Chapter 16:
A/N: I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter, as well as everyone who has followed and favorited this story.
Naruto was barely able to open his door all the way before rough hands were grabbing him and dragging him across his house and throwing him onto the couch that was in the living room. Rearranging himself so he was no longer facing the back of the couch or laying down, Naruto looked up and was met with the gaze of two very unhappy adults, and a boyfriend who was looking forward to the yelling at the other was about to endure.
For a couple of very tense minutes that felt like hours to Naruto, no one spoke. They all just stared at each other waiting for someone to make the first move. That someone happened to be Haru, who clenched his fists and took a step forward. "Do you understand how completely-" his sentence was cut off by Jiraiya lifting up his hand to cut off the other man, whose voice was raising with every word.
"Naruto," The man said, extremely calm, which made Naruto tense up in more ways than he thought possible. "do you understand the consequences of what you did today during that festival? And how this could completely fuck over the entire mission?" Jiraiya asked the teen that was sitting on the couch, moving to cross his arms over his chest.
"Yes, I understand the risks I took today and the consequences that will come with it." Naruto whispered, he wanted to look everywhere but the eerily calm man in front of him that he knew was burning with rage on the inside, but his ANBU training wouldn't allow him to do that.
"Good, and did you understand these risks before you decided to do what you did?" Jiraiya asked, his voice still calm but Naruto could sense the irritation slipping into it.
"Yes sir." Naruto mumbled, still locked onto the older man's gaze but wanting nothing more than to hide behind the couch.
"Then would you care to enlighten the rest of us as to why you suddenly decided to screw us all over?" This time, Jiraiya did not bother to hide the irritation and anger that he was feeling as his eyebrows went into his hairline with disbelief, making Naruto want to flinch.
"I know that this society is very different than ours." Naruto began,
"But that doesn't mean that people are still not wronged by those in power here in ways that are terrible. The boy, Todoroki, was probably wronged by his family the same way that someone in our world has been. I needed him to see something, and I had to confirm it for myself. It was only a couple extra matches that I competed in, and I think with the turnout of the winners this year there won't be as much attention to someone who got the place I did as there have been in years past."
"You are building personal connections with the people here." Jiraiya stated. His tone unreadable, so Naruto couldn't tell if he thought that this was a good or bad thing. It also wasn't a question, so Naruto didn't move and decided to wait for the man to continue.
"Of course, this is something that is to be expected. It is not an evil organization that you are infiltrating, but you are simply observing the people here. This is also your first infiltration mission, and it is with kids that are so close to your age." Jiraiya continued.
"It is fine to build connections here, Naruto. But do not let them get in the way of the mission again. And don't build such strong bonds that you will want to stay here. Also, NEVER AGAIN will you go beyond the power limit that was previously discussed, although that will have to change now that you did that little show in the festival. But do keep in mind that if you do something like this again, someone else will take your spot in this mission. Henge's can be very useful." It was here that Jiraiya decided to end the conversation, signaled by him turning and walking out the door, not seeing that Naruto hung his head once he had finished speaking.
Haru lingered for another second, still seething in anger. He opened his mouth, probably wanting to yell at Naruto to get rid of his own anger, but once he saw how defeated the young teen looked, he did the same thing that the other man did and left without saying goodbye.
Naruto stood by the doors of the school, switching out his shoes for the day. The heavy rain pouring in from outside reminded him of the day that he lost one of the greatest people in his life. It reminded him of the day that the Third Hokage died by the hands of Orochimaru, the man who had also taken one of his best friends from him.
Thoughts of anger and aggression consumed the teen before he was pulled out of his thoughts by Izuku asking Iida a question.
"If it's about my brother, there is no need to worry. I apologize for worrying you needlessly." Iida said, before walking away and heading to class.
Naruto watched his classmate walk away before staring down at the shoe he was previously trying to tie. The laces were wrapped tightly around his hands and pulling so hard on his foot that circulation in both body parts had been cut off. Naruto hadn't realized how angry that he had been getting and was thankful that he hadn't tried to draw upon any of Kurama's chakra unconsciously.
Loosening the laces on his shoes and tying them, Naruto quickly ran up to Izuku to walk with the other male to class.
"Hey…what was with Iida earlier? What happened to his bother?" Naruto asked the green haired male.
"Oh, um, his brother was caught up in a villain attack on the day of the sports festival. It's why he had to early. Last I heard he was in the hospital, but I guess he's okay now." Izuku told him. Naruto just sent Izuku a nod to let him know that he heard him before the two friends finished their journey to class in silence.
Naruto watched as his classmates talked about how they were all recognized on their way to school, each having sparkles in their eyes and talking about how amazing U.A. was for getting them recognized. The talk was cut off a couple of minutes later by their teacher opening the door and saying, "Good morning." to all of the students, where he received an enthusiastic "Good morning!" in response.
"Aizawa-sensei, your bandages are gone. I'm glad." Naruto heard his frog-like classmate announce.
Glancing up at his teacher, Naruto saw that she was in fact right. His previously mummified teacher was now back to looking like his normal hobo self. Seeing his teacher no longer covered head to toe in bandages was something that brought Naruto more sense of relief than he thought it would.
"The old lady went overboard with her treatment." Aizawa said, scratching his face. While he didn't look embarrassed, Naruto could tell from that one action that his teacher was, indeed, embarrassed and probably felt guilty for making his students worry. "More importantly, we're having a special hero informatics class today. Code names. You'll be coming up with code names." Aizawa told the class, who all began to celebrate at the prospect of doing something exciting. One glance at the class with his quirk activated was all his teacher needed to do, apparently, before they all quieted down.
"This is related to the pro hero draft picks I mentioned the other day. The drafts begin in earnest in the second and third years after students have gained experience and can become immediate assists to the pros. In other words, for them to extend offers to first years like you shows that they are interested in your future potential. These offers are often cancelled if that interest dies down by graduation." Aizawa explained to the class.
"So we'll have to prove ourselves once we get picked, huh?" Asked Hagakure.
"That's right. And here are the totals for those with offers." Aizawa said, before pressing a remote as a screen came up behind him and showed the class the number of offers everyone got. Looking for his name, which was fourth on the list, Naruto saw that he got 301 offers, unusually low for someone who typically places in his spot, but it made sense when he looked at the gaps in the number of offers that each student got.
"In other years, it's been more spread out, but all eyes were on these two this year." Aizawa told everyone as the pointed to the screen behind him.
After a brief conversation about Bakugou's attitude and why Todoroki got more offers than him, Aizawa began talking again to get the classes attention back. "Keeping these results in mind, whether or not anymore asked for you, you will all be participating in internships with pros." He told the class.
"Internships?" Izuku asked.
"Yes. At USJ, you already got to experience combat with real villains, but it will still be meaningful training for you to see pros at work firsthand. Well, the hero names are still temporary, but if you're not serious about it…" Aizawa told the class, but the classroom door opened before he could finish his sentence and Midnight barged in saying,
"…you'll have hell to pay later!" finishing the sentence for the homeroom teacher. "Because a lot of hero names used by students become recognized by society, and they end up becoming professional hero names!" She continued, walking to the front of the class next to Aizawa.
"Well, that's how it is. So Midnight will be making sure your names are okay. I can't do stuff like that." Before the class could question why Aizawa wasn't qualified to help with their hero names, he continued speaking. "When you give yourself a name, you get a more concrete image of what you want to be like in the future, and you can get closer to it. This is what it means when they say, 'Names and natures do often agree.' Like 'All Might,' for example."
Once he finished speaking, whiteboards and markers were passed around the room for everyone to write their hero name on.
'So kit, what's it gonna be?' Kurama asked Naruto, genuinely interested in what Naruto was going to pick for his name.
'Well, I really think there's only one thing it can be. After all, a hero name should represent your best quality.' Naruto told his tendent, before writing his hero name on his board.
Naruto watched as one by one his classmates began presenting their hero names. Some got turned away, like Ashido's Alien Queen, while others were absolutely loved by Midnight, such as Yaoyorozu's Creati. About halfway through the presentations, Naruto decided that he should just get his over with.
"Well, here goes nothing." Naruto muttered to himself as he stood up and made his way to the front of the room. " I wanted to choose a name that would keep me tied to my home roots while also representing the type of hero I want to be. So, for my hero name, I have chosen the name 'Unpredictable!" Naruto said as he turned his board around to reveal the word 'Unpredictable' written on it.
"Huh?" Midnight asked.
"In my home village I was known for playing pranks when I was younger and getting out of fights with other kids through unusual methods that were unpredictable because I would change my approach every time. I was also able to place so high in the sports festival by using different styles of attack and different energies so my opponent wouldn't know what my next attack would be. I want to be known as a hero who is unpredictable and gets out of every situation no matter how high the odds are against me." Naruto explained to his teacher.
"I see. Something meaningful to you personally while also letting others know the type of person you are. I love it! Approved! Next?" Midnight said, as Naruto made his way back to his seat.
Naruto resumed watching his classmates present their names. This included Ochako's Uravity, which was loved by Midnight, while Bakugou's King Explosion Murder was turned away by the teacher, and how Izuku's Deku shocked the class but was still accepted by them.
The serious atmosphere that the class had adapted was broken not even a minute later by Bakugou presenting his improved hero name, Lord Explosion Murder, which was again turned down by Midnight. And the class laughed, despite the blond boy's death threats, as he was told to stay after school to work on a hero name with Midnight.
It was after this that Aizawa awoke from his nap and began to teach the class once again. "Now that everyone's decided on their hero names, we'll go back to talking about the internships. They will last for a week, those who had offers from pros will be given your own lists so you can choose from those yourself. Those who didn't have offers will choose from among forty agencies around the country that will accepting our interns. They all work in different places and have different specialties." Aizawa told the class.
"For example, Thirteen would be focused on rescues from accidents and disasters more than fighting villains." Midnight said.
"Think carefully before you choose." Aizawa told the class, before he began passing out the papers to everyone. "Turn in your sheets by the end of the week. Make your decision efficiently. Dismissed." He continued once he finished passing out the papers and walked out of the classroom.
It was during lunch that everyone decided to look over their internships and begin to think about who they would choose.
"Hey, hey, have you guys decided what agency you're going to yet?" Ashido asked, slumped over her desk as she stared at her paper with the forty agencies to choose from.
"Ashido, are you upset about how far you made it into the sports festival?" Naruto asked.
"What? No! Why?!" She asked him, alert and confused by the question.
"Well, it's just that despite how far you made it into the tournament, you didn't get any offers for the internship." Naruto told her.
"You said it!" She exclaimed, standing up.
"Well, I already know who I'm interning with." Kirishima said.
"Really bro? Who?" Asked Sero.
"Fourth kind." He answered.
"The Chivalrous Hero?" Asked Kaminari.
"Yup!" Kirishima answered, while giving them a thumbs up.
"Wow that…really suits you Kirishima. Is he the closest thing you could find to Crimson Riot on your forms?" Naruto asked, teasing the red-haired male.
"Don't make fun of me Naruto!" Kirishima yelled at his classmate, embarrassed. "But I figured I should probably work close with the heroes that I am trying to be like. Also, he's known to have a really good fighting style, and I know from my battle with Bakubro that my hardening won't get me everywhere, I need to account for when I am unable to use it for whatever reason. I'm hoping to pick up some battle skills from him that I can use." Kirishima told the group.
"Wow that's actually really smart and mature of you Kirishima." Ashido told him.
"Thanks Mina!" He exclaimed, not noticing the hidden sarcasm in her statement.
"Hey…is Bakugou okay? He's been trembling in his seat this entire time with an angry expression on his face ever since he got his form. And he didn't react when Kirishima called him Bakubro. He hates that." Kaminari whispered to the group that surrounded him.
The group quickly looked over at the male in question to see that yes, he was trembling angrily in his seat, clutching his form so hard that he might break it. The group turned back to each other and all shared a look before quickly and quietly shuffling away from the angry male, throwing glances his way every couple of seconds.
"I'm home!" Naruto announced, as he closed his door, took off his shoes, and made his way into his living room where Jiraiya, Shikamaru, and Haru were all sitting. "We got our internship forms today." He continued, throwing the form onto the table before sitting next to Shikamaru on the couch, who wasted no time wrapping an arm around his boyfriend as soon as he was seated.
Naruto had been expecting Jiraiya, and if not him than someone else in the room, to look at the form before telling him where he was expected to accept the internship from. However, Haru just crossed his arms over his chest and held Naruto's questioning gaze for a few seconds before saying, "We don't care where you intern, as long as it is in Hosu."
Naruto frowned for a few seconds and moved his gaze from Haru to the floor, before looking back at everyone in the room. "Is the Stain problem really that bad?" He asked. "Do you want me to take care of him?"
Jiraiya shifted in his seat, bringing his elbows to his knees and resting his chin on his hands and locking his eyes with Naruto's. "Yes, he is getting that bad. Normally we wouldn't meddle in an affair like this but what Stain is doing is really getting out of hand, and the heroes aren't making any progress on his capture. There is also a rumor that he is now affiliated with the league of villains, and we don't have Sasuke here yet to get a handle on that." Jiraiya explained to him.
"We don't need you to 'take care of him' as you put it." Haru added. "All we want you to do is monitor the situation, and if you and the hero that you are with happen to run into him than help take him down, but don't kill him. We don't need you thrown in jail for going overboard." Haru continued, teasing the younger shinobi with the last part of his explanation.
"Or, you could always intern with someone that you know will be going to Hosu." Shikamaru said, giving his boyfriend a knowing look as he moved his hand from Naruto's hip to his arm were his fingers danced across the others skin.
"If you are gonna start something, you have to be there to finish it." Jiraiya told Naruto.
Naruto locked eyes with each person in the room individually, all of which had tiny smirks on their face, before relaxing into his boyfriends embrace and mirroring everyone's facial expression. He then moved his eyes to the form that rest in the middle of the room before saying "Well, I think I know where I am interning now."
"You all have your costumes, right? Remember, you aren't allowed to wear them in public. Don't drop them or anything." Aizawa told his class. They were all currently in their uniform and standing outside of a train station, bags packed and hero costumes with them in order to prepare for the upcoming internships that would start as soon as they arrived at their respective agencies.
"Yessir!" Ashido yelled, unable to contain her excitement.
"Speak clearly! It's 'yes sir' Ashido." Aizawa reprimanded, but Naruto had a feeling that the man didn't really mind and was only doing this to maintain a public appearance.
"Yes sir." Ashido responded, mood put out by her teachers scolding.
"Make sure you mind your manners with the heroes at your internships! Off with you now." Aizawa said, dismissing his class.
"Alright, ready to go Todoroki?" Naruto asked his icy classmate. He simply nodded in response and glanced at his phone before making his way to where their train would be picking them up.
Glancing behind him, Naruto saw Iida walking away from Izuku and Ochako, and the picture left a sour taste in his mouth. Not wanting his classmate to do anything stupid, Naruto told Todoroki that he would catch up with him and made his way over to the class rep.
"Hey Iida," He said, causing the other boy to stop in his tracks and look behind him. "don't be a stranger. Call sometime, it will be weird not seeing you for an entire week. And don't be afraid to call if you need help. Believe that I will always be there if any of my friends are ever in trouble." He said, giving his classmate a close-eyed smile and sending a thumbs up his way.
"That's a very admirable quality, Naruto, and likewise. Look luck during your internship." Iida said, giving him a small smile and bowing before turning back around and walking towards his train. Naruto stared at the retreating form of his friend for a second, before turning around and jogging in the other direction in order to meet up with Todoroki.
A/N: So what does everyone think of this chapter? Jiraiya gets Naruto to think about how he is handling the mission and sends him mixed signals concerning his actions during the sports festival. Naruto is also joining Todoroki during the internships. But how did you like this chapter? How do you feel about the talks between Naruto, Jiraiya, Haru, and Shikamaru? And what do you all want to see during the internships?