(Author's Note) This chapter is dedicated to NoneAvailable. Thanks for being there when I needed the help, it kept me motivated enough to finish this chapter.
Naruto: Legacy of the Rasengan
By: Tellemicus Sundance
Chapter 29--The Godaime Hokage
Why am I doing this?
Tsunade hadn't even stopped to consider the consequences of her actions. She had acted without hesitation, completely driven by impulse. That had been the reason that she had found herself with a slashed palm, her world vanishing in a wave of fear and old memories. Memories of lost love and dead family.
Orochimaru had come racing towards her and the unconscious Naruto, the blade of Kusanagi protruding from his maw. The killer intent that had his slitted, yellow eyes glowing was aimed solely on the small blonde in front of her. He was going to kill him…oh yes he was. His blood would have stained the fields…it would have stained her…it would have mocked her, as though crying out: why did you let him die?
Good question.
She had moved at a speed that would've made most Jounin jealous, hopping over Naruto without even thinking. Knocking the Kusanagi aside, she had sent a ferocious jab into Orochimaru's speeding face. The unexpected blow had sent the Hebi-Sannin careening back the way he came. The howl of pain reminded her of bloody screams.
That had caused her to slowly raise her sliced palm, her eyes gazing down at the blood that was seeping out of the wound. It stung very badly, but she could scarcely feel it. No, she just continued to stare at it in shock of what she wasn't feeling.
Nothing.
Huh. This is new.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she had realized that she'd not even batted an eye at all the blood that was pouring out of Naruto as she had healed him. She'd been too focused on mending his wounds while his body alight with green chakra.
But now, as she stared at her open palm, the true meaning behind the aforementioned events struck her like a mallet. Had she somehow overcome her hemophobia?
…hmm…
Mind drifting back to the present and away from the past, Tsunade turned her attention to her enemy.
Climbing awkwardly to his feet, Orochimaru drew the Kusanagi back inside his throat. The look on his face was that of resignation, confusion…and, ultimately, irritation. "Why, oh why did you get in my way? I wasn't trying to kill you, Tsunade."
"Maybe not," Tsunade said as she placed her hand over her injury, healing it easily. "But you were trying to kill a shinobi of Konoha."
Looking disdainfully down at her, the Hebi-Sannin growled, "If the brat survives, he'll cause a great deal of trouble for me later on…Don't get in my way."
With that said, the Kusanagi once again emerged from his mouth. Dashing forward, he leapt over Tsunade, sword at the ready. But instead he was struck in the gut by a powerful kick. The blow sent him even farther back than the punch had.
"Heh," a familiar voice said behind him as he sat up. "Normally it's me who's getting knocked about. Better be careful, Orochimaru." The Hebi-Sannin glanced back at the smirking Gama-Sennin. "I think you're getting sloppy."
Ignoring Jiraiya's taunts, Orochimaru stood back up and fixed his piercing gaze on Tsunade. A lesser being would've trembled from unconditional fear, so frightful were his eyes. But not Tsunade. The woman merely stood up protectively in front of Naruto, returning the glare with one of her own. Orochimaru's eyes narrowed. How annoying.
"Why are you so insistent on protecting that little brat?" he demanded, unobtrusively molding a necessary amount of his chakra into his legs.
It would be too troublesome to battle both of his teammates with his current handicap. He needed to stall them long enough so that he could collect Kabuto and retreat. How unfortunate; without Tsunade healing his arms, he would have to replace his body with another. He needed to get Sasuke soon…or he'd hate to have to wait another three years.
"Because one day," Tsunade said, as she began walking forward and flashing through a series of handseals. "He will become Konohagakure's greatest Hokage ever." The Shosen enveloped her hands as she began to walk forward. "But before that happens, I think that today will be the last day that there ever were three legendary shinobi of Konoha." She came to a halt in front of him, glaring at him the whole time. "You die here."
The snake-eyed nuke-nin just stared at her as he sensed Jiraiya take up a position not too far behind him. His yellows eyes briefly glanced at the prone body of Kabuto, over three dozen yards away. Then, slowly but surely, his face split into his signature serpentine sneer. "Not today."
With a lightning-fast flick of his tongue, he tripped her. Within milliseconds, he sprinted around her, heading towards Kabuto's unconscious form. Behind him, he could sense Jiraiya launching several large Goukakyuu at him. Rather than dodge, he increased his speed with chakra If he did dodge, the fireballs would roast Kabuto instead of him. Tongue lashing out again, he scooped up the teenager and slung him over his back. Ducking behind the boulder Kabuto had been slammed into, he slowly sunk into the ground as the fireballs exploded violently around them.
If only I could use my arms. Had he been able to use his arms, Orochimaru had no doubt that he'd have been able to emerge victor of a three-way battle. But because he was paralyzed, he wouldn't be able to defend himself properly. Kabuto's unconscious girth wasn't helping either. Fighting with his tongue and legs wouldn't win any battles. It was only logical that he retreat.
Besides, Kabuto probably was in critical condition thanks to that Jinchuuriki gaki. To think that Kabuto would be reduced to this state…we'll have to continue this later…you damn boy. I'll kill you later.
It was with that thought in mind that Orochimaru full sank beneath the ground, Kabuto in tow.
Digging without arms was going to be troublesome as well.
Racing around the boulder that Orochimaru had hid behind, Jiraiya growled in annoyance to find nothing. Rapidly scanning the landscape for a familiar body, he still saw nothing. However, in the distance, he did faintly pick up a trace of chakra underground. Hmph, the bastard fled…How the heck is he digging?
Turning and walking carefully back to Tsunade, he realized something he hadn't earlier. With his adrenaline rush fading, Jiraiya became grudgingly aware of the stinging muscles in his left leg. Must've pulled them when I chased the creep. Damn that smarts! "How is he?" he asked as he stood behind Tsunade, who was once again examining Naruto.
"Unconscious from chakra depletion," Tsunade said quietly. Glancing back at him, she asked, "What was it he just did? I know he didn't use the Kyuubi's youki."
Nodding his head in thoughtfulness, he began thinking very hard on what he had just witnessed. To be honest, he was a tad bewildered; Naruto had pulled out a massive amount of chakra, enough to qualify him as a lesser youkai. Yet, Jiraiya knew for a fact that Naruto had nowhere near that level chakra of potential. The only possibility was that he had drawn on the Kyuubi's power…but he clearly hadn't. Hmm…what did he do? Damn it you fool, you always overcomplicate things. Although…perhaps…
"I think he…opened Keimon and…Kyumon of the Celestial Gates…subconsciously," he stated quietly, his voice laced with uncertainty.
"What?!" Tsunade roared, turning to look him fully in the face. "But he couldn't have…" Her face suddenly contorted into an expression of anger. "You didn't teach him how to open them, did you?!"
"Not even I'm that stupid, Tsunade-hime," Jiraiya snapped, his pride prickled at her accusing voice. The Celestial Gates would've explained it…but somehow, Jiraiya wasn't so sure. Something about that chakra had seemed…off. But what? What could have…wait…WAIT. Jiraiya's eyes suddenly widened. Could it be? "Actually…I think he may have used…it."
"It?" Tsunade asked as she turned back to Naruto and carefully picked him up. "It…as in--?" Then realization hit her. She gazed intensely at the boy, studying him intently as though seeing him for the first time. "No, you don't mean the Te--?"
"What else could it be?" Jiraiya interrupted, his face tightening. This would change quite a few things, if it were true. "It's possible that he used it. Though it...would explain why that silhouette looked like a kitsune…" Jiraiya grimaced at what this could entail. "Because he utilized so much chakra, the youki already in his system came out as well." But…then again…what if that's not the case?
The Ero-Sannin crossed his arms, expressing a mixture of thoughtfulness and irritation as he started muttering, more so to himself than Tsunade. There was also yet another possibility. "Then again, I suppose it's possible that since the Yondaime's seal has been transferring the Kyuubi's youki over to him during all these years, his body could've separated it, forming a secondary chakra reserve in his body. And, because he was so angry and in such pain, he was somehow able to access this reserve…"
Jiraiya suddenly scowled. Although he had perverted tendencies, he was a rather intelligent individual. After all, he was one of the Sannin! And yet…this boy was just too damned irritatingly frustrating! He was a conundrum! A living Rubik's cube! He was a locked box, and the key was right inside!
"Damn…" The worst part was that Naruto was his student. Naruto had just done something extraordinary in the battle with Kabuto…something potentially dangerous. Something Jiraiya had no clue about. "I don't know how he did it!" Confusion over such matters was foreign to him. He didn't like it at all.
"What are you mumbling about?" Tsunade snapped. "There's no way a human body could do that!" Turning back to Naruto, she asked, "Did you know he could use it?"
She was more inclined to believe he could use something he probably didn't even know he had, than to believe his body could create multiple chakra reserves. That was simply impossible...or, at the very least, inhuman.
Multiple chakra reserves? If that was indeed the case…it implied something very troubling. No way it could be true.
"Not until just now," he answered putting his musings aside momentarily. Glancing around for Shizune, he continued, "Should we tell him?"
After a moment's hesitation, Tsunade shook her head. "No, not until he's older. Besides…he'd get an ego over it."
"You mean a bigger one, right?" Jiraiya asked, smirking knowingly.
"Yes, definitely," Tsunade said, a small smile pulling at her lips.
"Okay, one more time!"
She watched with a small smile as Kiba and Akamaru trained. They had been practicing this silly little move that Kiba called the 'Dainamikku Makingu.' So far it seemed that they had finally gotten the hang of it.
Hinata and Shino were walking quietly down the path back towards Konoha. Although Shino and she were content with the amount of training they had done for the day, Kiba wasn't. Kiba insisted that he needed to train harder. Why he suddenly felt this irresistible drive, he wouldn't say.
Secretly, Hinata believed that Kiba was still slightly sour about losing to Naruto. He wanted a rematch, so that he could test his strength. With the numerous new jutsus that the Inuzuka and his canine partner had learned, as well as the ones they hadn't used in the match, they were somewhat confident in their chances for victory.
But where Hinata was willing to support her friends and teammates through thick and thin, she tried to keep herself out of affairs like this one. Kiba, who knew of her fairly close friendship with the blonde, kept pestering her for any information she had on the blonde. On one hand, she wanted to help her teammate in his quest for self-improvement. On the other hand, she was well aware that Naruto wouldn't take revealing secrets about himself and his techniques too well.
So, after numerous tries, Kiba had finally given up.
"I hope Uzumaki returns quickly," Shino muttered, sounding almost annoyed in that ever-neutral voice of his.
"Ano…" Hinata said, glancing over at him with a faint blush coming up. "Why, Shino-san?"
"So he can beat Kiba-san again," Shino said indifferently. "Then he'll realize just how pointless all this extra training is."
"I heard that!" Kiba hollered over from where he was. Landing lightly, he faced Shino with a glare that could've been scary had he not had a puppy sitting on his head. "And for your information, he's the one who's going to lose when we fight!"
Turning to face Kiba, Shino simply said, "You have gained considerable new speed and strength. This I acknowledge. But you simply do not have the endurance, stamina, or tactics that Uzumaki possesses…He will beat you easily because he does not overestimate his abilities."
"Oh, and I do?" Kiba growled, his temper spiking.
"Yes."
"Alright, that's it!" Kiba hollered. "Let's go, bugboy! You and me, right here, right now!"
"I have no interest in fighting you to boost your ego or demonstrate what you lack in skills," Shino said quietly as he turned and walked away, leaving a simmering Kiba.
"I'll get that guy one of these days," he muttered darkly to himself. Though whether he was talking about Naruto or Shino was debatable.
Kiba was so distracted that he failed to notice Hinata excuse herself. Turning back, Kiba let Akamaru jump off of his head before preparing for another try at perfecting the Dainamikku Makingu. If Akamaru could finally get this jutsu down, then it would give way to their ultimate technique.
Although Kiba was always exhibiting an aura of deadly seriousness with his new desire to train, he often found himself having the time of his life. It was always so much fun for him and Akamaru to train and fight, whether it be an enemy, a fellow shinobi, or even each other.
Now that he found an opponent that he knew enjoyed fighting and training as much as himself, he felt this powerful need to increase his own skills even more. And not just to get revenge for being defeated, though that was still a pretty good excuse to hide behind.
Hurry up and come back, you idiot, thought Kiba as he flexed his claws. So I can kick your ass!
He stood on a bridge, consumed by an unnatural mist that seemed to carry an unnatural chill. But he didn't even notice the coolness. All he felt was a boiling, festering, all-consuming fire inside his body, fueled by his rage.
Ahead of him, he could see the slowly, weakly rising figure of his enemy. That last punch to the face apparently hadn't been enough to kill the bastard. But that was just fine for him, since it now meant he'd have another chance to vent his anger.
He wanted to beat the punk until he was nothing more than a bloodied smear on the bridge stones. He wanted to pummel the boy until he was black and blue. Strangle him, close off his air pipe and watch as he struggled futilely to escape or fight back. He wanted to feel the boy's heart beat its last beat. He wanted to lash out until he lost all feeling in his arms.
As he was sprinting to finish the boy off, he spotted the boy's mask begin falling to pieces. Somewhere in the back of his cloudy mind, he recognized the face before him. It belonged to someone who used…ice? But his wrath was too great; he merely ignored the slightly unsettling feeling that was yearning to make him halt his attack
Because of this sensation, it was a bittersweet experience for him when he finally reached his enemy's side. He threw one last punch straight to the boy's chest. He could feel the ribs shatter as his fist impacted into them, unable to withstand his tremendous strength.
Then, as though he'd been drowsed in cold water, his fury and rage vanished; temporarily sated. What it left behind would eventually degenerate into an all-consuming feeling of guilt.
Scenes changed. Reality transformed. He saw the faces of those he knew. Oh, how he wanted to kill them all. He saw places that he had been to. Oh, how he wanted to burn them to the ground! They would all pay!
He found himself on a badly charred and burnt battlefield. It was with great pride that he raced across the devastation, knowing that he was the reason it burned and smoldered. But that pride was microscopic in comparison to the desire of revenge that was coursing through him. He could remember everything.
The pain that he had been subjected to was the worst since the time he'd been beaten by a mob when he was little more four years old. Back then, he'd wanted to attend the annual celebration of the Kyuubi no Kitsune's death and memorial of the Yondaime Hokage. He'd snuck out and was quickly set upon by a group of drunken villagers. Oh, how it had hurt…but now he relished in that pain. It made his hate even stronger.
He sneered at the sight of a boy clad with sand. Oh, he'd pay this bastard back with interest. He had quickly dashed in and beaten the defenseless brat like a rag doll. The best part of that beating were that the boy couldn't seem to move fast enough to block him. 'Absolute defense'? It was useless! That red-haired brat's power was nothing compared to his.
After knocking the brat through a tract of woodland and across the very same fire-blasted crater he was sprinting across, he decided to finally get serious. He'd start with the brat's fingers, break them one at a time, and then break them off. Then he would proceed on up his arms and down to his legs. Once done there, he'd break open his ribs and remove the bastard's heart while it was still beating!
But, as he was sprinting up to the boy, he felt his gentler side realize just what his intentions were. Acts of cruelty that repulsed him. He wasn't a murderer! He didn't want to kill needlessly, because then he'd only prove that the villagers had been correct for all these years. He had to stop…he…had to…
A snort escaped him. Foolish thoughts. He was a shinobi! That brat ahead of him was an ally turned enemy, and a powerful one at that. He was only doing his duty as a shinobi and protector of the village by killing the bastard. And besides, why should he care what those idiotic villagers believed?
Nonetheless, his good side was quickly growing in strength. His rage was dampened, its hold on him losing its strength. But not without a last ditch effort to finish what it started. Yet before it could truly take effect, it was over.
"Naruto-kun?" a familiar, hesitant voice called from somewhere nearby. "W-what i-i-is going on?"
Turning around and away from his red-haired enemy who'd slipped into unconsciousness, he found himself staring into wide, fearful pale eyes. He became appalled when he realized what the girl was afraid of.
Him.
"It's okay, Hinata-chan," he said, trying to sound soothing. "It's over. You're safe now."
But she was anything but soothed. If anything, her expression grew even more fearful. Her gaze drifted down to his hands, and the redhead behind him. The skin of her face turned an extremely unnatural shade of white, even for a Hyuuga.
Bringing his hand up to scratch his head in confusion to her actions, a red liquid drew his attention to it. His hands were covered in blood.
Haku's blood. Gaara's blood. His blood.
Then the smell hit him. The scent of death, blood, and decay assaulted his nose. Looking behind him, he realized that he was no longer standing on the battlefield with Gaara. It had changed.
He found himself standing in a white void. With Hinata to his back now, he stared in horror at what his wrath and its power had wrought. Haku's corpse lay in front of him. The skin was a sickly color, obviously still decomposing. The skin over his chest was rotting, and he could see the ribs that he'd broken protruding from the flesh.
What was left of Gaara lay next to Haku. It was only then that he realized that he'd not been able to stop himself from tearing Gaara apart. His corpse, though considerably fresher, was many times more revolting to see.
Shakily raising his blood-soaked hands up towards his face, he stared at the liquid in horrid fascination. He hadn't stopped in time…he'd killed Gaara, even more brutally than Haku. Trembling, he tried to wipe the blood off. But no matter how are hard or how many times he tried, it remained.
A terrified gasp drew his attention. Hinata was still there, but she was staring off to the side. Looking over, Naruto saw Iruka-sensei being attacked by…himself. It was as though he were watching himself from the third-person. Yet…it wasn't him.
The person that looked like him rushed Iruka-sensei while he had his back turned. Then, with not even a pause, he stabbed the scarred man, the one he considered his older brother or father, in the back with a Kaze Kiwa. The arm punched itself all the way through Iruka's torso, the winds spraying blood and flesh in all directions. The Kaze Kiwa took on a sickening color of red, becoming a tornado of blood.
Shouting out in horror, Naruto sprinted forward to save Iruka. But no matter how hard he tried, he could never get any closer. He was forced to watch, tears falling freely, as Iruka turned around slowly to face the one who'd mortally wounded him. An expression of shocked disbelief crossed his old sensei's face before death claimed him as well.
Oh Kami-sama, that look had been so painful to see. The agony and look of betrayal! As if saying 'Why, Naruto?' with only his eyes.
Withdrawing his stabbing arm with a contemptuous huff, the being that looked like him glanced around for its next victim.
Then it found Hinata.
"Naruto," Hinata whispered, fear thick in her voice. Her eyes were wide as the creature began to approach her with a bloodthirsty sneer on its face. "Naruto-kun, stop it!"
"I can't!" he screamed, even though she seemed to be talking to the creature and not him. He stilled tried to get between her and this monster. But he had no more success than he had had with Iruka. "I…can't!"
"Naruto-kun," Hinata squeaked louder as the creature now stood in front of her, the bloodied Kaze Kiwa spinning as wildly as ever. "Please, stop."
"I won't," the creature said, its voice a sickening combination of Naruto's and Kyuubi no Kitsune's.
"Naruto," Hinata said sadly, her face betraying her fear. Yet, her voice sounded different. "Hey, Naruto, wake up!"
An explosion of red chakra knocked Naruto flying. Then everything blackened.
Naruto's eyes snapped open as he jumped up and reached for a kunai. But his kunai pouch wasn't there. But he didn't care, he was on the look-out for that…mon…ster…huh? Wha?
What he saw instead was a surprised Tsunade and Shizune recoiling away from him, an amused Jiraiya who was leaning luxuriously against the wall, and the motel room that Jiraiya had rented for their time in Tanzaku-Gai. Naruto found himself attached to the wall, crouching on it over his bed, grasping for something that wasn't there.
For a moment, no one said anything. Naruto blinked as he looked around; there were no corpses in the room. No demented clones of himself trying to kill his precious people.
"Good morning to you, too," Jiraiya said, his smirk not wavering as Naruto shot him a stupefied look. "I guess you're feeling better."
"W-what happened?" Naruto asked, dropping back down onto the large bed.
He was trying to wrap his mind around what he remembered, what was real, and what was a nightmare. Well, what he remembered for sure was running after Tsunade, fighting Kabuto, a lot of pain, overwhelming rage, and cloudy vision. Then everything shifted to his memories of the bridge in Wave Country, of Suna and Oto's invasion, and…the death of his friends. What was that all about…? I'd NEVER do that.
"After you beat that brat of Orochimaru's," Tsunade said, her expression changing from worried and surprised to unreadable. "You fell unconscious."
"What about--?"
"We fought," Jiraiya interrupted. "And we won, but the bastards still escaped. Though I doubt either of them will be showing up anytime soon."
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked. If he'd not been so mentally numb from both his nightmare and from whatever happened to him yesterday, he might have pressed Jiraiya for details on the fight.
Noticing the expression of confusion on his face, Shizune said, "You don't remember?"
Looking dumbly over at medic-nin apprentice, he said, "Remember what?"
"You went berserk," Tsunade said as she approached. Going through various handseals, she pressed her gently glowing hands upon first his chest. Nodding to herself, she continued both her examination of him as well as her conversation. "…then you almost killed that 'Kabuto' kid. Orochimaru had to drag him away when he ran off."
Gazing critically at him, she said, "You really don't remember anything that you did to him?"
When Naruto shook his head, Jiraiya chuckled lightly. "That could be good thing. Now we won't have to listen to him boast the whole way home."
"I don't boast!" Naruto snapped, glaring at the super pervert. "I just point out the best parts of my fights! Like when I nailed Kabuto in the stomach with the Doryuuheki!"
"Right," Jiraiya said, rolling his eyes. "Nice trick, by the way. Too bad they weren't spikes though."
"Spikes?" after a second's consideration, a large foxy grin blossomed on Naruto's face. "Great idea, Ero-Sannin!"
"What's this 'we' crap you're talking about?" Tsunade demanded, hiding her amusement. "I don't believe you're referring to me and Shizune, are you?"
At Jiraiya's stupefied gaze, she clarified. "I believe that there is still a bet to be won. Is there not?" She directed the second statement at the small blonde under her, a small hint of a smile pulling at her lips.
"Of course!" Naruto cheered. "I completely forgot about that!" He turned a mischievous grin onto Tsunade. "You really suck at gambling, you know, Obaasan?"
Her answer was a slap to the cheek.
Fortunately, it was nowhere near the strength of the first one.
Sitting back up, Naruto pushed Tsunade away from the bedside as he tried to stand up. "Come on! Let's go! I wanna show you it right now!"
"Maybe you should get dressed first," Jiraiya said, his grin widening as impure, perverted thoughts began rushing through his head. This kid was a practical gold mine! More ideas, more inspiration!
Glancing down, Naruto realized he'd been in boxers the entire time.
It took only a moment for this to sink in.
When it did, he let out an embarrassed cry. With a reddening face, he quickly submerged himself under the bed sheets while screaming, "Out! Please get out! OUT!!"
He collapsed painfully onto the ground, panting. Sweat covered every square inch of his body, dirt and mud caked his hands and joints like a second skin, and his clothing was hanging limply from the river water and his own sweat. Dark hair draped over his eyes, dripping on his headband.
A small grin of satisfaction reached across his face. So that's my limit.
Normally he'd be appalled to find that he even had a limit, but this time he didn't care. Sasuke had trained long and hard for the past two weeks, doing everything within his power to increase his strength and durability. Now he felt it was finally time to take a short break and relax.
Rolling over onto his back on the shore of the river, Sasuke gazed up at the sky. A strange sense of calmness descended upon him as he stared at the gentle blue above, a tranquil sea that only the clouds could swim in.
It was a calmness that he'd not felt for a long time.
All the anger, jealousy, and self-condemning thoughts that had been going through his head ever since the invasion slowly drifted away. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he now understood why Shikamaru was always gazing at the clouds. It was very relaxing.
A gentle breeze caressed him, bringing with it the smell of cherry blossoms. He took a long, deep breath, secretly enjoying the smell. He was so at ease that the fact it was late summer and that he shouldn't be smelling cherry blossoms didn't even cross his mind. No, this was a small measure of peace he'd not felt in years.
A peace that was bound to be disrupted.
"Sasuke-kun?" Sakura spoke up from somewhere nearby.
Quietly tightening his features as he sat up, he glanced over towards her voice. She stood several paces behind him, something that completely surprised him. How had he not been able to sense her approach? Was he really that lost in thought?
"What do you want, Sakura?" he asked, trying to keep his self-annoyance out of his tone. After all he had no quarrels with her, not anymore at least. "I'm trying to train."
"Gomennasai," she said, feeling somewhat uncharacteristically hesitant. "I was just wondering if you would like some help?"
Turning to fully look her in the face, Sasuke watched as various emotions played across her face. Hope, anxiety, fear, determination, and hesitant affection being the most predominate among them. She really wanted to help him.
"I don't need help," he said simply, keeping his voice empty.
Truthfully, the exercises he was working on didn't require the aid of a second person. That suited him well enough, given his growing ambition for power. He didn't want anyone interfering and slowing him down. But while he may have been content to leave well-enough alone, he couldn't help but start feeling almost lonely.
After being teammates with Sakura and Naruto for nearly six months, he had slowly found himself growing accustomed to their near-constant presences in his life. Now that Naruto was out of town and Sakura was spending more time on her own training, he was once again finding himself alone.
He actually almost wanted to ask her to at least stay and watch. But then she'd discover what he was doing; using the curse seal, thoroughly testing its effects on his body. If she learned that, he knew that she'd tell Kakashi on the first chance she got.
But Kakashi was rarely with them anymore these past two weeks. He'd spent the entire first week recovering from injuries and now he was always being sent out on missions to make up for the shinobi that had died in the invasion. He would show up on occasion to accompany them to the Hokage Tower for a D-Rank mission assignment, only to be assigned to another mission of his own. All of those missions were seriously cutting into time the Jounin should've used to further train Sasuke!
"Gomennasai, Sasuke-kun," Sakura muttered, staring down at the ground, looking as rejected as she felt. After a moment, she brightened up and asked, "Would you at least like to get some lunch with me?"
Before he could answer, a loud complaint from his empty stomach made it abundantly clear that it would love that offer. Neither of them said a word after hearing the sound, Sakura just smiled sweetly while Sasuke looked mildly ashamed. He'd skipped breakfast in his haste to train that morning.
"Lunch sounds good, Sakura," he said quietly as he stood up. Seeing the overly happy, almost dumbfounded expression on her face, he quickly amended his statement. "But this isn't a date."
Sakura's smile fell slightly, but her eyes brightened in merriment at his words. Same old Sasuke-kun.
Naruto guided them back to the area that he had been training at for the past week. He was practically bouncing from one rock ledge to the other, so great was his excitement. He would not stop boasting about how he'd made his jutsu in less than a few days thanks to some unlikely inspiration.
Tsunade sighed. This boy could be described in many ways…but at the moment, he was a pleasant annoyance. And boy, did it bring back memories of Nawaki.
"Are we far enough away or are you just trying to stall?" Tsunade snapped, speaking with mock anger. However, her smile betrayed her amusement yet again.
"Stall?" Naruto gasped out, as though she'd just insulted his pride. Which she probably had. "No way! But…I guess we're far enough away."
"Why do we have to be so far from town?" Jiraiya asked, glancing back into the distance.
"Because part of the jutsu is rather loud," Naruto said sparingly.
"Loud?" Shizune questioned as memories of how she'd found the boy the other night came back to her. "Try deafening!"
"Precisely my point!" Naruto said, grinning broadly. Running just a little further ahead, he abruptly turned around and faced them. Rather than begin the handseals, he looked at them inquiringly. "Which one do you want first? The flash-bang or mountain head?"
"What?" Jiraiya piqued up. "You made two? But I thought you said you only had time to finish one!"
"I did," the boy said dismissively. "But doesn't mean it was the whole truth!" Staring critically at each of them for a moment, Naruto nodded to himself. Yeah, I'll save the loud one for last…gotta make it a grand finale!
Reaching up, he bit down on his thumb, drawing blood. He quickly scribbled down the kanji for 'fire' down on his right palm with the blood. On his left palm, he wrote the kanji for 'bird' in blood as well.
Ignoring his audience, he flashed through the handseals. It was long set, fifteen in all. But it was the last handseal that he used that they'd stared at. It was the half-seals of tori and tora, combined together by the raised fingers of both respective seal to form one new handseal.
"Fushichou," he muttered as his hands formed the seal.
Behind Naruto, the earth trembled visibly. Cracks appeared in the grass as a mound began to rise up. The mound was bulging outward, giving off the appearance of a chick trying to break out of its eggshell.
"Sarutobi no Jutsu!" he called out.
The mound was blown up as a large pile of earth and rock came charging forward from behind Naruto. The rock was plowing a long, deep trench behind it, its length rapidly growing by the moment. Rather than dodge to the side, Naruto merely hopped up and landed lightly on the emerging pile. It was quickly rising out of the earth, forming a…face?
Tsunade, Shizune, and Jiraiya all stared up at the pile as it finally materialized fully. But what had them staring was what they saw: the face of Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage. They couldn't help but stare at the likeliness as it continued on its charge…towards them.
Jiraiya blanched. "MOVE!!"
All of them dashed to the side. The face of the Sandaime crashed into the earth where they'd stood, digging a deep crater and kicking up a large dust cloud as it went into a roll. It came to rest rather quickly before falling back into the trench it had just created.
Having jumped away once it started to tumble, Naruto landed lightly on the ground, grinning like an idiot. Well, until Jiraiya rushed up behind him and walloped him in the back of the head. "OW!"
"Watch where you aim those things, baka!" the man cried, his pulse still racing. For the boy to make a jutsu like that…truly unexpected!
"GEEZ!" Naruto whined as he rubbed his head. "That hurt, Ero-Sannin!"
"Of course it did, baka!" Jiraiya ranted as he hit the blonde once again for good measure. "That's what happens when you attack your superiors!"
Snorting in defiance, Naruto turned a devious grin on the man. "Well, it's not my fault you almost didn't move in time! What was the matter? Surprised?"
"Yes!" Tsunade angrily barked from her location on the summit of one of Naruto's earlier attempts at mastering the jutsu. "How often do you expect to be attacked by the head of your old sensei?!" The face…oh, how it made old memories jump to the forefront of her mind.
"Pretty often then…because we're shinobi!" Naruto called back, grinning broadly. Turning back to his current sensei, he said. "This next jutsu I made especially for you, Ero-Sannin."
This caught Jiraiya's attention. He cocked an eyebrow in response. "Hmm?"
"It's for when you go peeping on the hot springs," Naruto informed him with a sly grin on his face as he formed the saru handseal. After a brief moment of concentration, he pulled his hands apart and threw them up into Jiraiya's face. "Raiden no Jutsu!"
What consumed Jiraiya's eyesight was a blinding flash of light.
It was instantaneously followed by a thunderous roar.
"YAI!" Jumping back subconsciously with a cry of pain, Jiraiya futilely tried to rub the burning light out of his eyes. In his ears was an almost painful ringing noise, cutting off all other sounds.
Temporary blindness. Temporary deafness.
That was probably a good thing, since he didn't hear Naruto's following laughter. And why shouldn't the boy laugh, when Jiraiya was yelling and waving his arms about like a drunken fool? Damn you brat!
"Sasuke-kun, can I ask you something?"
Sakura and Sasuke sat at Ichiraku's Ramen Shop. Although neither of them particularly liked ramen, it was cheaper than dango. The pair of them had both recently started putting their mission payments into a local bank. While the total in the accounts continued to climb, they were still quite low; Sasuke was too proud to use his clan's collective account for something as minor as his daily meals. That fortune would be better spent when he began to rebuild the clan.
Glancing up from his third and final bowl of miso ramen, Sasuke spotted Sakura's fidgeting; she was rather nervous. Intuition and knowledge of Sakura's common attributes informed Sasuke that whatever she was about to ask of him was a rather personal and somewhat embarrassing issue for her. What could be that embarrassing for her?
He didn't make a reply, but she quickly spotted his inquiring stare. That meant 'yes'.
"Recently I've been trying to make a jutsu," she admitted quietly, blushing horribly at how his eyebrow curled. "But I seem to be running into problems. Then I realized that I needed to practice it on a person--"
"You want me to be your guinea pig," he said. He wasn't surprised, upset, or even delighted, just merely stating the obvious for her. At her hesitant nod, he asked, "Why me?"
"Ano," Sakura stammered, her blush steadily grew brighter as she began speaking. "…because you're an excellent shinobi, Sasuke-kun…You wouldn't make fun of me and…" She gulped. "You're my best friend."
That last statement froze Sasuke. What?
The pink-haired girl blinked. "Sasuke-kun?" The only thing that kept Sakura from believing that he'd somehow been magically switched with a statue was that the hair hanging in his eyes shifted with the breeze.
Ever since that tragic night of the Uchiha Massacre, Sasuke had all but shut himself off from other people. He had refused for years to make friends, much less get close to anyone. Otherwise…he would be tempted to one day kill that person when he would inevitably be forced to seek out a way to acquire the Mangekyou Sharingan. He didn't want to walk that path, despite what his avenger's heart told him.
Yet he was Sakura's best friend? When did this happen?
His mind was racing as he tried to understand how she'd come to that conclusion. He could understand that she felt they'd grown closer in the past six, almost seven, months. In that time, they had faced several dangers that, in all honesty, they shouldn't have. He had saved her life several times, and she'd helped him increase his training proficiency slightly. Now she was asking for him to return the favor with completing this mystery jutsu. Did that qualify them to be friends, much less best friends?
He slowly looked over at her, his gaze piercing as he tried to understand. He was searching for anything that may have made her feel that way. Did he say anything? Did his demeanor suggest anything? Why had she said that? This wasn't just a fangirl thing, was it?
No…it wasn't.
What he saw was a young kunoichi who was trying to improve herself, and was asking for his assistance. Sakura wasn't that obsessed fan girl that he'd known her to be back at the Academy. Not anymore. She had changed, and she still was.
For some reason this brought a small, almost unnoticeable smile to his face. Not a smirk or a sneer; a true smile despite its small size.
Yes. Despite every single string of logical comebacks he could come up with, she was a friend.
So he would help her. Besides, her jutsu might be rather interesting and worth the effort to complete. Surprisingly, the idea of using his Sharingan to copy it didn't even cross his mind as he quietly accepted her offer, noting the gleeful look in her eyes.
All the while, the quiet specter of Uchiha Itachi hung back in his mind, as if goading him onward.
Best friend. Kill her. Obtain the eye. Come for me.
But the voice, once so loud, was very faint now. Sasuke ignored it.
"So anyway, like I was saying--"
They were at the same bar. The very same one that Naruto and Jiraiya had first found them at. But now, rather than acting as strangers, they were sharing a happy meal with one another. Tsunade and Shizune were still wearing smiles at Jiraiya's reaction when he had been subjected to the Raiden no Jutsu, much to his annoyance. Their humor was also being supplied by Naruto, who was happily and enthusiastically recounting his most infamous pranks of all-time. This included the Hyuuga Incident and monument graffiti, but it was not limited to it. Oh no.
"--but then Iruka-sensei caught me," Naruto grumbled at the memory. "He made me clean it off with my bare hands! And the worst part was that it was a work of art!" He began mock crying, wiping his face with his arm. "You should've seen the Nidaime; she was beautiful! BEAUTIFUL I TELL YA!"
Tsunade froze as the mental image came to mind.
The Nidaime Hokage. With lipstick and facial powder.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Even Jiraiya grinned at the thought…but mostly due to his teammate's jovial attitude. This was much better than the Tsunade they had met one week ago.
"You've stopped pranking in the village since becoming a shinobi though, right?" Shizune asked when she could laugh no more.
Before Naruto could answer, Tsunade interrupted, "Of course he did. But if he didn't, he's going to have some problems with the Godaime Hokage." Her ample chest seemed to swell as pride (or was it vanity?) filled her. "She'd never let him get away with desecrating her gorgeous face."
"So you actually are going to become the Godaime?" Naruto asked. She had accepted? He hadn't known that. But naturally, his mischievous mind instantly saw the perfect opportunity for an excellent insult. It would help keep her humble to; this would be like performing a public service!
He fixed his expression with disgust and irritation. "When the sudden change of heart?"
"What's with you all of a sudden, baka?" Jiraiya asked, his bad mood still lingering from earlier. He needed to pay the brat back somehow for that new jutsu!
"Well, if you compare her to Ojisan," Naruto said, looking at his sensei so that he could keep from sneering at Tsunade. "She's rough, selfish, loose with money, easily pissed off, and stupid…"
Tsunade's carefree expression hardened into one of extreme annoyance. And it got worse as each of her bad points were so blatantly exposed. The glare she was sending at the boy was even more terrifying than the ones she had given Orochimaru and Kabuto.
But Naruto was now on a roll and couldn't be stopped. "Are you sure she can do it?" Naruto was a split second away from laughing. "I'm worried."
Seeing the telltale twitch of an eyebrow and a throbbing vein on her forehead, Naruto couldn't help but be reminded of Sakura. Naruto could no longer hold it in. Collapsing back on the booth he sat in with Jiraiya, he broke out laughing as loud as he could. "HAHAHAHAHA!"
Jiraiya, his own annoyance growing, smacked Naruto on the head. Perhaps a little harder than he meant to since he knocked the blonde clear off the booth. Oops.
Sitting up on the floor as he rubbed his head, Naruto's humor died as he glared at the Ero-Sannin. But the man was ignoring him now in favor of his meal. Grr…! Stupid pervert!
Growing serious, Naruto stood up as he continued his earlier observations. "Besides, aren't you fifty-so-so years old, Obaasan? You're totally faking your youth…" He sighed dramatically, waving his hands dismissively like a conceited nobleman. This was sure to get her steamed. "Someone like the Hokage shouldn't deceive people like that."
Tsunade's face reddened. "You are such a hypocrite!" She snapped as she suddenly stood up. Leaning down to face him, she threatened, "Who's the one who never reveals his true abilities until he absolutely must?"
"I'm a shinobi!" Naruto roared, his temper suddenly rising. "That's what I do, Obaasan!"
That was the last straw.
"Let's take this outside, gaki!!" Tsunade yelled. Her glare was matched by Naruto's own.
Jiraiya just sighed with annoyance. Same as the last time…
By the time the quartet had reached the street, Tsunade's anger had mostly dissipated. She found that the more time she spent with Naruto, the less she could hate him. It was uncanny how the boy could do that with such ease.
She only had to deal with his swelling pride and fast temper, both of which were easy to deflate. Perhaps it's time to give him his reward… "I'm the Godaime Hokage now," Tsunade said as she took up the same position she had a week ago. "So I most definitely don't need to be serious with a brat like you."
"Oh yeah?!" Naruto retorted, still quite irritated. "And I'm the future Rokudaime Hokage! So why should I?"
Tsunade only gave a small smile in reply, making no aggressive movements.
Impatience grew quickly in the mind of Naruto. It was a law of nature. This could be seen as he activated his Kaze Kiwa and rushed her.
Just as he was about to pounce, she snapped her own arm out and tapped various pressure points on his upper arm and shoulder. The result was his arm falling limply to his side and the jutsu dying quickly afterwards. With her other hand, she jerked it up under his chin. This resulted in his head snapping backwards, his headband flying off.
Just as he was getting reoriented, he spotted her hand in front of his face, finger cocked back. A horrifying thought crossed his mind. AGAIN?!
His eyes snapped shut in preparation for the blow.
Instead…he felt something draped over his head, coming to rest around his neck. He opened his eyes in surprise as Tsunade took hold of his chin gently and gave him a loving kiss on the forehead.
Eh?
Only after pulling back did Tsunade see the embarrassed blush that lit up his face at her unexpected actions. He looked so adorable like that; wide-eyed, faint red cheeks, surprised stare. For all his loud talk and boasts, he was still a child at heart.
"Become a good man, Naruto," she said, smiling brightly. "And a respectable Hokage."
Only after a moment of staring did Naruto grin in response before glancing down at what she'd given him. The Shodai Hokage's necklace now hung around his neck, glinting proudly in the daylight.
Looking back up at Tsunade, he saw her smiling still. With an elated cry of eagerness, he practically shouted out, "You got it, Tsunade-sama!"
The sheer happiness in Naruto's voice drew the first real smiles from Jiraiya and Shizune that day.
The gates of Konohagakure never looked so beautiful or welcoming to Tsunade as they reached the outskirts. She watched as Naruto gave an excited cry before he sprinted for gates, completely ignoring his companions. She shook her head ruefully at his happiness of finally returning home.
However her mood, which was one of content at the moment, was about to be destroyed.
"Tsunade-hime," Jiraiya said, his voice strangely serious as he slowed his walk. "I need to talk to you about something. It's important." He directed the last statement more towards Shizune, who instantly took the hint and hurried forward as well.
"What is it?" she asked, not liking what he was suddenly implying. "Something I should know about?"
"Yes," he said, looking her in the eye. "There were other reasons the council wanted you as the Hokage."
Like any shinobi of extensive experience, Tsunade had long ago lost much respect for the village council. The council was mostly a committee who were more concerned with their own individual power. The welfare of the village was not as important to them, unfortunately. "And?"
"The main focus of those reasons is Naruto," he continued. "They will want you to execute him as soon as you possibly can. But more than just that, they will have a majority of the village supporting them. During Orochimaru's invasion, Naruto had to use the Kyuubi's youki and it was felt by most of Konoha."
"So they want me to kill their 'demon' because he had to use something inside him to stop the real demon, is that it?" she asked, already knowing some of the vague details about Naruto's battle with the Suna Jinchuuriki from what Jiraiya had told her.
"Basically," Jiraiya said. "But there's a bit more than that. There seems to be something going on with Hyuuga clan as well."
Seeing Tsunade's almost concerned glance, he elaborated, "I think things are reaching a boiling point in the clan. When Naruto and I were searching for you, he was attacked by a trio of Hyuuga Jounin. I was able to discover that they were following the orders someone within the clan. Whether he's answering to someone else…I'm not quite sure" He let out a small sigh of resigned anger. "I don't know who this Hyuuga within the clan is or who he's reporting to or who he's working with. But he does have some significant influence…particularly with the Main Family."
"Is that so?" Tsunade said coolly. After a moment's consideration, she sighed as well before continuing, "I guess I should've expected you'd bring him with you for another reason besides training."
"Indeed," Jiraiya said before turning his gaze back towards Konoha's quickly approaching gates. This matter would be dealt with soon; besides, he needed to relax now! A familiar grin came to his face. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some vital research to--"
He never got to finish his statement as Tsunade's killer intent suddenly flared beside him.
Some things never changed.
Naruto was racing happily through Konoha, laughing loudly. He was so happy to be back home that he didn't even notice the heated glares that were shot at him. His first stop was Ichiraku's Ramen Shop; it had been too long since he had some quality ramen!
But he didn't quite make it there before he ran into a familiar figure.
"Hey, Shikamaru!" he shouted as he waved and quickly ran up to him.
Flinching slightly at the volume of the all-too-familiar voice, Shikamaru turned to face the blonde. A slight smile lit up on his face, despite the annoyed gaze that seemed to be permanently glued to his features. It made for a rather interesting facial expression.
"Hey, Naruto," he said, waving lazily. "Where've you been? You know, you caused a lot of trouble here a few weeks ago."
"I did?" Naruto asked, cocking his eyebrow slightly in surprise. Of course, he couldn't help but cockily raise his arms. "Well, what do you expect from the Prank Master? I'm the living embodiment of chaos in the making!"
"Or arrogant pride," Shikamaru muttered.
"Nope!" Naruto said, grinning broadly. "That's Sasuke!"
That comment brought a small grin to Shikamaru's face. "True."
"So, where are you going?" Naruto asked, curious since it was still fairly early in the morning. His team practice or missions should be starting soon.
"Oh, just taking care of some annoying business," Shikamaru muttered, his grin turning into a sneer slightly. "Though I'm sure you'll be doing it soon enough yourself."
"Eh?" Naruto said, quite confused at Shikamaru's statement. But before he could comment, a loud groan from his stomach reminded him of his earlier intentions. Ramen! From Ichiraku! Shrugging, he gave a wave of farewell before racing off.
"Ichiraku, here I come!!" the blonde was almost singing as the second phrase came out. "Ramen, ramen, ramen!!"
He left a smirking Shikamaru behind him. Heh. Some 'demon'. Behold, the devil who worships ramen!
The thought of the Kyuubi no Kitsune bowing to a bowl of miso ramen would've caused the Nara to laugh if the effort would've been less strenuous.
The meeting with the village council was hardly even worth being called a meeting.
As soon as Tsunade entered the council chamber – which was in the midst of a meeting already – everyone instantly silenced themselves as they waited patiently for her to take a seat.
"Tsunade-sama, I take it you accepted being the Godaime Hokage," Koharu stated simply.
"Yes," Tsunade answered once she took her position at the head of the chamber. "I'm pleased you're already here. There is much we need to discuss, I'm sure."
"Tsunade-sama," said one of the newer councilors whom she'd never met before. Then again, there were a lot of unfamiliar faces; she hadn't set foot in Konoha for years, much less this chamber. "We require your assistance at once. There is a matter of utmost importance that arose several weeks ago, and only you can resolve it."
"Really?" Tsunade said, feigning ignorance and reluctance. "What matter is that?"
"There is a demon in our village," the man continued. "It's been waiting patiently for a time to strike, and we fear that that time will be soon--"
"In other words," Tsunade interrupted, unable to restrain herself anymore. "You want an execution for Uzumaki Naruto."
"Hai," came a collective call from nearly the entire council. The councilors that didn't reply were either looking decidedly nervous or feigning apathy; Tsunade made a mental note of each of them.
"We've prolonged the beast's existence for too long, Tsunade--"
"You will address me as Godaime Hokage-sama, Honorable Councilor," Tsunade snapped, iron in her voice. Seeing the suddenly nervous expressions of the council, she continued, "And I will not order the execution of one of Konoha's most promising shinobi."
"Most promising, indeed," one of the councilors muttered sarcastically. It was meant as a whisper, but in the suddenly quiet chambers, it echoed like thunder.
"Yes, most promising," Tsunade growled, glaring at the councilor fiercely, even letting a marginal portion of her killer intent to leak through. "It is entirely thanks to Naruto-kun that I decided to return at all."
The already silent room, if possible, went even quieter as their fears were realized. Jiraiya had brought the brat with him. That could only mean that the brat's sensei was a traitor for knowing and not posting him on the nuke-nin list. Because of Jiraiya's treachery, Tsunade had met the boy and formed some kind of companionship with him.
Tsunade glanced around the room suspiciously. She was looking for anyone who was particularly disappointed, furious, or something. Anything to possibly point out who was the one who ordered the Hyuuga clan to assassinate Naruto, since the Hyuuga would most likely follow the orders only if it came from a village councilor.
She was sorely disappointed to find none. Either the councilor was quite skilled at hiding his or her expressions and moods, or none of the councilors had a part in the attack. Whatever the case, she wasn't going to let them off the hook anytime soon. "Let's continue, shall we?"
As the meeting progressed to more pressing issues like a recent boycott that Kumogakure was imposing on the Fire Country's goods, results of the Chuunin Exam, and relations with Sunagakure, Tsunade realized something. She'd need to set up a meeting with each of the major clans in Konoha. That would give her a wonderful excuse to get inside the Hyuuga compound and snoop around.
First hour on the job and already she was beginning to realize the extent of the damage that one small blonde pre-teen could inflict on a village. It would've been funny if it didn't mean she had to now clean it up.
Ugh…
If only she knew how many headaches Naruto would give her in the future.
It was a quiet, relaxing morning for many in Konoha.
But not for Hyuuga Neji.
Taking Hiashi's advice seriously, Neji set to work on further improving the range of his Byakugan. This, he had been informed, would greatly benefit both his training for the Hakkesho Dai Kaiten and his performance as a shinobi in general.
He stood with his back to a trio of small wooden targets in a small clearing just inside the training grounds. Though he'd never admit it to anyone, this place was where he'd officially become a genin with his team. This place also held some…pleasant memories for him.
He…liked it here. If he could name any place as a second home, it would be here.
Forcing his wandering thoughts aside, it took very little concentration for him to activate his Byakugan. No handseals were needed; with his eyesight drastically widened and sharpened to everything around him, he focused on his goal.
Channeling a concentrated burst of chakra into his vision as his eyes narrowed, he spotted his targets. They were exceptionally well-hidden in the dense foliage of the tree canopy. But his skill with the Byakugan was improving; he spotted them with ease.
Sighing quietly, he made a quick count.
"Seven birds," he called out. "Directly behind me, within a fifty meter radius over a hundred meters back."
Turning around, he watched as the chakra signature of his teammate dashed off in the direction he'd indicated. Watching the skies as the startled chirping of the birds reached his ears, he spotted…
Eight, he realized with a frown. Damn!
Panting heavily, Tenten trudged back towards him. She had just arrived when he had spoken, letting her know that he knew she was there. More than a year's time on his team had informed her that when he was training and he spoke to her, it was because he needed some help. But enough of that! He just had to hear the wonderful news!
"Neji-san," she called out from where she was leaning on a tree. "Tsunade-sama's returned and she's going to be the Godaime Hokage! Do you want to go see her?"
"Sorry," he said neutrally. "Not interested."
He knew who Tsunade was. Mostly due to Tenten's literal hero-worship of the elder medic-nin. Tsunade-sama was one of the few shinobi that Tenten admired more than Neji, mostly because she was a kunoichi spoken of in the same breath as mighty men such as the Sandaime, Jiraiya, and other elite shinobi of Konohagakure. It didn't surprise him that she wanted him to accompany her when she saw the legendary healer for the first time, more for moral support than anything else.
He was just turning back to continue his training when she spoke up again.
"I also know that someone else is back as well," Tenten said in a teasing voice. "Uzumaki Naruto."
She now had Neji's undivided attention.
(Author's Note)
Recently, I've been blessed with a new brand of inspiration. However, I'm torn between using this 'new' idea or sticking to my original storyline. While the outcome of this story is not altered in the least, certain events that lead up to the ending are slightly different. And I'm torn so terribly that I'm unable to decide, so I'm going to let you guys put in your opinions.
Here's my dilenma: should Sasuke go to Orochimaru? Believe it or not, the whole thing lies in the answering of this simple question.
However, I have a few requests:
1) Don't just say he should because "he's a bastard who deserves to die!!!" (been there, done that, and sick of it!)
2) Try to list some good examples/excuses for why he should go or stay
Majority rules...but those who offer some valid points will be weighed heavier than those that don't.
Dainamikku Makingu no Jutsu--Dynamic Marking (Akamaru)
Doton: Sarutobi Sandaime Hokage no Jutsu--Earth Release: Monkey King Third Great Fire Shadow, also known as the Sarutobi no Jutsu//Dedicated to the memory of his beloved 'Ojisan,' the Sarutobi no Jutsu is meant as a surprise frontal attack. The fact that Sandaime Sarutobi was a powerful shinobi even prior to becoming Hokage is what gives this jutsu it's real power of intimidation and surprise. But it is quite easily avoidable once the surprise wears off. High C-Rank ninjutsu
Raiden no Jutsu--Thunder and Lightning//Like a bolt of lightning, a flash of light momentarily alights the area directly in front of the user. This has the potential of badly hurting the eyes of an enemy, even temporarily blinding them. And, like lightning, with the sudden removal of the light causes an almost instantaneous explosion of sound that is as deafening as thunder. If used in a crowd, there is an almost guaranteed chance of utter confusion and chaos. High C-Rank ninjutsu
Fushichou--phoenix bird//A special handseal that Naruto created to aid him in controlling the unstable chakra he uses when he performs the Sarutobi no Jutsu. Without the blood seals on his palms, as well the combined properties of both the tori and tora handseals, successful manipulation of the earth for the Sarutobi in nearly impossible.
Keimon--Gate of Opening (Initial)//The first gate releases the brain's limit on the total strain on the muscles, giving the user five times their normal strength.
Kyumon--Gate of Rest (Heal / Energy)//The second gate releases the brain's limit on the body's stamina, making a battle-worn person become miraculously ready to fight as if the fight had just started.
Next chapter: As news of Naruto's return begins circulating through Konoha, forces driven by wounds or blemishes inflicted by the Uzumaki enigma begin moving to intercept. Their goal? Renewed honor and pride in themselves and their clans. It all comes to a head in a chaotic battle for: Honor.
