"You can't stop loving or wanting to love because when its right, it's the best thing in the world. When you're in a relationship and it's good, even if nothing else in your life is right, you feel like your whole world is complete." -Keith Sweat
Chapter 20: What? and Training
Naruto and Kurenai sat on his tattered old couch, Naruto had made some tea for the two to sip at as they faced each other. Naruto had been slightly ashamed that he only had chipped cups to offer his sensei, and, now that he admitted it to himself, possible love interest, but Kurenai had quickly waved it off after commenting on how good the tea tasted.
Naruto nervously glanced at Kurenai as she took another sip of her tea. They had been sitting here for a few minutes but Kurenai hadn't attempted to start a conversation, seemingly comfortable enough to sit there and just sip at her tea for now. As she did this, Naruto's eyes were constantly darting around.
The reason for this was that Naruto was experiencing what he had felt during the Academy with Sakura. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes from locking on Kurenai's face and allowing him to stare at her as she sat there sipping her tea. It was a fight he had lost horribley with Sakura since he was so damn bored in classes but, here, he was keeping his interest on other things through sheer willpower but he was starting to lose his control as his eyes subconsciously panned over to Kurenai's sitting form.
Finally, after what seemed like torturous hours to Naruto, Kurenai set her cup down and faced Naruto, her eyes panned around the room as she turned to face him, he missed the narrowing of her eyes, "Your apartment is in need of some repairs, Naruto-kun." she said.
Naruto smiled, "I know, but I couldn't afford the repairs before now, and honestly, I don't need it fixed since I'm gone so much while I'm on missions." he said as he looked at his house, "I haven't gotten around to it." he said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Kurenai nodded, "I see, well then, care to explain?" she said as she eyed his body and longer hair.
Naruto looked down, wondering what to tell her, especially since he hadn't told his Jiji the truth, when Kyuubi actually spoke up, "Tell her the truth, She has helped you the most and she is obviously concerned about it." Just as Naruto blinked in surprise at the concern Kyuubi had displayed, the thoughts of gratitude were quickly crushed by Kyuubi's continuance,"I don't want your instruction in illusions to waver, I have my pride as a kitsune to consider and you cannot be inferior to any other illusion users." it stated in its arrogant tone. Naruto sweatdropped but agreed with the great Kitsune.
So, Naruto opened his mouth, "While my team was in the Forest of Death, we were attacked by Orochimaru." he said, to which Kurenai nodded, she had heard his 'official' explanation but she knew Naruto was hiding something, "Well, he hit my Kage Bunshin with something when I was escaping, I don't remember the technique but I do know that it disrupted my chakra enough to launch me into my mindscape." he said, to which Kurenai's eyes widened slightly, "I met the Kyuubi." Kurenai tensed, looking at Naruto with some trepidation, "It was actually quite civil as compared to what the world thought of it. Quite intelligent as well, if a bit arrogant." he said with a shrug, to Kurenai slight smile at how he talked about the world's most feared beast.
"Watch it brat! I may be stuck in this damn seal but I can still make your life hell!" the Kyuubi yelled from its cage. Naruto grimaced slightly from the mental pain but waved Kurenai's questioning gaze off.
"It can communicate with me but it can't do anything beyond that, now that I'm aware of it." he said, leaving out that the Kyuubi could give him a massive headache and some pains in his body, he didn't want to worry them since it was really nothing debilitating, "After I met it, which resulted in the two of us coming to a... understanding, would be the best way to put it." he said, which caused Kurenai to narrow her eyes, "A very limited pact which leads to me having a better access and limit to its youki while it will stop the youki that has been interfering with my bloodline." he said, which caused Kurenai to give him a look of consternation, Naruto continued before she could speak against him, "According to the Kyuubi, the seal has been giving my bloodline its youki to heal my body, leading to this." Naruto said as he waved at his broadened chest, thicker and longer arms along with his hair.
Seeing Kurenai's puzzled look, Naruto frowned, "My bloodline's regeneration from the Uzumaki's, as you remember, right Kurenai?" he asked, to which Kurenai nodded, "Apparently, instead of using my chakra to regenerate my body, it's been using the Kyuubi's youki because of the seal." Kurenai's eyes seemed to gain a glint of understanding, "As a result, it's matured some of my body past the age it should be such as the longer arms and broadened chest. So far, I haven't seen anything to suggest it's been lying or hasn't told me the complete truth so I believe it." Naruto said, to which Kurenai nodded.
"Has anyone inspected the seal Naruto-kun?" she asked, concern in her voice.
"Jiji checked it earlier today and said it was completely fine, another reason to believe the Kyuubi so far." Naruto said after having nodded, "So, my body will look a bit unproportioned for now but I think this can be used as an advantage, so I'm not complaining." he said, until he felt his hair tickle his leg from its length, "Though I think I need to get a haircut, this hair is more annoying than I thought it would be when I went and had a bath today. I don't know how you stand it." he said as he looked down at his hair.
Kurenai smiled at him, before shifting her body and leaning across him to grasp a bit of his hair in her own hands, letting the almost fur-like mane of hair to run through her hands as she said, "I think you should leave it long Naruto-kun, it suits you." she said as her hands played with his locks. Naruto blushed slightly, the closeness of her movement along with an odd tone in her voice leading to his reaction, but nodded.
"I still think its too long." he said through his blush.
Kurenai cast a sidelong glance at his face and her own smile widened as she whispered to him, "But, I like it longer." she said quietly. Naruto's blush deepened and he nodded again, struck dumb by how close she was and the smell that was invading his nostrils.
Naruto's eyes locked on Kurenai's face as her eyes transferred back to his hand, her attention solely on the feel of the hair in her hand. Naruto's attention was brought to her curly black hair, the scent of her fruity shampoo invading his nose. His eyes trailed from the top of her head to her creamy skin which stretched over her forehead, his mind quickly brought up the feel of her soft fingers upon his body as they had sparred. He shivered lightly as his eyes traveled down to her wine red eyes, the same pair of eyes that had captivated him ever since their first meeting, even if he hadn't allowed himself to be conscious of that thought until today. Following the contour of her face, he saw her small nose expanding and contracting slightly as she breathed. Finally, Naruto's eyes spotted her luscious red lips, spotting a bit of her red lipstick sitting on them, odd that her eyes didn't have any of her normal eyeliner but Naruto brushed that thought aside.
Naruto felt a compulsion come over him as his mind returned to the picture of her lips, those luscious and soft lips that had pressed themselves onto his own skin a mere week ago. His lips trembled as he remembered the softness and warmth that her lips brought to him. His heart leapt up into his throat as he saw her face turn to him, her hand falling from his locks and supporting her weight as she settled herself face to face with him, a scant few centimeters away. His mind seemed to blank out as Naruto saw Kurenai fully face him, her lips open to speak and, before Naruto comprehended what he had done, his face lurched forward, his lips capturing her own open ones in a sloppy, yet slightly passionate kiss.
Naruto's eyes were open as he pressed his lips onto Kurenai's he saw her eyes widen but he decided to enjoy the feeling that he had missed for the past week, his eyes closing in pleasure as he concentrated on how her lips melded with his own. Her warmth was amazing as sparks flew in Naruto's mind, the softness of her skin frying his pleasure centers with feelings he had never fully experienced. Naruto breathed through his nose as his lips went into an almost insinctual dance with Kurenai's, his mouth opening slightly and slightly sucking on her open bottom lip. He moaned into the kiss as he slowly drew himself back, pulling Kurenai's lip with him for a scant second before letting go and opening his eyes, glazed over with the pleasure he had just experienced.
Of course, once his eyes opened, he was met with Kurenai's own eyes, which led to him opening his eyes wide, a slight fear in them as he noticed Kurenai looking at him with... some emotion he couldn't quite place in his pleasure induced haze. His entire body tensed as he looked at Kurenai, wondering what her response was going to be from this, worried that she was going to tell him that he was a pervert and leave him with no teacher, worried that he was going to lose his first friend, and worried that the woman he liked would want nothing to do with him, just like with Sakura.
"Did you enjoy that?" Kurenai's voice floated to him as she looked at him with eyes that seemed to hold a fire within them. Naruto's fear filled nod was her answer, "Good... because..." she said slowly as she rested her hand back down from touching her lips to supporting her upper body above Naruto's, Naruto waited, tensed for the rejection he felt was coming, "I want to do that again." she said before her own lips crashed onto his, his eyes wide as Kurenai closed her own, reinitiating the kiss that Naruto had broken off. Naruto stared, wide-eyed at Kurenai for a few moments, until his brain registered those pleasureable feelings again and Kurenai sucked on his own bottom lip, moaning into the kiss herself.
Naruto pushed his head forward, creating a pleasurable pressure between the two as their lips moved in circles, massaging each other's lips and Kurenai sucked on Naruto's lower lip. The two remained lip locked for a good minute before they broke apart, Kurenai's eyes half-lidded and Naruto panting from air.
Kurenai's eyes locked with his own, a smile on her face as Naruto hesitantly smiled back, before asking, "W-what does this make us?" he asked, a slight tone of fear in his voice despite the two kisses they had just shared, Kurenai didn't even seem bothered by the question as she laid her forehead against his own, both feeling their partner's breaths tickling their skin.
"What do you think?" she asked quietly as she closed her eyes, that smile still on her face.
Naruto was quiet for a few moments, hesitation setting in and fear of saying the wrong thing staying his usually blunt way of speaking, before, "Boyfriend/Girlfriend?" he asked with a bit of trepidation and slight hope in his voice.
Kurenai giggled, "Is that what you want Naruto-kun?" she asked with some humor in her voice, and, dare Naruto hope, some acceptance and hope of her own, "To be my boyfriend?" she asked.
Naruto gulped, his open eyes locked on her own closed ones, noting the smile on her face, Naruto answered again, his voice no longer plagued with hesitation or trepidation, "Yes." he said, his voice showing his will. Kurenai's smile widened almost imperceptibly.
"Then..." she said, her own eyes slowly opening and locking with his own, her hand coming up and being placed in his golden locks once again, "Your hair is staying just like it is, your new girlfriend likes it like that." she said as she ran her hand through his hair and nipped his lips with her own when she announced that.
Naruto's hesitation disappeared, his tense body relaxed as his eyes shone with a happiness he had never felt before in his life. His hands came up behind Kurenai, wrapping them around her body, he crushed her to himself, Kurenai's slightly surprised yelp bringing a chuckle to his own mouth. Tears gathered at the edge of his eyes but he smiled brightly at Kurenai as he said, "Whatever my girlfriend wants." he said with the brightest smile he could manage. Kurenai seemed concerned for a few seconds before she smiled happily at him.
The two embraced each other as they enjoyed being so close to the person they both liked. Naruto and Kurenai both had bright smiles as they meshed their bodies together, enjoying the feelings that such closeness brought to themselves. All too soon, however, Naruto felt the time wearing on and he slowly released Kurenai, allowing her to sit back up, withdrawing from him. He swiped the few tears away from his eyes, tears of happiness that he never shed, and smiled again at her. "I think we should get to bed, Jiraiya-sennin wanted us up kinda early tomorrow." he said, a small note of unhappiness marring his otherwise happy face.
Kurenai's smile faltered slightly but she nodded, standing up as Naruto did so. She and Naruto walked to his door, stepping into the Genkan(1), and Kurenai slipped her sandals back on. She turned to Naruto, who looked saddened she had to leave, and a small grin worked its way across her face. She leaned down, pushing Naruto's head up with her own forehead, so their eyes met and she whispered again, that same tone which had sent shivers down his spine present, her breath tickling his lips, "Goodnight Naruto-kun."
Naruto's eyes widened slightly as Kurenai's lips gently pressed against his own for a few seconds before they disappeared and Kurenai's gleaming wine red eyes were the last thing he saw before she disappeared in a shunshin. Naruto stayed standing there, looking at where she had disappeared for a few moments before he smiled, his heart soaring as he ran into his room and flung himself onto his bed, a happy sigh leaving his lips as he closed his eyes, drifting off into dreams filled with Kurenai's eyes and body.
Naruto woke the next morning, stretching his body with a happy smile stretched across his face. He went through his morning ritual, brushing his teeth, washing his face, making sure that he looked presentable before grabbing a comb that he had almost never used and meticulously combing it through his spiky locks, taking care of any knots in his hair. He put the comb down and exited his bathroom, heading to his room, he quickly pulled on his clothes, noticing that his now broader chest actually filled out his shirt better than his slightly smaller frame, somehow stretching despite the fact that it had been tight against his smaller, previous chest size, it felt quite comfortable against his wider chest.
Naruto ate a quick breakfast consisting of a banana along with some oatmeal before looking at the time and walking to his genkan, slipping his sandals on and opening the door, ready to go meet his two senseis at the village gate. He was stopped however, as he saw his girlfriend, hand raised to knock on his door as he opened it. He looked up at her, slightly surprised before smiling.
"Ohayo, Kurenai-chan." he said.
"Ohayo, Naruto-kun." she replied, a small smile on her face. A small space of silence descended on the two until Kurenai spoke again, "Uh, can we speak inside Naruto-kun? I need to talk to you about something." she said hesitantly.
Naruto's smile turned into a grin and he nodded, stepping aside so she could step inside. Once she did, he closed the door and went to take his sandals off but Kurenai stopped him, "This won't take long Naruto-kun. Besides, we need to meet Jiraiya-sama soon." she said as Naruto looked up at her.
"So, what's wrong Kurenai-chan?" Naruto asked curiously.
Kurenai took a deep breath as if steeling herself for something before she locked eyes with Naruto, "I don't want you to take this the wrong way Naruto-kun, but..." she trailed off suddenly looking even more hesitant, until Naruto reached out, gently taking her hand and grasping it, giving her a reassuring look, she took another breath and spoke, "I would like to keep our relationship secret." she said quickly, causing Naruto to blink and tilt his head as if he was trying to comprehend what she had just said.
When he finally did, his hold on Kurenai's hand relaxed but he didn't let go, "Why?" he asked, a tone of hurt in his voice.
Kurenai sighed and looked at him with a slightly hurt look as well, "What you don't really know, Naruto-kun, is that most ninja relationships are kept between the couple to avoid trouble." she said, sounding like she disliked this as well, "Our lives are so full of danger already, we have to worry about our own enemies day and night with very little time for rest, just imagine if some powerful ninja suddenly started going out with another powerful ninja, both of their enemies would be attempting to take hostage or kill their partners just to harm the other." Kurenai said with pleading in her eyes for him to understand her position, "Imagine if, someone like the Yondaime, would have publicly announced that he was marrying a kunoichi, can you picture the amount of enemies that kunoichi would suddenly have?" she asked with slight fear in her eyes, "I don't have that many enemies Naruto-kun, but I couldn't bear the thought of someone hurting you just to get to me." she said as she gripped his hand in her own.
Naruto looked down, sadness in his posture as he shook his head slowly, after a few moments of thinking, he looked back up at Kurenai, eyes full of that emotion he had last night as he answered, "So, we can't show our new relationship out in public..." she nodded, "But, in here or your house, or when we are alone... is that okay?" he asked hesitantly.
Kurenai smiled down at him, "Of course Naruto-kun." she said as she leaned down and kissed him once again. The two kissed chastely for a few seconds before they broke apart, each holding smiles on their faces.
"Okay, so I have to call you Kurenai-sensei in public." he said with a nod of his head, then let go of her hand, "Let's go meet Jiraiya-sennin then, Kurenai-sensei." Naruto said as he opened his door again, allowing Kurenai to step past him and close the door behind the two as they headed off to the village gates.
Naruto and Kurenai came into sight of the village gates just as the streets began to fill with people. Naruto was happy that they had avoided the majority of the population, he didn't want to mar his time with his new girlfriend, whom he quickly snuck a glance at, with glares. Naruto's whole countenance spoke of his happiness, even if he didn't smile, no one could miss the way he walked, it was eerily remniscient of when he had accomplished some great prank on the village.
Naruto noticed that Kurenai seemed marginally happier too. Even if she didn't show it as much as he did, he noticed the slightly higher steps she took along with the incline of her lips as her wine red eyes watched the road in front of them. She was also more relaxed than Naruto had seen her in quite a bit of time. Naruto's face broke into a grin as the two reached the village gates and positioned themselves close enough together to be acquantainces yet far enough to not be anything more. He was happy to simply spend some more time in her presence, which she seemed to share as she turned her eyes to him, flashing him a small smile before returning to her previous position.
Of course, their quiet was broken when the two gate guards spoke, "Yo, Naruto!" the voice cried out. Naruto looked up, from where he had been standing, spotting two people he knew pretty well, he cast a glance at Kurenai before walking over to the guardhouse.
"Ohayo, Izumo-san, Kotetsu-san." he said with a small smile on his face.
In the guardhouse were two people, both of whom were people who looked like older versions of the two kids that had been blocking the second floor door back before the first chuunin exam test. Kotetsu was leaning forward, having been the one who called Naruto over, and Izumo was keeping a weather eye on the road leading to the Village, obviously keeping his duty complete even as he waved to Naruto.
"Ohayo, Naruto." Izumo said in reply, "Kotetsu, you need to pay attention to the forest, I can't do this by myself." he admonished his partner.
"Oh lighten up, this is Naruto here! I want to know what changed him." Kotetsu replied as he turned back to Naruto, even Izumo let a eye travel over to Naruto, "So?" Kotetsu said as he raised an eyebrow in question.
Naruto rubbed the back of his head, these two always appreciated his pranks so he knew the two in a acquantaince sort of way. As such, they had always talked to him when they had some time, just giving him a bit of companionship with their limited amount of time. Of course, that hadn't amounted to much, but Naruto still liked the two 'Immortal Chunin' as they were proclaimed by others. "Uh... actually," Naruto looked over his shoulder, looking at Kurenai, who was watching the exchange with an impassive look, Kotetsu grinned and Izumo's eyes widened as Naruto turned back to them, "I found a teacher, and she sorta took it on herself to change me." he said with a nervous chuckle.
Kotetsu chuckled, "Good for you, getting Yuuhi Kurenai, the 'Ice Queen' herself, man you are one unpredictable and lucky son of a bitch." he said as he eyed Kurenai. Naruto flushed, thinking of the relationship he had with her that they didn't even know about.
"Be careful Naruto, she's called the 'Ice Queen' for a reason." Izumo said as he eyed Naruto's blush, then turned back to the road. Naruto was slightly touched by the concern Izumo had for him, though the two chunin had never done much to help him, they had done more than almost anyone else so this show of compassion was a bit surprising since Naruto hadn't expected it. Naruto looked at Izumo for a second, also feeling something hidden about that statement that he couldn't pick up on before he nodded.
"Thanks, Izumo." Naruto said, Izumo turned and smiled at Naruto slightly.
"Man Naruto, you kicked ass in the Chunin Exams man, good job." Kotetsu said, causing Izumo to facepalm himself as he turned to watch the gates again and Kotetsu watched Naruto.
Naruto chuckled, "Well, it is all because of Kurenai-sensei's teachings, that Genjutsu was pathetic by the way Kotetsu." he said as he glared slightly at the older man.
Kotetsu looked affronted, "Hey! That Genjutsu was capable of fooling those weak little genins, how was I supposed to know you would get training by THE 'Genjutsu Mistress' herself?" he defended.
"Well..." Naruto trailed off looking very serious, "I guess I can let it slide this time, just don't let me find you making such weak Genjutsu ever again!" Naruto said with a smile. Izumo couldn't hold his laughter anymore as he burst out laughing, leaving Kotetsu to huff and sit back in his seat. "I think I should rejoin Kurenai-sensei, my other sensei should be here soon." Naruto said as he turned and made his way away from them, when Kotetsu registered what he said.
"Wait a minute! Who's your other teacher!" Kotetsu asked. Naruto just turned and smirked at the two as he continued walking forward, eventually reaching Kurenai's side and resuming his position from before.
"I didn't know you knew Kotetsu and Izumo." Kurenai said quietly. Naruto smiled.
"They'd talk to me and help me out after some of my pranks." he explained, "They also liked my pranks so they were nice to me. It just sort of evolved from random meetings to them taking some time out to come talk to me when they didn't have guard duty." he said as he closed his eyes. Kurenai didn't say anything else and the two stood there for another two minutes before Naruto turned to the street leading from Konoha.
Kurenai turned behind him just as Jiraiya's tall stature and white hair made themselves known in the middle of a crowd, making his way towards them, his geta creating small tuffs of dust from the dirt road. Jiraiya had a small smile on his face as he walked towards Naruto and Kurenai, his eyes almost instantly roving Kurenai's body, sizing her up. Naruto narrowed his eyes as Kurenai unnoticeably bristled as Jiraiya approached them and greeted Kurenai, "Well, hello Kurenai-chan, its been much too long since I was graced by your beauty." he said with a wriggle of his eyebrows.
"Keep your eyes off my sensei ero-sennin." Naruto growled out, not liking how Jiraiya looked at Kurenai. Jiraiya looked down, a bit surprised at Naruto as Kurenai smirked at the nickname Naruto gave Jiraiya.
"Tch, can't a man greet a beautiful woman without being assumed a pervert?" Jiraiya asked with an innocent look on his face as his eyes discreetly darted back to Kurenai's breasts.
"Not when I caught said man peeping in the hot springs just yesterday," Naruto retorted quickly, which caused Kurenai to narrow her eyes at the man, "Now, let's get to training before Kurenai-sensei puts you in her pervert Genjutsu." he said with a smirk as Kurenai grinned evilly. Jiraiya looked between the two for a few seconds, apparently deciding if he should risk it and then shook his head.
"Well then, lets head out, we will return before nightfall." Jiraiya said as he jumped into the trees, quickly disappearing into the foliage, followed quickly by Kurenai. Naruto turned, smirking at the gaping Kotetsu and Izumo, waved cheekily at them before disappearing into the foliage, following his sensei's chakra trails.
Jiraiya stopped by a river, the banks allowing for a clearing of decent size to be present even with all of the deep foliage surrounding the area. Kurenai dropped down next to him, her breathing slightly labored but nothing that was immediately noticeable as she set her impassive gaze on Jiraiya.
Jiraiya smiled at her, "A gaze worthy of your title, 'Ice Queen' Kurenai." he said as he looked at her.
"I wish I could say it is a pleasure to meet you Jiraiya-sama, but I don't particularly like lying to fellow Konoha ninja." she said in response. Jiraiya just smirked, knowing the women's population didn't really like him.
"Aww, don't be like that Kurenai-chan," he said, wiggling his eyebrows, "I'm sure I could find some reason for it to have been a pleasure." he said suggestively. Kurenai blanched back, looking disgusted before going through a few handseals and Jiraiya was suddenly standing in front of her with a blank gaze while his eyes widened.
Naruto dropped down next to Kurenai just as Jiraiya's hands shot up to his eyes and he started to scream. Naruto sweatdropped, "How bad was he? I was only behind you guys by like 5 seconds." he said in an exasperated tone. Kurenai shrugged as she smirked at Jiraiya, who was now rolling on the ground in pain.
This continued for another three minutes until Naruto looked at Kurenai, "Okay Kurenai-chan, please release him, he may be a pervert but he is still a good ninjutsu teacher, besides I need him to be able to teach." he said with a chuckle as Kurenai smiled at Naruto, before releasing the Genjutsu and both Naruto and herself smirked at the suddenly quiet Sannin.
"T-that was cruel Kurenai-chan." Jiraiya said weakly, "a Genjutsu with Gai and Kakashi doing... things. Extremely cruel." Jiraiya said as shudders wracked his body.
"That should stop you from doing such things in my presence, Jiraiya-sama." Kurenai said with mirth in her voice, though the tone of steel underlying it made her point. Jiraiya nodded emphatically as Naruto looked around.
"So," Naruto said, drawing his sensei's looks, "What're we doing here?" he asked as he looked at Jiraiya.
"Well, first..." Jiraiya said as he stood up and patted himself down, "I need to know what you can do, that was the reason I had you bring Kurenai along." he said as he looked at Kurenai. Kurenai nodded. Naruto felt a bit nervous as he waited for Kurenai to give an evaluation of him. He hadn't ever heard of what Kurenai thought of his skills or what he could do.
"We have been training mainly in Genjutsu, which is definitely his strong point at this time." she said as she thought deeply, "Obviously, he is capable of affecting multiples targets, something that Genjutsu users usually have trouble with because of the mental capacity but he is capable of enrapturing more people than even I can, partly because he has the chakra but also because of the way his mind works, he is capable of multitasking to a point that I have never seen before." she praised as she smiled at Naruto, "I'm a bit surprised that he was capable of using his own Genjutsu so soon, as his moniker states, that Genjutsu was much more chakra intensive and I have a feeling that Naruto more forced the chakra onto the bandits than actually invading their chakra coils. Any experienced shinobi would have been able to easily dispel it because of this." she theorized. Naruto looked down, a bit disappointed but Jiraiya nodded his head, that was expected with moderate chakra control, Naruto knew how to implant the illusion but he hadn't invaded someone's mind to do it but merely altered their senses by forcing it over their own input, something that was dangerous and unreliable as ninja would be capable of sensing this and easily dispelling it.
"However, his chakra control has severely improved since then, I wouldn't be surprised if he was capable of taking on those thugs again by himself and being capable of doing the Genjutsu correctly this time." she complimented, which caused Naruto to smile and look up at her.
"What chakra control do you know Naruto?" Jiraiya asked.
"Surface clinging and water walking, but I managed to adapt the leaf floating exercise to suit my larger chakra, would you like to see?" Naruto asked, to which Jiraiya nodded. Naruto walked over to a bush, quickly pulling a leaf off of the bush, he put it on his forehead, sticking it to his forehead with chakra. He then pushed the chakra flow to below the leaf, and slowly started to overload his chakra up at the top of the leaf, forcing it down and onto the chakra which was below it, making the leaf seem as if it had just moved down Naruto's face. "I can do this with up to 6 leaves at this point, simultaneously." Naruto said as Jiraiya's jaw dropped and Kurenai's eyebrows raised into her black curls.
Jiraiya then smiled, as if he had won an award and motioned for Kurenai to continue her compilation, "He has made three of his own Genjutsu, more of which we are working on getting the handseals down but we have been waylaid until recently. Those Genjutsu in his arsenal make him almost as dangerous as myself with his cunning mind and the capability of casting Genjutsu with his more potent chakra. Of course, any experienced Genjutsu user will be capable of countering him but anyone without a proper Genjutsu training will easily fall prey to his techniques." Kurenai said as she finished, "Then, we trained his speed, he currently has weights on that are much heavier than I think they should be but his body adapts incredibly fast, we assume this is because of the Kyuubi and his bloodlines." Kurenai said, which caught Jiraiya's notice.
"What bloodlines?" he asked, a note of curiousness in his voice.
"He is from the Uzumaki clan Jiraiya-sama..." Kurenai began, to which Jiraiya held his hand up.
"Which ones do you have?" he asked as he looked at Naruto.
"Sensor and Body." Naruto answered after a pause. Jiraiya smirked, almost as if he had just hit a jackpot. He motioned for Kurenai to continue.
"Anyways, he is almost as fast as myself with his weights off, which means he is faster than anyone in the exam, except perhaps that Rock Lee." she said, to which Jiraiya nodded.
"So, you built him to be able to get away from his opponent?" he asked, to which Kurenai nodded. "Anything else?" he asked.
Kurenai thought for a moment before shaking her head, "Only that he would be a solid chuunin level with some decent ninjutsu, and a taijutsu style. As it is right now, he is a high genin level only because he is lacking in those two areas." she finished with a smile.
Jiraiya nodded again, "Anything to add Naruto?" he asked.
"I know Fuuton: Daitoppa and Fuuton: Kamaitachi. Nothing else." he added as he looked at Jiraiya.
"How did you learn those?" Kurenai asked curiously.
"Ummm, kinda watched Asuma-sensei perform them in team training one day and sorta picked it up." he said as he rubbed his head.
"You saw a jutsu once and managed to recreate it?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto just nodded his head. "That's impressive brat, even if the ones you copied aren't all that difficult but still impressive." Jiraiya praised. Naruto smiled and even Kurenai nodded her agreement, "So, any idea what type of jutsu you would like to learn?" he asked. Naruto cocked his head to the side, slightly confused.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Jiraiya sighed, "I mean, do you want offensive, defensive, or supplementary?" he asked, "and do you want elemental jutsu or generic chakra types?" Naruto's face turned down obviously in thought as he placed a hand to his chin. Naruto thought for a few minutes before Jiraiya seemed to get impatient, "Do you know your chakra affinity?" he asked.
Naruto looked up, that confused look back, Kurenai sighed, "He means, that different chakra feeling that you would get if you stared at a chakra for too long Naruto-kun. It's something I hadn't told him about yet and I doubt Kakashi has told anyone other than the Uchiha about it." she said as she spoke to the both of them.
Jiraiya frowned, "Well, chakra affinities aren't usually trained yet so... Does your team already know their affinities Kurenai?" he asked, to which Kurenai nodded. Naruto frowned.
"Anyways," Jiraiya said, seeing Naruto's frown, "chakra affinities show which of the five main elements that a person's chakra is most attuned to. The five main elements are Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Lightning. These affinities also have a circular pattern that is associated with them in accordance with their weaknesses, in other words, Fire is strong against Wind, Wind is strong against Lightning, Lightning is strong against Earth, Earth is strong against Water, and Water is strong against Fire. Follow me?" Jiraiya said as he drew the circle in the ground for Naruto. Naruto nodded as he studied the circle.
"So that's why Sasuke's and my jutsu caused such an explosion, my wind enhanced his fire, right?" he asked, to which Jiraiya and Kurenai nodded with small smiles. "Okay." he said.
"Now, even if you have a wind affinity, that doesn't mean you can't learn a lightning technique, it is just that wind techniques will come to you easier than a lightning technique. Understand?" Jiraiya asked, to which Naruto nodded again, "So, let's find out your affinity." Jiraiya then took out a piece of paper, handing it to Naruto, he said, "Channel some chakra into it, if it cuts, you're wind. If it burns, you're fire. If it crumbles away, you're earth. If it gets soggy, you're water. If it crumples up, you're lightning." Jiraiya explained. Naruto nodded and sent a bit of his potent chakra into the paper. His eye went wide as the paper split right down the middle, his finger being pricked and causing him to drop his paper from surprise.
"Hmm, wind eh? That's pretty rare in Konoha." Jiraiya said.
"Only Asuma and Hayate have that right?" Kurenai asked, to which Jiraiya nodded. "It explains why he was able to copy the wind ninjutsu though." she commented, again Jiraiya nodded.
"Well, wind is usually used for close to mid range combat, it is also the most offensive chakra affinity one can have." Jiraiya said, drawing Naruto's attention, "Of course, most of the jutsu for wind are attacks, the defensive jutsu for it is extremely powerful because of the rarity." he said as he rubbed his chin, "Of course, I think I know what I want to teach you Naruto." he smiled at Naruto, who looked curious.
"I have a few defensive jutsu that require for my hair to be as long as it is, they are incredibly useful as no one ever really expects for hair to become a weapon and the defensive jutsu I have would be very effective in allowing you to bypass physical attacks. I don't know why I didn't see that earlier." Jiraiya muttered to himself as the end. Naruto smiled as Kurenai smirked, sending Naruto an 'I told you so' look about his hair. "If you manage to perfect these, then I have one other thing I wish to teach you before the finals." Jiraiya said with a smile.
"Bring it on then, Jiraiya-sensei." he said with a grin.
"You may go now Kurenai-chan. Thank you for the help and analysis." Jiraiya said to Kurenai, a clear dismissal from his training session, Naruto frowned slightly but Kurenai nodded before jumping into the treeline and disappearing, Naruto following her chakra signature for a few minutes before she got out of range.
Naruto turned to Jiraiya, to see the man grinning at him, Naruto suddenly felt uncomfortable as Jiraiya spoke, "You fancy her huh?" he asked with a bit of amusement in his voice.
Naruto flushed but glared at Jiraiya, "So what if I do?" he asked with a blush still tinting his cheeks.
Jiraiya chuckled, "Nothing," he admitted as he held his hands up in defensive, "Just be careful, if one of your enemies notices how much you like her, they will do anything to hurt her just to get to you." he said with a seriousness that Naruto hadn't seen up until now. Naruto's eyes narrowed over at Jiraiya, feeling like Jiraiya was talking about someone or something Naruto didn't know about. But, ultimately, Naruto didn't say anything else about it.
"Why did you have Kurenai-sensei leave?" he asked.
"These jutsu I use are not known anywhere else, they're not written down even in the Forbidden Scroll." Jiraiya said while frowning, "Whom I teach them to are meant to be used by them and them alone, I expect you to refrain from teaching this technique to anyone else unless I give you permission or I'm killed and you're then the only user of said technique." Jiraiya said with a gleam in his eye, "I'm, essentially, taking you on as a temporary apprentice right now Naruto, and I expect you to follow my rules just as I would follow yours for any Genjutsu you would teach me that you had created." Jiraiya said, trying to make Naruto understand his point, by the nod of Naruto's head he knew he got his point across.
"I'm not trying to be mean about it, I wish for my techniques to pass only to those whom I deem worthy, just as you, one day, will do the same." he finished, to which Naruto nodded. "Now, are you ready?" he asked. Naruto's happy countenance faded into a cold impassive face as five Kage Bunshin appeared around Naruto before hopping into the foliage and positioning themselves in a radius around their temporary training grounds. Jiraiya raised an eyebrow, watching the shadow clones jump away before smiling, seemingly pleased with what Naruto had done.
"Okay, the first technique I'm going to teach to you is the basis for the rest of these techniques, watch closely, I'll demonstrate it only once." Jiraiya said as he began to go through handseals, Naruto watched, along with his bloodline as Jiraiya's chakra flowed through his body. "Ram-Rat-Snake, Hari Jizō(1)!" Jiraiya said as he landed on the snake handsign, Naruto saw as Jiraiya's long hair stretched out even more, chakra flowing to the follicles on Jiraiya's head, causing the hair to grow and extend all over Jiraiya's body so he looked like a porcupine of his white hair. The odd thing that Naruto felt was that the chakra that had been channeled to the follicles was now being channeled to Jiraiya's hair as well, the white hair spiked up as if ready to stab someone.
"Got a feel for the chakra usage, Naruto?" Jiraiya asked, Naruto nodded as he watched Jiraiya slowly release the technique, his hair shortening and slowly resuming its previous length and position, somehow the extra length just disappeared with the chakra being released. When his hair was reutrned to normal, Jiraiya looked at Naruto, "Well?" he asked.
Naruto scrunched his face up in thought, "I could feel you use chakra to stimulate the base of your hair to lengthen your hair so it covered your whole body, it was quite amazing but what confused me is what is the use of channeling chakra to your hair like that, it just looks like you grew your hair to cover yourself." Naruto said.
"Very good, you're experienced in using your bloodline to determine attacks." Jiraiya said, to which Naruto nodded. "Good, that is very useful in combat and will help to save you. As far as Hari Jizō is concerned however, you were close in what you said. The purpose for channeling chakra to my hair is it gives my hair strands the denseness and resiliency of needles. These needles serve as a defense system which can block most metal and thrown weapons, it also awards a slight resistance to elemental jutsu." Jiraiya explained, to which Naruto's eyes widened, this was a very useful jutsu especially if he got into close combat or had a long range fighter that he couldn't dodge in time. "Additionally, there is another jutsu that can be used while having Hari Jizō active, this is an attack that takes the hardened hairs and launches them at the opponent with similar damage as senbon needles, the name of this attack is Hari Jigoku(2) and I will be training you in this once you have mastered Hari Jizō." he said. Naruto smiled, excited about getting such a versatile jutsu. Jiraiya smiled as well, "You can see why I would 'nt want this jutsu to fall into just anyone's hands?" he asked, to which Naruto nodded.
"The hand seals to Hari Jizō are Tiger-Horse-Boar-Ram-Rat-Snake, get to work." Jiraiya said, to which Naruto adopted a serious expression and began to attempt the jutsu for the first time, going through the handseals, Naruto built up what he felt was an appropriate level of chakra and released it with the jutsu as Jiraiya watched. Naruto's eyes widened as he felt his hair lengthening, covering his whole body, he smiled as he felt it cover his body, starting to direct his chakra into his hair, he felt his hair continue to lengthen until he was literally drowning in his hair. Naruto flushed as he stopped channeling chakra and his hair slowly withdrew back into himself, to see Jiraiya standing there with a smirk on his face. Jiraiya turned and began to walk away as he spoke, "I'm going researching, come find me when you have it mastered." he said as he disappeared, Naruto grumbled and set about learning his newest jutsu.
Twelve hours later, Naruto was on his back, panting from the chakra he had just exhausted in trying to get the Hari Jizō to work properly. He was already close in figuring it out, his hair growth was not as long as before but he still needed to perfect that before he could try sharpening his hairs. Naruto decided that it was time for dinner and that he was going to head home, so he slowly dispelled his clones, feeling the leftover chakra from them refilling his reserves slightly as he stumbled to his feet and headed off to the direction his clones had sensed Jiraiya was 'researching.'
"Interesting Jutsu, for a ningen." Kyuubi spoke after having been silent the entire day. Naruto nodded his head, not really deigning to respond mentally, "You will need to set aside some training days in the control of my youki, for this pact to work. I will not have you wasting my power like that Insane Tanuki." Naruto merely nodded once again as Kyuubi fell silent once again.
Naruto found Jiraiya peeking through some bushes at some girls playing in their bikini's underneath a waterfall. Naruto rolled his eyes, deciding to let his sensei know that he was done training for the day, Naruto walke dup behind Jiraiya and launched his sensei down the cliff and into the water, right next to the playing women, Naruto smirked and yelled, "Pervert!" before turning around and heading to his house, tired and ready for a hot meal before bed.
As Naruto walked, he thought back to last night, it seemed unreal to him that Kurenai had liked him like that. Even though Naruto had never shown any interest in her like that until after her kiss, Naruto was happy she felt like this about him. It gave him a warm feeling inside his chest and his heart jumped each time he thought about her. He didn't know exactly what this feeling was but he knew he liked Kurenai just like he thought a girlfriend would be liked by a boy. So, he had ventured out and asked Kurenai last night. He had been ecstatic about her acceptance, even if he was a bit saddened he couldn't proclaim that he had her as a girlfriend out loud and to his friends, he was still happy about their relationship.
Of course, Naruto was completely new to a relationship such as this so he began to think of what he should do as Kurenai's boyfriend, the mere thought sending a fluttering to his stomach. He smiled as he entered the village proper, thoughts of what he should do floating around his head, flowers, chocolates, presents, dates. After debating about it, he decided he should take his new girlfriend on a date since they had never actually eaten together since the first night she had started to teach him, they had tea together but it wasn't the same. Of course, that brought about the question of where they should go since they couldn't be seen in public together. Then Naruto grinned, he knew the perfect place to have some privacy and enjoy a night together. Naruto walked into his house with a smile on his face and plans for the next night already in his head.
A/N: There ya go folks, Kurenai and Naruto are now boyfriend/grilfriend. This is a long cry from doing anything beyond kissing and hugging. And before someone starts saying its digusting or wrong, two things. First off, It was obvious that would be the couple so I don't want any complaints, secondly, What exactly does boy/girlfriend mean? Getting to know someone beyond a simple friendly acquantaince, that doesn't mean they are going to jump in bed or even start having oral sex anytime soon. Also, for those of you wondering where he learned those techniques, you have your answer.
I like this chapter, has to be one of my favs to write, and I hope you all do too. Now, for anyone who was wondering, you know the pairing, but I'm not done yet, let's see what hardships may appear in Naruto's already tumultuous life.