I do not own Naruto
A Past Retold - Chapter 9
"He he he..."
Jiraiya chuckled as he took notes. He was currently hunched behind a bush, shamelessly spying on some civilian girls that were dealing with the heat of the day by playing around in the mountain springs. The scene would be perfect for his book that was currently in progress. His fans would praise him even more after the publication... A story of a strong young shinobi and all the beautiful woman he came across on his many travels. Perhaps the main female character would this time be a care free, innocent, civilian maiden who needs to be protected from the dark and dangerous world...
The white haired pervert giggled as he imagined a mountain stream scene... where the maiden and her close friends would take a break from the hot day, but in the rush to get to the stream they forget their bathing suits and...
Jiraiya's concentration wavered as the brunette girl suddenly started looking around, making sure they were alone before informing her friends that she didn't want tan lines. The toad sage could hardly believe his luck as the girl made to remove her bikini top... Making sure he could not be seen he leaned in closer, finding the absolute perfect vantage point.
Suddenly he felt a familiar tug on his being before he vanished in a silent puff of smoke.
The familiar landscape of Mount Myoboku revealed itself as the chakra smoke cleared. Jiraiya blinked as he took in his bearings.
"NO!" He moaned in absolute despair, "No No No take me back!" Tears were actually forming in the man's eyes as he begged the small toad sage in front of him.
The toad raised one of his bushy white eyebrows as he studied the man in front of him. "Jiraiya-chan? Whats tha matter?"
Jiraiya crawled forward until he was at the toad's webbed feet, making the best puppy dog eyes he could muster.
"Fukasaku-sama!... I was in the middle of some important research! I must return at once!"
Smack
The old toad whacked the sannin on the head with his favorite bludgeon. "Pay at'ntion ya idiot! This's more important th'n spyin on women!"
The childish look on Jiraiya's face faded into a more serious expression as he rubbed the new bump on his head. He straightened himself and dusted the dirt from his clothes before addressing the old sage.
" So you say, Fukasaku-sama... But I know you simply can't wait for the next edition to come out..."
For a moment Fukasaku was grateful that his green skin made it nearly impossible for anyone to ever see him blush. With a quick shake of his head the toad focused his mind on the issues at hand.
"Jiraiya-chan, I summ'ned yer here because we have some very important business to discuss. It involves tha prophesied child."
"What do you mean, Fukasaku-sama? Minato died..." Jiraiya's voice faded towards the end. Minato was very much like a son to him. The boy was such a bright and kind-hearted child. He didn't change at all in that aspect as he grew into a strong and respected young man. The youngest ever to be named a Kage so far. It was still too agonizing to think too much about him.
"It turns out tha child was never Minato-chan..." The sage turned around with a slow hop, heading to his house with a somber expression. "Let's go inside, there is someone yer must meet."
Jiraiya silently followed Fukasaku to his home, quietly lost in his sorrows he got on his hands and knees to be able to enter the small door.
"Jiraiya-chan," Fukasaku addressed him as he came through the door. He had been in Fukasaku's house many times and the place had not changed at all since he had last been here. The only surprise was a red haired young woman sitting at the far end of the room. She looked almost exactly like Kushina... His heart clenched at the thought of the fiery woman that Minato was so crazy for...
"This is Naruto-chan."
The next day Naruto yawned as he entered the kitchen, running his hand through his golden spikes and worsening his bad case of bed head. He wiped the slight drool from his chin as his gaze focused on the letter left on the kitchen counter.
Heya Squirt
I'm off on that mission I told you about last night. Just reminding you in case you forgot... I'll be gone for quite some time unfortunately... probably a month or two. I might come home sooner but I doubt it.
Also, as you know you are now officially adopted by me. So we are now family by paper as well as blood. That means you can live in the flat. I have already moved most of your stuff from your apartment. All that it left is some old furniture. If you want those too you should go talk to the old man, he will arrange for it to get moved...
Ok, so since I will be gone for a while, which I really am super sorry about, I have composed a list type thing that I would like you to follow... They aren't rules... but suggestions that I strongly encourage you to follow if you want to be Hokage... which I know you do...
First :Keep training and remember to keep working on your chakra control. Its boring I know, but it will make learning awesome techniques so much easier.
Second: Go to classes. A Hokage needs to know all about the village laws and history. If not to listen to the "boring" classes, then at least to interact with your peers. They will be your future team mates after all. It's a good plan to be on their good side. Also, I have a hunch that classes are going to get a lot more exciting soon, although I can't say much about that.
Third: I have arranged for the Ichiraku's to make some meals for you. This will not be ramen. I know you hate veggies but not eating them is what is making you so short. (It's true I promise) These meals will only be three times a week though. Please go? Think of it as a form of training. It "trains" your body to be healthier, stronger and grow faster. The rest of the week you can eat ramen... although it would make me happy if you could eat a fruit every now and again as well... I've left some in a scroll in the kitchen. Its one of those special ones that keeps everything fresh inside.
Forth: Don't worry about me. If you think I'm taking too long you can go ask the old man if there is any news. He will be able to tell you if I'm on my way home yet or still busy.
Well I suppose that's it...
Once again I'm really sorry for leaving you alone for so long. I promise to make it up to you when I get back. You can think of something you would like us to do together?
Love you Naruto, Don't get into too much trouble. Oh! That reminds me! I thing it might be a good idea for you to keep pranking people. Don't just do normal pranks though... Think of it as infiltration training... or training in setting traps. You must not be noticed at all when setting the trap and you must not leave any evidence that could possibly link it back to you. That means you can't brag about it either.
Have fun and see you soon
Love
Natsumi
The blond jinchuuriki groaned at the idea of eating vegetables. He seriously doubted the fact that veggies would actually help him grow taller. His aunt hated eating greens just as much as he did.
Going to class also caused a scowl to show on his face.
It made sense though, a Hokage should know about the village he was leading...
By the time he reached the end of the letter though he had a wicked smirk and a mischievous glint in his eyes. He could hardly wait to start pranking people. He couldn't believe that his aunt actually encouraged him to do so... aren't parents supposed to tell their kids not to break the rules? Well, he certainly didn't mind. He already had some would be victims to attack-no prank.
With a half-hearted groan he started getting ready for the academy. He had originally planned on skipping class in favor of training; but it was probably a better idea to go... Maybe he could even convince Iruka-sensei to teach him a new chakra control exercise …. According to his new sealing book, he would need good chakra control in order to become a master. Perhaps not as good as medic's but it would need to be much better than average in any case..
Half an hour later the ten year old was rushing to leave for the academy. He hesitated for a moment at the door before blitzing back to the kitchen to grab a couple of fruits for lunch. A few seconds later he was running down the street straight to the academy, a small smile tugging on his lips, determination and mischief clearly shining in his bright blue eyes.
The few minutes of waiting before class actually started was the usual loud affair of girls fighting to sit next to their precious Uchiha hair. Naruto rolled his eyes at their attempts, it was pretty obvious that the bastard was gay. The girls were seriously wasting their time.
Moments later a rather frazzled Iruka hurried through the door with heaps of scrolls and papers in his hands. He dumped the load on his desk before hushing the class.
"Ok kids, I have some pretty important announcements to make about the class plans from now on out." He stated, running a seemingly shaking hand through his pony tail. Naruto almost tuned him out.
While he had been making an effort to pay a bit more attention in class, class planning was never something he thought was worth paying attention to. He would find out what they were doing when they were doing it, no need to know about it before hand. However the fact that his aunt had mentioned a possible change had him listening with one ear as he continued to read his sealing notes.
"The whole academy curriculum has been changed by order of the council. From today on-wards everything will run in a very different way."
The blond raised on interested eyebrow, closing his book to pay closer attention. The action of sitting up straighter and listening a bit closer was adopted by many in the class. It was not often that things changed much. The last time the academy curriculum changed it was in order to accommodate for a war; there was no war brewing as far as the students knew though.
"This specific class plans have never been done before but I have the utmost confidence that you will be able to pull it off. It will not be easy. Classes will start at the usual time but formal classroom lectures will finish at lunch time." There were a few excited murmurs from the class. Only half a day of school? What could be better? Shikamaru however frowned and seemed to start listening even closer to what the instructor was saying.
" After lunch boys and girls will split up." A collective grown went through the class. No half days after all. Some of the girls were practically sobbing at the thought of being separated from the Uchiha. The dark haired boy in question seemed a bit relieved though. The tension in his shoulders might have even lessened a bit, but Naruto couldn't be sure. The bastard was so stiff and stuck up the whole time it was a miracle he could actually walk without irritating the enormous stick up his ass.
"Boys will focus on strength and fitness training while girls will focus on infiltration, seduction and field first aid. This will not always be the focus of the two groups but that will be discussed later. These specialized classes will continue until 17:00. After this you will work in teams for two hours at least."
-What!?-
- can't expect us to still train -
-arent't machines-
-unfair-
-like to see you train that long -
Iruka banged the board eraser on his desk to regain order. "This is what is expected of you. If you are not up to it then you will be forced to drop out and become normal civilians. With that the class quieted down, a few of the civilian born looking slightly uneasy.
"These teams will be assigned every week." Iruka continued, "Each individual in these teams will have to instruct their team mates in a specific area. These area's will also be assigned to you. They might change over time, after each and every student is proficient in each of the areas assigned. You will be graded on how well your team mates have improved in your area within a week..."
With that the Uchiha scoffed "Why should I be graded on everyone else's incompetence?"
"Teaching others is a sure way to improve oneself." Iruka explained patiently, "The grading also motivates you to do your best and it teaches you to work as a team. As I said, this will not be a walk in the park. You are all going to have to pull your weight and work in cohesion with each other. Team work is what has always made Konoha the strongest of the big five. If you all work hard at this there is a strong chance that you will graduate early and as the strongest year that has ever graduated from this academy. Any questions?"
Sasuke seemed a bit more at ease after hearing there was an option to graduate early. If he could start training seriously sooner then all the better for his goals.
For once the Nara heir did not look like he was about to fall asleep. "Why is the council ordering this?" The spiky haired hidden genius almost demanded. It was quite different to see the boy so focused in something.
With that Iruka sighed and shook his head slightly. "I was not told of the reasoning behind the decisions. I was simply called in this morning, along with the other academy instructors and given the new plans."
"Are we going to war?"
The room was silent. Naruto's eyes widened, as did every other student, even the Uchiha. The beginnings of fear and panic swept through the room.
"No," Iruka explained with a calm, steady voice. " I am not sure why the changes are taking place but we have been assured that there is no war brewing."
A collective sigh of relief passed over the room as everyone let out the breath they had been holding.
"How will teams be decided?" A civilian boy asked a few moments later.
"The teams are assigned so that every student will have been in a team with every other student at some point or another. After a full cycle has been completed you will be tested in every area that you have been taught by your peers and if you are all up to standard each team will be assigned to a chuunin or jonin for that week and they will teach you in their specialties."
"Um, Iruka-sensei?" Sakura piped up, "Where is Mizuki-Sensei?"
Naruto looked around the room. It was true, the white haired man was not to be seen. It was rather odd because he was always on time.
Iruka frowned like he was contemplating on how to answer the question.
" He no longer works at the academy." He replied eventually.
"Why?"
"He is currently being questioned on his loyalty to the village." The chuunin instructor looked very uneasy and changed the subject with a certain finality in his tone. "Now if there are no further questions on the lesson plans, I would like to read out this weeks teams."
The ten year old shinobi trainees shared a look of unease. Mizuki-sensei was being tried for treason. The academy was changing into a war-time-like schedule. This was not what they were expecting when they walked into class this morning.
"Team one will be Hyuuga Hinata, Haruno Sakura and Aburane Shino. Hinata, your area will be Chakra control, Sakura will do village history and chakra theories. Shino you will focus on misdirection and stealth..." and so the teams were assigned. The class was still pretty large for an academy class and naming the teams took time.
"Team five will be Inuzuka Kiba with tracking, Yamanaka Ino with infiltration and Akimich Choji with on field nutrition. Team six will be Uchiha Sasuke in shuriken jutsu, Uzumaki Naruto with trapping and Nara Shikamaru with strategy and mission planning..."
After that they were told to move to share desks with their temporary team mates. There was a lot of shuffling but not really a lot of talking, everyone was still too confused at the whole business.
Sasuke made no indication that he was going to move from his current seat so Naruto and Shikamaru walked over to him.
Naruto ended up between the Nara and the Uchiha, neither of which looked very happy at the situation. Shikamaru was awake and alert for once. He seemed to be trying to figure out why everything was changing. Sasuke just brooded like he usually did, but with a slightly deeper frown.
Naruto looked between his team mates with a sigh.
"Well this sucks big hairy baboon balls."
Shikamaru chuckled at the vulgar language, his expression morphing back into the usual lazy look. Even Sasuke jolted a bit in surprise.
"You can say that again."
"Hn."
What followed was the hardest and most demanding lectures Naruto had ever experienced. There was no room for day-dreaming or goofing around. Their chuunin instructor regularly drilled the basics from random students to make sure they had been listening.
Iruka-sensei was on edge and everybody could see it. Change was usually not a good thing in a shinobi village. It was a rare day where every student listened and took notes. Well Naruto listened, he was not too big on the taking notes. Shikamaru had adopted a slightly more interested expression a but was not taking notes either.
Sasuke scoffed at them. His team mates were the two dead lasts. They weren't even taking notes. He was seriously not impressed with the whole idea of actually having to teach them things.
The morning passed slowly. The ten-year-old's were not used to sitting still and paying attention for that long. At least Iruka gave them ten minute breaks every hour just so that they could get a bit of fresh air and stretch their legs a bit.
When lunch finally arrived the kids bolted for the grounds outside. Some fresh air and sunshine was drastically needed.
Kakashi was content. He was speeding through the trees with his new partner. Uzumaki had not spoken a word since they left the village at 06:00 but it was not an awkward silence, it was more of a … focused on the mission silence. The type of silence that surrounds people that have nothing to share and they are absolutely fine with it.
Well, that was how he felt in any case. His partner had a carefree look on her face. She seemed to be pretty content as well, sometimes closing her eyes to enjoy the wind blowing through her hair.
The day had started out pretty slow. They met up at the gates at the specified time (Kakashi was rarely late for a proper mission), politely greeted each other before quickly formulating a plan of action.
The mission was to find Senju Tsunade-Hime of the sannin and convince her to return to the village. Step one was obviously to find the woman. This would not be an easy task as she was a brilliant and experienced kunoichi whom did not want to be found. She would have taken precautions against ninken tracking, therefore he could not use his pack. He had tried of course. Pakkun had very seriously (and not so kindly) told him to find the slug woman himself before giving Uzumaki an odd look and then returning from where he had come from. Luckily the kunoichi had a slightly more useful source of information.
She summoned a toad and requested that he go ask Jiraiya if he had heard anything from Tsunade's whereabouts lately. The toad had dutifully reappeared a few moments later. Apparently, the last time Jiraiya-sama had heard the princess had been spotted on the edge of the land of fire. That part of the country was notoriously well known for gang activity. Unfortunately that tip was three weeks ago and it would take about a week to get there. There was no way the woman was still there, but at least they had a lead. With a short discussion of what route would be best they set off.
Kakashi was the team leader in this situation so he had the biggest say in when they would stop for a break and what pace they would be taking. His partner had not complained at the pace he had been setting yet though, even though it was a bit fast. She seemed to be completely at ease, as if she could go faster without a problem. That suited him just fine. The faster they got to the next point the better.
A few hours later they had made good time. With a normal team they would have only covered three quarters of the distance they had already traveled within the same amount of time and they would probably have been quite exhausted. Kakashi himself was running on fumes. He signaled that they were to make camp.
It was late afternoon, the warm sun filtering through the trees, giving the leaves a golden appearance. Natsumi had set up the tent while Kakashi headed out to look for food. There was only one tent. Only one person would be able to sleep at a time in any case as the other kept watch. About an hour later Kakashi was roasting fish while Natsumi stretched and relaxed on the ground.
"Here." Kakashi handed Uzumaki her share of the roasted fish. It one of the few spoken words between them that day. He had mostly relied on signals for communication but seeing as they had come this far, he decided to cut the kunoichi some slack. He might have been a bit hard on her at their training session a few days ago. While it was true that her taijutsu was atrocious, at least she had the stamina to make up for it.
Her taijutsu in general did not make any sense. The style seemed like it was missing something, like she was used to having a weapon of some kind that would generate a lot of damage after one hit. She had not once made to use the weapon though. Perhaps she had lost it after that mission she was on went wrong.
In general, there was a lot about her that did not make sense. She appeared out of no where. She was close to no one. No one had known who she was before she appeared in that crater. Her taijutsu was missing something. She seemed to be holding back, hiding things from everyone, especially him. Her face was always hard to read, a mask almost permanently in place. She interacted with no one other than Naruto, and even then she was hiding things from him. She was a kunoichi though. Everyone in their profession had secrets that they would rather not share, she simply seemed to take it a bit far, Not that he was one to talk though.
The red head smiled and took her fish. It was the first time he had ever seen her smile properly, her scarf pooled around her neck, exposing her whiskered cheeks and soft pink lips. She had quite an exotic look about her. The smile seemed to make her look years younger. It only lasted a fraction of a second though. She seemed to do a double take as she met his eye. Her eyes flashed through a series of emotions. Surprise, grief, sadness, longing and eventually outrage and a deep, dark hatered. She masked her emotions quickly though. It had happened so fast that most jonin would have missed it. Her face formed into a smile once again, even if it did not quite reach her eyes. She thanked him kindly before she nibbled at her fish quietly as Kakashi stored the expressions he had just seen in his mental file of things about his partner. He silently pondered if she had recently lost a partner that he had reminded her of.
Natsumi was now studying him quite intently. She had finished her fish a while ago and was now simply nibbling on the stick.
With a sigh she discarded the piece of wood.
"I have not been completely honest with you." She admitted, closing her eyes and massaging her temples as she spoke.
"Hn?"
Her calculating blue gaze settled on him again. With a sigh she held out her hand and for a split second the Jonin was confused. Then chakra started forming visually, spinning faster and faster in the palm of her hand, forming a tight blue ball that seemed to be composed of a hurricane of chakra.
"Rasengan."
A.N
Hey guys... I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you so much to my reviewers, you guys are awesome.
NB
Is there anyone that would be interested in being my beta? It would be greatly appreciated if someone could help me out a bit.
Here are some notes to what has happened in the chapter.
Jiraiya and the toads. This will be explained in the next chapter. You can rest assured now though that Jiraiya knows exactly what is going on and who Natsumi really is. He will be returning to the village eventually though.
The academy changes. These teams are not permanent and in no way are these team placements going to carry through to gennin teams.
The next chapter will focus a lot on Natsumi and Kakashi. Stay tuned to see how that will turn out.
Other than that I would like to say thank you to those reviewer that have given me constructive criticism. I know that it has been a bit slow going but hopefully things will start to heat up a bit soon.
To guest: You bring up an excellent point and I have never thought about flower arrangement in such depth before. Ill make sure it is not completely cut from the program, but maybe a bit more focused instead of girls just running around with flowers.
To Erydanes: The scene you wanted will happen in the next chapter. As you could probably see that it already happened, it will be a bit more of a flash back.
I have not replied to all my reviewers and I apologize for that. I don't have a proper internet connection at the moment,so there are going to be a few delays unfortionately. I will have proper internet once I return to varsity though (in February. It's summer vacation this side of the world.)
Thank you so much for reading, and PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I LOVE HEARING FROM YOU GUYS!. If you have any problems or issues or ideas, please let me know. Criticism is welcome :)
NK