Naruto: Tails of the Four

Written by DivineGuidanceAlpha

Requests and private comments may be sent to HitoSorrelius

Synopsis: A re-writing of Naruto, beginning just before the Chunin Exams. Four shinobi trained to be assassins find themselves without a home. A kind offer from the Third Hokage aligns them to the Hidden Leaf Village, where they try to make a new life for themselves...but old ghosts and new enemies threaten their new home already, and it may take losing each other to gain the strength to save it.

Arc 3: The Third Test; Chapter 11: Training and Reminiscence, Part 2

As Tenso left for his few hours of rest, Shiden got up, stretching. Koen chuckled cruelly as the first drops of rain began falling. "That's not going to ruin this fight, you gloomy fuck."

"Your wit is as sharp as ever, brother. I hope you can still make funny quips when that tongue is cut out."

Koen's body let out a massive surge of red chakra, the rain evaporating around him. "I'll be making quips at you until the day you die, Mopey. Now, what is this special training you said you had planned for me?"

"Hit me, first." Koen shrugged at the exceedingly simple order; Shiden was known for fucking with his best friend at every turn. This was going to be just another moment in their friendship where one of them would get hit in the face. He opened the first Gate without even hesitating, then shot in at the boy. He disappeared as soon as Koen was close enough to touch him. "Too slow," The voice taunted from behind him, back where he had been standing.

Koen let his body relax a bit, then stretched out until every joint and tendon popped. It was a sickening sound, but it was a useful trick, to keep oneself tight until grace was required. The next time he leaped at his friend, it was with a new speed. The blow still struck nothing more than rain. "Have you gotten slower, or am I still buzzing on the coffee?"

"You're about to get your teeth knocked in," Koen countered, pushing off with all the force he could to reach the boy. Still, before he could get there, he saw Shiden's hands behind his back. Sliding to a stop, Koen glared at what he thought was an illusion. "I'm getting mad, brother. You want me to hit you, stop using fake tricks."

The "illusion" punched him right in the mouth, surprising him by putting him on his ass. "I'm not using any tricks but my speed, brother," Shiden countered, holding his hand out for the inevitable retaliation. Koen grabbed the hand, then pulled the lighter boy down onto his fist, the knuckles digging in just below the solar plexus.

"That's a nice sentiment. Now, what is my training, seriously? Before I have to hit you harder?"

Shiden picked himself up, offering the boy a hand again. Koen took it this time. "You can already hit harder than a whole squad at once. What I was trying to get you to try was using your range. Against Gaara, your speed will be used against you. With Dosu, you can't get close faster than he can let that sound cannon off."

"Cannon?"

"It's not a bullet, because it explodes and extends once released. The closest comparison is my rain genjutsu, something that I can use without getting myself."

"And for Gaara?"

"Storm Style: Living Deluge."

"Fuck! You really are making me use long range, aren't you? It's not as satisfying, brother! How am I supposed to feel the bones break without dealing the blow myself?"

"You have an unhealthy obsession with breaking people. Before you complain further, allow me to explain your first opponent, Shikamaru. He seems like a lazy good-for-nothing, yes? However, he picked apart his opponent's plan in under a minute, beat her in under five."

"Do you think I'll be that weak, brother?"

"No, I know you have plenty of strategy behind those muscles. I know you can think fast, react fast, even kill fast, but this is a show. Those people will not be there to see us, they'll want to see the clan heroes, like an Uchiha or a Hyuuga. You are to show them why they should remember your name."

"Did you give this advice to Tenso and Ren?"

"They get their own lessons. You guys aren't going to be interacting as a team for this month. Don't talk about what you're learning from me, they won't talk about what they are." Koen nodded. "Now, we will practice. You are not to use a single punch, kick, Gate Opening or Mass Change technique. Everything else goes." The next moment, Koen was being pulled under by the genjutsu he thought he had dissolved. "Go, by the way," Shiden's voice sounded oddly distorted in the water, as if he were on the other side of a wall.

Koen knew better than to thrash or fight; the water would just tire him out before killing him that way. So, he drew his chakra cloak out again, an explosion of heat dissolving the water again. "Did you just use eye contact to cast the same genjutsu on me?"

Shiden was smirking lightly, wiggling his fingers. "Nope. I've been working on that trick since I got the Weather Ball version down. I can personally, physically plant it now, but it still requires water for the genjutsu to take effect."

"I see." Koen signed quickly, and unleashed a wall of flames at the Jonin. He cut clean through them with blades of water.

"Okay, time to get serious. After Shikamaru, you will be fighting Tenso or Kankuro. Since Tenso is all about summons, I'll do similarly."

"You're not seriously going to-" Then his best friend was signing rapidly, and a giant water dragon shot out of the water now covering their ankles. The elemental creation plunged Koen back under, the genjutsu trying to clamp on again. So, he wasn't going to really summon, just play like it. That was fine, Koen could do without fighting flocks of hawks.

"Shiden has begun using genjutsu in everything. He must mean to put people out more, rather than killing them with a bolt of lightning from above."

Koen didn't bother responding, his cloak lifting him from the water.

"Wasting your God chakra isn't a smart move," Shiden commented from behind, unleashing another Water Dragon and following it up with a copied Infernal Serpent, the flaming creation much less powerful than Koen's version. Shiden wasn't naturally Fire-affinity, nor was the Garuda, so it was tougher to do for him than it would have been for Raizen; the Chimera was Fire and Wind-affinity, while the boy himself naturally wielded the Storm Style elements of Wind, Water, and Lightning. The two blows sent Koen rolling across the surface of the water, sliding back to his feet.

Koen glared at the blatant use of the forbidden techniques he blatantly used, and unleashed the true Infernal Serpent Jutsu, the creature wrapping around Shiden and exploding with enough force to blow a hole in the ground and the clouds overhead. Shiden was nowhere to be seen...until the sound of something powerful swirling came from above. Koen looked up to see a Hurricane Drop in process. Ignoring the rules, as was his wont, he activated the Second Gate and dodged, only to shoot in before the boy could release the power and plant his fist somewhere behind Shiden's face with the force of the punch. Instead of anything as bloody as a missing head would normally cause, the whole body evaporated with a –poof!- and Shiden appeared at the boy's side with a sweeping kick that took him off his feet.

"I said, no Gates. Are none of you three going to listen to the rules? I love fighting with you guys, but this is serious training."

"I would take it more seriously if you and I weren't supposed to be equals, brother," Koen replied, pushing himself to his feet with a light glare. "You and I were the first Chosen, remember? We were supposed to work together, become the unstoppable pair. Then the Council saw fit to grant you a squad, and I was stuck following your lead."

"Do you have a problem with me leading, Koen?" Shiden seemed genuinely surprised. "We are still partners, brother. I lead because that is the position I was forced to take. You were not going to get a squad, we both knew it. I took the chance that put us both together."

"But you denied me the chance to stand equal with you!" The snake host countered, looking more annoyed than he had in a while. "You told the Council you didn't think I was ready! Me! I had done nothing but train beside you, trying to reach the Day of Judgment when I would face the Gods myself!"

"I barely survived!" Shiden said back, chuckling a bit; he thought this was just a problem that had been bugging him. The chuckling was the wrong thing to do.

Koen leaped on his best friend, slamming him into the water. "I would have won!" He shouted, his cloak rippling around him. His eyes looked more like the flaming god's than his own, the blue replaced with a molten gold, the center a burning green.

"You would have died for trying!" Shiden answered, his own cloak flowing now, a caustic green-purple combination. His eyes were slowly turning red, the single comma returning to his irises. The two rolled around, swinging at whatever they could, the chakra bubbling and hissing and steaming wherever they touched. Shiden wound up on top for a moment, and he shoved the snake's head beneath the water, slamming it against the ground. He repeated the move twice before letting Koen's head up to breathe. "Now, are you going to listen? Or do I have to keep trying to kill you for a bit longer?"

Koen glared up at his leader, closing his eyes and sighing. "...Get off me. I get the point." The point was, no matter how angry he got, Shiden kept his cool. He was ideal to lead and leash the monsters. "I'm surprised you didn't just use Blood Sealing on me."

"That would have been pointless for the exercise. It would have just made you think worse of me, that I fear your powers." He leaned down, demonic eye to demonic eye. "I don't fear you, brother. I respect you, but you need to trust in fate once in a while. By the time it matters, you will be a Jonin, too."

Koen took the hand up when Shiden stood and offered it, and the two stood silently in the rain. "By the time it matters, you'll probably be Hokage," Koen said stiffly.

"Then I'll just promote you to Co-Hokage," Shiden answered without a thought. "If they say it's against the rules, I'll punch them in the face for you, then change the rules and promote your sorry ass anyway." Koen laughed, the resentment from moments before washing away with the rain. "Do you remember our first fight?" Shiden suddenly asked.

"The first fight, or our first fight where we actually tried to kill each other?"

"The first was the first time we tried to kill each other."

"...You sure? I think I was holding back that day."

"That's okay, so was I."

The two laughed, thinking back on that day, the day that Shiden decided Koen would be his brother, and the day Koen decided he would always support Shiden. Even at times like this.

"Alright, class. Today, we're going to be reviewing what we've learned and then performing it in actual live combat. To keep from grievous injury, each match will last two minutes. And before any of you think of picking on Emeria, the opponents have already been decided." There was a great deal of booing, until Koen started cracking his knuckles. Even at age six, the boy looked like he could lift two people his size with no problem. He'd already shed his uniform top, and was ready for a scrap.

"Who will she be going against, then?" Raizen asked, ignoring the brute that was showing off.

"You'll find out when she does," the teacher said, covering his face with hand. "Why are you all so interested in her?"

"They like picking on her because she's the youngest in the class," Shiden said, his voice unemotional. "They also do it to hide the fact that they think she's pretty." The girl in question blushed as red as her hair, covering her face with her hands.

"That was a rhetorical question, Shiden, but A for effort. Now, get into the ring. Let's see how you and Koen stack up."

"Me?" Koen said innocently, as if he didn't expect to be the first-and fastest-fight every single time.

"Yes, you. You two are my top students, brains and brawns." The two glanced at each other from the corners of their eyes, glaring a bit. "First, the review. I want each of you to use what we have learned in class, the Summoning Jutsu." Each of the children had been made to sign a contract with one of the Animal Clans that were in agreement with the Hallowed Grounds, the snakes, the hawks, the wolves, the metal hydras, or the lions. Only members of the Kuga family were allowed to make contracts with the hydras, but that didn't stop almost every single kid from trying. Koen respected the Clan Laws enough not to try, and he loved his adoptive parents enough to stick with the tradition. He signed in blood on the snakes' contract, while Shiden had signed the hawks' contract, also for the sake of tradition.

"Begin!" The two boys began signing in rapid unison, each biting their left thumb at the same time to draw blood. Their hands hit the ground at the same time. Their summons appeared in unison, a snake as large as Koen and a hawk that fit well on Shiden's shoulder. The two signed at the same time and banished their summons. "Alright, alright! Finally, I get to see you two working in tandem."

"Just start the fight already," Koen said with that smirk of his, Shiden looking completely apathetic.

"Alright, fight." Koen pounced with all intentions of just knocking the kid down and beating his face until the teacher called it off. Instead, the boy sidestepped and kicked Koen in the chest, flipping him in midair to make him land on his back. Shiden then stomped down on the other boy's face, hard. Instead of the intended knockout, however, Shiden's ankle was grabbed before the foot could land, and he was thrown to the ground beside Koen. The two got up at the same time, and Koen tried to swing straight-on to hit the boy. Shiden was still faster, ducking the blow and sweeping Koen's legs from under him.

This time, Koen rolled back to his feet, his hands forming different signs. "Enryuu Secret Technique: Mass Compression Jutsu!" The body that everyone knew-a bit plump but still muscular-was destroyed. A much thinner body with far more ripped muscles made an appearance, and even Shiden had to stop and stare.

"What?" He managed to say before an arm hooked around his neck and threw him bodily to the ground. He could taste blood in his mouth as he spun to his feet, signing in return. "Water Style: Needle Spray Jutsu!" He breathed in, and let loose a spray of needle-sharp water, formed by drawing chakra up into his throat and mouth. The shot caught Koen off guard, but he was fast enough to dodge after the first few layers of needle struck him. As if it had been planned that way, Shiden was facing opposite his classmates, so as to avoid hitting them. Once Koen moved, Shiden cut off the attack and ducked, avoiding a roundhouse kick from Koen that would likely have taken him off his feet and into the ground.

Koen was prepared, or so he thought; he dropped his elbow down, only for it to hit concrete, as Shiden had rolled at the last second. Koen's head whipped around to see the bottom of a combat sandal just before it conquered his face.

Koen regained consciousness a moment later, Shiden holding a hand out to him. "You're stronger than me, even faster. But I'm smarter, and sometimes, that's all it takes." Koen took the hand, then pulled the smaller kid's face down to meet his waiting fist. It didn't knock the young Arashi heir out, but it did dislodge a tooth that had been getting loose for the past day or so. Shiden stared at the boy who still held his hand, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth, and smiled for the first time since he was a baby. "...I like you," he said, pulling the Enryuu adoptee to his feet.

"I like you too," Koen replied, grinning in response.

"You wanna be my brother?" Shiden asked, making Rai, who had just summoned a baby lion, snap his head around and squeeze down on the cat's ear. It bit his hand, hard. Koen and Shiden, both ignoring the shriek of pain, shook with their left hand, the bitten thumb leaving a trail down the wrist as they pulled away.

"Now we're blood brothers," Koen said with a chuckle.

"And we will be until the day we die." Koen grinned at that, turning to see the other kids staring, some in shock, some in fear; now the greatest weapons in class were now friends. The learning curve was high enough before; now they all were going to suffer just to pass.

Shiden stood up, stretching, and slapped Koen's back. "Get up, man-mountain. I'm going to make you into a proper volcano yet. Then, maybe then, we'll talk about the Meteor."

Koen stared up at his friend like the holidays had come early. "...HOW."

"I stole scrolls from the time I could walk. Once the teacher taught us how, I kept them with me always." Shiden pulled his shirt off, revealing the marks on his biceps, shoulders, back, even around the seal on his stomach. Summoning seals, all of them. "Once we get a bigger place, or even a secure chest, I'm going to get them off of me. It's a danger, to have that much knowledge sealed away on one person."

Koen stared at the marks, then, with the speed of years of training, he sucker-punched his brother in the gut. "You fuck! You never even told me about this?! ME!"

Shiden chuckled, coughing in between laughs. "I never even told my father! Now, let me catch my breath, and I'll give you knowledge that our parents didn't think to teach us."

Koen grinned as much as he had that day long ago, and held out his hand. "I think I can handle that." Shiden took it, and the two stood. Shiden performed the signs, biting his thumb and sliding the blood across the mark on his left bicep. Out sprang three scrolls, each as big around as Shiden's forearm and as long as Koen's.

Then, the scrolls vanished again, just as Koen was reaching for them. Staring up in confusion, Shiden was grinning that sadistic grin that said hell was soon to follow. "Oh, no. You think I'm just going to give them up? Nope, you have to follow the rules. We still have two hours of training left."

"...You fuck." Koen popped his knuckles, adopting a dark smirk of his own. "Fine. Let's see how far I can kill you from."