands and stretches. "Tell Lee about my offer, Guy-sensei. He needs to make the decision." And with a swish of his jacket, he was gone.
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Hinata was actually outside today, walking around under her own power. As she was slowly walking between training posts to practice, Naruto suddenly appeared, almost making her fall on her rear if not for Naruto reaching out and taking her hand.
"Careful, Hinata-Chan. We don't need you falling over and getting hurt now." He grinned, helping the shy Hyuuga regain her balance, despite her cherry red face.
"N-Naruto-kun...What are you doing here?" She asked quietly, poking the tips of her fingers together, which Naruto couldn't help but think of as cute.
"Well, I'm here to see you of course. And to reaffirm my promise to stomp Neji into the ground for you!" Naruto held out his fist with a vicious grin, which only made Hinata look down. "Huh? What's wrong?"
"Please...don't hurt Neji-niisan too much." Naruto looked flabbergasted at that statement. "He has endured a lot of pain at the hands of the main family. He still has good in him Naruto. Can you help him see it?"
Naruto sighed. "Normally, I'd say no. That's not really my thing, I think." Hinata looked down, but then Naruto grinned. "But for you, anything." Her eyes almost shot out of her head as Naruto waved, heading home. "Y'know Hinata-Chan. I used to think you were kind of weird...I like that. Normal's overrated." He then left quietly, Hinata trying her best not to faint, and succeeding for once.
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The night before the exams, and Naruto finally wiped the sweat off his brow. Just one final test...He pulled out the small cube he had been tinkering with for so long. It was the crown jewel of his research, the ultimate equalizer in the war of ninja vs robots. A war his soldiers would have to fight one day. He grinned as he placed the cube inside the chassis, and with a whirr, the thing worked.
"Hahahahaha...Hahahaha...MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Naruto cackled as he clapped his hands. "Father! Haku! Zabuza! To the machine shop!"
The hologram appeared instantly, followed shortly by Naruto's Fox Bosses.
"What is it Naruto? A breakthrough?"
"You better believe it, Egg-Jiji!" Naruto grinned, lifting a curtain slightly, revealing the glowing blue cube. "Introducing...THE CHAKRA CORE!"
"That's nice...But what is it exactly?" Zabuza asked, getting a closer look. Haku as well looked confused at the contraption. "How does it work?"
"Well, how it works is kind of complicated, but I hit a stumbling block with it before Wave. Thankfully, we managed to get a new test subject, who has been just marvelous in giving me what I need! You see, this will be an equalizer in any possible confrontation with ninja. With THIS, my marvelous chakra core, I can give my chakra to robots!" Naruto cackled again, as the implications of such a thing hit Zabuza and Haku like a tidal wave, making Haku's eyes go wide and Zabuza to actually feel a bit of fear.
"Amazing, my boy! This is a vast breakthrough! With this, any robot we want can perform jutsu! But what is the power source?" Eggman asked.
"For now, it's me. I can place my chakra inside a cube, and place it inside the robot. It takes about a Shadow Clone's worth of robots to make a cube. Currently, my limit in a day is about...900." Zabuza looked blank as he heard that.
"You can split your chakra several hundred times, evenly, and still be alive?" He asked, in the closest thing to incredulous he could.
"That's right." Naruto grinned. "Can still fight too." He ignored Zabuza's amazed look. "But, that is wasteful and puts me out of commission. So, while I'm here, I'm going to be studying the Chaos Emerald for more research. If my theory holds true, I should be able to power robots indefinitely with this." Naruto grinned and dropped the curtain. "For now, Egg-Jiji. This body, behind the curtain, is for you."
"Wh-What?" Eggman asked, eyes wide. "Your first machine was...my new body?"
"That's right!" Naruto winked. "We rise tomorrow, win or lose. Promotion or not. And I want my dad there to see it." Naruto turned to Zabuza and Haku. "And of course, tomorrow is also the day you can take off those hoods. After tomorrow, everything changes, for you guys as well. And I wouldn't have anyone else as my Fox Bosses. There may be others I recruit, but you guys will always be the first, and the most important. I hope you'll stick with me."
"Naruto, I believe we share the sentiments. We will stay in the EggDome until we rise or if there is an emergency." Haku said with a bow. "My eyes will be ever-vigilant."
"We had a deal, brat." Zabuza chuckled. "You gave me and Haku a place to be, without getting devoured by the Hunter-Nin. And per the conditions of our deal, we're sticking with you."
"Good to know. I have a fight tomorrow, among other things. So..." A press of a button and a few champagne flutes filled with grape juice lifted up to the three who could drink. "To the rise of the EggFox Empire!" The three drank with a grin, eager for tomorrow's events to transpire tomorrow.
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A/N: Awesome! I think this is my longest chapter yet. I know people may be disappointed with how I handled the Gamabunta/Kyuubi situation, but I always felt that Gamabunta's little tantrum with Naruto was all an act to test his resolve. And as for Kyuubi, trust me, he's got plans. So, next chapter is the Chuunin Exam Finals! Naruto finally faces off with Neji! Brunette versus Blonde! And finally, the Empire Rises...
Tune in next time for: NARUTO VS. NEJI! THE EMPIRE RISES!
PS: Next chapter, I will be providing musical cues at certain points, asking you to play a song on Youtube for the greatest effect for the given moment. So look out for that!