Naruto Overdrive
chpt.35: Meeting Point
The two Battle Monks looked at the three Genin and awaited a response of some sort. But nothing was said seeing as the genin were still processing their arrival on the scene. Then a thought came to the older monk, making him a little worried.
"Tell me; you three have come here to take up the challenge, correct?" asked Might Guy.
"Um, actually..." said Naruto as he scratched his cheek nervously while looking away.
"Aw, don't tell me we were mistaken after all" said Rock Lee is disbelief.
"Of course not. Naruto here was just taken aback by your sudden appearance and your fearsome physiques. Give him a moment to collect himself and then he'll be ready" said Ino cheerfully.
"Hold on, Ino. I'm starting to have second thoughts about..." Naruto starts to say, but gets a disturbing interruption.
"Did you here that, Guy-sensei. We have finally found a challenger for this exercise" said a teary eyed Lee.
"I know, this is such amazing news" responded Guy.
"Guy-sensei."
"Lee."
"Guy-sensei."
"Lee."
And then, the two monks hugged each other as they cried happily. The three Genin were, to say the least, disturbed by this sudden act of male bonding as it seemed a little too bonding.
Ino leans over and whispers a question to Shikamaru "Hey, do you think they're, ya know, gay?"
Shikamaru follows her action and responds "They're something; I just don't know what."
Ino then pats Naruto hard on the back, saying "Well champ, good luck and don't make us shinobi of Konoha look bad out there now."
"WHAT? You expect me to fight them now? Look at them; they're totally fruity" shouts Naruto as he looks at her.
"Naruto Uzumaki, I'm totally shocked. I'm surprised that you could be such a jerk. These guys obviously love each other, so don't hate them for that" says Ino as she wags her finger disapprovingly at him.
"I'm not a hater. And besides, that's not the reason why I don't want to fight now" replies Naruto.
"Then why don't you?" asked Shikamaru.
"Well..." said Naruto as he tries to think of a reason besides just being freaked out by them.
"Excuse me, but did you say that you were ninja from Konoha?" asked Guy as he looked at them.
"That's right. The three of us are Genin who are returning home from taking the Shadow Test" said Shikamaru.
"Ah, the Shadow Test. That takes me back" said Guy as he smiled from memories of the past.
"Guy-sensei, were you once a ninja too?" asked Lee.
"That's right, Lee. When I was your age, I was a ninja trainee from Konoha who was destined for greatness" replied Guy.
"Funny, I don't recall ever hearing of a former nin named Might Guy in our village" said Ino.
"Me neither. So, how did you go from ninja to wandering battle monk?" asked Naruto.
"Oh, that is a long and boring story. Suffice to say, the village and myself had a difference in opinion on how a shinobi should act. In the end, I left that life behind to find something better and found an aged battle monk who took me in and trained me as his successor" said Guy.
"Wow, what an amazing short story, Guy-sensei" said Lee with starts in his eyes.
"I guess he was a little to jolly and outgoing for being a ninja" said Shikamaru.
"Maybe he had weird fashion sense" adds Ino.
"Maybe it was that god awful haircut" suggested Naruto.
"Now I have a question for you three" said Guy, earning their attention. "Tell me, you three are returning from the Shadow Test, correct? Then why are you wasting time here instead of going home? And where is the Jonin assigned to come with you three?"
"Yeah, about that..." said Shikamaru as he explains the situation to Guy and Lee.
(a few minutes later)
"I see; so Hayate was killed and he was the only one who knew where the village had relocated to while you four were gone. I'm sorry to hear that. Hayate, though often sickly, was a good man" said Guy.
"Yeah, and when we heard that there was a reward for winning this battle, we decided to have Naruto fight. That way, we could use the money to pay for lodgings till someone came looking for us" said Ino.
"Guy-sensei, there must be something we can do to help them" said Lee as his eye water.
"And we will, Lee. But there is something you should know" said Guy.
"What is it?" asked Shikamaru.
Guy laughs nervously before saying "Actually, we don't have any money to give you."
"WHAT?" screams Ino.
"Yeah, you see; I only said that to entice fighters to come and fight my Lee here. But I was so confident in Lee winning, that the money issue wasn't really important and I thought it wouldn't come up" laughed Guy nervously.
"You bastard, I kill you" screams Ino as she tries to attack the monk, but is restrained by the boys.
"However, there is something I can do. Give my Lee a good match. Then afterwords, I'll help you locate the village. I may be an ex-ninja, but I still remember a lot from those days. So, that's the least I can do for you" said Guy.
"Are you serious? Even if Naruto loses?" asked Shikamaru.
"On my honor as a Battle Monk, I swear I'll help if I can" said Guy.
Naruto sighs, but then says "OK, then I'll fight."
"You will? Thank you...er...what's your name again?" asked Lee.
Naruto steps forward as Shikamaru and Ino step away to give them some space for the fight. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki."
Once Naruto and Lee were standing in the center of the opened area and both Ino and Shikamaru had made enough space and were sitting on the ground watching, Guy comes to stand between the two fighters and looks at them both.
"Alright. I shall referee this match. This battle will last till either one of you has either passed out, concedes defeat, or I feel that further fighting will be meaningless. And Naruto, don't worry about me playing favorites here. I am very hard on my student" said Guy.
Getting a nod from both Naruto and Lee, Guy steps back a few steps before raising an arm into the air, then shouts out "Now, you two. Let your youth EXPLODE with a fiery PASSION upon the BATTLEFIELD."
Naruto looks at Guy and sweat drops as he thinks 'You can't be serious?'
"Naruto Uzumaki, it is not wise to take your eyes off of an opponent" shouts Lee before rushing forward with his first attack.
Naruto turns back just in time to take a fist to his face that sends him flying back. He manages to plant his feet back upon the ground and stop his backwards momentum. As he wipes a trickle of blood from his lip, he sees Lee smile before coming at him again with another attack.
This time, Naruto blocks the attack, then tries to send a punch of his own back at Lee. But Lee easily blocks the attack and with quick movement, gets around Naruto's back and brings the arm he's holding into an uncomfortable position against his back.
"Come on, Naruto. At least try to fight back" says Lee before using a foot to knock Naruto's legs out from under him, then kicks him with his other foot against his back that sends Naruto sailing through the air and slamming into the ground.
Ino growls and shouts out "Come on, Naruto. What's wrong with you? You're making us look bad."
'Then maybe you should be the one out there fighting Lee then, Ino' thinks Shikamaru.
As Naruto picks himself up, he looks back at Lee and growls in annoyance. Lee then comes at Naruto again following the same attack pattern as before.
'Now I get it' thinks Naruto as Lee closes in.
As Lee reaches Naruto, he goes to send another punch at Naruto, who goes to block. But Lee then spins around Naruto as he goes to sweep Naruto's legs out from under him again. But this time, Naruto leaps over the sweep, twisting his body around as he does so, and sends a kick the successfully nails Lee against his chin.
"My, that was both unexpected and impressive, Naruto" said Guy as Lee backs away to recover.
"Not really, Until now, I was taking time to observe Lee is action. To see what his strengths and weaknesses are; just like Kakashi-sensei taught me. And from my observations, I can see that Lee is a speed fighter who relies of fast attacks. But from what I can tell, his own defense is limited because of this" said Naruto.
"So you noticed. I'm impressed" said Lee.
"Naruto, did you say that your sensei is Kakashi? As in Kakashi Hatake?" asked Guy.
"Yeah, that's him" replied Naruto.
"My, this is unexpected. Back when I was a Konoha nin, Kakashi was my greatest rival. To have his student facing my student; this must be destiny" said Guy excitedly. He then looks at Lee and says "Lee, there is no need to hold back now. Give this battle your all. I want to see if Naruto truly is my rivals worthy student or not."
"Yes, Guy-sensei" said Lee excitedly as he kneels down and lifts up his pants legs to reveal large weights. He then removes them as well as the weights under his sleeves. He tosses them to the ground; each making a small dent in the earth as they impact.
"Oh boy, Naruto's in trouble now" said Ino as she was getting excited for this match.
'Just who's side are you on here, anyways?' wondered Shikamaru.
"Here I come" said Lee before he disappears in a blur of motion.
The next thing Naruto knows, he is being side armed by Lee that sends him off the ground, his body spinning in midair. But before he can hit the ground, Lee double backs and send a kick up to hit against his back, launching him skyward. As Naruto tries to reorient himself, Lee appears behind him and wraps him in a bear hug before angling the both of them down and starts spinning.
"Hidden Lotus" shouts Lee as he plants Naruto hard into the ground.
Lee then jumps away and takes up a ready stance as Naruto struggles to get back onto his feet. As he looks at Lee, he shoots him an angry glare. Before, he didn't really care if he won or not because they would be getting help from Guy either way.
But now, Naruto's pride was screaming at him to not lose this fight. This was no longer about finding a way home, but his pride as both a ninja and a man. And there was no way in hell he was losing this.
"Well Naruto, I'll let you make the next move" said Lee, egging him into attacking recklessly.
'Damn, I didn't think he'd be this fast or good. To look at how he was acting before, you'd never think this guy could be any serious threat. I guess if I want to win this, I'll have to get daring' thought Naruto.
Naruto had an idea, but one that he had never even tried to test before. After the success of the Shadow Mold and Shadow Shape jutsu's, he had conceived a new use for his clones. But this was the first time he'd even be trying this idea out, due to the Shadow Test and all.
"Well, if you won't come at me, then I'll come at you" said Lee as he rushes forward.
"Well, now or never" said Naruto as he made a hand sign and says "Shadow Clo..."
Before he could finish his words, his whole body freezes up as his chakra suddenly does a tail dive. The next thing he knows, his arms and legs become heavy like lead weights and his breathing becomes heavy and erratic. And this doesn't go unnoticed by Guy.
Lee comes in and punches Naruto hard, sending him back hard a few feet, but Lee doesn't follow up as he also sees that something was off with Naruto now. Even Shikamaru and Ino had gotten up and were running over to him.
"Naruto, what happened?" shouts Ino as they all gather around him.
"I...don't know. One minute...everything was...fine. And then...my chakra faded out...and my body become heavy...and tired" rasped out Naruto.
"Give him some room" said Guy as he kneels down beside Naruto and uses a special contact sense he had learned during his Monk training to scan Naruto's body.
For a second, he feels that something was indeed off with Naruto's whole body. But then, everything returns to normal like snapping ones fingers and Naruto's complexion returns to normal.
"Naruto, how are you feeling?" asked Shikamaru.
"Better now, but what was that?" asked Naruto.
"I'm not sure" said Guy as he considers several possibilities. "Naruto, do you have any special...powers? Like a kekkei genkai or some other such gift?"
Ino and Shikamaru tense up while Naruto says "Yeah, I have a special power...of a sort."
"What is this power, Naruto?" asked Lee.
"That isn't important, Lee" said Guy, looking at Lee. He then looks at Naruto and says "I'm not sure if this special power of yours is the cause or not. But for the time being, it might be better if you don't make use of it."
Naruto closes his eyes and thinks 'Maybe that incident in the Makai Realm had more of a negative effect on me than I thought.'
"Either way, this fight is over. And as thanks for fighting my Lee, I'll help you find your way back to the village. So tell me, what have you tried exactly?" asked Guy.
(with Hinata)
"Come in" said Chiyo as she sat up in her bed.
She smiles as Hinata steps in and makes her way over to her. "You wanted to see me, lady Chiyo?"
"Indeed I did, dear. Tell me, how is your training under Tenten coming along?" asked Chiyo.
"Tenten is really strong and tough and she doesn't take it easy on me, even though I'm still new at this" said Hinata.
"I would expect nothing less from her. Ever since she was brought to us, Tenten has always pushed herself more than any other girl, Being hard on herself and trying to excel like no other ever has" said Chiyo.
"I wonder why she's so driven to be strong" said Hinata, more to herself than to Chiyo.
"She has her reasons; that much I can assure you. But enough about that. Let's talk about the reason why I called you up here" said Chiyo as she reveals a book from beneath the covers of her bed.
After a moment to flip through the pages, Chiyo finds the page she was looking for. "Hinata, are you ready to begin your Byakugan training?"
Hinata nods enthusiastically and then says "Yes ma'am, I am."
"That's good to here. But, before we begin. Keep in mind that this will take time for you to fully master. So don't feel frustrated if things go slowly here" said Chiyo.
"Understood" was Hinata's reply.
"OK then, what first..." said Chiyo as she read down the page detailing this information. "Hinata, the first thing I want yo to do is make the hand sign here that I'm making now." Chiyo then presses both hands together as if she was praying, but has her index and middle fingers sticking out and up.
Hinata follows her example and makes the same hand sign before asking "Like this?"
"Very good, dear. Now, this sign will act as the activator for your Byakugan until you get to the point in the training where you can activate it at will. Now, while keeping that hand sign, I want you to close your eyes and clear your mind of all thoughts" instructed Chiyo.
Hinata takes a deep breath before closing her eyes. The quieting her mind part was rather easy as it was something she had been trained to do back when she had been a Hyuga. Seeing Hinata doing things perfectly so far made Chiyo smile proudly.
"Now, since I know you've been instructed in basic chakra control already, I want you to channel chakra into your eyes. You need to feel that your vision is expanding outwards, seeing everything in and around you. And when you think you got it, open your eyes and say simultaneously "Byakugan."
For a few seconds, Hinata does nothing as she focuses on her chakra flow into her eyes. And then, her eyes shoot open as she says "Byakugan."
And nothing happens. "That was a good first try. And to be honest, I didn't expect you to get it on the first try. In fact, I doubt you'll get it at all during this first day of training. All this is just meant to get you started learning the basic's of this power's awakening."
"Can I try again, lady Chiyo?" asked Hinata.
"Of course you can. But this time, just work on the mental aspect of this and don't worry about trying to activate it. After all, success comes from the mind above all else" said Chiyo.
Nodding, Hinata closes her eyes and just thinks about being able to see despite her eyes being closed; about being able to see everything around her at once with out the need for turning her head to look. And then, with out even realizing it, she again makes the hand sign.
And, for a brief second, veins emerge from the skin along the sides of her eyes, making Chiyo's eyes go wide in surprise. And then, Hinata cries out as she falls forward, being caught by Chiyo who then holds Hinata against her while rubbing her back lovingly.
"Hinata dear, are you alright?" asked Chiyo.
"Yeah, but that was weird. For a second, I could actually see the whole world around me. And then, my vision shot outwards and I could see everyone within the temple and it made my head hurt bad" said Hinata.
"I see, then let's take a break for now" said Chiyo as she reaches over and grabs a glass of water and hands it to Hinata.
"We'll stop for now so you can rest. But you did very good, much better than I expected. Next time, we'll work on helping you be able to activate it when you need to, then train your mind to be able to process all that information at once" said Chiyo.
"Yes, lady Chiyo. I want to do better with this gift" replied Hinata before drinking from the glass.
(with the Konoha genin)
Naruto, Ino, and Shikamaru found themselves once again sitting on a bench and feeling depressed. Despite the promise that Guy had made them about helping them find the village, it turned out he was going to be no help at all.
(flashback)
"Alright then, helping you find your way back home" said Guy as he thought about this for a second.
The genin and Lee waited with baited breath until Guy had one of those light bulb's lighting up over their head looks on his face. He then says "The solution is simple. We we simply check all of the possible hiding spots the village would currently have as a back up for emergency relocation's."
"Um, we already thought of that. They were all barren of hidden villages" said Naruto.
"Ah, I see" said Guy with a surprised look on his face. But he recovers and says "Well then. I guess we can...hmm...oh wait, I know. We shall drop a message to the village at one of the request drop points and..."
"Been there and did that to? Remember, we came to challenge you because we thought we could get money for winning that we could use to pay for food and lodging's till they can respond. Seeing as the setting up of the new location is still happening, it will be a few days before missions are accepted again" said Shikamaru.
Guy sweat dropped then laughed nervously while scratching his head. "Ah yes, I remember now. Well, I guess we could...or maybe that...or that...or...I'm sorry, but I don't have any ideas left" said Guy sheepishly, making everyone face plant.
"You mean after all that crap, you can't help us? Kami damn it, you're useless" shout a furious Ino.
Guy slumps his head in saddened defeat before breaking into a serious cry and saying "You are right, I am useless. Oh Lee, I'm sorry you had to be stuck with a good for nothing like me."
Lee tears up as he says "You're wrong, Guy-sensei. You are a great teacher and you do your best. And I would never want another teacher besides you."
Guy sniffles before saying "You really mean that, Lee?" Getting a nod from Lee, Guy begins crying even more before saying "Lee, I am truly blessed to have such an amazing student as you."
"Guy-sensei."
"Lee."
"Guy-sensei."
"Lee."
And then to two hug again as they both cry tears of joy. Meanwhile, the three Konoha genin quickly start to back away as the whole display before them was really scaring them. But before they could get very far, Guy and Lee run over and force them into a group hug, making things far weirder than before.
And that was all Ino can stand as she somehow throws them all off of her and screams "THAT'S ENOUGH. CAN'T YOU TWO BE SERIOUS HERE FOR A SECOND?"
"You're right, our apologizes" said Guy as he and Lee bow before them.
"Fine. Well, we better get going. We need to think of something else to deal with our current situation" said Ino as she turns and grabs Naruto and Shikamaru and drags them along with her.
"Wait, before you three leave, there are two things we can do for you" said Guy.
"What is it?" asked Shikamaru as Ino came to a stop and they all faced the two monks.
"First, both Lee and myself owe you three a great debt. To repay that debt, we shall vow that if ever you three are in need of help. We shall be there to offer what help we can" said Guy.
"I agree completely, Guy-sensei" said Lee after nodding.
'Yeah, I'm sure you two will be really helpful to us' thought Ino before asking "And the other thing?"
Guy reaches into his monk garb and pulls out a scroll, then presents it to Naruto. Confused, Naruto ask "What's this?"
"Naruto, I have a feeling you and Lee will cross paths again and I'm sure you both will want a rematch. To that end, this scroll has sealed with it special training weights like the ones the Lee wears. If you wish to become stronger, then you should start wearing them as well" instructed Guy.
Then Lee adds "These weights will make you heavier, obviously. As you continue your regular training while wearing them, your body will gradually adjust and get use to the weights till you no longer notice them. Then, when ever you take the weights off, you'll find yourself faster than you normally would be."
"And the next time you and Lee fight, you may be able to keep up with his speed" finishes Guy.
Naruto takes the scroll from Guy and says "Thank you, I'll make good use of them."
Guy nods, then looks at Lee and says "Alright Lee, lets head for Reva Town. And to make things interesting, we shall have a race and can only walk with our hands, not our feet."
"Understood, Guy-sensei" says an enthusiastic Lee before performing a hand stand.
"Oh, Naruto? The next time you see Kakashi. Tell him that Might Guy says hello and hope that one day, we can continue our famous rivalry with a new sparring session between the two of us" asked Guy.
"Sure, I'll be sure to tell him" said a not so certain Naruto.
And with that Guy and Lee begin their odd race to Reva
(flashback end)
"Well guys, any ideas on what else we can do to waste time today?" asked Ino.
"Well, there's listening to you whine" suggested Shikamaru.
Before Ino could reply, Naruto interrupts and says "Come on guys, now isn't the time for this. Besides, we're ninja. We've been trained to live off the land. We can hunt for our food and sleep outside if need be. Truth is the weather is nice this time of year."
"Good point, Naruto" said Shikamaru.
"OK, but what about hot baths?" asked Ino.
"Just suck it up and use a cold stream. It may not be hot, but think of it as training" said Naruto.
Ino grumbles something about "showing Naruto some training", but doesn't really act on it. She does finally say "Fine."
"OK guys, lets go find some place to camp out at. Then we'll look for food and water" said Shikamaru.
The three Genin get up and begin top walk down the street towards the villages main exit. They decide to make a quick stop by the inn to tell the owner that if anyone came looking for them, they'd be just outside the village somewhere as well as ask if he knew of in stream close by.
As they walked down the street, they passed by a small food stand and a figure sitting on a stool caught sight of Ino and smiled lecherously to himself. As soon as they had passed by him, he quickly reached out with his left hand and placed it on her her butt before giving it a strong rub.
Ino's whole body freezes up and her face goes blood red as the man says "Say there, you have a great butt on you. Wanna help me with my research?"
Ino's response is to scream at the top of her lungs and scary Naruto and Shikamaru out of their minds as they spin around. Ino quickly breaks away from the man touch and jumps behind her friends for protection. "Ino, what's wrong?" asked Shikamaru.
"That man there just violated me. He...sob...he touched my butt in a perverted way" cries Ino.
"Hey, what the hell's up with you, ya damn pervert?" shouts Naruto.
"Oh please" said the man as he gets up from the stool and stands before them. He then spins his long, spiky white hair around himself while saying "I am the legendary and honorable Toad Sage of Mt. Myoboku." He then starts to hop on one leg while holding his right arm out before himself.
"My name is...Jiraiya" he finishes with pride in his voice.
"A Sage?" said Shikamaru.
"HONORABLE?" shouts an angry Ino.
"Like hell you are. You're nothing but a pervert" shouts Naruto, earning an eager nod from Ino.
Jiraiya snorts at the comment before sticking his right index finger out and wagging it. "Kid, know this. I am not a pervert." He then leans in close, making the three Genin lean back nervously as he says with absolute pride.
"I'm a SUPER pervert!"
"What's your point? A perverts a pervert, ya...pervy sage" shouts Naruto.
"That's right" adds Ino.
"Obviously, you kids are still to young to fully understand anything" said Jiraiya, sounded bored.
Ino huffs in anger before saying "Naruto, kick this guys butt for me. Avenge me and my rump."
"Sure thing, Ino. After all, I hate perverts" says Naruto as he cracks his fist.
But then, Shikamaru steps in and stops him saying "Just let it go, you two. Remember, we have more important things to be worrying about now besides this."
"But he...fine. You're lucky, old man" said Ino.
Naruto also nods and the three Genin turn and begin to walk away. "Wait a second. Is something wrong?" asked Jiraiya.
"None of your business" says Ino, looking back at him.
"Oh come one, maybe I can help. Thank of it as my way of apologizing for before" said Jiraiya.
Naruto looks at the others and says "Might as well. If nothing else, he can't be any worse than those two monks." Getting a nod from the others, Naruto walks up to Jiraiya and says "Well, here's the thing of it..."
After about five minutes, Naruto finished telling the Toad Sage everything; with Ino and Shikamaru jumping in ever so often to add their two cents about the situation.
"And now you know what's going on with us. So, unless you have some magical idea on how we can find Konoha, we'll be on our way" said Naruto.
Jiraiya smiles and says "Actually, I do have one."
"Seriously?" asked Ino.
"Yeah. Once upon a time, I was a ninja of Konoha; back during the days of the third ninja war. And I have an idea of how to make contact with Konoha. Now, observe..." said Jiraiya before making several hand signs, then pressing his hand against the ground.
"Summoning jutsu" shouts Jiraiya as a seal appears on the ground, followed by a blast of smoke.
And from the smoke emerges a yellow colored toad the size of a teddy bear; wearing goggles on his forehead. The toad looks up and says "You called, master Jiraiya?"
"Yes, Kyosuke. I need you to go to see Sarutobi-sensei and deliver a message for me. Do you think you can do it? And just to let you know, I don't know where the village is right now" asked Jiraiya.
"Not a problem, sir. Just tell me the message, then I'll return to Myoboku where we can locate Konoha and deliver the message. Summon me again in twenty minutes and I should have an update" said Kyosuke.
"Right. Hey brats, go take a seat over in that restaurant. I'll join you in a few minutes and we can eat something while we wait; my treat" said Jiraiya.
"OK, but no funny business now, or you'll regret it" said Shikamaru as they left and headed to the restaurant.
But just as Naruto starts to go in, he runs into a person who was starting to exit at the same time. "Oh, sorry about that" said Naruto.
"Don't worry about it" said the figure as he moves around Naruto and begins to walk away.
"Wow, he's kinda hot" said Ino as she watches the guy walk off.
"I guess you would think so, seeing as you're girl and all" said Shikamaru.
"Forget him, guys. Come on, I'm starving and besides, pervy sage said he was buying anyways, so lets pig out" said Naruto.
"Hey, I have a question for you" came the guy from before.
"Maybe he wants to ask me my name" said Ino with hearts in her eyes.
'What are you on?' wonders Shikamaru before saying "What is it?"
"I'm looking for a pair of Battle Monks that have been seen around here. Have you seen or heard anything about them?" asked the guy.
"Actually, yeah. We ran into them a few hours ago. When we parted way, they said that they were heading for Reva" said Shikamaru.
"Reva, huh? Thanks for the inlet" said the guy. He then notices that Naruto is looking at him and has been looking at him the whole time and he ask "Is something wrong?"
"Huh?" said Naruto as he snaps back to normal. "Oh, sorry. Its just that...well, you look familiar; like I've seen you somewhere before. Have we met, by any chance?"
"I don't think so. I'm sure I'd remember meeting you if I had" said the guy.
"Well, my name is Naruto. And these are my friends, Ino and Shikamaru. We're ninja from Konoha."
The boy nods before saying "My names Sasuke. See you three around." Sasuke then turns and leaves.
After that, the three genin entered into the restaurant and made their orders. Jiraiya joined them a few minutes later and they all ate together. After about twenty minutes, Jiraiya paid for their shared meals and they went out side where he summoned Kyosuke again. And, as they hoped, Kyosuke had just returned himself from Konoha, having gotten the new location of the village as well as a request for Jiraiya to come to as the Hokage wanted to speak with him about something important.
Following Kyosuke's directions, the four travelers spent most of the rest of the day walking till they were standing at the shore overlooking a massive lake. "We're here" said Jiraiya.
"What? The lake? Is the village hidden beneath it or something?" asked Naruto.
"Not exactly" said Jiraiya as he makes several hand signs before bending down and placing his hands upon the water. "Arise from the depths of the water; show us the path of the hidden Senju."
Immediately, the water ripples as a path of green suddenly appears before them leading out into the lake. "Let's move; this path won't last long" instructed Jiraiya.
Nodding, the three Genin follow Jiraiya quickly across the path. As they move, they begin to notice something appearing at the center of the lake; an island covered in large trees that reached into the sky. Soon, they reached the end of the path and found themselves standing on the hidden forested island.
"Wow, these trees are huge" said Ino; in awe of both their size and and numbers.
"True, but what about the village? I can't see it anywhere" said Shikamaru.
"Just look up" said Jiraiya who was already doing so and smiling. The genin do so, then freeze at what they see. They could now see wooden pathways connecting the upper areas of the giant trees. "The village...it's hidden among the trees" said an astonished Naruto.
"Actually, the trees are the village. Welcome to the Hidden Senju Village; Senhana" said Jiraiya.
next time: A request...the successor...first date
Special Overdrive notice:
Well actually, not quite. You see, I've decided to buckle down and not move forward with the storyline till AFTER I have written and released the original chapters one through ten of this story. So, the next ten chapters will be the original beginning of this series.
But, because I am a nice guy and all, here's a few quick sneak peek hints of whats coming up in the overall story of the Overdrive.
First and most important to you all: Naruto and Hinata will be going on a date in chpt.36, so you have something good to look forward to when I'm done with the first ten chapters.
Then, Naruto and Jiraiya will be taking a little trip that will take them from the safety of Shumoa into the much larger and more mysterious land of Antana. To be more specific, to the Kingdom of Chin-Zi to find a very special person.
Kiba, Akamaru, Sakura, and Choji will all be making their Overdrive debut in this story arc; along with a few other surprises. Also, the remaining Jinchurriki will also be seen in one form or another.
While Naruto is off in another land, Hinata will be busy as well as she'll be going on her first official mission as a Slayer of Ama.
Beyond that? Well, here's a sneak peek of sorts over future arcs for your anticipation building enjoyment...
Orochimaru will finally begin his attack that can not be avoided and a big secret that (as far as I know) has never been done in fanfics regarding Orochimaru will be revealed.
In the aftermath of this battle, something will happen that will change Naruto's destiny forever. This event will lead to the discovery of what the message left with Hinata is.
Naruto will finally meet Mada and Fu.
Hanabi is kidnapped by a "man with the appearance of a demon".
A Jinchurriki's rage will lead to an attack on Ame.
And...Sasuke will challenge Naruto to see who is the better of the two trained by Kakashi.
But all of that doesn't compare to what will happen in the final chapter of the first arc...