Naruto: Altered History Chapter 13: Of Family and Training, a naruto fanfic

Altered History
Chapter 13:
-Of Family and Training-
By Geor-sama

The Sandaime dozed fitfully behind his desk, his joints stiff and sore. It had been one of his favorite pastimes when he had first become Hokage, but now it was painful. Giving up on his nap, he opened his eyes, staring at his empty office and feeling the crushing weight more than ever.

This was not his time: he was not supposed to be Hokage. Kami, it wasn't fair...He was tired and sore. He shook the feelings off quickly. What was pain to him now but a constant companion? He was Hokage, and it was pointless to complain about things that couldn't be changed.

The Yondaime was dead. That was karma.

Anko had risked Naruto's life. That was karma.

Speaking of Naruto and Anko, according to Kakashi they were supposed to be returning today. Looking at the clock on the dwall, he raised an eyebrow, watching the minutes tick past. Sighing, he shook his head. They should have been here an hour ago. A moment later, Kakashi and the other two entered, and the Sandaime sighed. Of course, the Copy Cat ninja would be in the lead, and of course the entire group would be late.

Naruto blinked, looking around, and Anko rolled her eyes.

"Ahh, Kakashi-san, Naruto-kun... Anko-san," Sandaime said, then, noticing Anko's wince, fixated on Naruto. "Ahh, would you mind sitting down, Naruto-kun? We have something rather important to discuss."

The blond blinked uncertainly, then, glancing at Anko, moved to the chair in front of the Sandaime's desk and sat down. "Okay, ya billy goat, what'cha wanna talk about?"

The Sandaime blinked, then shook his head, allowing the casualness to slide for the moment. Far more important problems were going on at the moment. "Naruto," Sandaime said, clearing his throat as he stared at the blond ninja across from him.

He paused for a moment, realizing that there really was no other word to describe him. Sandaime had seen those eyes before, the set of that jaw. Everything screamed ninja. For the first time, he seriously began to consider the boy's potential as a possible successor.

Ah, the Yondaime would have been so proud...

"Hokage-sama?" Kakashi asked, interrupting his stroll down memory lane.

"Huh? Oh, yes, sorry..." the Sandaime said, berating himself for going off into his memories. Shifting his attention back to the curious boy, he sighed, lacing his fingers together. "Naruto, before anything else, I just want to say... I'm proud of you. You seem to be growing up; Just a few months ago, you'd have been pulling some wild prank or causing a ruckus, and now...Well, instead of a troublemaker, I have a ninja standing in front me."

"Er...well, thanks," Naruto said, sounding pleased even as he scratched at his cheek absently.

"Now, then," Sandaime said seriously, lowering his eyes to a folder on his desk. "You remember that you under went an exam not too long ago, correct?"

"Huh, yeah!" Naruto growled. "That bastard-"

"Kiyoshi-san did exactly as his job required," Sandaime interrupted seriously, looking up at the blond. "It is the exam, however, that I wish to discuss. Naruto, have you ever... noticed anything odd about yourself? Like how fast you heal?"

"No...I heal like everyone else, right?"

Sandaime exchanged a glance with Kakashi, then chuckled. "Not quite. Actually, most people would love to heal the way you do."

"Wow, well, that's sorta neat..." Naruto said, blinking. "So, can I go train now? 'Cause I want Anko to show me some more wind jutsu-"

"In a minute," Sandaime interrupted, then paused, considering how best to reveal this information. Maybe not all the details, as it would confuse the poor boy, and nothing about the Yondaime for obvious reasons. Then he realized that he had the easiest way to explain things right before him. "You know about bloodlines, correct?"

"Er... Iruka-sensei mentioned them once, I think," Naruto said with a shrug. "I kinda slept through that class..."

"Well, okay," Sandaime said, drumming his fingers against his desk. "Okay, within the world of ninja, there are certain abilities. These are called Family Abilities and Advanced Bloodlines. Family Abilities are skills or jutsu that can be taught."

"Oi, like how Anko's teaching me?"

"Exactly," Sandaime said with a nod. "Only, the Family Abilities aren't taught outside of a family and are very jealously guarded. Advanced Bloodlines, on the other hand, they can't be taught at all. They have to be inherited and are unique to only certain families."

"You mean like... how the Uchiha all have that weird eye thing?"

"The Sharingan," Sandaime said, smiling slightly. "Yes, now then... These Advanced Bloodlines are frowned upon by some people."

"Well that's stupid-"

"Yes, it is." Sandaime nodded. "So, Konoha is seen as a refuge for Advanced Bloodlines, since we openly embrace them. Even encourage them...But some, by the time they reach us, are already dying out, and we can do nothing to stop this. Sometimes, only a single child from these 'Lost Clans' will have the ability and never know it. Most often, these become villagers, and the bloodline disappears."

"Okay," Naruto said slowly. "So, why are you telling me about all of that?"

"Haven't you ever wondered, Naruto-kun," Kakashi suddenly said from his spot near the wall, "why exactly you came through that incident in the hospital? Even as an enemy plant you should have died..."

"Well, yeah, but..." Naruto trailed off, frowning.

"In the exam you took, among other tests, is one to locate Advanced Bloodlines," Sandaime continued seriously. "We found one, though there are no previous records of the ability..."

"...I have... an Advanced Bloodline?"

"Yes," Sandaime said, leaning back in his seat. "It's called the Tenkeichiyu. It's a rather handy ability, too. Provided you don't take an attack that kills you immediately, you'll live through pretty much anything. We think." Sandaime explained, then paused, watching the boy closely.

He could see the surprise and the fear washing over his face. Then the anger, and then a sort of calm that had him slightly worried. "Naruto-kun, are you okay?"

"Oi, I'm fine," Naruto said, looking at him in that carefree way of his. "Can I go now?"

"Yes," Sandaime said, sitting forward. "Naruto, one thing...Your 'ability', I would caution against talking about it with too many people. Maybe only the ones you trust most..."

"Oi, I'm not Sasuke!" Naruto said indignantly before jumping to his feet and bolting for the door. "Later!"

The Sandaime stared after him for a moment, worried, then shook it off, looking at Anko. She looked slightly worried, but when she looked at him, he saw the familiar defiant fire in her eyes. "You shouldn't have let him go."

"Maybe," Sandaime said blandly. "Anko-san, tell me something. What made Naruto so important that you'd kidnap him out of the village for a mission?

"Huh?"

"Well, I was just wondering," Sandaime said with a shrug. "After all, you never asked for permission. Never cleared it with Hayate-san, who could have had a mission or team training planned. You merely took the boy out of the village, on a mission he was not cleared for..."

"But he did fine!" Anko said heatedly. "Better than fine!"

"Yes," Sandaime said tiredly. "But that is not the point. You showed poor judgment and risked his life needlessly. That isn't the point either. I entrusted you with that mission, and for you to act so rashly..."

"But-"

"Anko-san, please. I am tired, and it's been a long day. I would appreciate it if you left." He saw the various emotions on her face and then watched as she stood, turned, and walked out of the office. Turning to Kakashi, he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Fetch Kiyoshi-san."

"Yes," Kakashi said seriously. "I do think you were a bit harsh. I mean, your original goal was to get Anko and Naruto to heal each other and, on the way back, she was almost normal. I'd even say a sister to him."

"Yes," Sandaime said, feeling a chill race along his spine. "I am aware of that, and by first denying her access and then questioning her judgment toward him, I am making her aware of how important he is to her. Which will pull them closer together."

"Ah," Kakashi said simply.

"Yes, now, Kioyshi-san please."

Nodding, Kakashi hurried out of the room, allowing the Sandaime to relax and massage his chest. He was no doctor, but he could feel the sands in the hour glass falling more rapidly than ever.

One of the first things Shino's father had taught him was that the Aburame were not the masters of the bugs that lived inside them. It was a partnership, almost a marriage, and that to abuse one's Kikaichu family was the same as abusing one's wife or child. To complicate matters, there was the emotional and mental connection between host and bugs, which could effect the relationship.

This was the reason behind the curious, and slightly worrisome, near-constant placid state all Aburame maintained.

Keeping all of this mind, Shino had set out a week ago reestablish the trust and balance in his relationship with his Kikaichu family. It had been a strained and tedious affair, but finally they were working as one once more, though they were still a tad skittish.

Still, as he concentrated and sent his desire to form a wall, they responded quickly. Finally able to perform the Mushi Kabe no Jutsu without falling apart, Shino allowed them a moment to rest. Sitting under a tree once more, he quietly considered everything that had happened since gaining Naruto as a teammate. Some of it was hard to fathom, some of it easy, and he was still no closer to answering his original concern about the affect of Naruto's chakra on his family.

None of them could even suggest an explanation, and his father, when they had briefly spoken, had been unhelpful.

Shaking it off, Shino climbed to his feet one last time, silently checking with his family that they were ready for this final exercise for the day. Receiving confirmation, he nodded and sent his desire to them. The bugs hesitated and then finally began to move -albeit slowly- into a vaguely humanoid shape. Satisfied with that, Shino cast the wordless Henge to create his own likeness over the bugs.

This stage of the Mushi Bunshin no Jutsu cleared, he took a moment to catch his breath and then nodded slightly. "Let's begin."

The Mushi clone nodded in response and charged toward him with a basic round kick, which caught Shino by surprise. The stoic ninja merely went with the blow as he had learned, performing a side roll before regaining his feet with just enough time to catch the incoming punch from the Mushi clone. This was followed by a hooking leg sweep, which took out the clone's feet and sent it crashing into the earth.

A minute later, the clone became once more his Kikaichu family, all of whom were quite pleased with the brief match. Shino himself shared their sentiment, congratulating them as they all made their way back to their home in his body. While not instantaneous like his father's, it was effective and it would improve over time.

Looking around, he took a breath, then exhaled, wondering what he should do now that they had re-established trust between them. He could practice even more, but he felt that would be overtaxing for both them and himself, which meant he should go back to the Aburame home and read through the family scrolls. It would be best to know and understand as much as he could, even if the library had been severely damaged during the Kyûbi's attack.

Nodding, with hands in his pockets, he started back toward his house.

For some reason the village looked different to him, almost unreal. Naruto wasn't sure why or how; all he knew was that it was different. The vendors were all around, talking loudly, a few shooting him dark glares, others ignoring him.

Yet, it was all so different and strange.

He had a bloodline.

Huh, he could slit that man's throat without breaking a sweat.

What had his father been like? His mother?

He could rob that shop keeper and never be caught.

Did he have brothers? Where was his family? Dead? Had they just abandoned him?

He had a bloodline.

His thoughts were disrupted when he ran into something solid, which sent him tumbling on his ass. Looking up with a glare, ready to shout at whatever had done that to him, he found himself staring up at Iruka.

The scarred Chûnin blinked and looked down, surprise on his face. "Naruto?"

"Iruka-sensei?" Naruto managed, realizing just how long it had actually been since he had seen the older man.

"Wow," Iruka said, holding a hand out to help him up. "It's been a while. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, though, huh?"

"Yeah," Naruto said noncommittally, then remembered to smile brightly. "I'm getting really strong and awesome! I'll be Hokage soon, no doubt!"

Iruka raised an eyebrow and then smiled back, reaching out to muss his hair fondly. "I bet you will be."

For some reason, Naruto felt the smile on his face become more natural, despite the fact that he used to hate having that done. Then he blinked, realizing what time it was. "Oi, aren't you suppose to be teaching class?"

"Well, actually," Iruka said, scratching the side of his nose, "I'm just waiting for my latest teaching assistant to get the kids together. We're having class outside today,"

"Ah," Naruto said, crossing his arms as he nodded. He had turned and taken two steps when Iruka grabbed the back of his jacket and held him in place. "Oi, let me go!"

"Hold on," Iruka said, a smirk on his face. "You know, I was just thinking about who to ask to speak to the class today."

"Huh?" Naruto managed, twisting around to stare at the man in befuddlement. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I know you slept and skipped class a lot," Iruka said reproachfully, "but you do remember when we had the Hokage come by to talk to you, right? Or that time we got Haruno-san?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, his memory hazy on the exact details. "Oi, didn't they talk to us about... uh, being ninja or something?"

"Exactly," Iruka said releasing his jacket. "This time, I was thinking about getting someone closer to the age of the students... A recently graduated Genin."

Naruto blinked, then felt a chill race up his spine as suspicion crept into his mind. Iruka couldn't want him... but why... No, Naruto was just imagining it. Besides, what could he say to a bunch of...not that Iruka was actually meaning that he wanted him to... Oh kami, this was not a good idea.

"So, what do you think?" Iruka said, his smirk now a grin.

"...What the hell would I say?"

Iruka shrugged, but his grin never faded. "Just talk to them, explain what it's like being a ninja."

Naruto frowned, kicking at the ground absently. This was the last thing he needed or wanted to do. Maybe if he hadn't just found out about his bloodline... It was all too complicated, too confusing and... hurtful. He would never admit it out loud, but this entire ordeal had reopened the raw wounds concerning his family. Still, looking at Iruka, he couldn't bring himself to say no. After all, Iruka had been the first one to really acknowledge him as a ninja.

He owed it to the older man.

"Okay," Naruto finally said.

Iruka patted his shoulder and nodded. "Great, I really appreciate this. Come on, we don't want to be late."

Both walked in silence for several minutes, before Iruka checked his watch. "We need to hurry, come on..." The man took off, and Naruto followed, lost in thoughts about his family and what exactly he was getting himself into. Twenty minutes later, they were bounding from roof to roof before spying the rooftop of the academy.

Naruto landed adroitly next to Iruka, eying the class almost warily. Had it really been just a few months ago that he had been in the academy? It seemed like a lifetime ago: meeting Anko, Kusa, meeting his new team and dealing with the Kumo-iki, Unity and soon... the Chûnin exams.

It just seemed impossible that all of that could have happened in just a little over two months.

"I promised you guys something special," Iruka was saying to the interested looking class. "Well, not only are we having class outside today, but I've asked someone to speak with y-"

"Hey!" a voice suddenly shouted, followed by a familiar brown haired runt jumping to his feet to point at Naruto. "How dare you show your face here!"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked, looking away from the faces on the mountain to stare at the child. "Oi, aren't you..."

"The ninja that is going to defeat you!" the boy shouted and then darted forward, a kunai flashing from somewhere, his scarf fluttering behind him.

Naruto naturally reacted the only way he could: he promptly brought his foot up and let the kid slam face first into it. Looking at the now dazed boy, he blinked and snapped his fingers in recognition. "Oi, it's Konohamaru!"

"Naruto!" Iruka shouted.

"What?" Naruto asked defensively. "He's the one that charged me with a weapon! He's lucky I didn't force feed it to him."

"That's the Sandaime's grandson!" Iruka shouted, looking horrified.

"I know," Naruto blinked, then looked back down at a recovering Konohamaru. "Oi, didn't I tell you the next time you charged me I was going to kill you?"

Konohamaru blinked, then hopped to his feet. "Ahhha, that was just a test, niisan! As my rival, I had to make sure that you were not getting rusty."

Naruto blinked.

Konohamaru blinked.

"...go sit yer ass down,"

"I will-" Konohamaru never finished his sentence since Naruto bashed him on top of his head, which knocked him on his ass.

"OI! Are you deaf?"

"NARUTO!" Iruka shouted, but the blond merely shrugged, while Konohamaru rubbed at his head. Breathing heavily, the scared Chûnin turned back to the shocked class and continued firmly. "I've asked Naruto to talk with you about being ninja. He's a recent graduate and he's preparing for the Chûnin Exam."

"And I'm going to be the next Hokage!" Naruto added firmly.

"What?!" Konohamaru shouted, jumping to his feet. "You can't be the next Hokage!"

"Why not?"

"Because I'm going to be the next Hokage!"

"...Idiot! Who'd acknowledge a punk like you?" Naruto asked, bashing him on the head again.

"Oww!" Konohamaru shouted rubbing at his head.

"Well, becoming Hokage isn't that hard. Especially if you take shortcuts," a boy said, sounding smug.

"Oi, you're an even bigger idiot than Konohamaru," Naruto interrupted, glaring at the boy. "Hokage is the name of the greatest ninja in the village. If you just think it's going to be easy, then you'll never be Hokage. There are no shortcuts."

"There's always shortcu-"

"No, there isn't," Naruto said, clenching his fist. "Whoever thinks like that should give up on being a ninja right now."

"Why?" a girl asked anxiously, glancing at the boy who had just been talking.

"Because, even if being Hokage isn't your dream, being a ninja requires dedication and hard work," Naruto said, his memory flashing to the countless times Anko had broken his arm. "You'll get hurt, and you'll bleed... But, you have to keep going. You'll have to do things that you don't want to, hard things, and if you take a shortcut, then you'll never get anywhere."

"Naruto-san," the shy girl said, raising her hand yet again and then, seeing she had his attention, continued with her question. "What's the hardest thing you've ever had to do?"

Naruto paused, then looked all of them over before looking at the roof between his feet. The hardest thing he ever had to do? A flash of a ninja, barely older than himself, dying in a spray of blood filled his mind. "I killed someone."

At the collective murmurs, he looked up, raising his voice slightly. "It's part of being a ninja,"

"Was it hard?" another boy asked, curiosity in his voice.

"They say... the first time is the hardest, but it's not," Naruto said slowly, thinking about his experiences. "The first time is easy; it's over before you realize it, since you're not really thinking about it. The hard one is the second time. You think about what you're doing, you know that you're about to do it, and you do it anyway."

"Naruto-san," another boy asked, looking at the blond. "Doesn't it bother you?"

Naruto blinked, then frowned slightly. "No, it's part of being a ninja."

"I don't believe you."

"Talk to me," Naruto said, bristling slightly in anger, "after you've killed someone. It's very simple: either you accept that you'll have to kill, or you get killed."

"B-but I don't wanna!" a girl said, eyes wide. "Why should we have to... to kill each other?"

"Because," Naruto said in annoyance, crossing his arms, "if you don't, then who will?"

There were a lot of things Ino would never understand; for example, why the sky was blue, why clouds looked like marshmallows, why her mother sighed disappointedly every time she talked about a mission instead of cooking, Shino's obsession with bugs, or Naruto's fascination with orange and noodles. Mostly, though, Ino couldn't understand how she got herself into hopeless situations.

As an example, there was the current situation of her kenjutsu training.

Oh, sure, at first, after Hayate's rather hardcore speech, it hadn't been so bad. For the first two days, Ino had found it fun and exciting: she worked on channeling chakra through her practice sword, the nine basic attacks, drawing and sheathing the sword quickly, basic footwork and even target practice.

All of that had been fine, perfectly understandable. Even the Chakra building and stamina exercises had been no problem.

On the third day, they had stepped up the training, putting all of what she had learned together in dozens of sparring matches. By the fourth day, she was exhausted every waking moment, and hungry almost all the time. Her hands stung, her legs and arms were swore, and, worst of all, she had yet to see a bath.

It was only through sheer determination that she had made it through that day and the next.

On the sixth day, she had been introduced to the basics again, but this time blindfolded. She still had bruises from the rocks she was supposed to be blocking. Now, on the seventh day she was once more sparring Hayate ,thankfully, without a blindfold. Or, more correctly, Ino was trying to hide from the insane man, nursing her injured left shoulder.

Apparently, Hayate did not believe in light taps. Or, at least, not what a sane person would consider a light tap.

So, Ino dearly wanted to know what in the hell had ever possessed her to put herself in this damn situation. Glancing at the sun while putting a hand on her shoulder, Ino let out a relieved breath. Just a few more hours and this part of her training would be over.

Chakra building and stamina training were cake walks when compared to this torture.

That was when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. It was more instinct than training that she managed a forward roll, hurting her shoulder even more, before regaining her feet while spinning around to see Hayate rebounding from the tree she had just been sitting against. This time, it was her training that allowed her to deflect his spinning slash and the next two chopping motions of his sword.

Pushing away, Ino grasped her sword with both hands, eyes never leaving the sick-looking man across from her. Moving slowly, almost catlike, she began to circle him and was disappointed to find that he was mirroring her perfectly. It became a game of waiting, of who would be impatient or confident enough to attack first and possibly end the fight.

Hayate moved first, darting forward almost faster than Ino could follow, his sword slashing downward at an angle. Ino managed to bring her sword up and around in a block, forcing the practice swords to swirl around until her sword spun free and she brought it back around in a heavy slash. Hayate, however, caught her sword with his own and held it in check, an impassive look on his face.

Disengaging, Ino quickly took two steps back, dropping her sword to knock Hayate's follow- up slash aside. Twirling her practice sword, finally feeling confident enough to do so, the kunoichi settled into a readied attack position, weapon held straight up in a double handed grip, and recentered herself.

Ino frowned, studying the man for any openings, only to find none. "Damn it," Ino whispered, and then rushed forward.

Hayate met her halfway through her rush, their practice swords clashing in whirling slashes, stabs and lunges. The two of them moved in a sort of dance, with Ino attempting to mirror the way that Hayate used his sword. Seeing a sudden opening, Ino lunged and then, when that was blocked, she spun with the momentum and came around in a low slash at her sensei's ankles, only to find nothing but air.

The man attacked from behind, and Ino spun just in time to block four rapid-fire attacks, grunting as the two blades crossed and each exerted their strength against the others.

"Better," Hayate said simply, looking tired as ever.

Ino merely grunted, then, pushing away, skipped backwards, blocking the three blows that followed her retreat. Panting, she shifted her grip on the sword, hands almost raw from the rough surface and the vibrations each blow caused.

Glaring at her sensei, Ino was annoyed to find him smiling at her.

Before she could even think about attacking, he beat her to the punch. Ino brought up the practice sword just in time to parry Hayate's first slash, then his sudden thrust at Ino's left thigh. Backing away, Ino cursed under her breath, unable to believe his speed.

After several more minutes, Ino decided that, all things being equal, it was time to go on the offensive once more. Yelling, Ino feinted and lunged in with a quick one-two, which, sadly, Hayate parried effortlessly.

"You're dropping your right shoulder a bit," Hayate commented, his practice sword blocking a series of slashes aimed at his face and chest. Infuriated, she stepped up her attacks, feinting toward his chest and then, as he moved to block that, changed her attack so that she was slashing at his neck.

There was a loud crack as her blade stopped with a jarring force against his own.

Glancing at her blade, Hayate looked back at her, raising an eyebrow as if mildly impressed. Spinning suddenly, Ino made another lunge at his chest, yelling furiously. For one brief instant, Ino thought she would actually hit him, but then he pivoted on the ball of his foot and spun around so that he was behind her.

"Umm... you're over extending yourself," Hayate said causally and then, without further ado, pushed her from behind, sending her face -first into the dirt.

Ino lay there for a moment, almost willing herself to pass out, and then, sighing, climbed to her feet, turning to face him with her sword held tightly. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

"Nothing."

"I've been training for a week! That's seventy hours of nothing but kenjutsu!" Ino snapped, glaring at him. "I should be better than this!"

"Umm... Ino, you are better than you realize. In a little under a week, you've mastered the nine basic cuts and learned the first form of the basic Fire Country kenjutsu style," Hayate explained patiently. "You are actually very talented at kenjutsu. I'd almost say a genius."

"I should still be better," Ino fumed, turning her glare to the forest. She wasn't sure where that sentiment came from, but it was inside her, almost shouting it, and Ino knew it to be true.

"We have one week left," Hayate said, crouching down next to her. "Everything I've taught you so far is the typical Fire Country style. Flips, footwork and complicated sword patterns. As of now, I will teach you Tsuki Odori."

"Tsuki Odori?" Ino repeated turning to stare at her sensei.

"Yes, I created it because of my health. All it requires is control, precision and timing. There is no wasted movement, no wasted energy, no complicated footwork," Hayate said with a slight nod. "It grants almost total protection and allows you to attack at the most opportune moment. Nobody else has even been able to master a single dance, but I think you can."

"You do?" Ino blinked then frowned slightly. "A dance? Like, what good are dances?"

"Ninjutsu involving the sword," Hayate said standing up once more. "Hidden techniques that nobody else knows. There's only ten of them."

"And you think I can... learn them?"

"Yes, if you want to truly learn Tsuki Odori," Hayate said with a nod.

"So, what do these dances look like?"

In response, Hayate turned, then, in one fluid motion, lifted his sword, twisted it around, and dropped to one knee, driving the tip of the sword into the ground. "Dance of the Crashing Dragon!"

Ino felt the earth rumble under her slightly, then watched in amazement as the ground between Hayate and the post exploded. Shielding her face, Ino watched as best she could as the man stood upright once more and pulled his sword free from the earth.

It was amazing, it was mind blowing it was beyond anything Ino had ever seen.

She had to learn how to do that!

When the dust finally settled, Hayate turned to stare at her, his face serious. "Umm... That Dance is considered C-rank and is a good distraction or interruption technique. You start by gathering your chakra into the blade of your sword and then you drive it into the ground and release."

"Seems easy enough," Ino couldn't help but remark before seeing the way he stared at her.

"How it seems and how it is are two different things," Hayate said before coughing into his hand for several minutes. When he finally stopped, he looked up at her, his face almost a grimace.

"Hayate-sensei, are you-" Ino started ask, moving toward him, only to stop short when he interrupted her.

"I'm fine," the man said, coughing once more into his cupped hand. "I've been sick for a long time, Ino; this is nothing... Uhmm, let's begin."

Ino nodded reluctantly, eying the man once more, and set to work. Still, she had a leaden feeling in her stomach that something was wrong with the whole situation.

Though nobody thought about it, Mitarashi Anko was an orphan. Even she rarely, if ever, thought about that fact since she was very much a 'now' person. The fact remained that Anko had grown up without a family for a good portion of her life, until Orochimaru had taken her under his guidance.

That was why she was traveling from roof to roof; searching from the Hokage Mountain to that ramen stand he loved so much and hunted through the training fields. No orphan could be told anything about his or her family and not react, though the reaction itself would vary.

For Anko, after learning why her family had abandoned her, she had devoted herself completely to Orochimaru.

Naruto would react differently, but still she had to find and help him. Despite what the Hokage thought, he was more important to her than anything had been in a long time. So she was not about to let him freak out and try to handle this on his own.

Entering training area twenty-five, she paused at the rapid-fire sound of impact against nearly petrified wooden training posts. Unsurprised that he would be pouring himself into that she leaned against a tree, arms crossed watching him as he muttered under his breath and tore into the post for all he was worth.

He was moving with a great deal more grace than he had so long ago and Anko was almost startled at the changes she was noticing. When he finally came to a stop, he was panting and she grinned slightly. "So, feel better now?"

Naruto turned eyes wide and then he frowned. "Go away,"

"Why?" Anko asked, arching an eyebrow. "I like watching exercises in futility."

"Anko," Naruto said warningly.

"That's my name," Anko said with a shrug, "So, do you feel better now or what?"

"It's none of your business," Naruto snapped.

"Heh, see this is the thing. I think you're wrapped up in your own little tragic play, like you're the only one that's got a reason to be prissy or angry..."

Naruto glared at her silently and then looked away, fists clenching and unclenching. "I just figured..."

"That it wouldn't hurt so much if you were alone? That you wouldn't have to think about it if you trained until you passed out?" Anko finished for him, crossing her own arms. "That will never happen."

"But it hurts," Naruto said in a low voice, turning to look at her. "Didn't they love me? Or want me? Maybe they didn't die, maybe they just abandoned me? If they did died, why or how could they just leave me?... I... I pretend it doesn't hurt, but its like..."

"Give me your arm," Anko said abruptly, pulling a kunai from inside her jacket. Seeing his hesitation, she fixed him with a glare. "Come on, just give me the damn arm."

Hesitating slightly, because Anko + kunai + his arm nothing good, he offered it up and then watched curiously as she grabbed his hand while shoving the sleeve up to expose his forearm. He opened his mouth to say something when she looked up at him in a way that made him pause in fascination.

"What I'm going to do will hurt like a mother fucker," Anko explained. "You'll want to yank your arm away, and you will probably cry... But, this helped me not too long ago. So, just sit still, suck it up, and let's see how much of a Hokage you really are."

Naruto blinked, then, with a nod, looked at his arm. He tensed when the cold tip touched his flesh, then winced as it slowly pierced his skin. He had to bite his lip, tried hard not to cry and to keep from looking away as the kunai slowly cut line after line into his arm.

Anko was intent, and she moved with a careful precision that was both frightening and reassuring.

It seemed to go on for hours, him trying hard not to cry and failing, her slicing his arm and not caring. Then, finally, she was finished. The metal was removed, and he pulled his arm in to cradle it against his jacket, ignoring the blood that was leaking all over him.

"Here," Anko said, and he looked up to see her offering a rag of some type. Grasping it, he pressed it against his arm and then looked up at her once more, watching as she produced a bottle of sake and watched him. "You know, I screamed my head off when I did that... Might have been because I was doing it myself and had to keep stopping because of the pain."

Naruto only stared and then, in a sort of horrible fascination, looked at his arm and the rag covering it. He had watched, sure, but the pain had made him unable to figure out what she was carving into his flesh. Hesitantly, he moved the rag, smearing the blood, and studied what she had carved into his flesh.

It took him a moment to fully register the familiarly- stylized Konoha leaf symbol, and another to wonder at how it seemed to be healing already. Looking up, he saw her shaking back one of her sleeves to reveal and arm sporting her own Konoha leaf.

"It makes no sense, does it? Why did I carve that into your arm? My arm?" Anko said, fixing him with her stare while setting her sake down in front of him. "It's a symbol, like our forehead protectors. It reminds us of everything we've lost, everything we have, and our dreams. For us, this village... is pretty much all we have. Never forget or let the bastards win."

"Never give up," Naruto said firmly. "I'm going to be Hokage; I will never stop."

"I know," Anko said, smirking. "Now, then... I think its high time you got drunk!"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked. "But I'm underage..."

"That only matters if you're a villager," Anko countered, her smirk becoming sadistically evil. "You're a ninja."

"But sake doesn't taste good," Naruto countered.

"Then do this," Anko said, picking the bottle up before she pinched her nose and tossed her head back, chugging for a moment before handing it to him.

Naruto blinked, sniffed the bottle and then, seeing her attention on him, he pinched his nose and tossed his head back, chugging as she had. He was surprised that it was going so fast that he couldn't even taste it, but he could definitely feel the warmth already... Finishing the bottle, he stared at her, his grin slightly lopsided.

Anko chuckled and produced another bottle.

"Oi, where do you keep those..."

"Oh," Anko said, uncorking it, a coy smile on her face, "we girls have all sorts of hiding places."

Naruto had the grace to blush, for once getting exactly what she meant.

Yûhi Kurenai was fighting her nerves; after all, this would be her first team to enter the Chûnin exams. True, they still had a week left, but she was still nervous. Her team was not exactly happy with her new training regimen, either. Kiba had been skipping a lot, and Sakura trained only because Sasuke deemed it worth while to show up. Sasuke was the only one that was willing to train, but, then again, he was an Uchiha, and they were pre-disposed toward combat.

Shaking it all off, Kurenai at least took comfort in the fact that she had managed to pry Naruto from Anko's sadistic and corrupting clutches. Hayate was a good man, upstanding and well grounded, a very good ninja. Naruto would now at least have a chance at a normal- Well, no genin was normal really- childhood.

Still, it was the least she could do for her village and for an innocent child.

Then, all of her pride and righteous satisfaction was destroyed in one fell swoop as she entered the training area to find Anko passed out on the ground.

With Naruto's head resting on her chest.

Amid countless empty sake bottles.

Kiba was the first of her team to arrive, for once, and he paused beside her, his tone awed as he took in the scene. "I have never wanted to be Naruto so badly..." He paused as Akamaru barked, then nodded slightly in agreement with the white small dog perched on his head. "Then again..."

"She... They...All this..." Kurenai managed weakly, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Sakura and Sasuke were the next to arrive, both freezing in their tracks.

"HE'S UNDERAGE! AND HER SKIRT IS TOO SHORT!" Sakura railed, in a surprisingly accurate depiction of a younger Kurenai's likely reaction.

Sasuke, on the other hand, took in the entire scene, then snorted. "They deserve each other,"

With that, Naruto promptly rolled over and buried his face into Anko's chest with a small snore, the empty sake bottle he had been hold falling to the ground.

AN:

Below are a few notes to clear things up...

1) Yes Naruto now has a scar. Yes I know that scars occur when your body can't produce cells in proper alignment to bridge a gap. I know I gave Naruto regeneration instead of advanced healing, which would mean he couldn't scar.

However, since we all know the Kyûbi is in control of the healing process... and that Anko and Naruto tried to drink each other under the table -feasible, since Naruto's system would probably burn the alchohol out quickly- it's safe to assume that, after the hundredth attempt on Anko's part to recarve the symbol on his arm, the Kyûbi would just give in and be done with it.

2) The amount of bloodloss he would suffer is up for debate; since he regenerates, he can regenerate the blood cells, but the water would be something else... And, since alcohol is diuretic, he's going to have the mother of all hangovers in the morning (since hangover symptoms are mostly from dehydration). Still, it is possible that Naruto could regenerate the blood he loses quickly enough.

3) Before you argue with me about the Kyûbi making Naruto unable to get drunk... bull. Making him immune to poison, okay that's a gimme. Keeping him from getting alcohol poisoning, sure. However, the Kyûbi is a very vindictive and vicious being; therefore, I can easily see the beast letting Naruto get drunk. It just takes more... Which is worth it, in the Kyûbi's humble opinion because of the massive hangover that will follow.

4) Don't agree with me? Tough, my universe, my rules.

Omake: Why? Cause of Sasuke's line...I would love to see this in a comic format!

Still, it was the least she could do for her village and for an innocent child.

Then, all of her pride and righteous satisfaction was destroyed in one fell swoop as she entered the training area to find Anko passed out on the ground.

With Naruto's head resting on her chest.

Amid countless bottles of sake.

"She... They...All this..." Kurenai managed weakly, unable to believe what she was seeing.

Sakura and Sasuke were the next to arrive, both freezing in their tracks.

"HE'S UNDERAGE! AND HER SKIRT IS TOO SHORT!" Sakura railed, in a surprisingly accurate depiction of a younger Kurenai's likely reaction.

Sasuke, on the other hand, took in the entire scene, and then snorted. "Damn it, where's my big chested whore?!"

Kurenai turned to stare at the black -haired prodigy, as did a horrified Sakura and an amused Kiba. They were promptly interrupted by Anko, who sat up, shoved Naruto off her chest, and glared at him. "Well, if you want to see what me and Naruto did last night..."

Kurenai rounded on the other woman immediately, face pale. "Anko! Have you no shame? It's not bad enough you corrupt your own students, you have to do that to mine?!"

"Sa-Sasuke-kun say no!" Sakura added.

"Dude... You say no, and I will kick your ass!" Kiba shouted, along with a bark of agreement from Akamaru.

"omeh?" Naruto managed, sitting up, clutching at his head furiously. Then, looking around, he stared at the four and snorted. "Can you keep it down? Anko really wore me out last night."

"Aww, you didn't enjoy yourself?" Anko pouted, slipping an arm around his shoulder.

"I didn't say that," Naruto defended with a grin.

"Sasuke, if you don't say yes to her offer, no one's gonna find the body!" Kiba nearly shouted in hysterics.

"...as if I would dirty myself with a woman like her," Sasuke managed disdainfully.

"Ooooh, wrong thing to say Sasuke-kun," Naruto mockingly said, with an unpleasant smirk.

"Now I'm definitely demonstrating!" Anko shouted, jumping to her feet, a kunai in her hand.

"Anko! You can not assault my students just because one of them insults you!" Kurenai shouted, moving between her students and the older woman.

"...Okay, you're my demonstration partner!" Anko said, eyes glinting.

"SCORE!" Kiba shouted, as obviously ecchi thoughts raced through his head, causing his nose to spurt blood, and his prompt loss of consciousness.

"What the hell is wrong with you people!?!?" Sakura shouted, hoping that nobody noticed her blush or could hear her Inner Sakura cheering as she echoed Kiba's 'SCORE!' and ecchi thoughts.