Do you seek pleasure in snuffing the lives of others, or are their deaths necessary for your survival?
-l-l-l-
Naruto watched the smoke curl off Sarutobi Asuma's cigarette and tried not to wrinkle his nose in distaste at the smell. He wasn't sure how someone as finicky about appearances (and smells) as Ino could tolerate being around the bearded Jōnin for extended periods of time, but it was entirely possible that she had just gotten used to it. It was an adjustment he would probably have to get used to himself.
Asuma's eyes shifted from Naruto to Ino (standing beside him), then to Chōji and Shikamaru, then back to the Jinchūriki. "You want to join Team 10, huh?" he clarified.
The blond scratched his head. "Well, I dunno if that's the way I'd put it… I just thought that, ya know, if Shikamaru's a Chūnin, you guys'll need someone to fill his spot for the next set of exams."
Asuma breathed out a stream of smoke and nodded. "That's true. But you should know that Shikamaru serves a special function in the team, and that role isn't something that just anyone can fulfill."
Naruto mentally heaved an exasperated sigh. This was the same conversation he'd had with Ino, and he was frankly a little tired of being told the same thing; he wasn't a complete idiot. "I know, and I can do it." He nudged Ino with his elbow. "Tell 'im."
"…He can do it," the kunoichi groused.
Asuma's eyes flickered briefly over to Shikamaru before returning to Naruto. "Oh?"
"He's got some sort of special senbon or something," Ino explained.
"They're poisoned," Naruto elaborated. "I've got a bunch for different things. Work pretty well, huh, Ino?" His fellow blonde crossed her arms and scoffed, turning her head away from him; apparently she was still harboring some anger from the previous day.
Asuma's dark eyes grew steely, and Naruto suddenly felt a powerful pressure weighing down on him. "Uzumaki Naruto, you do not poison your fellow shinobi. I don't care what your intention was or whether it was harmless or not, that could be considered assault and treason. And if something goes wrong, you could be held accountable for much worse. Do you understand?"
Naruto gulped and nodded. Even if his actions had been performed to prove a point, he could see where Asuma was coming from. What if the paralytic he'd used on Ino hadn't acted as he'd theorized? All of his plans could've been derailed because of one stupid little mishap. "Yes, Asuma-sensei," he murmured. "Sorry."
The overbearing aura disappeared. "Good. Now, about joining Team 10…" He took a deep inhale of his cigarette before plucking it from his mouth and snuffing it against the underside of his sandal. Releasing the breath of smoke skyward, he gazed at the clouds overhead for a long moment in silence, seeming to ponder Naruto's request. When he finally returned his gaze to the blond, there was a small grin playing about his lips. "I don't see why not."
"Really?"
"What?"
"You brought up good points," the Jōnin said, ignoring Ino's surprised outrage. "If these poisons of yours really do work – and if you need to experiment with them, it will be done in a controlled environment – then you should be able to fill in nicely for Shikamaru. And it would be easier to integrate someone familiar with our routine into the team; plus, you get along well enough with everyone—" Chōji nodded and Shikamaru shrugged, though Ino continued to pointedly ignore him, "—so it's fine by me."
"Yes!" cheered Naruto. He nudged Ino again. "Told ya."
Ino grunted, and Asuma cleared his throat to regain the spiky-haired blond's attention. "The transfer will still need to be approved by the Hokage," Asuma stated, "but until that time, we'll train as if you're part of the team."
"Okay, Asuma-sensei." That was good enough for Naruto's purposes, even if the Hokage had to make the transition official. Whenever that happens, he thought, equal parts bemused and annoyed. There was no telling how long Jiraiya's quest for Tsunade would last.
-l-l-l-
As far as teachers went, Asuma was a pretty cool one, at least in Naruto's opinion. And considering that the blond had a fair amount of varied experience in that area – Kakashi, Jiraiya, Zetsu, even Ino and Tenten to some extent – he considered that high praise.
While Asuma was somewhat relaxed in the same way Kakashi had been, Team 10's teacher appeared more laidback in comparison to Kakashi's laziness. The bearded Jōnin took his time with their training, even if he seemed like he was putting minimal effort into it.
The results would've been hard to see if Naruto hadn't actively been looking for them. Primarily because of who his team was comprised of and how they functioned together, Asuma's teaching didn't involve so much instruction in techniques as it did how to work with and around one's teammates. That was probably attributable (at least partially) to the confidence Konoha's clans kept regarding their secret techniques, which meant that Ino, Shikamaru, and Chōji were more likely to learn ninjutsu (and even taijutsu, he thought, recalling Ino's Musō-Battō-Ryū) from their families than Asuma. Naruto had thought that he might have issue with the emphasis on teamwork, no matter how necessary it was for their squad, but over the three weeks he'd been a temporary member of Team 10, the Jōnin had pointed out flaws in both team and individual attacks and forms.
He hadn't exactly learned too many new things, but Naruto could tell that his overall performance was steadily improving, just like how his shurikenjutsu was improving under Tenten's tutelage. It was more than he could really say for his learning under Kakashi or Jiraiya, especially when comparing the timeframes he'd studied under the other two men to the time he'd spent on Team 10.
Nothing could quite compare to Zetsu's tutoring methodology, of course – which the Jinchūriki found efficient, if a bit prone to trial-and-error – but then again, Asuma was a member of Konoha, and thus…softer, perhaps, than the former Hidden Grass shinobi.
Blue eyes shifted over to where Ino was standing, body loose and prepared to move. Behind Asuma – serving as the third vertex of their triangular formation – stood Chōji, hunkered down to better center himself. When the chubby boy placed his hands in the seal for the Multi-Size Technique, Naruto and Ino both rushed forward.
The teamwork exercises were…interesting. Even as someone who wasn't particularly fond of that aspect of ninja life, Naruto admitted that he could see the attraction in working with others when they practiced as Team 10. Trying to synchronize their attacks so that they operated as a well-oiled machine instead of as three individuals parts was tricky – especially since Ino and Chōji were more used to Shikamaru's shadow techniques and strategies than they were Naruto's poisons – but when they worked together, the results were impressive.
It helped that Ino had gotten over the whole being-stabbed-and-paralyzed incident on their second day of practice, after it had become quickly apparent that their synergy was lacking due to her anger.
The current strategy was to basically distract and/or immobilize Asuma to allow Chōji – the team's heavy-hitter – to deliver a debilitating blow. Because neither Ino's nor Naruto's taijutsu was all that impressive, both had to engage the bearded Jōnin in combat to give the Akimichi an opening.
Naruto didn't really care for this particular strategy – mostly because getting in close with his opponent was the opposite of his intention – but Asuma was the one calling the shots, and the blond could tell that, like everything else, his taijutsu was getting a little better because of the sparring. Besides, they were allowed to use weapons, and if he could stick Asuma with one of his senbon, the Jōnin would be open to attack.
Granted, he wasn't allowed to use actual poisoned senbon, but the older man had promised that if a needle pricked him, he'd remain motionless for at least 30 seconds. Naruto had almost protested the time lapse – his poisons should've been way more effective than that! – but he had stopped upon realizing that half a minute would be more than enough time to deliver a finishing strike in real life.
It was a sobering thought.
Ino went for a weak hit at Asuma's torso while Naruto pulled out two long senbon and dove for the man's side. The Jōnin easily blocked the girl's strike and kicked her away before reaching for his trench knives to parry the needles Naruto held. Lacking leverage – and briefly lamenting Asuma's giant frame in comparison to his and Ino's prepubescent bodies – the Jinchūriki was quickly overpowered, and he retreated to avoid being punted away like his fellow blonde had.
The type of fighting Asuma had started to teach him was actually based on the man's own style, using weapons to augment (or in the blond's case, make up for) physical prowess. In a way, it reminded Naruto of the few taijutsu forms he'd seen from Haku when Sasuke had fought him, and the long senbon Asuma had suggested were certainly reminiscent of that, looking more like kabob skewers than any sort of acupuncture needles.
He tucked the twin senbon away after exchanging a glance with Ino, pulling out a handful of his throwing needles to replace them. Using the accuracy he'd been learning from Tenten, he began to pepper Asuma from afar, timing his throws as Ino began a set of taijutsu forms. Asuma managed to deflect the senbon with his trench knives while dodging or blocking Ino's kicks; every time he tried to grab her, Naruto threw a senbon to force him to give up his counter.
That was when Chōji barreled into Asuma from behind, having decided on a suitable moment to attack.
There was a brief moment in which Naruto felt that they had succeeded, right before Asuma disappeared. A loud crunch was heard, followed immediately by Ino's shriek as Chōji bowled her over, deflating his Human Bullet Tank technique in the process to reduce the damage he'd cause. "Good effort," spoke Asuma.
Naruto whirled around in surprise, but the bearded Jōnin clocked him on the forehead with the handle of a trench knife and then kicked him away before he could do anything. He landed in a heap beside his teammates, and all three looked up as Asuma approached, lighting a cigarette and putting it in his mouth. "Not bad," he stated, "but there's definitely still room for improvement.
"Chōji, you took too long using the Nikudan Sensha; if you had been a little faster and used it earlier while Ino and Naruto were attacking in sync, you would've had a better chance of it being effective."
"And not crushing me," Ino grumbled, dusting off her purple skirt.
Asuma held up a hand to prevent the Yamanaka from saying anything else; Chōji already looked a bit crestfallen. "Chōji," he began quietly, "I know it's not in your nature to want to hurt someone you know, but you have to pretend that I'm an enemy. If you can't use sparring practice to learn how to protect your friends, then I'm afraid that you might freeze up during a real life-or-death battle, and the consequences might be severe. One day, Ino's and Naruto's lives, or Shikamaru's life, or even mine, may depend on you pulling through when you need to…understand?"
Chōji nodded, though the motion still held a hint of dispiritedness. The boy seemed to take his failure much harder than necessary, Naruto noted, especially since Asuma was simply trying to help them. He lacked confidence, but more than that, the blond thought that the more rotund Genin was used to taking directives from Shikamaru, and missed having his best friend around.
Naruto listened with half an ear as Asuma praised him and Ino for their teamwork, stating that their silent communication was improving with practice. It had been interesting to try and fulfill Shikamaru's role in Team 10, given that the Nara had apparently been the main source of cohesion within their unit. He had almost been surprised at how truthful Ino's assessment of Shikamaru's lynchpin status had been, but then he had stopped and thought about it.
The Shadow Possession Technique was almost always necessary for Ino's Mind-Body Switch Technique to succeed, and definitely increased the likelihood of Chōji connecting with his Human Bullet Tank. On top of that – and perhaps in spite of Ino's inherent bossiness – Shikamaru had been the main strategist and tactician of the team, meaning that he was the one who called the shots…which made sense, given that he was the first step of their formation.
Replacing that synergy wasn't easy. At first, Ino had tried to step up to the plate, but her personality in that role tended to intimidate Chōji and irritate Naruto. Seeing the side of Ino that the remaining members of Team 10 had to deal with had been a new and unpleasant experience, especially since Naruto considered himself better at working on his own than taking orders. Once Asuma had pointed out that Ino needed to wait for Naruto to immobilize the opponent, she had (somewhat grudgingly) backed off, relegating herself to a sort of co-captain role as the two blonds learned better coordination and strategies.
Asuma was finishing his breakdown of their spar by answering a question of Ino's. "That's true," he said, slowly releasing a cloud of trail of smoke, "foreknowledge of what you guys can do did play a part in how I fought back. A lot of reactions are based on instincts, and we're trained to take any advantage we can get; unfortunately, that means that even if I'm trying to not react as if I know Chōji is the main attack, I'm still prepared for it because I know you guys." He chuckled. "Maybe in a couple years, my age will have dulled my reflexes enough for you to catch me off guard. But all told, I'd have to say you guys are doing pretty well…what do you think, Jiraiya-sama?"
All three Genin turned around as the Toad Sannin dropped from a tree, landing lightly on his feet and rising from his crouch. "They could definitely use some polishing," Jiraiya stated, "but I've gotta admit that the potential is there." He appeared to space out for a moment, lost in some memory, before asking Asuma, "Mind if I steal the kid for a bit?"
The bearded Jōnin nodded. "By all means."
Jiraiya held out his hand palm-down and gestured with his fingers for Naruto to follow him. "I'll bring him back shortly," he promised as the blond obeyed. The Sannin led him just inside the tree line that fringed the Twelfth Training Ground, then turned around, a pensive expression on his face. Naruto waited for him to say something, unwilling to prompt the older man into whatever he wanted to speak about. "Learned much since I've been gone?" Jiraiya finally asked.
Naruto nodded. "Asuma-sensei's a good teacher, and I like workin' with Team 10." The Sannin nodded distractedly, and his pupil hesitantly probed, "Tsunade come back?"
"No," Jiraiya stated, and his voice carried such a strange mixture of wistfulness and despondency that the blond briefly considered feeling bad for the man. He released a heavy-hearted sigh before continuing, "I've decided to become the Hokage."
Naruto blinked; that was surprising. "But you said you didn't wanna become Hokage. What happened with Tsunade?"
The white-haired man rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It's…complicated. Look, I know what I said, but…it's better than the alternative."
That sounded…strange. And foreboding. "What's the alternative?"
"Shimura Danzō."
The name meant nothing to the blond, so he asked, "Who's that?"
"He was Sarutobi-sensei's rival growing up—" (so he's old, Naruto thought), "—and a former ANBU Captain."
Well, those were both impressive accomplishments. So far, the Jinchūriki didn't see what the big deal was. "Uh-huh?"
Jiraiya released another sigh, crossing his arms over his chest and looking off into the distance. "He's currently an elder on the Council, but Danzō is…radical," he settled on. Naruto noted that even when the Toad Sannin didn't particularly like someone, he still tried to be carefully respectful with how he talked about or to them; he had done the same thing with the councilors before departing to find Tsunade. "A long time ago, he created a covert branch of the ANBU known as ROOT.
"ROOT shinobi were hand-picked by him because they possessed special abilities that made them valuable, sort of like kekkei genkai shinobi. Most if not all of the major clans in Konoha had at least one member in ROOT, if only because Sarutobi-sensei allowed Danzō to proposition them."
Makes sense, Naruto thought. Konoha's major clans didn't exactly constitute the greatest amount of available ninja per year – or so he assumed, since his class had only contained one member from each of them – but they definitely had an advantage over the children that were either civilian-born or from minor clans. And to collect the special members of clans, who were arguably special already…Danzō was a shrewd individual. But the blond didn't see what this had to do with Jiraiya's apprehension at letting the older man become the next Hokage.
"ROOT was created as a way to carry out covert operations that would sully Konoha's reputation if its involvement was discovered," Jiraiya continued. "The things that Danzō's had his minions do…that he's done…" he scowled, clearly displeased with the man's methods. "Don't get me wrong, kid. Everything he's ever done has been for Konoha's benefit, but his fanaticism has led to some very questionable decisions. That, and the way he trains the shinobi he recruits…"
Jiraiya fixed Naruto with a gimlet eye. "Remember what I said about what defines a real shinobi? Well, Danzō is a firm believer in creating soldiers. Not people, but soldiers…shinobi stripped of their emotions to make them totally obedient to him and their mission. To Danzō, sacrificing everything for the benefit of the village is paramount, and turning his shinobi into little more than emotionless tools was a worthwhile cost. Let me tell you something, Naruto…if you ever become a shinobi like that, I don't wanna know you anymore, got it? To live that kind of life…" he shuddered slightly, apparently remembering another ghost of his past; Naruto wondered what experiences Jiraiya had that caused him to fixate so frequently on past events, then decided it was probably better for him to remain unaware. "…It's truly inhuman."
Ah…so that's it. Thinking back on how he had defined a ninja, Naruto sort of understood why the Sannin had been so inquisitive – and almost offended – about his answer. It wasn't quite the same thing as what Jiraiya was telling him Danzō believed in, but there were definite parallels.
Missions ran the gamut of different objectives, involving protection, diplomacy, espionage, and warfare. Assassins – the chosen profession he felt he would be best suited for, the career he'd essentially told Jiraiya he was aiming for – were more likely to perform even dirtier types of work; killing people for a living required a strong measure of emotional discipline, even more so than the rest of the ninja populace because of the guaranteed death toll those missions required. Danzō's method of raising shinobi that lacked emotions – and perhaps consciences – was actually quite sensible if ROOT was an organization meant to carry out the most reviled missions.
Jiraiya was actually trying to protect him from what he considered a poor, or at least worrisome, influence. Not that the Toad Sannin had much to worry about on that end; Naruto could see where Danzō's philosophy had its appeal, but to sacrifice so much for Konoha's behalf still went against everything he'd learned from Zetsu.
Besides that, the blond wasn't sure he would want to undergo the sort of emotion-stunting training that Danzō had apparently put his soldiers through. Not only did it require that he become nothing more than a tool – the very thing he was trying to avoid – but feeling things was important to understanding different ways of life and how people thought. His own apathy was more applicable to not feeling things towards people (such as sorrow at the Third Hokage's death) than to just having no emotions at all.
"So," Naruto began, considering everything Jiraiya had told him, "you're gonna become Hokage so that this Danzō guy can't?" Given the Toad Sannin's initial reluctance to accept the position, his change of heart could only come from the fact that the other candidate was a much worse choice. Just from hearing how Danzō viewed shinobi, the Jinchūriki could tell that Jiraiya feared what would happen to Konoha under the elder's rule. There was no telling if Danzō would actually instigate similar policies as those he'd implemented as the leader of ROOT if he came to power, but Jiraiya certainly believed it to be a possibility.
Actually, in a way, Naruto admired Danzō's dedication; it was a bit extreme, to be sure, but if it was effective, the man was doing everything in his power to achieve the most desirous ends possible. His execution was apparently efficient enough to keep Konoha moving steadily forward without anyone being any wiser. Maybe he was fighting for an ideal that opposed Naruto's, but the Genin could still appreciate the man's methodology.
Not that the blond had too much at stake regardless of who became the Godaime Hokage – he would find some way to survive either regime, he was sure – but if Jiraiya took the position, the time he had available to interact with Naruto would be significantly lessened. That would give him more freedom to move around as he pleased without feeling like he was always being watched. Plus, knowing the Hokage on a personal level would make it easier to— "Oh! Hey, Jiraiya-sensei! When you become Hokage, can you officially put me on Team 10?"
Jiraiya ran a hand through his wild mane of white hair. "You like workin' with 'em, huh, kid?" Then his lips twisted into a knowing grin. "It's the blondie, right? She'll be a real looker in a coupla years."
Naruto had no response to that, so he just ignored it, unwilling to indulge the Sannin's lechery. "Well, we just work well together, and since I need to take the Chūnin Exams with a team, this'll probably work out the best. And if you're busy doing Hokage stuff, you won't have time to teach me much, so Asuma-sensei can fill in."
The Sannin closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, clearly thinking over his pupil's proposal. At length, he said, "Well, I suppose it'd be a good learning experience for you. You could probably learn a lot about how a shinobi of Konoha should act by working with a team…maybe straighten out those ideas you've got about how ninja operate. We don't want you turning into one of Danzō's little soldiers, right?"
Naruto nodded. If Jiraiya wanted to believe working with Team 10 would dissuade him from achieving his goal, then he wouldn't burst the white-haired man's bubble. It benefitted him to just go along with the ruse. "Alright, kid," Jiraiya stated, "we'll see."
When they walked back into viewing distance of the Twelfth Training Ground, Jiraiya called out, "Oi, Asuma." Said Jōnin looked over from where he was teaching the three original members of Team 10 – Shikamaru had apparently shown up at some point during his talk with Jiraiya. "Let's talk."
Asuma snuffed his cigarette against the heel of his sandal and turned to follow the Sannin into the foliage. Naruto moved towards the trio of Genin and plopped down in the spot between Ino and Shikamaru. "What was that about?" asked the Yamanaka.
"Hm? Oh, I think Jiraiya's gonna be the new Hokage."
Shikamaru looked distinctly disgruntled at that announcement. "Damn, how troublesome."
"Eh?"
"He was really hopin' that he wouldn't get promoted," Chōji explained. "But since Jiraiya-sama saw what he could do at the exams, he'll prob'ly okay it…right?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, seems likely. He's checkin' with Asuma now to see if I can be a part of your team."
Shikamaru groaned and buried his face in his hands. Chōji tried comforting him by patting him on the back, leaving Naruto to turn to Ino. She seemed unhappy with something, and Naruto was willing to bet that she was still frustrated that she'd never gotten the opportunity to show off what she could do during the Chūnin Exams. When she noticed that he was looking at her, she sighed, "Well, at least these last couple weeks haven't been a huge waste of time."
He opened his mouth to reply, but someone else calling his name cut off whatever he was going to say. Looking up, he saw Asuma gesturing for him to come over to where he and Jiraiya stood. Rising to his feet and jogging over, he waited patiently for the announcement of whatever the two men had decided. "You're going to become an official member of Team 10," Asuma told him. "Temporarily, anyway. And to that end, I'll be able to start teaching you in a more official capacity. Jiraiya-sama tells me that you have a Fūton affinity." He took out his trench knives, spun them around his fingers until they were settled in a comfortable grip, and then two long blades of thrumming, blue chakra extended the weapons' reach. Asuma gave a small grin as he sheared off an overhanging tree branch with a casual movement of his arm. "It just so happens that I am, too."
Naruto tried to rein in his excitement at the fact that he would finally be taught something truly useful by the bearded Jōnin. Not to mention that he now had the perfect teacher to help hone some of his latent abilities.
Jiraiya cleared his throat, prompting the blond to face him. "Asuma told me what sort of role you'll play on his team." He looked slightly troubled, causing Naruto to think that his new teacher had told the Sannin something of his tendencies and experiments with poisons. More than he knew originally, anyway. "I've got somethin' that might be useful for you, too."
"You're still gonna teach me?" Naruto asked, surprised. He had sort of hoped Jiraiya taking up the mantle of Hokage would remove the suspicious Sannin from his life.
"Some stuff," Jiraiya shrugged. "Being Hokage will keep me pretty busy, but Sarutobi-sensei managed to raise three of us while he was in charge, so I think I can handle just you. Trust me," he added, "this jutsu comes straight from the Old Man…it'll be perfect for you."
Naruto tried not to let any of his dubiousness show when he replied with a simple, "'kay. Thanks Jiraiya-sensei, Asuma-sensei, you won't regret this."
-l-l-l-
The cool thing about Tenten, Naruto decided, was that she was always up for training. Shikamaru was lazy, Chōji was a bit of a pacifist, and while Ino was dedicated, the training the two blonds normally did had a tendency to benefit the kunoichi more than him. On the other hand, Tenten – despite specializing in a more mid-range capacity with thrown weapons – made herself available for sparring sessions whenever he asked, and often engaged him in fights based on taijutsu and melee weaponry. Naruto was almost tempted to call her a workaholic if it weren't for the fact that her attitude and dedication was more helpful than detrimental.
There was a dull thok of metal on wood as Naruto's skewer-like senbon met Tenten's bokken. He grimaced slightly, and the bun-haired girl's grin told him that she knew he was in an unfavorable position. It was compounded by the fact that Tenten had more height and power than he did, and even the additional length of his senbon couldn't make it past the two-foot-long twin swords.
Fortunately, Tenten chose not to press her advantage; it was training to see what mistakes he would make now that he'd started really focusing on his abilities with the melee senbon. Both mentally tallied the point in the kunoichi's favor before releasing their stalemate and returning to a ready position.
Naruto twirled the needles between his fingertips, waiting for an opportune moment to strike. Tenten chose to take the fight to him, charging forward with the bokken held at chest level. She slashed out with the right one, forcing the blond to move backwards. He frowned as she stabbed forwards with the other sword, twisting to the side and trying to draw a scratch along her arm.
Tenten deflected it with her heavier weapon, entering a kata that kept the shorter Genin on the defensive. He tried to throw her off by jabbing with his senbon when her hands closed in, but she simply grabbed the first one that came at her between the two bokken and tossed it aside. Desperate, he tossed the other needle at her, knowing that all it needed to do was strike to give him a (hypothetical) victory.
She flicked her wrist and sent the thin weapon twirling skyward, leveling one wooden sword at his neck as the needle fell to the grass behind her. Naruto held up his hands in surrender. "Better," she stated, lowering the weapons.
"Not good enough," he responded, picking up his senbon.
"Naruto, you can't expect to beat me after so little training. I've been working with weapons for a while now, and you only just started." Naruto made a noncommittal sound that indicated he clearly thought differently.
The problem, he knew, was that he didn't possess a physique that lent well to what his taijutsu style was supposed to do. Yes, he was flexible and quick, but he lacked the reach needed to fully utilize his forms. Tenten's expertise also didn't help, but then again, anybody using weapons in the field would have some level of proficiency with whatever they carried.
Tenten was looking at him curiously when he turned around from pocketing the needles. "You know," she mused, "with the way you hold those…maybe you should consider learning to use tonfa. They'd give you a little extra weight and power behind your strikes…"
Naruto was already shaking his head. "Nah, I'll never be as strong as someone like Lee." He'd seen the spandex-clad Genin practicing once or twice when he'd gone to see if Tenten was free; despite his appearance and personality, Lee was a powerful opponent. "I'm more focused on bein' quick and nimble."
Strength, after all, was subjective. Naruto wanted to grow stronger, but that didn't necessarily mean he had to use the same workout regimen as Rock Lee. The measure of someone's strength, thought the blond, was linked to his or her capacity to triumph over enemies, regardless of how that feat was accomplished. His poisons would be able to do that easily enough, provided he could get them into his opponent. With any luck, all the training he now had access to would improve the odds of that happening.
"Overspecializing isn't good, Naruto," Tenten warned, sealing her bokken and bringing out a pair of tonfa. She gripped the handles and spun them around several times before settling them along the lengths of her arms, almost as if to prove a point. "Variability and adjustability are just as important as being fast."
The blond nodded. "I know, it's just…" he paused to gather his thoughts, "there's only so much I can fix at a time, ya know? I'm learnin' accuracy and precision and taijutsu and teamwork and ninjutsu and Fūton chakra manipulation…" He exhaled the long breath he'd used to rattle off the list. "It's just a lot to take in at once."
Tenten hummed in thought. "I guess that's true. You can't move onto something new until you learn to get a grip on everything else first." She paused in her kata, shooting him an apologetic glance. "Sorry if it feels like I've been pressuring you into learning a new weapon. It's just nice to have someone who gets it, you know?"
"It's fine. Maybe someday I can take you up on that offer."
"I'll hold you to that," Tenten said, pointing a tonfa at him. Her brown eyes glinted with excitement. "So, let's see how far you've gotten with your shurikenjutsu," she continued, gesturing at the targets spread throughout the training ground. When he obliged by hitting every target dead-center with a senbon needle, the kunoichi grinned. "Nice job. Now, next step." She dug into her pocket and tossed him the object she withdrew; Naruto caught it reflexively.
Held in his hand was a simple cloth blindfold. "Visualization practice," Tenten chirped. "And it'll help your muscle memory."
Tenten was definitely a workaholic, he decided, correcting his earlier assessment, but she was also someone he respected for her knowledge and abilities. He tied it around his eyes, withdrew a handful of senbon, and waited for the next set of instructions.
-l-l-l-
"Ino?"
The platinum blonde closed her eyes and brought her hands together; after a moment, she released the position. "I don't sense anything."
"'kay. Let me know if that changes." Ino tossed him a mock-salute, and Naruto rolled his eyes before slowing down his walking speed, falling to the back of their group. Asuma was strolling along behind the wagon, hands in pockets and a lit cigarette held loosely between his lips. By all appearances, he looked as if he hadn't a care in the world, but the blond knew that the man's laidback attitude was just a façade. "Asuma-sensei?"
"Hm?"
"How come you decided on this mission?"
The mission was the first C-rank they were performing as a team that actually had the likelihood of combat. They were supposed to be protecting a merchant's wagon on the journey from Konoha to the Land of Fire's capital, and the path was one that was notorious for being plagued by bandits. Naruto wouldn't have been so suspicious if Asuma hadn't been steadfastly avoiding anything remotely dangerous up to this point.
Asuma tilted his head up, gazing at the filtered sunlight shining down through the treetops. "Do you know why I entered Team 10 into the Chūnin Exams?"
Naruto didn't even know why Kakashi had entered Team 7 into the exams; he shook his head. Asuma sighed. "Competition is a natural part of life, but it also promotes…haste." Now it was the Jōnin's turn to shake his head. "Ino, Shikamaru, Chōji…they weren't ready…none of you were really ready," he corrected. "Even if eight missions are the minimum to be nominated, none of them really prepared any of you for what laid ahead.
"It's amazing that they were able to get to the final round…even more so that Shikamaru passed, genius or not." He glanced at Naruto. "You could call this mission a test."
The blond cocked his head to the side. "What's it testin'?"
"It's not testing anything."
"…Eh?"
"You're not being tested on anything. The purpose of this mission is to expose you to some of the…darker aspects of being a shinobi. It's a test to see how you'll react when you're forced to take a life…in a controlled environment, of course," he added.
…Makes sense, Naruto admitted silently. He was almost surprised to learn that none of the members of Team 10 had taken a life yet, but after a moment to consider their dispositions, it wasn't too hard to imagine; Ino was still overconfident and Chōji was still too mellow to have been affected by killing someone. And Asuma seemed to be making sure that they were well-prepared for such an eventuality, if the several weeks of training following Jiraiya's coronation was any indication. Besides, it wasn't like he'd killed anyone yet, either. "So, we're just…waitin' around?"
"You shouldn't look forward to death," Asuma stated in a serious voice; Naruto recognized it as the tone he adopted whenever he was trying to drive home a particularly important lecture. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's that bandits are desperate and greedy, and that makes them predictable. Don't worry, they'll come." The Jōnin was quiet for a moment before he continued, "Jiraiya-sama told me what you thought being a shinobi entailed. Sounds like you're aiming to be in ANBU."
…Sure, let's go with that, thought the blond.
"It's an admirable goal," the older male continued, "but, a bit of advice? Don't be in a hurry to grow up and throw your life to the Black Ops. I know some people who came out of there, and trust me, they're not well-adjusted folk. You should enjoy your youth while you have it." He grimaced. "Ugh, that sounded like something Gai would say."
"I get it, Asuma-sensei," Naruto said; if it spared him another lecture on what decisions he should or shouldn't make, he would agree just to placate the man. Even if he did want to join ANBU, the blond wasn't worried about his mindset; dealing with Zetsu on a regular basis had disabused him of any notion that he could ever be considered 'well-adjusted'. But he could manage his – what was that word Zetsu had used? – idiosyncrasies well enough, so that wasn't too big an issue.
The bearded Jōnin plucked his cigarette from his mouth and crushed it between his fingers. "Eyes up, Naruto," he noted, "they're here."
Naruto used his peripheral vision to spy up and to the right, where he noted the location of several poorly-hidden men. "Asuma-sensei…"
"Time to see how you guys do," Asuma said. He poked his head through the curtain concealing the inside of the wagon to tell their clients of the situation, then reappeared and resumed his lazy walk beside the blond. "I think you're ready for this, but if you get in any trouble, I've got your back."
Naruto saw Ino point to the left, and Chōji barreled off in that direction, expanding into the rounded form of his Meatball Tank and rolling up the hill. Subtle, he deadpanned to himself. If they were going to continue working together, Ino and Chōji would have to learn to be less obvious about what they were doing.
Meanwhile, a number of bandits on the right side of the trail had started descending upon the group. Blue eyes briefly noted that most were brandishing some form of sharp weapon, but most of the blond's attention was drawn to the fact that their assailants weren't wearing protective armor. Perfect.
Nimble fingers dipped into the cuff of his sleeve and withdrew two of the needles stored there. Aiming for the middle of the group, he released the weapons in that general direction, giving little thought to where they were headed. In all honesty, Tenten's rather rigorous training demands had increased his accuracy to such an extent that he was approaching the point where he didn't have to think too much about his aim. With the senbon sailing through the air towards a random target, Naruto's hands twisted through a series of seals. "Senbon Kage Bunshin no Jutsu," he muttered, and then two needles became thousands.
It was actually a little weird to be using hand seals, let alone ninjutsu, given that his training up until joining Team 10 had been focused on strategies and techniques that didn't really utilize chakra. Sure, he had the Shadow Clone Technique, and while it could be great for distraction purposes or simply swamping an enemy, it wasn't something he had really focused on; neither preparing and using poisons nor the Attack Prevention Technique used chakra in the same way that most ninjutsu did.
Actually, maybe there was a way to use shadow clones in conjunction with the Attack Prevention Technique to surprise the enemy? That was an idea to look into at a later time.
But the Senbon Shadow Clone Technique was a tried and true ninjutsu skill. Jiraiya had taught it to him as a way to supplement the blond's desire to focus on his shurikenjutsu, stating that subtle was all well and good, but there were (rare) situations where quantity was better than quality. Apparently, the Sannin had learned the technique from the Sandaime; where the deceased Hokage had tended to use it with shuriken, the Toad Sannin had explained that it was applicable with any sort of weapon, and stronger in direct proportion to the amount of chakra used.
And fortunately, the Jinchūriki had chakra in spades.
He had a moment to witness the bandits rushing down freeze for an instant before the wave of metal struck. The weapons pierced flesh, turning men into virtual pincushions, and Naruto briefly marveled at the sheer swath of destruction the combination of his specialty and proper training could invoke. It certainly wouldn't be his technique-of-choice when stealth was desired, nor was it guaranteed to work against other ninja, who were trained to react to peril swifter than bandits were, but the results were impressive regardless.
With a mixture of horse-chestnut- and curare-tipped senbon dealing with the majority of the bandits, Naruto dug into the satchel attached to his leg and withdrew the twin senbon Asuma had shown him how to use. He twirled them around his fingers with practiced dexterity before dashing off to deal with the stragglers who had avoided his assault.
A large man wielding a double-bladed axe was the first person he came across. The man chuckled. "Ye've got some nerve, kid."
Naruto didn't bother responding, fixing his gaze on the motion of the axe as the man swung it sideways. He ducked the swing and plunged both senbon through the bandit's pants and into his thighs.
The man grunted reflexively as metal stuck into muscle. Naruto pulled out the needles and then jumped as his enemy tried to recover his equilibrium from the swing; a moment later, the blond's senbon pierced the man's neck from opposite sides.
He waited until the man toppled over backwards and hit the ground before retrieving his weapons, frowning in clinical dissatisfaction at the corpse. It would take far too long to incapacitate the remaining bandits in such a fashion, especially since it was likely they all possessed different weapons and fighting methods. The skewer-like weapons were poisoned, like the rest of his arsenal, but open combat clearly required something a bit more fast-acting than what was currently on them. Not to mention that the kill had been done almost subconsciously, far faster than his current poison could act. Unrolling one of the scrolls from his holders, he unsealed a mahogany jar, uncorked it, and dipped the twin needles into the liquid.
The motion was so well-practiced that he was back on the move within 10 seconds, heading for a small cluster of men that was approaching the wagon. Naruto placed both senbon in his mouth, clamping down on the centers with his teeth. His hands now free, he grabbed a second scroll from a different holster on his uniform and gripped both ends, unraveling about two feet worth of parchment. Using a trick Tenten had taught him, he channeled chakra into the scroll and unleashed a shower of kunai upon the group of bandits.
They turned at the intrusion, and Naruto dropped the scroll – intending to return for it later – to resituate his longer senbon in his grasp. Ducking and weaving amongst the group's members, he lashed out with the needles, leaving long scratches and small puncture wounds in his wake. When he was sure he had managed to attack all the bandits, he disappeared into the ground via the Shinra Banshō, eliciting a clatter of protests and questions from the group above.
Seeding his chakra into the soil, he traveled in the rough direction the group he'd taken out with the Senbon Kage Bunshin was laid out, curious as to the result of his handiwork. The poison he'd dipped his twin senbon into was a mixture made from the various parts of deadly nightshade, one of the most potent brews in his arsenal. Amplified by his chakra, it delivered death in under a minute.
In squirrels, anyway. Human applications were still debatable, but some of the nasty (supposed) side effects – blurred vision, hallucinations, convulsions, to name a few – would keep the bandits occupied until death kicked in. While the toxins burned through the bandits' bodies, he wanted to look over his earlier handiwork.
Rising from the earth, the blond created a number of shadow clones to take care of any survivors in the area before settling himself amongst a small group of felled bandits. He surveyed the damage with clinical curiosity, observing the different injection points and what symptoms the bandits were displaying, if any.
These were his first kills, even if he had been less direct with the actual death than he had against the axe-wielding bandit. That was okay, though, he supposed, given that assassinations were supposed to be performed without the victim ever knowing who his murderer was. He knelt down and tried to pinpoint how close to the jugular one of his needles had hit, feeling for a pulse and trying to judge how quickly the man had died. Standing back up, he scratched his head unsurely. Damn…kinda wish I was a medic-nin…
The problem was that he just wasn't very knowledgeable about the human body. Zetsu had explained certain aspects, but it was more of a monologue focusing on the bare necessities than an in-depth analysis of physiology.
His eyebrows furrowed together as a completely different thought struck – was what he was doing normal? People normally weren't so curious about death, were they? Asuma had made it sound as if there was something do-or-die about killing someone, but the Jinchūriki couldn't really see what the big deal was. They were paid to protect a client, the bandits were trying to attack their client, so the logical course of action was to remove said bandits in the quickest and most efficient way possible. He hadn't even really thought about what he was doing against the axe-wielding bandit – instinct had just guided him to the kill. In the back of his mind, he knew that he should've held some remorse or horror or…something…at the deed, but nothing was forthcoming.
Maybe it was his apathy that prevented him from being traumatized by taking the life of another. After all, what did the lives of these men mean to him? They had no prior relationship with him, merely serving as guinea pigs for his combat experience and poisons; even Asuma had essentially stated as such, claiming that this was a trial by fire that Team 10 needed to pass in order to succeed in the future. In fact, it would've been better for his knowledge if he could've observed the successive events of an individual's death from beginning to end, but he would have to take what he could get.
Actually… He withdrew a blank sealing scroll and maneuvered the bodies to lay upon it.
"Naruto!"
"I'm okay, Asuma-sensei!" he called back.
"Well come here then," replied the Jōnin, tone calmer.
The bandits must be dead. "'kay!"
Turning back to the scroll, he quickly applied chakra, causing the bodies of the bandits to disappear into the parchment, preserved for later study. It worked…
He wasn't sure how socially acceptable it was, but for Naruto, who cared little about such a thing, death would just present him with another opportunity to learn how to better himself in order to survive. When they returned to Konoha, he would sit down with an anatomy book and the bodies of his guinea pigs and learn as much as he could about how his poisons had worked in conjunction with their injection sites.
As it looked right now, though, his experiments and training had borne fruit. Now that he had evidence that his training was headed in the right direction, all he had to do was hone what he knew even further.
Naruto pocketed the scroll, went to pick up the one he'd left behind, and then rejoined his team, only half-listening to Asuma explain to a quiet Ino and an ill-looking Chōji about the morals of taking a life in the ninja world. For him, it was kill or be killed, and no matter what he had to do, he would stay alive. Things are lookin' up.
-l-l-l-
Author's Note: Two things. 1) I've never liked that the Shadow Clone Technique can transfer memories to the original. I find it hard to believe that even someone as retarded as canon!Naruto never figured that out after using it for 3 years (or have someone like Kakashi/Jiraiya tell him at any point), and find the timing of its mention to be a plot device Kishimoto came up with to give Naruto a way to learn the Rasenshuriken, kill Kakuzu, and surpass the Fourth Hokage. It also, in my opinion, completely demeans Naruto's work ethic, giving a character who's looked up to as a hard-worker a cheap method to power-up with minimal time and effort. To that end, that ability doesn't exist in here. 2) The poisonous properties of the plants are real, but their effects are more potent here. I think there's a little leniency allowed in the Naruto world for this. Also, I don't support animal cruelty, but Naruto needs to experiment somehow, and squirrels were the best way to go (for now).
Let me know what you think in a review; I get some great ideas from your guys' reviews that I don't necessarily think about when I'm writing (some of you may recognize them here), so keep them coming.
