Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto nor am I making any profit from this story.
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"Speaking"
Thoughts
'Mind Speaking'
"Jutsu!"
"Summon/Bijuu Speaking"
Summon/Bijuu Thinking
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Last chapter: Naruto finds out about Kyuubi and is called to visit him. Inside of his mind he is attacked by his father's insane soul, who tries to take him over. After failing Naruto absorbs Minato's memories and his body is changed. Naruto and Sarutobi talk with Naruto releasing a lot of shocking information.
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~One Week Later~
Naruto grinned happily from his position in the street. The Sandaime had gotten his inheritance transferred to him including the property in front of him. Naruto was happy to be out of his tiny village owned apartment sponsored for him since he attended The Academy. The week had mostly been spent with Inoichi-san learning how to organize his mind. He wasn't fully through the memories but he was making a dent. He could already feel his thoughts and memories becoming clearer.
The house was three stories tall made of wood and stone. A tall stone wall surrounded it along with a square wooden gate with the Uzumaki Clan crest on it. It had been made by Senju Hashirama himself like the village gates that surrounded Konoha. Two large stone tigers sat on each side of the gate, while several others sat on top of the wall as if guarding the property; which they were in fact. They were stone constructs with special seals on them that allowed them to move and obey the orders of an Uzumaki.
The house had sixteen bedrooms, thirteen bathrooms, a large formal and informal dining room, large kitchen, living room, it's own class room, small library, five studies, formal and informal parlor rooms, billiards room, sun room, and a laundry room. The back yard was a large garden with a stream running through it with koi fish inside and a stone and wood bridge stretching over it. Several decorated stone benches sat in different places through the garden for sitting. There was also a small green house for growing herbs and young plants and a small personal onsen for healing. The garden connected to a good sized private clearing surrounded by Sakura trees and a pond stocked with less expensive fish good for practicing medical techniques or cooking.
It was originally built for visiting members of the Uzumaki clan when they visited Konoha after the marriage of Uzumaki Mito to Senju Hashirama. After the destruction of Uzushiogakure his mother had inherited it but had lived first with her Great-Aunt and then in an apartment instead. When she and his father had become truly serious they had moved into the house together.
Naruto carefully opened a small metal box he had been given. Laying inside was a key. It was not a normal key, appearing to be made of gold and obsidian. The obsidian made up the grip while the other end was round and fat with four sideway protrusions. Naruto bit down on his thumb hard enough to draw blood before wiping it on the obsidian handle. The key was briefly illuminated as the blood recognition seal recognized him.
Sliding the key into the lock he channeled his chakra into the key and twisted it to unlock the gate. Seals lit up and spread over the walls and seemingly up into the air. It was actually breaking the preservation seals. Naruto grinned as he saw that the yard and everything else was still in perfect condition. The seals on the property were still working. It kept everything inside the same temperature year round. The yard was very easy to tend to. The grass always stayed the same length and the only thing that changed was if they switched out the flowers.
His mother had done several of the seals herself, having learned from her Great-Aunt Mito. While his father had been a Fūinjutsu Master he had learned a great many things from both his mother and Jiraiya who had also studied under Mito. The best thing about him channeling his chakra while turning the key was now the gate would recognize his chakra signature and he would not have to use the key to ever open the gate again.
The pathway leading to the front door was graveled and was further lined with stone tiger statues. Tigers were a big thing for the Uzumaki especially since the Uzumaki held a summoning contract for them. The tigers were fierce but loyal summons and widespread enough that not many questioned their presence. His mother had been the last summoner as far he knew.
"Going to need to buy a few things." Naruto muttered.
He would have to buy new groceries and bedding. He was going to sleep in the Master Bedroom but he definitely wasn't going to sleep in the same sheets that his parents as used. He would also need to box up their old clothes. It would feel entirely too creepy.
Luckily while he wasn't a bad cook his father had been a very good cook and with his memories he could learn to be just as good. Another perk in his opinion. He had a bunch of new recipes in his mind that he wanted to try out. Pulling out a piece of paper he quickly wrote out his grocery list. Normally many places would refuse him service or over charge him but thankfully he knew a way around that now.
Thanks to his father's memories he knew that his Henge actually resulted in a physical transformation instead of an illusion covering the user as with a normal Henge and that only he could release it. It would help him to get in and buy the things he wished without being kicked out or price gouged. He could use it to change his size, just skin tone, his eyes, hair and whisker marks. Holding a seal tag he made the handsigns for the Kage Bunshin. Utilizing the seal it would take a killing hit to dispel the clone. He repeated the process three times before having them change their appearances.
"Transform!" Three voices called out.
When the puff of smoke around the first clone dissipated a tall, skinny brown haired, brown eyed teen with pale skin stood in his place with no whisker marks. He decided that the clone's name would be Nobaru, a Genin who's mother worked long hours at a civilian hospital. Few people knew, that with all his flashy jutsu, Minato had been a very successful infiltrator and spy. Naruto drew on that experience to make his masks and back stories. It was also a fun way to stretch his imagination.
The next clone was a black haired girl with blue eyes and slightly heavy-set body wearing a well made but not expensive looking kimono. Her name was Nodoko. The last clone turned into a brown haired man with green eyes in his early twenties. It's hair was shaved into a crew cut and it had a scar that ran down it's left eye brow and the top of the cheek. His name was Hondo, a civilian martial artist.
"You know what to do." Naruto ordered.
"Hai taicho!" The clones saluted before leaving.
Next he created a larger group to gather up the old food in the house and throw it away in the garbage. Several he sent to strip his parents bed, closets and dressers. The rest he sent to dusting, cleaning and opening windows to allow in a breeze. He had another part of the house he wanted to visit.
Naruto walked towards where he knew a large closet was. The double doors were closed and he knew they wouldn't open without the correct seal sequence. Cutting his hand he wiped it on the door. It sizzled before the door unlocked with a quiet click. Inside was a space capable of holding about ten people shoulder to shoulder. On the floor was what looked like an elaborate painting. Channeling his chakra into it he felt a rushing sensation as his surroundings blurred before he appeared on a rocky outcropping.
This was the greatest secret of the compound. An underground complex which he was now in. It was basically a series of large stone rooms deep in the ground. They had been formed with Doton Jutsu. The largest room was the training ground. It was basically a large grassy plain with several ponds, corpses of trees and several rocky outcroppings. It was of course protected with seals to prevent damage to the walls and for the training ground to repair itself. It also had controllable false sunlight and air-filter seals.
Connected rooms held a shrine, a library, treasury, barracks with kitchens and bathrooms, an armory, and a forge. The underground complex was completely blocked off from the outside except for special tunnels that could be accessed only by blood seals. It basically had everything the clan would need to live underground safely if they needed to.
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Naruto panted lightly as he finished his run around his training ground before falling to ground and beginning his push-ups . He had been working on his body, getting used to his new size, reflexes and speed. Luckily that had only taken three days. He already had a list of goals for the month:
-Get used to his new body.
-Work on physical conditioning.
-Work on his Taijutsu.
-Work on chakra control via Kage Bunshin.
-Work on handwriting via Kage Bunshin to help with Fūinjutsu.
-Determine his elemental alignment(s).
-Work on at least one offensive/defensive jutsu from each alignment.
-Sign his Clan summoning scroll.
The first day after he had gotten used to his new body he had tested how long he could hold his clones for. In the end they had lasted until he released them, which was amazing since even if a Jōnin could make a couple handful most couldn't hold them very long.
At the moment two hundred Kage Bunshin were working on the Tree Climbing Exercise. Another twenty-five was working on hand seals speed, and another twenty-five was working on his handwriting. A hundred more were working on Taijutsu katas. While he wouldn't gain anything physical from them he would gain an advance in muscle memory.
The Uzumaki Clan Taijutsu style was mostly about dodging and hitting with strong, concise blows to do the most damage. His father's taijutsu had a mix of styles but was mostly about speed and using the momentum to do damage. Naruto believed that if he combined them and his brawler style he would have a superior Taijutsu form.
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Naruto and the Sandaime were taking a rare moment of free time to lounge in the former's home. A pitcher of tea and refreshments were laid out on the table between them.
"When was the last time you got of your office old man?" Naruto asked as he back in his chair, calmly sipping a glass of iced tea. "Do you even train anymore?"
"I hardly have the time outside of my Hokage duties and the time I spend with my family." Sarutobi answered, taking a pull from his pipe. "Why?"
Naruto looked at Sarutobi. He truly was an old man, his hair completely gray and skin wrinkled. There was a certain weariness inside of him but he still projected a calm aura of power. Sarutobi Hiruzen had become Hokage in his teens after the death of the Nidaime and had held the title until passing it on to his father. Even thirteen years ago Sarutobi had been a lot stronger than he was now. A lot of that could be attributed to having to take back the reins of Hokage and his advanced age but with training it could have been slowed. Sarutobi Hiruzen had been an S-Rank shinobi now he was most likely a mid to high A-Rank.
"How about some sparring?" Naruto smirked. "I could use a stronger opponent to fight and you could get into better shape."
Sarutobi chuckled.
"As much fun as I'm sure that would be I really can't Naruto." Sarutobi replied, taking a drink of his own tea. "Like I said I barely have time to do what I do now."
"Why not have a Kage Bunshin do your paperwork while you train?" Naruto suggested.
"That won't end well since they can be taken out with a solid hit as you know." Sarutobi said wondering where Naruto was going with this. "I have used them on especially busy days. No one can use them like you however."
"Weeell." Naruto grinned before reaching into his supply pouch. "If you promise to keep it a secret I'll let you use this seal. If you hold this while making a Kage Bunshin then only a killing hit will dispel it unless you do it yourself."
"I give you my word." Sarutobi said solemnly. Sarutobi accepted the seal before looking at it himself. While he wasn't a Seal Master by any means he was a Seal Specialist. Very interesting.
"By using this you could leave a clone in your office and spend time training. How about it?" Naruto asked.
"Where did you get this?" Sarutobi asked. "Even with your father's memories I doubt you could be developing new seals yet."
"I didn't, my father did." Naruto grinned. "He used it to do what I proposed. You're pretty much wasting away in your office old man. You're out of shape. I have no doubt you could take me out easily but what happens if Konoha faces someone stronger? Besides you could also use these to spend more time with your family as well."
Sarutobi sighed but nodded.
"I will take your suggestion under advisement." He said before asking, "Have you tested your Elemental Affinity yet?"
"No I haven't gotten around to it yet." Naruto replied. "It was in my plans though. I've just been busy with my Taijutsu training."
"Here." Sarutobi said pulling a card out of his robes. The white paper card was slightly stiff and about five inches long and four across.
"Do you often keep things like these in your robes?" Naruto asked, brow raised, his lips quirked in an amused grin.
Sarutobi shook his head with a chuckle.
"No I purchased it for you." Sarutobi answered.
"Thank you." Naruto said. It was a nice gift. Chakra paper was not cheap since it was made from specially grown trees. Sure he could have purchased some of his own, and had planned to but he would use the one he had now instead. Naruto channeled his chakra into the card.
They both watched as it quickly split into four before one piece turned to dust, became wet, another burned and the last one crinkled. Naruto grinned wickedly.
"Very interesting." Sarutobi said.
"I wasn't sure whether or not I would retain my father's elemental affinities or not." Naruto said.
His father had been able to use Jutsu from every element when he had been alive. A person naturally had an affinity for one or more elements but they could perform a jutsu from any element they chose. They just cost more chakra. Eventually with enough practice the user can develop an additional affinity for that element.
"Though Fuuton appears to my main affinity while his was Raiton." He added. Naruto's Elements were Fuuton, Doton, Suiton, Katon and Raiton.
"This could be a major boon for you." Sarutobi said. That was an understatement. Being able to use two elements was a requirement of becoming a Jōnin, no easy feat by any means. "Every affinity is already activated even if not by a large amount. It'll take a lot of time and effort to master them however."
"I'm not afraid of hard work." Naruto said firmly.
"I know you're not." Sarutobi replied fondly.
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Naruto carefully unrolled the large scroll like it was the most precious thing in the world. To him it was precious as it was his clan's summoning scroll. Unrolling he read the different names that lined the scroll until he stopped at the last.
Uzumaki Kushina.
Sliding his finger over his mother's name sadness flashed over his face. Closing his eyes his jaw tightened.
"I swear to you that I will get him for what he did to you mother." Naruto whispered.
Cutting his finger he quickly signed his name before placing a bloody thumb print next to it on the paper. If he was accepted by the Tigers as their summoner his name would stay red if he wasn't it would disappear and if he ever died after becoming their summoner it would turn black.
Flashing through several handsigns and gathering a good amount of chakra he called out, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
A cloud of dark smoke obscured his vision.
"Who has summoned me?" A deep, feminine voice growled. A large form pounced on him faster than he could dodge. It was a purple furred tigress with silver stripes. Her lips were stretched wide, allowing him to see the sharp teeth in her mouth. "Who are you?"
Naruto laid back on the ground as the tigress was holding him down with one of her large dinner plate sized paws.
"I am Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto coughed. He didn't even try to push her off. He knew that she could most likely kill fairly easily. The tigress' silver eyes narrowed in suspicion and her nails extended slightly.
"An Uzumaki? We had heard that they had all died or been killed." The tigress commented. "How did you come upon our summoning contract?"
"I am the last Uzumaki as far as I know." Naruto hurried to explain. "The contract was kept safe by it's previous summoner, my mother, Uzumaki Kushina."
"Kushina?" The tigress growled before leaning forward and taking a deep sniff. "Yes I smell her now and her mate in you and Yōkai. So you bear the same curse she did."
"My father was Namikaze Minato." Naruto said. "They are both dead. My father sealed the Kyuubi into me the night they died."
The tigress carefully stepped off of him.
"My name is Kori and I was the personal summon of your Great-Great Aunt Uzumaki Mito wife of Senju Hashirama and first Jinchūriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune." She said, sitting back on her haunches.
"Well met Kori-sama." Naruto said with a bow after he stood up.
Kori chuckled.
"No need to call me sama young one, san will do until we get to know each other better." Kori said with a wave of her paw. "That is if you pass Kibara-sama's test. I will return to our realm and tell them of our potential new summoner. Please wait at least a half an hour to summon Kibara-sama."
With a puff of smoke she disappeared.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Naruto called out. This time there was a larger drain on his chakra similar in amount when he created his Kage Bunshin armies in the morning(1000 clones) causing his brow to furrow.
"Uzumaki Naruto, son of Uzumaki Kushina and Namikaze Minato and the Jinchūriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune . I am Kibara-sama the Boss summon of the Tiger clan." Kibara said. Her voice was loud but was still clearly feminine. At nearly three stories tall she was very impressive, her head very nearly touched the ceiling.
Whew I'm glad she fits in here. Naruto thought. He had thought to do it outside but he wanted to keep his summons a secret for now. Kibara had the look of an Bengal tiger, orange fur with black stripes. Her dark eyes were wise but held a certain kindness and determination.
"You are being given a great honor. If you pass my test you will be our summoner." She said.
"If I might ask what does your test entail Kibara-sama?" Naruto asked respectfully but not submissively. Tigers were predators and could sense fear.
"My test is a Test of Character. I will view the memories of your life. They will tell me about your character." Kibara said. "If you try to stop me I will determine that you are unfit to be our summoner. If you fail this test your name will be stricken from our contract and you will be barred from testing again."
Naruto flinched slightly at the thought of having his mind read but steeled himself. He had already allowed Inoichi inside his mind. He wouldn't squirm away from this especially with all he had to gain from it.
"I am ready whenever you are Kibara-sama." Naruto said.
Suddenly Naruto felt caught in her gaze, her eyes seemingly filling his entire vision. A smooth presence slid into his mind with even greater ease than Inoichi had. Memories flashed quickly through his minds-eye seemingly without pausing before stopping.
"You have suffered much but such is sadly the normal life of a Jinchūriki." Kibara spoke softly, even though her voice still echoed around the room. "Though your life was one of loneliness and self-doubt you have persevered. Even though you have felt anger and hatred you did not lash out at your tormentors aside from some mostly harmless pranks. Even when battling the soul of your father you did not falter. I accept you as our summoner Uzumaki Naruto. We will go far together, your clan and mine as it is meant to be."
"Thank you for this honor Kibara-sama." Naruto bowed, this time a little deeper.
Kibara purred loudly shaking the surrounding trees and water to Naruto's hidden amusement.
"You will need to come to our mountain village." Kibara told him. "There you will be given the mark of our summoner and a familiar will choose you. A familiar will be the member of our clan that you will summon unless you choose differently. This summon will be your companion for the rest of your life. Only the death of the other will separate you. When the time is convenient you will be reversed summoned to our realm. Until then farewell Uzumaki Naruto, summoner of the Tiger Clan."
Kibara disappeared and Naruto couldn't help but let out a large cheer and doing a little victory dance.
One more step up the ladder of strength and a further connection to my Clan. Naruto thought. Thank you Kibara-sama.
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If you didn't know any better you'd think it was just a normal rocky outcropping. In actuality it was one of his father's secret caches. Smirking Naruto took out a kunai and slid it across his palm before wiping it against the rocks. Seals became briefly illuminated before with a low, grinding sound the rock split in two. Shelves holding scrolls were carved into the rocky walls.
Let's see. Naruto thought. There should be most of what I need here.
Naruto selected one of the general equipment scrolls which included high quality wire, kunai and shuriken. Next he selected a medical scroll. It contained several med-packs, blood pills, food bills and soldier pills. The blood and soldier pills were quite the find since they were usually quite expensive. Sending chakra into the general equipment scroll Naruto checked over each item. Twenty boxes of fifteen kunai and twenty boxes of twenty-five shuriken.
Looks good. He thought before resealing them. It was better to be safe than sorry, especially when it came to equipment that could mean the difference between life and death.
The most important thing he grabbed was a scroll labeled Ninjato. His mother had given it to his father after they had started dating. It had actually been made in Uzushiogakure, his mother's homeland and been owned originally by Uzumaki Mito. The sword was made of chakra conducting metal and had seals added to it that kept the blade permanently sharp and allowed it to repair itself by adding chakra and holding the broken parts together. The sheath was made of wood from a tree grown by Senju Hashirama.
His father had learned to use the sword during his stint in ANBU and his mother had helped him to improve and create his own unique style. His mother had been a unique woman as she would rather have received weapons than flowers. A sad smile flitted across Naruto's face briefly before he shook his head. Now wasn't the time to reminisce.
The sword was completely black in color except for the blade. The blade was actually a deep red with a black edge. The guard itself was simple, thin and in the shape of a swirl. The ninjato was twenty-eight inches in length with the straight blade being slightly longer than normal at twenty-two inches. It was made to be used in tight spaces similar to a kodachi but was also stronger than one.
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Over the next year Naruto worked hard on improving himself. He knew that he would have to be ready for any enemies waiting for him outside of Konoha and possibly within. Naruto's personality also took a large turn. With his improvements Naruto found he could focus better and he had calmed considerably. Even then he didn't completely give up his pranks since they helped exercise his skills and gave him an emotional outlet. To also help this he took up drawing, which helped both with his emotions and was good practice for Fūinjutsu.
Iruka was especially surprised by the new dedication Naruto showed and the personality change his student had undergone. The reactions from the students to his new appearance and attitude was varied. Many didn't care but some wondered about why he had changed. Especially when he dropped his crush on Haruno Sakura, something no one thought he would do since he had pursued her even after she became violent with him. Naruto had decided to devote himself fully to his training and that he had no desire what-so-ever of being in an abusive relationship.
He steadily rose through the class rankings before settling just above the middle ranks. He had no desire to be Rookie of the Year. Such a title meant nothing to him or really anything at in the real world. To his amusement and disgust Naruto had even picked a small, dedicated fan girl following when they saw his new and improved body.
Not everyone was happy with his improvement however.
Naruto had heard whispering of other Academy teachers and civilians about his change but nobody ever actually did anything about it. It also seemed that Sasuke didn't take his growing power very well either since he had actually let himself beat Sasuke in several of their spars. Naruto however, made sure to never show how good he truly was. Sasuke challenged Naruto often to which he was politely told no. Naruto had other things to think about that pandering to the ego of the last loyal Uchiha. If he persisted Naruto was sure to put him in his place with minimum amount of damage possible but maximum humiliation.
Naruto swore to himself and the Hokage that the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu was one of the greatest techniques ever created. It had allowed him to learn what should have taken years in less than one. He had surpassed his goal of learning at least two jutsu for every alignment he had and had also worked on mastering them. Like his father he wasn't going to be one to just learn a Jutsu and stop. He worked hard to improve his speed and accuracy of casting them, how he used them and in what situation they might be most useful for.
His Taijutsu skills had quickly risen as well as his skill with his ninjato and Fūinjutsu. Naruto could honestly say that he loved Fūinjutsu. Seals were both fascinating and frustrating. Nearly anything was possible with Fūinjutsu but it was also a very, very dangerous discipline easily capable of killing it's users.
One of the most important things he had worked very hard on was chakra control and utilization. Naruto's reserves were massive, his chakra coils wide and thick. However not all of them were developed the same. He had had to forcibly widen them so his chakra ran smoother and more evenly. To control his chakra he started first with the sticking exercise.
He started with a leaf then went on to use rocks, senbon, kunai, and shuriken. Then he worked with multiple items. He then moved on to keeping heavier objects like boulders stuck to his body. After that he went on to the spinning exercise, utilizing the same tools. Later he moved on to Tree Climbing/Surface sticking. He worked on it until he could stick to the tree for an hour, then an hour while keeping leaves stuck to him. Then he made it harder by using chakra to walk down trees. It was twice as hard as climbing up. Not only was gravity pulling you down to earth, but your momentum was now heading earthwards, and not skywards. Lastly he moved on to water walking. First it was to stay on top of the water for an hour. Next he walked on the water, then ran. Lastly he sparred with his clones on the water, a difficult feat.
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When he started sparring with Naruto it was then that the Sandaime realized how far he had let his abilities slip. He could still beat ANBU with little trouble and Naruto like swatting a bug but he was no where where he was even a decade before. Even though he was old this still bothered him. Utilizing the seal he had learned from Naruto he pushed himself back into his training. He would never be as strong as he was in his prime but he swore to never let himself go as he had before.
He now sparred with Naruto frequently but also with ANBU and Jōnin, helping them and himself grow stronger. He was now happier, less bogged down and felt revitalized. He hadn't realized how spending so much time in his office and on politics had truly effected him. He had even hired several more assistants to take care of non-vital paperwork which really lightened his load.
As a side bonus he was able to spend more time with Konohamaru and begin to rebuild his relationship with Asuma. The gulf between them had always been something he regretted.
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Naruto quickly made his way across town, stopping at Gizuro Shinobi Supplies. It was actually two stores side by side. One a shinobi outfitters and the other a weapon store. Both of his parents had shopped there when he was alive and Naruto figured might as well do so as well.
The woman at the counter looked up and spotting his hitai-ate smiled.
"Good afternoon young sir." She said. "I am Gizuro Mai. How can I help you?"
"I am in need of some new mission clothes." Naruto answered. "I heard that your store is the best to come to."
Mai bowed slightly.
"Thank you sir." She said. "We are happy to be of service to Konoha."
"I will look around and if I need any help I will ask." Naruto said.
Mai nodded.
"Of course sir." She said.
Naruto was quick to pick out a pair of black, dark blue, maroon and burnt orange shirts. He bought one short sleeve and long sleeved in each color.
I am not going to completely give up orange. Naruto thought with a grin.
"I would also like a coat." Naruto said. "Something made to be durable and able to withstand hard training and missions."
"Hmm." Mai mused before snapping her fingers with a grin. "I think I have just the thing. I just ordered some new fabric from Yuki no Kuni. The threads replicate the same wire that is often use by shinobi, and are practically unbreakable. However, the material weaved together to create these coats are more refined, and much stronger and lighter then Kevlar."
Making a few handsigns the woman created a water clone.
"Go back and grab the new coat samples from Yuki no Kuni." She ordered.
Reaching under her counter she pulled out a two foot by two foot section of black cloth.
"Here's a sample." She said. "This fabric is also highly shock absorbent and fireproof. Weapons won't even bruise your skin through the material, which is why this is so good. Go ahead and give it a try."
She handed him a kunai which he took before testing the edge. Mai grinned at his paranoia. Stabbing at the material Naruto saw that it was completely unaffected. Next he tried slicing it and got the same results.
"Nice." He said causing her to beam.
"Try and tear it." She suggested.
Naruto took her suggestion pulling it in several directions to no effect. Next he channeled chakra to his muscles to boost his strength and got the same result.
Mai took the cloth from his hand when he failed before pulling out a lighter. She held the lit lighter up to the fabric but it refused to catch fire.
"Nothing see." She said before placing it on a nearby dummy. Taking out a brace of shuriken she threw them at the cloth. They bounced off. Next she pulled out a tanto and slashed at the cloth several times, adding more and more strength. There was a bit of bruising but it was quickly smoothed out again.
"I'm a believer." Naruto quipped causing Mai to laugh.
Just then her clone stepped back into the room carrying several coats. There was three different designs. A regular waist-length coat, a full length trench coat and a ¾ length trench coat. Naruto liked the ¾ length coat better than his father's full length cloak but he also wanted to honor his father. The coat had several pockets inside to secure scrolls or weapons and a few on the outside as well. The only thing he didn't like was the color.
"Can I get this coat in red with black flames across the bottom?" Naruto inquired.
"Yes I could have it done easily." Mai answered. "What shade of red would you like?"
She pulled out a color wheel for him to pick from. He chose a shade slightly lighter than maroon.
"Very good." She said, making a note of his decision. "How many do you wish to order?"
"I'll take three please." Naruto replied. "I want a kunai pouch, scroll pouch and shuriken holster in the same color as well and a black vest in that fabric if I could."
"Yes," Mai tapped her chin. "I believe I could do that fairly easily."
"Could I get some cargo pants in the same material?" Naruto asked.
Mai scribbled on some paper.
"Yes." She said. "I would need to measure you for your sizes. What color would you want those in?"
"That's fine and I would like the pants in black please, five of them." Naruto said.
"It'll be quite expensive." She cautioned.
"I'm not really worried I just got my mission pay yesterday." Naruto replied with a wave
"Alright." Mai shrugged. It wasn't her place to say where a shinobi could spend his pay plus this was turning out to be a good order for the store.
"I also want a customized headband. I want the plate to be red in color with the cloth being black." Naruto said before pausing, "I also have the design of a mask I would like to order if you can do it."
Pulling out a couple of pieces of paper he showed her the design.
"Do you have anything like this?" He asked.
"No but this looks interesting." Mai said. "I would like to speak with my husband for a moment."
"Alright." Naruto shrugged.
Mai nodded and opened a door in the wall that connected to the weapon store next door. She returned a minute later with a tall, broad shouldered man with short brown hair and one black eye covered with a eye patch who introduced himself as Naraku.
"Would you be willing to sell us the design for this mask?" He asked. "I could have a contract written up so that you can receive fifteen percent of the profits. I can have it directly deposited straight into your bank account. I'm willing to pay you two thousand seven-hundred and sixty ryo in cash for the design or I could have it taken off your order."
Naruto shrugged with a nod. He could now sign legal documents since he had graduated from The Academy.
"Alright." Naruto agreed. "I'll take the deal and how about you take it off my order."
"Excellent." Mai grinned while Naruto and Naraku shook hands.
Naruto finished the purchases he could make in the store including underclothes with wire sewn in, socks and two pairs of close-toed sandals, one regular and one steel-toed. They were similar to steel toed boots as they were enclosed but the soles weren't as thick allowing for easier chakra transfer through the feet. He didn't want to leave his toes exposed to his enemies even if he would be able to regrow them. He grabbed several odds and ends including a camp pack, two person tent, all weather cloak, twelve feet lengths of rope both regular and leather, fingerless leather gloves with steel knuckles, a canteen, water compass, a small med-pac and a sleeping bag. He wouldn't be buying any ration bars since he had a recipe that tasted a hundred percent better that he could make himself. His last major purchases was a pair of arm and shin guards. They were made of black, non-reflective metal with special fire-proof padding on the inside.
"Wow. Your total is twenty thousand, nine hundred and seventy-six ryo. For such a large order I will include a winter lining for your coat for free." Mia said, pulling out a fur lining that fit inside of the coat before offering, "You can pay half now and half when your order is finished if you like."
Naruto whistled before chuckling.
"I'll go ahead and just pay the half now thanks." Naruto decided. After carefully counting out his money he pulled out a storage scroll. Placing his packages on it he sealed them up.
"Thank Kami-sama for Fūinjutsu." Naruto grinned.
"I agree." Mai laughed. "I will need two weeks to completely fulfill your order."
She handed him his copy of their contract and his receipt for his purchases before giving him a ticket.
"Our daughter sometimes helps mind the shop." She said. "Bring the ticket with you when you pick up your order and you can pay the rest then."
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Naruto stood before his full length mirror in his uniform. Steel-toed sandals, black cargo pants, black shin guards and belt. His shuriken pouch, hip pouch and kunai holster were all red in color. Sitting on his belt next to his kunai holster was a scroll pouch. The scroll pouch would hold up to five scrolls. Next he put on his skin tight shirt. Over top of it went his vest. It was completely black in color with non-reflective buttons and zippers. Inside of his hip pouch he slid in a roll of ninja wire, smoke pellets, and a med-pac.
His mask covered his entire head and was black in color. The main part of mask was made of metal. It covered his lower face and cheeks. The rest of the mask was made of black clothe that covered his forehead and hair. The top front of the mask also allowed the clothe of the hitai-ate to be pushed through towards the back so the hitai-ate could still be worn on the forehead. The unique thing about the mask was the seals that filtered the air, allowed ninjutsu through the mask and that it protected the head from the elements. The very bottom of the mask stretched down over the neck and had metal plates inside of it for protection.
He had added special preservation and repairing seals to all of his clothes made specifically for cloth. In the event that they were ever damaged they would repair themselves if he channeled chakra into them and would never wear out as long as they were not completely destroyed. His parents had had similar seals on their clothes so he did the same. It just made sense to him instead of constantly buying new clothes.
As his right arm was bared what looked like a black circlet tattoo circled his wrist. In actuality it was a seal specially made by his father and Jiraiya. Instead of constantly buying new weights or expensive chakra weights they utilized Fūinjutsu to increase the weight. The user focused chakra into the seal to increase the weight and released it to turn it off. The seal put both put pressure on the muscles and added resistance to moving.
The seal would be able to sense how much strain the body could take due to the connected complex seal placed on the user. The seal automatically adjusted itself as the body got used to the weight. They would help increase both his speed and strength. Right now it was set at level 4. The other good thing about it was it didn't add physical weight that interacted with his surroundings so it didn't make him heavier. He completely released the seal once a week for twenty-four hours to let his body adjust to his new speed and strength and at least two hours each day for practice.
Picking up his arm guards he quickly slid them on his arms before tightening their straps, the last thing to go on was his leather gloves.
Looking into the mirror he smirked. Oh yeah, I look bad ass.
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A/N: I got the idea for the fabric for Naruto's clothes from AlphaDelta1001's story Melody of the Wanderers, a good story Naruto/Tayuya story.
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$1USD=92¥
10¥=1 ryo
USDxYen/10= ryo
Enlistment Bonuses
Reserves $3,000/276,000/27,600 ryo
Genin : $7,000/644,000/64,400 ryo
Chūnin Instructor: $20,000/ 1,840,000/ 184,000 ryo
Jōnin Instructor: $27,500/2,530,000/ 253,000 ryo
ANBU/Hunter-Nin: $45,000/4,140,000/414,000 ryo
Monthly Pay*
Reserves: $250/23,000/2,300 ryo
Genin: $550/50600/5,060 ryo
Chūnin: $1200/110400/11,040 ryo
Chūnin Instructor: $2400/220800/22,080 ryo
Tokubetsu Jōnin: $3,700/340400/34040 ryo
Jōnin: $6,000/552,000/55,200 ryo
Jōnin Instructor: $8000/736,000/73,600 ryo
ANBU/Hunter-Nin: $11,000/1,012,000/101,200 ryo
ANBU/Hunter-Nin Taicho/Jōnin Commander: $13,500/1,242,000/124,200 ryo
Hokage: $17,000/1,564,000/156,400 ryo
*Before taxes. 6% shinobi, 8% civilian
Mission Pay
D-Rank: 230 Ryo
-$25US x 92 Yen= 2,300/10
Mid D-Rank: 460 Ryo
-$50US x 92 Yen= 4600/10
High D-Rank: 1,840 Ryo
-$200US x 92Yen=18,400/10
Low C-Rank: 4,600 Ryo
-$500US x 92Yen=46,000/10
C-Rank: 20,240 Ryo
-$2200 x 92 Yen= 202,400/10
Mid C-Rank: 32,200 Ryo
-$3,500US x 92 Yen= 322,000/10
High C-Rank: 46,000 Ryo
-$5,000US x 92 Yen= 460,000/10
Low B-Rank: 78,200 Ryo
-$8500x92 Yen= 782,000/10
B-Rank: 92,000 Ryo
-$10,000US x 92Yen=920,000/10
Mid B-Rank: 110,400 Ryo
-$12,000US x 92 Yen= 1,104,000/10
High B-Rank: 138,000 Ryo
-$15,000US x 92 Yen=1,380,000/10
Low A-Rank: 173, 880 Ryo
-$18,900x 92 Yen= 1,738,800 /10
A-Rank: 230,000 Ryo
-$25,000US x 92Yen=2,300,000/10
Mid A-Rank: 349,600 Ryo
-$38,000US x 92=3,496,000/10
High A-Rank: 598,000 Ryo
-$65,000US x 92= 5,980,000/10
S-Rank: 1,150,000 Ryo
-$125,000US x 92Yen= 11,500,000/10