Another two weeks, another chapter out of the pipeline. I won't beat around the bush too much this time in terms of reviews and stuff, but I'd like to make mention of a few things. A few points made by Carlosxvx in his review last chapter stuck out to me and I'd like to discuss them. I'm not going to speak about any personal bias this time, because it's clearly something that's hard to reflect upon for anyone. But the other two points that I feel the need to expand upon are as follows. You stated that it felt like the team were more worried about Tatsuo than they were for Naruto. And also how it felt like Tatsuo himself seemed like the protagonist of the story rather than Naruto. I'd like to point out, that in light of the situation, Kushina was justified in her worry for her student. She is Tatsuo's teacher just as much as Naruto or Kasumi. From that point of view, her being concerned about Tatsuo's well-being seems rather justified to me. However, I assumed that the fact that she left him to go help her kids sort of alluded to where her priorities lay. In her eyes, she essentially left Tatsuo to die to go and save her children. I don't see how you could interpret that as her worrying more about Tatsuo than Naruto and Kasumi.
That point aside, I'm genuinely curious about this second aspect of your review. You mentioned how you'd be much more accepting if Tatsuo were to be replaced by someone like Itachi because that would justify the 'overpowered' aspect of his character. Personally, I don't see him as overpowered to begin with. However, I'm willing to consider your view on this if you could just explain to me why you think that's the case. What exactly would make it so much easier to accept Itachi or Shisui in place of Tatsuo. Thus far, the only thing you've really said is that Tatsuo is the 'typical Uchiha' and that he's overpowered. To my knowledge, the Uchiha clan were full of extremely confident and arrogant people. Many who were always keeping to themselves and looking at others as inferior. Tatsuo doesn't exhibit any of those traits. He respects his friends, is extremely lazy and unmotivated and sees himself as inferior to others due to his own issues. So in that regard, I don't quite understand how that point of yours makes sense. If you'd be willing to discuss it, I'd be more than happy to listen, however.
With that out of the way, let's move on shall we?
Disclaimer: I donot own Naruto or any associated franchises that may appear in this story.
Chapter 25
Tatsuo sat quietly in his seat, gently drumming his fingers on the countertop. Kushina had left him at Ichiraku's for a bit to go grab her wallet from back home. She'd said she'd return as swiftly as possible, but he'd assured her to not worry. It didn't really help that she'd outright refused his offer to pay. Ichiraku's itself was rather empty today, probably due to it being understaffed at the moment. Teuchi had caught a cold and Ayame, being the kind and caring daughter she was, had all but chained him to his bed so that he would not force his way to the stand to work. The girl really could be very…persuasive, when she wanted to be. Tatsuo would gladly testify to that.
He was actually kind of thankful for the lack of rush though. It was nice and peaceful. And having a conversation with Ayame was a rather refreshing change of pace. It was amazing how different the conversations between ninja and civilians could be. Taking note of someone entering the stand, Tatsuo sent a lazy glance over to the man. Dull brown hair, slightly ragged clothes and a towel loosely hung around his neck. A construction worker he assumed. Turning his attention back to Ayame, he watched as the girl happily jotted down the man's order and got to work. It was mesmerizing in a way. The grace with which she went about her job. Having been forced to accompany his blonde friend here for so long, Tatsuo had borne witness to the girl's steady improvement as a chef. As it stood, she was second only to her own father when it came to a delicious bowl of noodles.
"So," he heard the girl say, prompting him to snap out of his revere and look up at her. She gazed down at him with a cheeky smile, having served the order of the most recent customer. "You ogle every girl you know or am I just special like that?" Tatsuo gave her a dry chuckle, rolling his eyes at the girl. She was such a minx sometimes. It left him baffled how she could switch from the most well-mannered and compassionate person to an unabashed and, at times, lewd one at the drop of a hat. Was she bipolar or something?
"Very funny," he retorted, watching her giggle at his annoyance. "I swear you never make jibes like that when Naruto's around."
"Well that's obvious," the brown-haired cook replied, puffing out her cheeks. "A big sister can't act like that around her younger brother now, can she?" Rolling his eyes once more, Tatsuo was about to respond when another voice interrupted their conversation.
"Ah yes," their eyes moved over to gaze at the construction worker, only to widen in shock. There was no construction worker anymore. In his place sat a tall man donning an odd black cloak adorned with many red cloud-like designs. His face was covered by a rice hat, but as he tilted it up and gazed back at the two with blood-red eyes, Tatsuo couldn't help but freeze. "You've improved so much since I last ate here, Ayame-san."
"Itachi…" the name left his mouth as little more than a whisper, but Tatsuo was very much on edge. Here was the man that had ruthlessly eliminated his entire clan. Their entire clan. One of the most infamous men in all the land, rumored to have been possibly the most prodigious ninja the Leaf had ever produced. What. The. Fuck?
"It's been some time, Tatsuo-kun…" his voice was calm, sharingan still lazily switching between the two other occupants of the stand. "How have you been?"
"What are you doing here?" Tatsuo ignored the man's question, knowing there was no point in trying to draw out their conversation. If Itachi wanted them dead, they would die. End of story. There was no leading the man on. There was no buying time. Itachi Uchiha was as good as they got. And Tatsuo was far from that standard. He caught sight of Ayame from the corner of his own sharingan eyes. The girl was trembling. This must have been terrifying for her. He had to resolve this quickly and peacefully.
"Straight to the point then," Itachi mused, looking back down to his empty bowl. "As expected of you. I wish to know where Naruto-kun and his sister are." It was not a request. There was no negotiating or discussion to be involved. He wanted an answer and if he did not get one, well things would not turn out very nicely. "You are well aware of the situation you and Ayame-san are in. I'd rather not have it come to that."
A sudden spark lit up in Tatsuo's eyes, a flame of searing heat blazing to life in his chest. He felt it, the chakra running through his body and into his eyes. Itachi's own eyes widened for a fraction of a second as he found himself gazing back into a pair of mutated sharingan. Now this was indeed most surprising. The chakra he'd laced around the teen contorted and swirled, nearly against his will. What an interesting ability the boy had, though it wasn't very finely tuned in his current state. "Touch her and you die," Tatsuo knew that was a laughable thought. But he hoped he sounded at least half as convincing as he'd thought that would sound in his head. Maybe the fact that he'd managed to partially break through the genjutsu Itachi had thrown on him would add to his bravado?
Itachi chuckled, averting his gaze from his clanmate. How truly fascinating. Another person with the Mangekyo Sharingan. Though he should have guessed as much. The boy had experienced his fair share of loss after all. Especially on that night. "You have my word," he said, voice still as cool and collected as ever. "Tell me what I wish to know and the two of you shall remain unharmed."
The world seemed to blink out of existence, leaving only the three of them floating in a crimson abyss. Ayame didn't seem to notice, probably because he was the only one experiencing this. Tatsuo grit his teeth in…he wasn't quite sure what it was. It felt unreal. Almost like he was actually floating in a neverending emptiness. He felt something clutch at his heart. What exactly it was, he wasn't quite sure. Fear? Anger? Frustration? It annoyed him to not be in control of his own emotions. It was infuriating even. He was a ninja damnit! He did not lose control! "I don't know," he answered, hoping his voice sounded convincing enough. "They left somewhere a little while after the invasion."
"Do not waste my time, Tatsuo-kun…" Itachi was a patient man. However, time was of the essence. His illusionary world seemed to shimmer, and he took note of the sharp inhale it drew from his fellow Uchiha. Few could resist under such strain, especially in his condition. "Either you tell me what I want to know. Or the girl pays for your false bravado." Tatsuo's eyes darted momentarily to Ayame, who remained frozen in place. A shiver erupted from her body every few seconds, but her eyes remained transfixed on Itachi the entire time. Tatsuo himself felt like he'd puke any second. It was as if he was under the effects of that gravity field Kushina had put them in back in Wave, except far worse.
What was he supposed to do?! Sell out his teammates?! But if he didn't he'd be risking both his and Ayame's lives! Himself he really couldn't care less about. But the poor girl was innocent in all of this. Naruto would never forgive him. Sighing in resignation, he let his eyes revert to their normal black. It was putting too much strain on his damaged body and he wasn't nearly skilled enough to break out of this anyways. "They left with Jiraiya-san some time ago," Itachi could tell he was being honest. "I don't know where they went. But they said they were going to find some woman or something."
Silence. Not a word was spoken. Not a single movement from either of the two Uchiha. And then, Itachi gave a small nod. "You have my thanks," he stated, beginning to rise. The world returned to normal, almost as if it had never changed in the first place. Tatsuo let out an involuntary sigh, feeling his heart pounding frantically in his chest after the experience.
"What do you want with them?" the exhausted teen shot back, halting the nuke nin before he could take off. "You won't get far within the village." It was at this moment that a massive tower of water became visible far off in the distance, causing all those present in the street outside to panic. Tatsuo's belief in his own words died.
"My reasons are none of your concern," Itachi stated, turning to leave. "But a word of advice. Keep vigilant when it comes to Danzo Shimura. He is closer to the both of us than you think." And then he was gone, leaving the raven-haired youth to wonder what exactly he meant. Sitting there in shock, Tatsuo merely gazed out of the stand with his breath uneven. He'd just stared down Itachi Uchiha of all people. God, he really needed something to take that edge off. Maybe a drink? No, his condition didn't allow that.
A sob broke his train of thoughts, causing his eyes to widen. Ayame! He jerked around to look at the girl, only to find himself wrapped in her arms as she cried into his shoulder. Using his only functional arm, he gently rubbed the terrified chef's back to try and comfort her. She must have been traumatised by the situation. Especially since he, as a ninja even, was more than just a little shook up. "What happened here?" he heard, craning his head to catch a glimpse of red hair. Well, at least she hadn't been here. Kushina and Itachi in the same place would have definitely made the situation worse. "Are you two alright?"
"Sound the alarms," Tatsuo breathed out, letting Ayame continue to weep into him. "Itachi Uchiha's back."
Naruto sat in the center of the room, eyes focused intently on the rubber ball in his hands. This was not supposed to be this hard, damnit! It was, in essence like his very own Heaven's Palm technique. Well, sort of. The rotation part he'd managed to incorporate into the first step of learning the Rasengan. That had allowed him a head start in comparison to Kasumi. But he'd been stuck on this second part for nearly two days now! So long, in fact, that his sister had actually managed to catch up to him. Turns out, wind chakra was far more fluid and much less dense than pure chakra. And with his chakra being so obscenely dense in comparison to an average person's, things were twice as hard. Meaning that to get the power for the Rasengan down, he had to be able to control his chakra better. It wasn't just pushing oodles and oodles of chakra into the jutsu. He needed to be able to do so in a precise manner, through the chakra points in his palm.
Throwing the ball across the room in a fit of rage, he found himself being smacked by the rubber sphere on its rebound. That led to a bout of grumbling, before he gave a tired sigh and turned his gaze over to the bed. Kasumi was fast asleep. She'd effectively cried herself to sleep the day before. Well, technically, she'd had trouble falling asleep due to what she'd learned of Tatsuo and so she'd passed out somewhere around five in the morning. It was actually rather concerning. She seemed to have taken the news of the boy having killed his own mother rather 'well.' Though, she was clearly worried for the boy himself due to how he seemed to have kept all his pain buried up inside of him. Naruto would have agreed with the girl, if he hadn't known exactly why Tatsuo had done so.
He grimaced, thinking back on it. Getting mad at the Uchiha for trying to keep his problems to himself wouldn't be right. In truth, it'd make him a hypocrite. After all, he chose to keep all his feelings and thoughts bottled up too. All the pain from his past. Along with his thoughts about his life. And the feelings of loneliness and despair when it came to his…less than accepted stature in the village. He knew all too well what Tatsuo was going through and why he hid it. It was because the boy didn't want to feel weak. To feel like a burden. He knew that feeling all too well. And it wasn't something he'd found a way to deal with besides actually talking to someone about the repressed thoughts and feelings. For the longest time, he'd had the Old Man to listen to him. So had Tatsuo. But now, that avenue was gone for the both of them. And so they'd reverted to their old habits. Truly pathetic if he were to say so himself.
A knock on the door of their room interrupted his depressing train of thought. With a grunt he rose to his feet, moving over to the entrance in the living room to see who it was. If it was that old pervert, he'd give him a proper beating for having left them for his 'research,' as he called it. Honestly, what was it with his Godfather and ogling women? Hand on the door handle, he idly wondered if it was a coping mechanism. Did the old coot do it to try and get over the pain of life? Nah! If that was the case then he shouldn't have done so all the time.
"Hello, Naruto-kun…" the blonde snapped out of his thoughts and allowed his eyes to move up to gaze at the two people who stood in the now open doorway. "Would you and your sister please come with us?"
Naruto was a lot of things. He was brave. And talented. Rather headstrong. He had a knack for getting in over his head too. But if there was one thing he wasn't, and contrary to popular belief, it was that he wasn't stupid. And he knew a threat when he saw one. At least one that stood right in front of him doing little to conceal its presence. He'd heard of Itachi Uchiha before. The man was an inevitable topic when it came to the Uchiha clan. And he just so happened to have been well-acquainted with both of the remaining Uchiha in Konoha for a substantial amount of time.
"What do you want with us?" his voice surprised even him with how unaffected it seemed to be, given his current situation.
"That is not something we can divulge," Itachi responded, the man beside him grinning broadly at his words. The man seemed to have a very sharp set of teeth. And blue skin. Couldn't forget the blue skin. "We do not wish to make a scene. If you come quietly, no one needs to be hurt."
Naruto came to the rather abrupt realisation that he had two options. Either he did as they told him and surrendered not only himself, but also his sister. Or he could attempt to fight them off, little chances of success as that choice held. The answer was glaringly obvious. Sighing in resignation, Naruto decided there and then that his life really did suck. Itachi raised a single curious eyebrow as he watched the blonde teen step out of the room and slowly close the door of the room behind him. This would be most amusing indeed.
"Mind if I loosen up a tad?" Naruto asked them, stretching his arms above his head with his eyes still fixated on his new enemies. Kisame gave the boy a practically murderous grin, his eyes glinting with barely restrained humor. Itachi on the other hand, didn't react outwardly at all. Instead, his eyes caught the particular way Naruto's hands had arranged themselves in the last second. And as a massive cloud of white smoke filled the corridor to the brim, he idly wondered how much chakra the boy actually had. The veritable army of clones would do little to the two missing nin, but they were meant purely as a distraction. The real Naruto was already done with his chain of handseals, his body lighting up with an array of familiar patterns as he felt his body grow much less tense.
With a single swipe of his wrapped blade, Kisame sent a gaggle of the copies flying off down the hall. They met their end when they smashed into the far wall, leaving cracks spreading across its surface. Another handful of the clones froze in place, having witnessed Itachi snapping his fingers. As another pair of the blondes rushed towards the two missing nin, they found themselves abruptly drowning within the confines of an underground cavern. The water flooded their bodies, choking them as it filled their lungs. There was no light. No hope. And then they were gone.
Kisame took a simple step back, watching as the bladed edge of a kunai traced through the air before his face. His eyes made it clear that he wasn't very impressed. In a single motion, he reached forward with blinding speed and locked his hand around Naruto's throat. The young Uzumaki let out a choked grunt, before finding himself slammed painfully into the ground. His vision swam from the impact, before he locked eyes with his opponent. The blue-skinned man gave him a feral grin, enjoying himself immensely.
The wind picked up, howling in the confined hallway. Kisame's eyes darted over to his opponent's hand. An instant later, he felt a pair of impacts upon his torso. The man flew backwards, driven by the force of a hurricane. Itachi watched his partner slam feet first into the ceiling, having righted himself midflight. He also took note of Naruto as he rolled back to his feet, glaring at the upside-down man. With an idle motion of his hand, he heard the numerous thuds behind him as the remainder of the clones fell, dispersing a moment later.
Approximately two minutes later, the blonde found himself smashing through the door of their room and into the far wall. He barely heard the yell of surprise from his sister as she was so rudely awakened by the sound of his flying across their quarters. At least he didn't have to worry about her being immediately captured with her awake now. Ignoring the pain in his back, the Uzumaki boy brought his hands up once more and flooded the room with clones. Wasting too much chakra in a non-renewable way such as most of his ninjutsu repertoire would do him no good in this situation. Shaking his head, he wondered if he was starting to hear things. He could have sworn that was Sasuke's voice. Oh wait, that chirping sound. So it was Sasuke then? Cool, now they could have their asses handed to them together.
Kasumi knelt down next to her slumped brother, eyes scanning over his roughed-up state. What in the world was happening? The boy looked up at her and gave her a small smile, though with his scratched up face it didn't really do its job of comforting her. She'd already released her resistance seals on her way out of the bedroom. But as she watched her brother's clones slowly fall in bunches as the blue-skinned man made his way further into the room, she wondered why it was that her team always ended up in fights that were far above their paygrade.
As Kisame finished off the last of the blonde copies with a careless swing of his massive weapon, he gazed ahead at his two glaring targets with a toothy grin. "'Sup?" he uttered, voice as conversational as it was murderous. And that was saying something. He didn't get an answer really, except the tensing of muscles from the two. Shrugging, the man began to move forward when he found an oddly slimy appendage wrapping around his midsection. "What?" And then he was forcefully pulled out of the room and back into the hallway.
"Are you alright?" he heard Itachi ask him, the blue man taking a moment to swat at the stars plaguing his vision. That was a really hard throw. "We need to retreat for now." Curiosity forcing his hand, he turned down the hall and took note of exactly why his usually stoic partner seemed so worried. In the hall, Sasuke's slack form held under his harm, stood Jiraiya. The man didn't seem at all pleased at their presence. Neither did the rather sizeable green toad behind him. It seemed like they'd taken too long. How sad.
There were few things that well and truly bothered Naruto. Lack of ramen was one such thing. Being thoroughly obliterated skill-wise in combat was another. And as he and his sister walked next to their mentor an hour later, he couldn't help but be distracted in his attempts to pop the rubber ball he once more held. Lee's sensei, Guy his name was, had arrived moments after the two missing ninja had managed to escape from his Godfather. He'd taken Sasuke back home, stating that the boy would most likely need medical attention. They'd left soon after, knowing that it was better to not overstay their welcome in the small village after what had happened.
Jiraiya had placated them, stating that he'd tell them about the reasons why Itachi and his partner had been after them later. Something about not needing them needlessly worried on their current mission. The boy idly wondered if it was too late for that, seeing as they had been attacked by two ninja that were stated to be S-ranked in the Bingo Book. Something that, essentially, meant that they were some of the strongest people in all of the Elemental Nations. What really bothered him, however, was the fact that they'd been after Kasumi as well. And that truly rubbed him the wrong way. It was one thing to have his own life on the line. But his sister wasn't someone he was willing to play around in a game of life and death with. His eyes narrowed, chakra fluctuating in response. What could they have possibly wanted?
His eyes wandered over to the red-haired kunoichi walking alongside him. She was intently focused on the ball in her hands. What made the two of them so special? And then it hit him. Like a sack of bricks used as a bludgeoning tool. The damn Furball! Anger flooded his system. It wasn't enough that he'd had a shitty childhood due to having the beast sealed in him. But now, it put the lives of both him and his sister in danger. In fact, depending on how important it was to the two missing nin, it put everyone around them in danger. A resounding 'pop' caused his eyes to dart over to his sister, who seemed to be staring at him in awe. What was that all about?
"Congrats brat!" he heard the sannin proclaim, causing him to furrow his eyebrows in confusion. What? Seeing his confused look, the white-haired pervert gestured to the blonde's hands. Naruto looked down, only to find his rubber ball missing. In its place were a few torn up pieces of what looked to have been his missing ball at one point. Eyes widening, he looked up excitedly. Only to have another rubber ball smack him in the face and fall into his awaiting hands. "Now let's see you do that again in less than two days, yeah?" Naruto let loose a string of angry curses as his sister giggled beside him.
The next few days seemed to fly by. And before they knew it, the travelling trio found themselves walking into a bar. Naruto and his sister now held a balloon in their hands, both attempting to keep the darn thing from moving around so much as they tried to complete the lest step of their training. The loud and obnoxious atmosphere of the tavern did little to dampen their moods, though it did prove rather distracting in practicing the technique. Kasumi let out a groan as the balloon in her hand popped, causing Naruto to chuckle as he continued to attempt to keep his own from following his sister's example.
"Tsunade-hime!" Jiraiya abruptly called, catching both his students off-guard. Naruto cursed as his balloon exploded due to his sudden lack of focus. The boy glared up at his teacher, only to raise a confused eyebrow as the man completely ignored him in favor of walking off towards an occupied table. Following the man, the two Uzumaki children found themselves staring at the rather inebriated woman who looked up at them in confusion. "Been a while, hasn't it?!"
"Jiraiya?!" the previously-named Tsunade questioned out loud, rubbing her eyes with her palms to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "The hell are you doing here?!"
Taking a seat across from the woman and her raven-haired associate, who at the moment held a pig of all things, Jiraiya couldn't help but grin. "What?!" he asked, voice dripping with dramatic undertones. "Can't a guy visit his old teammate?"
"She's the lady you always talked about?" Naruto asked, scowling at the now glaring woman. "Doesn't look like much to me."
"Big mouth, brat!" Tsunade retorted, eyes narrowing at her fellow blonde. "Be careful. You might swallow a whale if you keep throwing it open like that."
"That's your insult?" the whiskered boy questioned, single eyebrow raised in surprise. "Really? Couldn't come up with anything better, huh?"
Tsunade chose to ignore him and turned back to the white-haired man before her. "You don't just visit me," she stated, saucer in hand as she downed another shot of sake. "What's the catch here?"
Jiraiya let the grin fall off his face and sighed. "Okay fine…" he began, earning the blonde woman's attention at his sudden seriousness. "Hiruzen's dead and we need a new Hokage. You're the best possible candidate." He took a moment to gaze up at the ceiling before quickly adding in something else. "And we need you to heal some people that were severely hurt too."
There was a moment of silence. Well, as silent as things could get in a bar full of drunks that is. "What?!" Naruto near screeched, eyes wide as he glared at the white-haired Sannin in shock. "She's who we're looking for?! This drunk?!"
"Watch your mouth, kid…" Tsunade warned, a tad annoyed by the boisterous blonde teen. "This drunk, as you put it, could kick your ass with a single finger." Naruto merely glared back at her, not at all satisfied with the situation. "Who did the old bastard in, anyways?" She noticed Naruto's glare intensify but he held his tongue. Good, it seemed the boy could at least control himself.
"Orochimaru," Jiraiya replied smoothly, hoping that the conversation wouldn't get out of hand.
"I see," the blonde Sannin didn't really seem all that affected. "Well too bad. Serves the fool right for taking up that accursed title again."
"What?" she heard, eyes moving to Naruto to see him looking at her with cold eyes. The boy's hands were clutching the side of the table…hard. She could almost see cracks spreading from where his hands held the wood. She also noted the sudden darkening of the whiskers that adorned his cheeks and the slitting of his eyes. "Care to repeat what you just said about Old Man Hokage?" Even his voice was hushed compared to his earlier boisterous tone.
Tsunade snorted, taking one final sip from her saucer to empty it before letting it clatter loudly on the table. "I called him an old fool," she stated once more, not an ounce of hesitation in her voice. "Anyone who willingly decides to become Hokage is a fool as far as I care." A sudden crack informed her that Naruto had indeed broken the table. "What's the matter? Did I hit a nerve?"
"You aren't even worth it," Naruto suddenly stated, all emotion leaving his voice. He stood up, with his sister following him. She'd been oddly reserved during the entire conversation. Maybe she knew not to interrupt during such a touchy subject. "Some pathetic old hag who doesn't even care to show respect to her teacher isn't someone I want to waste my time on."
Tsunade's jaw clenched, her fist slamming into the table sending cracks spreading through its surface. The saucers and bottles rattled noisily as she glared at the boy's back. "You want to back up those words of yours?!" she yelled after him, causing him to stop in his tracks. His fists clenched tightly as he turned his head to glare at her with a single eye. "I'll make you a bet! Beat me in a fight and I'll come back and fix up your little friends. Heck I'll even make it easier for you! I'll only use one finger!" Then she held up her hand, revealing a toad-styled wallet that caused the Uzumaki boy's eyes to widen. "If I win though, I get to keep all the money in this."
Naruto's gaze hardened as he nodded to her, before swiftly exiting the bar with his sister following after him. Tsunade didn't even bother listening to her apprentice as she rushed after the teen. This would be the easiest bet she'd ever won. Technically, it'd be one of the few bets she'd actually ever won but who really cared about the details. A moment later, both blondes found themselves standing across from one another out on the rapidly emptying street. "Alright!" Tsunade called, bringing her hand up to show a single raised finger. "Like I said. One finger."
Naruto didn't even bother to respond, instead choosing to run through a quick chain of seals. Tsunade raised a curious eyebrow as she watched the boy's body light up with seals. Resistance seals, huh? She hadn't seen those in quite some time. The style wasn't as angular as her white-haired teammate's. So he must have gotten it from someone else. His mother probably. As the genin finished stretching after the removal of his restraints, he brought his hands up into a cross-shaped handseal in front of him that prompted Tsunade's eyes to widen slightly. In a second, all she saw was white smoke. Then she was attacked.
They came at her from all directions, and even she was hard-pressed to try and keep up. But one didn't achieve the title of one of the three legendary Sannin for nothing. And so, squashing her surprise with an iron fist, she began her counterattack. Naruto himself was shocked to see the woman methodically begin to decimate his squadron of clones with nothing but a finger. A single thought occurred to him as he watched her work. She was strong! And not in the 'I have substantial skill' way. No she was strong in the 'I can toss a boulder five times my size whilst reading a novel with one hand' sense.
Gritting his teeth as his clones dwindled, Naruto decided to throw caution to the wind and go ham. She'd insulted the Old Man. And that was something he'd make her pay for. No matter what it took. Tsunade twisted her body around to flick a clone when she felt a sudden gust of wind assault her form. She grit her teeth as she felt small cuts start appearing on her skin. That was some impressive chakra in that one. Her eyes narrowed as she shielded them from the dust that the jutsu lifted off the street, only to widen when she felt someone appear in front of her. That was rather dumb of the boy. With a swift swing of her arm, her hand was right before his surprised face. A flick and the clone burst into smoke, causing her to frown.
Another Naruto appeared behind her, only to hop back as she attempted to jab her finger into his gut. So that was the real one then? No. Another three copies appeared around her. The boy was fast for his age. Really fast. As she watched, the three clones finished their chain of handseals before the air around them began to twist. Tsunade didn't wait around, leaping out of the center of their formation just as the orbs of compressed wind smashed into the dirt path. She watched the cloud of smoke cautiously, waiting for the teen to make his next attack.
"He's rather talented…" Shizune couldn't help but comment as she watched the boy pressure her teacher. It wasn't every day that Tsunade had to take opponents seriously after all. "But I hope Tsunade-sama doesn't hurt him too badly."
"You're wrong," Kasumi stated from besides the woman, causing the raven-haired woman to look over at her in confusion. "It's true that Big Brother may not be as strong as that woman. But she's done something that she really shouldn't have…" Before Shizune could even ask what the girl meant, her eyes were pulled away to the fight again as a dozen kunai shot out from the obscuring cloud at the blonde Sannin.
Tsunade didn't even bother thinking about the offending weapons as she ducked, letting the metal knives pass harmlessly overhead. Using weapons as a distraction, how clever. Her eyes remained locked onto the cloud of smoke, only to see several copies of her opponent dart out of it and rush her. In their hands they held a misshapen blue sphere that caused her eyes to widen. Knowing that she couldn't take something like that head on without being severely injured, especially with how unstable they looked, she pulled her hand back and jabbed her finger into the ground. The very earth itself split open, causing the approaching blondes to stumble and their own techniques to explode prematurely. Tsunade watched with a satisfied smirk as several clouds of dirt obscured the defeated ninjas.
"The hell are you thinking?" she shouted over to her former teammate. "Teaching a kid like that something so dangerous?!" Jiraiya merely chuckled, before giving her a look that clearly said 'I feel sorry for you.' A sudden rush of wind from behind her caused Tsunade's eyes to widen in shock. Her head twisted just enough for her to catch a glimpse of blonde hair and a swirling miniature tornado of sorts in her opponent's hand.
"You really shouldn't have pissed me off," Naruto ground out, before his arm swung forward into the woman's exposed back. "Wind Style: Heaven's Palm!" And Tsunade felt pain erupt from her torso as she found herself rocketing across the street and into the side of a building. The wall she collided with cracked for but an instant before crumbling under the force. The blonde Sannin found herself crashing through several chairs and tables before she smashed painfully into the opposite wall.
Naruto merely glared at her through the hole she'd made, before growling and beginning to approach her. Tsunade for her part had her eyes closed, seemingly unconscious. As the Uzumaki boy hopped through the newly created entrance to the building, he found himself faced by a single finger. His eyes widened in shock, before he was flung back through the hole and out of the building. He crashed hard into the wall of another building, before falling to his knees as pain rushed through his body and head. That was a really hard flick.
Tsunade glared at the downed child, anger showing on her features. "I win, brat…" she stated, turning around and walking away. She heard a groan and turned to face him again with an annoyed scowl. To her surprise, he was leaning against the wall and glaring right back at her. "Still standing? You sure can take a beating."
Naruto didn't respond, slowly pushing himself off the wall and into a balanced stance again. His vision was still swimming, but he refused to give up. As he stood there, unwavering in the face of such adversity, Tsuande couldn't help but hesitate. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips before she turned around and began walking away. "I win this one!" she called back, halting as she'd put several steps between them. "But since you seem so darn persistent I'll give you another chance. That jutsu of yours that you clearly can't control. I'll give you a week to complete it."
Naruto simply glared back at her, but chose to remain silent. "If you do, I'll come back with you and be Hokage…" Tsunade continued before grabbing something from around her neck. "I'll even give you this as a bonus. It's worth a hefty sum." Naruto's eyes narrowed as he stared at the green crystal she was holding up. "But if you lose, then not only do I not come back with you. You also give up on that stupid dream of yours of being Hokage."
"I never said anything about my dream," Naruto retorted, the pain slowly beginning to dull.
"I know plenty about people like you," Tsunade answered back, turning back around and beginning to leave. "The way you fought, I'd put any amount of money on that being your dream." And then she walked away, tossing back the now-empty toad wallet to the genin as she did.
As Kasumi ran over to her brother to help support him, Jiraiya watched his former teammate leave with her apprentice. His eyes followed the two for a minute before they left his sight. And then he gave a broad grin and went over to help out his student.
As Shizune caught up with her mentor in the empty street, she couldn't help but watch the woman from the corner of her eye. She seemed, subdued almost. For what reason, the raven-haired kunoichi couldn't say. As the two walked back towards their lodgings, she abruptly bore witness to the blonde Sannin collapsing to her knees. Eyes widening, she knelt next to the woman as Tonton gave a few concerned 'oinks' from her arms. Her concerned inquiries were met with a single response from the panting woman, "God that brat hurt…" It wouldn't be until they got home and Shizune tended to her injured teacher that she would find the numerous bruises on the woman's back. Along with the three slightly cracked ribs.
Well, I'm hoping this has satisfied some of you who see Naruto as weak. He's strong in his own right, but keep in mind that he's still chunin level at best. If he's given time to prepare for an encounter, he may certainly hold his own. But if he's caught with his pants down, he's as vulnerable as any other ninja.
As always, I hope you enjoyed yourself. And have a swell day, or night, ahead.