Naruto's Journey to Hokage

by CannonBaller9Pin

A month after rescuing Gaara, Naruto is told to undergo a week of intense training with Sakura under Kakashi sensei. From there on, his story continues towards his path to being Hokage. First story, so don't expect greatness. NaruIno. First few chapters are rough at best, but don't judge from there itself.

37. Chapter 37: The Secret Entrance

Author's Note: Hey, what's up guys, CannonBaller here with another chapter for you today. I have a bit of bad news, though, so I thought you should hear it before reading on. I will not be posting next week. The reason is that I am going out of town to a very remote place, where there is absolutely no internet connection. And I don not have a portable means of typing as well. I will be gone for about ten days, and I won't have much time when I come back, because of college. So I just wanted to say sorry, but there's some things more important than story writing, of course. I hope you guys understand. And last, but not least, I would like to end this paragraph by thanking all of you. I recently hit 200 followers, and that is something I really appreciate. I always feel cheerful whenever I think that I am entertaining so many people, and the reviews are also really great to read. Thank you so much, for being an important part of my life, and helping to shape it up like this. I never thought that my story would continue for so long, but it has, and will go on as long as there is a place for it in even a single person's mind. Thanks a lot, and as usual, Happy Reading!

Chapter 37: The Secret Entrance; Sasuke's Queries

October went by quickly and Naruto found himself in a dilemma as to what to do about his appliances. Fortunately, Shizune came to the rescue and helped him exchange all his old appliances for new ones, with a couple more to add, and had the old ones removed, for less than the cost of the total appliances that the salesman had first given them.

Naruto said, "How on earth did you manage to bargain so much, Shizune nee-san?" Shizune grinned sheepishly and said, "I learnt a lot from Lady Tsunade while trying to settle gambling debts." Naruto grinned in amusement.

Ino bribed Sakura, Shikamaru and Choji to help Naruto move from their old house. Kakashi came to help as well. Between all of them, and Naruto's general lack of possessions, they managed to move in one day itself. Naruto finally gave a sigh of relief as he sat down on the couch, exhausted. Kakashi said, "Well, Naruto. Guess you're done shifting finally." Naruto nodded and Kakashi said, "Well, congratulations. I gotta go now, so I guess I'll see you around soon." Naruto and Ino bid him goodbye and then Ino ordered pizza for the rest of the guys.

After they were done, Naruto and Ino thanked everyone for the help and bid them goodbye. Ino closed the door and said, "Whew! Shifting sure can be a pain in the butt sometimes." Naruto grinned and said, "But it's worth it. Look at this place! It looks amazing."

Ino nodded and said, "Your mother sure had a wonderful taste." Naruto got up and said, "Now that everyone's gone, I guess it's time to see it." Ino frowned and said, "See what?" Naruto grinned and said, "Come with me."

The two of them went to the master bedroom and Ino said, "What is it, Naruto?" The boy opened the closet door and said, "Look here closely." Ino looked at the closet and suddenly noticed. She touched the back panel and it got pushed slightly behind. Ino said, "Wow, a secret entrance."

Naruto nodded and said, "I didn't want to show this to anyone, so I didn't say anything about it. Let's see what it is." He slid the back panel and clambered in. Ino went after him. The entrance was small and was a tight fit for them. Ino remarked, "Choji certainly wouldn't be able to make it in here." Naruto laughed.

There was an extremely narrow staircase in the gap, which was a surprise. Naruto said, "I thought it would be a room inside a room." Ino shook her head and said, "The connecting wall is the baby room." Naruto nodded and said, "Let's go."

The two of them went down carefully, to make sure that nothing happened. The stairs creaked slightly as they descended, but nothing happened apart from that. Around twenty stairs later, the two of them reached to a small gap, and Naruto said, "What is this? Is it just a hiding place or something?"

Ino said, "Hold on, there's a lever here." She pushed the lever, and a grating sound occurred. Naruto turned around to see the stone behind him lift up. He gave Ino a thumbs up and went in. Ino followed him. The two of them entered a room, and Naruto found a switch. He hit it and a light flared overhead, and the two of them gasped in astonishment.

The entire room was filled with weapons and gear of all kinds. There was an entire wall on the right which was filled with scrolls. Naruto whistled and said, "WOW! Mom sure knew a lot of weapons." Ino said, "Don't be so sure. Some of these could be your dad's as well." The blonde nodded and moved forward to examine the weapons.

Ino, meanwhile, was on the left side of the room, gazing at all the poisons. She said, "This is amazing, Naruto. There are so many rare poisons here which I've never even seen before in my life." Naruto nodded and said, "I know what you mean. There's weapons here which I thought didn't exist anymore."

The blonde moved his hands over the various weapons. All of them were in excellent condition, gleaming dully in the low light. He saw a katana, a tanto, a chokuto, a broadsword, a pole staff, a manriki-gusari, tonfas, nunchaks, and so many other weapons. But he couldn't see a staff-blade anywhere, so he was slightly disappointed.

Ino read his disappointment correctly and said, "I guess she didn't have time to master it." He nodded slightly and cheered up marginally, saying, "But look at all these which she did master." Ino said, "Let's check out the scrolls."

The two of them sat there for a couple of hours, poring over the scrolls. Most of the scrolls were TaiJutsu scrolls, featuring moves and stances which neither of the two had ever seen before. However, Naruto recognized one of the stances as the Iron Monk and said, "This was the preferred stance of my mother. It is said that she was the first one to use it here in the Leaf."

Ino gazed in amazement at the scroll and said, "That is so difficult. How could she even perform moves like those?" Naruto said, "It isn't that difficult. I've already mastered most of these moves." Ino said, "How? If these scrolls were here, where did you learn these moves from?"

Naruto said, "It's a secret. I'll tell you some other day." Ino understood and moved over to the medical scrolls. She said, "This is amazing. With all this information, I can really help the Leaf village invent new poisons. It will really help in battle."

Naruto was poring over some of the NinJutsu scrolls. He said, "Wait a minute. This looks familiar. What is a scroll of the Hiraishin Jutsu doing here?" Ino shifted over and saw it. She said, "Perhaps your mother was learning it? Judging by the amount of stuff she knew, it wouldn't be surprising."

Naruto pondered over it, before his stomach started grumbling and he said, "Let's wrap things up and come back some other time. And we'll need to bring some more lights." Ino agreed and they kept everything back in place before heading up.

Sasuke stood before the members of the Akatsuki, as they surmised him. Zetsu said, "Well, what do we do? Are we really taking him in?" The rest of them looked at him in surprise. He shrugged and said, "Just asked."

Pein said, "We have little choice, as does he. He has nowhere to go, and we are at our worst strength ever. Itachi has disappeared. He has blocked all forms of communication with us, I believe that he has betrayed us. And we all know that Kisame follows him to a fault; so we have lost a lot of strength. The only way to make up that strength is to induct more young and strong people into our fold, and Sasuke is one of those who fall into that very category."

Zetsu nodded and said, "So, Sasuke. What are your abilities?" Sasuke said, "My primary affinity is lightning style, although the Uchihas also have a natural affinity for fire style jutsus. I have developed my lightning style jutsus to all work at S-Rank. I am also able to use Water Style, though not extensively. And because I am Orochimaru's host, I have access to his chakra and his accelerated healing."

Zetsu nodded and said, "Impressive for a young kid like you. You can also handle weapons, can you not?" The young Uchiha tilted his head slightly in a nod and Zetsu said, "That's good enough for me." Konan spoke, "What is the status of your Sharingan?"

Sasuke replied with a hint of pride in his voice, "I possess the Mangekyo Sharingan, and can use Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu." Pein said, "What about Suseri or Susanoo?" Sasuke shook his head and said, "It takes time for all the abilities of the Mangekyo Sharingan to be awakened."

Pein said, "Very well. That's a little disappointing, but I guess you can't expect for everything in life at once. Anyway, do you have any other questions?" Both Konan and Zetsu shook their heads, and Pein said, "Let's get this over with then."

Just then, Deidara and Tobi entered the room. The blonde shinobi said, "Who's the new kid?" Tobi looked at Sasuke with interest. Pein said, "This is Uchiha Sasuke. He's the newest member of the Akatsuki." Tobi looked at Sasuke with interest, and Deidara snorted. He said, "You sure about this, Pein? I'll eat my own clay if he's half as strong as Itachi is."

Sasuke pulled out his sword and said smoothly, "Care to repeat that?" Pein laughed and said, "Put that away, Sasuke. Deidara never trusts anyone's strength until he sees it for himself. You'll have your chance to show your strength soon enough." Sasuke put his sword back in place, but continued to glower at Deidara, who seemed supremely unconcerned.

Tobi said, "So, are we going through the oath taking process?" Pein nodded and said, "Uchiha Sasuke, today you are a full ring member of the Akatsuki, acknowledged by all remaining ring members. You are part of something larger than yourself. You work for us, and gain the benefits of the organization in return. If you fail to perform your duties, there will be severe consequences. If you betray the Akatsuki, you will be hunted by us for the rest of your life."

Sasuke nodded and Pein said, "Very well. You are free for now, I shall call on you when I have need of you." Sasuke walked out, bumping his shoulder into Deidara on the way out. The blonde shinobi turned to fire a punch at the raven haired teen, who simply ducked and kicked out, sweeping out Deidara's legs from under him at lightning speed.

He turned around, showcasing red eyes with a triplet of stars, and said, "Don't mess with me." and simply walked out. It was Deidara's turn to glower at the teenager. Tobi laughed nervously, to dispel the tension, but only succeeded in making things worse, as he said, "I wouldn't trouble him, Deidara." The rogue ninja from the Stone village roared, "YOU THINK I'M SCARED OF HIM?"

Tobi visibly shivered and said quickly, "Of course not, of course not!" Pein said, "Leave, all of you. I need some time alone." Everyone nodded and took off.

Naruto headed off towards Ichiraku, thinking, 'It's been a long time since I've had some good ramen. Here I come, old man!" As he reached, he saw Iruka heading over towards the shop as well and smiled. He said, "Hey, Iruka sensei. Long time." Iruka smiled as well and said, "It sure has been. Getting ramen, I presume?" Naruto nodded enthusiastically.

The two of them entered the restaurant together and Teuchi looked up at them, smiling as he saw his favourite duo walk up together. He said, "It's been a while, you two. I was wondering whether you guys had forgotten about poor old me." Naruto said, "As if, Teuchi-san. I'll be coming here long after Ayame gets old."

Ayame came out of the kitchen, saying, "Did someone call?" Naruto said, "Nothing, Ayame-chan, just pointing out to your dad that his ramen is what's held me together so long." Iruka laughed. Teuchi said, "The usual, then?" The two of them nodded, and the old man got to work.

Iruka said, "So, what's new, Naruto?" Naruto said, "Well, apart from my house, I guess nothing much. Oh, wait, I invented a new jutsu." Iruka felt as stunned as looked. "A new jutsu? And you're just saying it like it's nothing?"

Naruto shrugged and said, "What's the big deal? Jutsus are invented all the time, aren't they?" Iruka thought about that and said, "But not by sixteen year old teenagers." Naruto smiled and said, "Well, I guess I'll show it to you sometime."

Iruka said, "That reminds me, are you going to be participating in the Jonin Trials to be held in a couple of months?" Naruto said, "I'm not quite sure what to do, sensei. On one hand, I really want to become Jonin. But on the other, I don't know if I'll be able to make it through, what with my GenJutsu, Stealth and Tracking skills being so weak."

Iruka said, "Well, it's good to at least try. Even if you pass three out of five trails, maybe you can achieve the rank of Tokubetsu Jonin." Naruto frowned, "Tokubetsu? As in, Special Jonin?" Iruka nodded, saying, "Like Ebisu, or Anko."

Naruto said, "I thought they are Jonin." Iruka shook his head, saying, "They are Tokujos. A Tokujo is one who is lacking in some skills, but more than compensates for it in some other skill. For example, if you are really bad at GenJutsu, but more than capable in NinJutsu, then that would allow you to become a Tokujo." Naruto nodded slowly, processing all this. He said, "Then what's the big deal about Jonin?"

Iruka said, "Jonin are considered elitists, that is, they are the best of the best in the village. Few ninjas ever make it to the level of Jonin, because of the all roundedness of the tests. Most prefer Tokujo, where they can actually focus more on their strengths rather than trying to overcome their weaknesses."

Naruto said, "But that means that a Tokujo is beneath a Jonin, right?" Iruka shook his head again and said, "You'd think, but not really. You see, since Tokujos have specific skills, they usually work individually, while most Jonin have to undertake teams of Genin ninjas. So, even if the rank is beneath Jonin officially, it does not undermine the shinobi who achieves the rank. Consider you; you're a Chunin, but you're already as strong as Kakashi, who is a Jonin. So rank doesn't necessarily equate to power, always remember that."

Naruto said, "Alright, sensei. Although I'll try my best to achieve Jonin rank." Iruka said, "I know you will. Because you never give up." Naruto said, "That's for damn sure." Teuchi passed their ramen to them, and they ate silently for a while.

After lunch, Iruka said, "Good luck to you, Naruto. If you ever need help, you know that I'm always there for you." Naruto thanked him and the two of them parted ways. Naruto headed towards home when Ino suddenly appeared in front of him. He was surprised and said, "Since when did you start shunshining everywhere?"

Ino smiled and said, "Thanks to the Rasengan training, my chakra reserves have expanded way beyond a normal shinobi." Naruto nodded and said, "So, what's up?" Ino said, "My dad said that you wanted to help with my birthday, right?" The knucklehead nodded, confused as to what it implied.

Ino said, "My mom is heading out to all our friends today to hand out my birthday invitations, and she would like someone to accompany her. And I think Dad already nominated you for the job." Naruto punched his fist into his other hand and said, "Oh yeah, I remember! He asked me to do it for him when I talked to him at my birthday party."

Ino said, "Let's go then." Naruto inclined his head as if to let her lead the way.

At Ino's house, Naruto finally met Ino's mother officially. Although he had seen her before, he had never spoke to her until now. He remarked, "I see where Ino gets her looks from."

Ino's mother, Mitsuri, smiled at the praise and said, "Well, I'm certainly glad that you're a well-mannered boy, after all the bad things people said about you. You're very sweet." Naruto said, "That's a relief to hear. So, where are we going to deliver all these invitations?"

Mitsuri said, "We are heading towards all of our closest friends first, including the Akimichi clan and the Nara clan. I shall also introduce you to other members of the Yamanaka clans." Naruto nodded enthusiastically and said, "I would love to meet everyone." The two of them bid goodbye to Ino and walked off together.

The next couple of hours went into passing out the invitations to all the various members of the Yamanaka clan. Naruto was pleased to meet everyone, and most of them already recognized him, partly from his kiss with Ino, or his performance in his first Chunin exam, against Neji.

As the two of them walked over towards the Nara clan property, Mitsuri said, "So, Naruto, have you ever thought about getting married someday?" Naruto said thoughtfully, "Not really. I mean, Ino and I have spoken about it, and we both want to get married to each other, but we both kinda want to achieve our goals in life first."

Mitsuri said, "Uh huh. And what are your goals in life?" Naruto said, "Well, Ino wants to achieve at least Jonin rank, and I of course, want to become the Hokage." Mitsuri nodded and said, "That is a high ambition." The teenager scratched his cheek and said, "Yeah, it is, but I think I'll be able to do it someday. Someday soon, too."

Mitsuri smiled and said, "Well, you're quite the determined one, aren't you?" Naruto puffed his chest out and said, "That I am." The two of them walked in silence for a while, until they reached Shikamaru's house. The lazy boy welcomed the two of them in, and called his dad to accept the invitation from Mitsuri.

Shikaku said, "Well, I'll be honoured to be a part of your daughter's majority. Thanks a lot, Mitsuri." Mitsuri inclined her head and Shikamaru said, "Hey, Naruto, come here a sec." The blonde walked over to him and Shikamaru whispered to him, "The Konoha 11 is planning to make Ino's cake. Everyone knew till now, except you. I was tasked with telling you, but finding you was too troublesome. So, now you know. Meet us at the Forest of Death on Saturday at 11AM."

Naruto said, "Why the Forest of Death?" Shikamaru smiled and said, "Coz that's the only place Ino would never think of, on her own." Naruto nodded and the two of them went back to Shikaku and Mitsuri, who were chatting about their own majorities.

Mitsuri said, "Well, we better get going. I have to still get invites to the Akimichis, and get back home to prepare for tomorrow." Naruto nodded and the two of them left, with Naruto giving Shikamaru a thumbs up. Mitsuri said, "I think we should take a break." Naruto said, "Alright." They sat on a park bench nearby, and Naruto said, "You know, I've always been curious. How was Ino like when she was a kid? I never got to know her well before we became Genin."

Mitsuri smiled in remembrance and said, "Ino was always fiercely independent. She would always try to get her way, and in that regard, she's just like her father. But apart from such times, she's always been kind at heart and a very polite and sweet girl."

Naruto said, "How come you guys allowed her to live on her own before she attained her majority?" Mitsuri laughed; which Naruto hadn't expected at all. He stared at Ino's mom, surprised at the reaction, and Mitsuri said, "It all happened when Inoichi walked in on her while she was changing."

Naruto understood suddenly, and he started laughing too, as Mitsuri told him the entire story. The two of them were nearly in tears of laughter by the end, when Sakura walked up in front of them. She said, "Hi, Mitsuri-san. Hi, Naruto, what are you doing here?"

Naruto replied, "I'm helping Mitsuri-san distribute the invitations for Ino's birthday." Sakura nodded and said, "Mitsuri-san, how come I don't get an invite?" She huffed up her face in mock disappointment, and Mitsuri laughed, saying, "Actually, I was inviting my friends and Inoichi's friends first, and I was going to invite all of Ino's friends tomorrow. But since you've met us anyway, here." She handed out an invitation to Sakura, who said, "Ooh, it's so cute! Did you make these yourself?" Mitsuri nodded.

Naruto said, "Alright, Mitsuri-san. We should get the rest handed out before the sun goes down." The older woman nodded and said, "Nice meeting you, Sakura. How come you never come home?" Sakura said, "Oh, I've been busy with missions and training and stuff. You know, the Jonin Trials are being held in a couple months and I've been trying to get my skills up a notch." Mitsuri said, "That's nice to hear. I do so love when you young kids are so determined to become wonderful shinobi." Sakura smiled and Naruto said, "That reminds me, Sakura, you need to work on NinJutsus, right?" Sakura nodded and said, "Why?"

Naruto said, "I was thinking of teaching Ino the Shadow Clone Jutsu, so I thought, why not teach you, too? It's an A-Rank technique, which will hold quite some merit in the trials." Sakura said brightly, "That would be wonderful, Naruto! Thanks a lot!"

Naruto said, "Don't mention it. Ino and I will be heading off to a training ground together. We'll swing by your place, most probably." Sakura nodded and bade them farewell. Mitsuri said, "Naruto, forgive me for being blunt, but do you, or have you ever had a crush on Sakura?" Naruto froze.

He turned to face her, and then said, in the most serious voice he could muster, "Mitsuri-san, I used to like Sakura a lot. I spent years trying to win her heart, to try to take her out on a date. Until the day I realized that Sakura was madly in love with Sasuke. That's when I stopped chasing after her. After that, of course, I went on a training trip with Per…Master Jiraiya, for three years, and forgot about what feelings I had for her. I realized it was just a minor crush."

Mitsuri listened with interest, and he continued, "After I came back, my house was burnt down by some villagers who hated me. You know, because of my, let's say, furry little problem." Mitsuri nodded, and the Kyuubi growled inside Naruto's stomach.

The boy said, "That was when Ino told me that I could stay as a roommate in the house where she was staying. Since I wasn't having any luck anywhere else as it is, I decided to take the offer. As the days went by, I realized that I was getting more attracted to Ino by the minute. I tried to tell myself that it was just a crush, like Sakura, but it soon became obvious, that I truly loved her, from the bottom of my heart."

Mitsuri said, "I am glad to hear that. Just one more question; will you always love Ino with all your heart?" Naruto smiled confidently and said, "No."

Mitsuri stared at him, shocked and stunned. He went on smiling, and said, "Don't get me wrong, Mitsuri-san. However, if I were to love Ino with all my heart, then how could I love everyone else, who have made me what I am today? I wouldn't be able to love Lady Tsunade, Master Jiraiya, Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei, old man Teuchi, and all my friends, who will always have a place in my heart. But I can say this; the largest part of my heart will always belong to Ino."

Mitsuri wiped a tear out of her eye and then hugged Naruto. He wasn't expecting this, and was quite surprised. She said, "That is the most wonderful thing I've ever heard in my entire life. I hope that the two of you always remain as happy as you are now." Naruto smiled and said, "I will always keep that in mind."

As the day ended, Naruto escorted Mitsuri home, who was tired from all the walking. Naruto couldn't wrap his head around this and said, "Mitsuri-san, aren't you a ninja?" Mitsuri shook her head, to Naruto's amazement, and said, "I am, or at least used to be, a model. Didn't Ino ever tell you?"

A figurative light bulb went off in Naruto's head as he remembered Narumi talking about Ino's mother when they were at the mission at the beach. He said, "Oh, yeah, now I remember. Sorry, I have a bit of trouble remembering things."

Mitsuri said, "It's not a problem. But ever since I've had Ino, I've been working in our flower shop, so I don't usually walk around so much. It just took a little strain on me today, but I'll be in better shape tomorrow." Naruto said, "Alright, then. I guess we'll meet soon." They reached Mitsuri's house and she said, "Thanks a lot for the help, Naruto. It was a pleasure meeting you and spending time with you." She kissed him lightly on the cheek as a thanks, and headed off inside the house.

Naruto headed home, thinking, 'Ino will be glad to know that the two of us are getting along well.' He reached home and Ino welcomed him, asking exactly the one question which he knew she would, "Well? How'd it go with my mom?"

Naruto smiled and said, "I think we really hit it off with each other. She really likes me and I like her too." Ino said, "I'm glad. Now there's no problems." Naruto said, "Hey listen, I met Sakura today, and she needs to work on her NinJutsu skills a little. So I told her that she could come over tomorrow and that I'll teach the two of you the Shadow Clone Jutsu together. Is that alright?"

Ino said, "Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?" Naruto said, "Just asking." The two of them had a light dinner, and then turned in. Naruto stared outside the window, unable to sleep, thinking, 'What are you doing now, Sasuke? Can you hear me?'

Sasuke woke up with a jerk. He thought, 'What was that feeling? Like someone's… no, Naruto's voice in my head?' He tuned out all other sounds, and listened carefully, but couldn't hear it again. The raven haired boy frowned. He thought, 'What is this weird feeling that I have? As if I'm about to face Naruto soon?'

The next day, Sasuke woke up, remembering the weird feeling he had the previous night, and shook it off. He got ready, putting on his regular clothes, before he noticed a package lying in front of his bed. He opened it, only to find a heavy black cloak in it. He shook it open, and it revealed a pattern of red clouds on it.

Sasuke marveled at the quality of the robe. It looked pretty simple from the outside, but was heavily armored from within. It had steel armor all around the insides. There were also pockets for hidden kunai and shurikens. The boy quickly donned it, and a voice sounded, "Looking good, there Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke turned to face Pein. The leader of the Akatsuki stood in front of him, his figure oddly distorted, and in various shades of different colours. Sasuke said, "What has happened? Am I needed? And why are you looking like that?"

Pein said, "It is a jutsu. I am but a holographic projection of my real body, which is useful for speaking to the other members of the Akatsuki without travelling by myself." Sasuke said, "That still doesn't answer my first two questions."

Pein inclined his head towards Sasuke and said, "Fair enough. I have called a meeting in the Hidden Rain Village, where I am presently. Travel to it and reach within a day. Once you reach the perimeter, Zetsu will guide you in. And keep in mind that this is a test, as much as it is a meeting. If you can't make it within a day, you will be removed from the Akatsuki." Sasuke nodded curtly and the image of Pein disappeared. The boy swung into action, packing a few things into a scroll, and got ready to travel.

Naruto walked along with Ino towards training ground 7. The road passed by Sakura's house, so they would be able to pop in at her place and pick her up as well. He said, "It's a wonderful morning for training, isn't it?" Ino nodded, taking in a deep breath. She sighed in satisfaction, and said, "It's going to be fun, learning a new jutsu. I haven't done this in quite a while." Naruto said, "Are you going to participate in the Jonin Trials this time?"

Ino shook her head and said, "It's not time for me yet. I have yet to master quite a few jutsus, as well as weapons, until I'm ready to take the trials. Although I'm good in GenJutsu, and stealth, but that's not enough for me." Naruto scratched his cheek, recalling what his teacher had told him, and said, "Well, Iruka sensei told me that even if you can't make Jonin, you can make Tokubetsu Jonin if you have a particular skill set which is excellent."

Ino stopped, and said, "Are you sure?" Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah, he said that suppose you're bad in GenJutsu, but really good in NinJutsu, then the Council might allow you to become a Special Jonin."

Ino said, "Wow, that's something I didn't know." Naruto nodded his head and said, "I know, it made me think, even if I don't know GenJutsu very well, I can still make Tokujo right now, which is why I'm taking the trials. You should do it too, even if you don't make Jonin, you might at least get promoted to Tokujo. If not that, you'll know where your weakness is so that you can focus on them until the next trials."

Ino said, "That's actually a good idea. I guess I'm in, then." Naruto smiled. Just then, the two of them saw Sakura walking in front of them, and ran up to her. Sakura looked behind at the sound of running, and smiled as she saw the two of them. She said, "Good morning, Naruto, Ino! How are you guys?"

Naruto and Ino both replied, and they fell into step with her. Sakura said, "I guessed that you would go to our old training ground, Naruto. So, you're actually going to teach us, huh? Never expected that." Ino stifled a giggle as she saw Naruto's face turn annoyed, and he said, "Oh yeah? What's not to expect about it?"

Sakura stretched her arms as he was speaking, and said, "Well, it's just that, just four years ago, you pronounced chakra as catra. I never expected things would change so much in such a short amount of time." Naruto remembered his younger self and went red with embarrassment. Ino couldn't hold it anymore, and burst out laughing.

Naruto and Sakura looked at her in surprise, and she said, "It's so funny, remembering all the goofing up that Naruto used to do when he was young." Sakura smiled as well, and said, "Yeah, I used to get so angry with him at that time, but when I think about it, I realize how funny it is now." The two of them looked at each other, and suddenly hugged Naruto at the same time. He froze, and Ino said, "Thanks a lot, for being in my life."

Sakura nodded, saying, "Thanks for not giving up on being my friend, even after I treated you so badly." Naruto gave them a small smile, and said, "Alright, that's enough emotional talk. Let's go and do some hard work now." The two girls simultaneously replied, "Alright, let's go."

After a few minutes of all out running, the three of them reached the training ground and Naruto said, "Tired?" Sakura said, "You wish." Ino also nodded and said, "We're not seven anymore, Naruto." The boy said, "I guess that's true. Alright, then let us begin."

He started warming up, and the two girls followed. They did the usual stretching exercises and warming up that they were used to. Then Naruto said, "Alright, now first of all, I worked my ass of trying to achieve this jutsu, because I had terrible chakra control back then."

Sakura said, "So, are you saying that we will find it easier?" Naruto nodded and said, "Partly. Since your chakra control is much better than mine, you will have an easier time creating the clones. The problem will be controlling the amount of clones that you make, and the number of times you can do so, without your chakra reserves being depleted. Now, as far as I know, I remember what Kakashi sensei was telling me about chakra reserves. Since girls have much finer chakra control by default, they don't stretch themselves too much, and so they have smaller reserves by default. Now, this doesn't apply to you two, of course, after Ino's Rasengan training, and your training with Grandma Tsunade, Sakura. But it doesn't mean that you can create hundreds of clones at once."

Ino said, "How do we control the number of clones we make?" Naruto said, "I'll get to that later. But first, make sure that the chakra in your body is flowing steadily. Swirl it around a little, just to be sure." The two girls focused, and let their chakra flow around steadily. They said, "Done."

Naruto said, "From this hand sign with your hands." He performed the Clone Seal, and the two girls followed. Sakura said, "This is a different seal. It isn't part of the regular twelve seals. I've always meant to ask you, but I kept forgetting. How did you learn this seal anyway?"

Naruto replied, "I learnt it from the Scroll of Forbidden NinJutsu." Sakura gasped and he said, "It's not a big deal, it is part of why I became Genin in the first place." Sakura continued to stare at him and he said, "It's not important, Sakura. I'll tell you two about it some other time. For now, let's continue with the jutsu."

The pink haired kunoichi shrugged and said, "Alright." Ino and Sakura formed the Clone Seal, and Naruto said, "Now, visualize yourself in your mind. And visualize an approximate amount of clones you wish to create." Ino and Sakura did as he said, and Naruto intoned, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Three clones split off from him.

Ino and Sakura both incanted, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" as well. One clone of Ino popped into existence near her, and one clone of Sakura came into existence as well.

Naruto said, "Alright, let's see how they hold up." He told his clones to fight the girls' clones. But to his surprise, the clones disappeared almost immediately in a single hit.

Naruto said, "How much chakra did you put into the jutsu?" Ino and Sakura said, "Not a lot, actually." Naruto said, "You need quite a bit of chakra to make the clones effective enough. If you make them like these, they won't last at all. The more chakra you use, the harder they are to defeat. And a good point to remember, your chakra is evenly distributed among the number of clones that you make. So, make sure not to make too many clones, because that will tire you out almost immediately."

The two girls nodded as they processed this information. They created the clone seal again, and performed the jutsu. This time, two clones of Ino were formed, while one clone of Sakura was formed. Naruto's clones checked again, and found Sakura's one clone stronger than before, while Ino's clones were approximately of the same strength as before.

Naruto said, "Ino, try only a single clone first, until you can get the balance of chakra perfect." The blonde kunoichi said, "Okay, Naruto. By the way, how many clones can you make on your best day?"

Naruto said, "Well, the largest number I've ever made until now is a thousand at once. But that took a lot out of me." The two kunoichi gasped; a thousand! Naruto said, "That was the time I was fighting Gaara during the Leaf Village invasion."

Ino said, "How did you survive after creating such a giant number of clones?" Naruto said, "I have extremely large chakra reserves, Ino. I think you should have known about that, after spending all this time with me." Sakura said, "Yeah, that's right. Naruto almost never gets tired, or out of chakra."

The two of them continued creating clones under Naruto's supervision, until they tired themselves out. Naruto let them rest for a while, and said, "You two are close. I took almost the same amount of time to reach perfection of the jutsu." Ino stood up, and Sakura thought, 'Since when did Ino's chakra reserves go so high? I had no idea that the Rasengan training would improve her reserves so much. I have got to try the Rasengan!'

Sakura said, "All this training is making me hungry. Let's go get something to eat, shall we?" The two blondes nodded, and they went to a nearby restaurant to have some lunch. After they finished, Sakura said, "That hit the spot. Alright, just a little rest for the food to digest, then we'll get back to training!"

After their brief rest, the three of them went back to the field, and continued the training, until the two girls had successfully created three clones apiece, all of which were firm and strong. Naruto said, "That's some great success. That should actually do it for the Jonin Trials, you know. Just make sure that you keep practising, increasing the clones one by one. And yeah, if you use the clones for training, you can master new jutsus in half or one third the time you usually take. That's how I did it with the Rasenshuriken."

Sakura said, "Alright! One jutsu in the bag! Thanks so much, Naruto!" Ino also thanked Naruto, and then said, "It's getting late, Naruto. Let's get going." The boy nodded, and said, "Well, then. If you have any problem, you know where to find me, Sakura." The pinkette said, "Yup, you got it, Naruto. Thanks again. By the way, can you make it to Ichiraku's tomorrow for lunch? My treat, for this jutsu." Naruto nodded enthusiastically and said, "Sure!"

Ino shook her head, sighing at her ramen addicted boyfriend. She said goodbye to Sakura, and the two of them began walking home. Ino said, "This is quite a useful jutsu, Naruto. Every time my clones vanished, I could sense their memories." Naruto said, "That's partly why the clones are used, for espionage, and stealth."

Ino said, "My stealth skills will skyrocket with this jutsu." Naruto said, "I hope they do." The two of them reached home, and decided to get a pizza. Suddenly, someone rang their bell. Naruto said, "I'll get it. Can you order the pizza?"

Ino said, "Sure." Naruto got up and went to the door. He opened it only to find Choji and Shikamaru standing outside. He said, "What's up, guys?" Shikamaru said, "Close the door."

Naruto complied and Choji said, "Where on earth were you? Did you forget that we had to rendezvous at the Forest of Death today?" Naruto slapped his forehead and said, "I knew I was missing something! Sorry guys, I totally got caught up teaching Ino and Sakura the Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Choji and Shikamaru stared at him for a moment, and then Shikamaru said, "You taught them that jutsu?" Naruto said, "Yeah, why?"

Choji said, "Isn't that an A-Rank jutsu?" the blonde replied, "Yeah, it is." Shikamaru said, "Wow, that's unexpected. But never mind that, we need to decide what to do about the cake. Ino should have the best cake for her birthday ever. We cannot afford to goof this up."

Naruto said, "Tell you what. We'll meet up on top of the Fourth Hokage's monument tomorrow. We'll decide what to do then." Choji said, "You better not forget tomorrow, Naruto." The two of them left, and Naruto went back in. Ino said, "Who was it?" Naruto said, "Umm, just some kids playing pranks, I suppose." Ino said, "Then why were you out so long?"

The knucklehead said, "I went searching for them, but they must have ran off pretty quick." Ino said, "Alright. Man, where's that pizza, I'm starving." The two of them decided to watch TV until then. Naruto flicked over the channels, finding nothing impressive, until a news channel flashed and he stopped to see it.

The man on the news channel said, "In a recent turn of events, the Land of Grass has refused to sign the treaty with the Land of Greens. This is surprising, because the two of them were about to share military secrets with each other, and were planning to from an alliance just a couple of months ago."

Naruto said, "Did you know about this, Ino?" The female shook her head and said, "That's too bad. I wonder what happened in order for the Land of Grass to suddenly change their minds like this." Naruto said, "Well, we may never know." Just then, the doorbell rang again, and the boy got up to answer it. Ino saw him coming back in with a pizza and said, "Finally! Let's eat!"

Sasuke ran along the dark, deserted path, not caring about all the sounds around in the forest. He thought, 'I must get there quickly, or else I won't have access to the information that Akatsuki have promised me, regarding Itachi."

Suddenly, two men came up in front of him. They said, "Halt, stranger. Who are you and where are you from?" Sasuke said, "Who's asking?" The two men replied, "We are shinobi of the Hidden Rain, and we keep an eye out on this road, in order to protect our land." Sasuke said, "I see. And where are your headbands?"

The two of them instantly whipped out their headbands out of their pockets, and showed them to him. He thought, 'Do they really take me for a fool? Even without my Sharingan, I can make out that they are forged.' He decided to scare the two off, since he didn't want to waste any time.

The two men said, "Who are you?" Sasuke closed his eyes, and said, "Do you really want to know?" The two of them hesitated, and Sasuke opened his eyes, which glowed red in the darkness. The two supposed shinobi visibly balked; and one said, "The Sharingan?! It's supposed to be extinct!"

The other said, "Don't try to fool us, kid. Hey, Ichi, it's probably a GenJutsu of some sort." The other one nodded nervously, and said, "But what if it isn't?" The other guy said, "Release!" But Sasuke's eye continued to glow, and Ichi said, "Oh crap. This guy is the real deal." Sasuke said, "I've just about had it with all of you bandits, pretending to be shinobi, and trying to steal from us. I would kill you right now, but I have an appointment and I can't afford to screw it. Count yourself lucky." He stepped up in front of them before they could see it, and knocked the two of them unconscious.

'Stupid blighters.'

The raven haired boy continued running, as fast as his feet would take him. But one nagging thought kept ringing inside his head, 'Why are the number of bandits increasing so much? What are the Hidden Villages doing? Is everyone sleeping?'

At the crack of dawn, Sasuke noticed the forest thinning out, and thought, 'Alright, I made it before time.' Just then, he noticed his destination. He thought, 'That is unusual. It is raining over there, but not here. What is happening?' He decided not to think too much and focused on reaching it.

As Sasuke got close to the village, he noticed that the wall which was built around it was quite big and thick. He thought, 'The Leaf does not have even half the fortification this village has.' He stopped, thinking about how he could enter. There was only one door as far as he could see, and it was closed.

Just then, a shape sprouted out of the ground in front of him, forming itself into a white Zetsu. The plant like shinobi said, "Hello, Sasuke-kun. I am glad that you made it here in time. Come on, I shall lead you inside the city." He began walking towards the city, and Sasuke's confusion grew, seeing that Zetsu was calmly approaching the gates. He thought, 'Isn't this guy a renegade shinobi? How can he just walk into a hidden village like that?'

Just then, the doors began to open, and Sasuke noticed a couple more white Zetsus standing on the other side, working on the mechanism of the door. Sasuke said, "Are these your clones?" Zetsu looked back at him, saying, "Yes, they are."

The boy said, "Where are we headed? And where are all the shinobi of this village?" The white shinobi simply waved his hand in a general direction which lay ahead of them, and said, "You'll see soon."

Sasuke frowned, saying, "That doesn't answer the second question." Zetsu smiled stupidly, saying, "You sure ask a lot of questions. Very well, I shall entertain you. This village is the home base of the Akatsuki. This is where it began."

The Sharingan wielder was stunned. He said, "You people built this village?" Zetsu shook his head, saying, "No, it was built a long time ago. We conquered it." Sasuke pondered over that for a while. Zetsu began talking again, "This village was led by Hanzo, an elite ninja, who even matched the strength of the three Sannin combined. He was a terrifying man, and everyone bowed down to him."

This piqued Sasuke's interest, and he said, "Well, how did you people defeat him?" Zetsu said, "The Third Great Shinobi War was the reason that Hanzo was defeated. In these lands, which are occupied by the Great Nations, this small village of little significance. However, it is strategically sound, because of its heavy fortification. That is why the Sand and the Stone villages tried to take over it."

"However, that is not related too much to what I'm saying. The war totally tore the village apart. Death everywhere. Orphans crying, trying to find their parents, who were dead, or missing. And in this crowd, was one child. One child who possessed an amazing ability. He was Pein."

Sasuke took all of this in, and asked, "What did he do?" Zetsu said, "Pein was tired of this war, and wanted to get it over with. He trained in the Ninja Arts, and was soon able to take missions which were rejected by Hanzo, who at that time, was only accepting missions which would lead his shinobi to gain experience."

"But when Pein started gathering other people under him, and formed a group, called the Akatsuki, Hanzo began to see him as a threat. Do you know the purple haired woman in the group, Konan?" Sasuke nodded curtly. Zetsu said, "She was kidnapped by Hanzo, in order to lure the Akatsuki out. He ordered Pein to sacrifice himself in order to save Konan."

Sasuke said, "What happened next?" Zetsu shrugged and said, "Who knows? All of this is mostly speculation and stories which I have heard over the years. Some people even say that Pein had a friend with him at that time, who helped him out. But supposedly, Pein went berserk and killed the entire army of shinobi who were allied with Hanzo."

The raven haired teenager raised his eyebrows, with suspicion and a slight amount of astonishment. He said, "Pein defeated an entire army by himself?" Zetsu nodded and said, "That is the awesome power of the Rinnegan." He smiled slightly, seeing the look on Sasuke's face, and said, "Ever since then, the village has been led by the Akatsuki."

Sasuke said, "But how come you people are considered renegades if you have a village of your own?" Zetsu said, "It's not our village officially, of course. We control it from behind the scenes. There is a man who we use to lead the villagers to continue living here, and working. We call him Leader."

Sasuke was about to say something when Zetsu pointed, "We are here." The boy looked in the direction where Zetsu was pointing and saw a giant tower in front of him. He looked around and said, "The tallest tower in the village. Isn't that a little cliché?"

Zetsu shrugged passively and said, "Let's go. Pein doesn't like people keeping him waiting."

The two of them entered the tower and began heading to the top.