Hello again folks. Here's your next installment of the story. This was meant to be a short, mildly entertaining but not really advancing the plot, sort of chapter. Due to unforeseen difficulties with my computer, as well as the holidays themselves, this got put on the backburner. I apologize for that.
Once again, thanks to TheWatcherAndReader for acting as my beta.
He watched over her from his vantage point, through the dirty window that had streams of water flowing down it from the pouring rain. She seemed to be totally unaware of his presence, but all things considered, he couldn't blame her. She was pregnant after all, already starting to show. He was happy for her, and was proud in a way for the woman. She was the first of the survivors to bring new life into the world, and Naruto was probably as anxious as her to see his future nephew or niece. Though I hope their hair color takes after their father, instead of their mother. I can't imagine what would happen if it was a boy with hair that shade of pink.
Ever since Konoha's fall, they had been on the run from Orochimaru's patrols and hunting squads. He still didn't recall the final parts of that vicious battle, only waking up in a small campsite with Sakura sleeping against the wall near his prone body. The camp was one, he would later learn, of many. When the civilians and shinobi protecting them fled Konoha under his last orders, they had separated into smaller groups in order to move quickly and to avoid detection. It was only luck that Naruto had ended up in the same camp as his old genin teammate.
According to what he had been told, Naruto owed a great debt to Rock Lee, who had opened the final celestial gate to pull his two eternal rivals out of that hell. Neji and Naruto had been too exhausted, too injured, and no longer able to fight, despite their willpower. Lee had always been protective of his friends, and with his 'father' already among the fallen, Naruto guessed that he refused to lose anyone else. When Neji had learned of Lee's fate, Naruto and the other survivors in their small group had respectfully turned away and gave the Hyuuga time to grieve. Naruto wasn't proud to say that he was one of the few that had seen the stoic Hyuuga cry for probably the first time since his father's death.
The small group had traveled slowly, alternating their route many times in order to avoid detection. It seemed that Orochimaru had anticipated their retreat to Kaze no Kuni, as they ran across more than one of Orochimaru's patrols. The civilians in their group didn't last long; the Oto shinobi taking a sick thrill of killing those unable to defend themselves. After a few weeks of constant pursuit and hiding, the survivors shifted gears. They knew that they would never make it to Gaara's lands like this, so the small group of about twenty shinobi of varying ranks went into hiding. They broke up into even smaller groups, shedding all of their shinobi markings and identifiers, short of their forehead protectors. Even those marks of pride were hidden as they would travel around, only to meet up again, both with their original group and with others who shared similar ideals in regards to Orochimaru's destruction. Naruto saw the signs of an underground resistance, of both peasants, as well as former samurai, forming shortly after the fall of the Lord of Hi no Kuni, and knew full well that the Konoha survivors would eventually play their part.
Naruto's current group had been hiding in this town for the better part of a year, blending in while surreptitiously communicating with their fellow Konoha-nin in hiding, as well as seeding the signs of revolt against the control of Oto. During this period, some of his fellow shinobi simply left, giving up to start new lives for themselves, sick of the fighting; of being hunted down like prey. It didn't surprise him, nor could he really blame them. The loss of one's home was devastating to one's character, especially after going to such lengths and still losing it. So he allowed them to leave, knowing full well that if he had asked them to stay, they would have.
He may not have been a Hokage, but the shinobi respected him on a level that easily matched one. He knew that if he had asked, they would have followed him to the gates of Hell. Some may have pissed themselves along the way, but they would have followed and fought alongside him.
Naruto shook his head, bringing himself back to the present. He gave a small smile, ignoring the pelting rain that was soaking him to the bone. "Are we ready yet?"
He sensed, more than heard, the woman's reaction and couldn't help but chuckle slightly at it. People still aren't used to my detection skills. Though Kakashi-sensei was still able to sneak up on me, tricky bastard... He turned his head to look over his shoulder, taking in the figure of his comrade. He hadn't really known Uzuki Yugao until after Konoha's fall, but she was everything that any able-bodied commander could ask for in a Lieutenant. She was scarily efficient, effective, and knew how to get things done. ANBU trained her well. "Preparations are almost complete. Konohamaru is contacting everyone local to gather. Neji has already sent word to some of the others still in hiding of our plans via summoning. If there are loyal Konoha-nin out there still willing to fight, his summons will find them."
"Excellent. Well done," she only nodded at his words. It was a statement of fact after all. She knew fully well that Naruto didn't give compliments anymore. "We go on the move at dawn, make sure the others know."
"As you wish," she paused for a moment, her purple hair sticking to the sides of her face from the rain. "Do you really plan on not telling her?"
Naruto frowned slightly before he turned back to his watching. He released a sigh before speaking, allowing the sound of the rain to cover up his tone. "She can't come with us, senpai. You know this."
"I understand, but..."
"I understand your concern, but you don't know my sister like I do. Despite being in love with a man that truly makes her happy, having a child on the way, as well as a stable marriage to said man in her future, if she knew we were heading back to the front lines, she would follow us, and damn everything else."
"... It seems that you have rubbed off on her more than one would think."
He smirked at that. "I suppose," he let off a small chuckle before watching as Sakura's figure left the view of the window. "It's better this way."
"I think you're deluding yourself, boss, but I won't say anything else on the matter. Though I imagine Shizune will probably end up saying something to her. They are close, after all, and Shizune will be coming with us."
"You're probably right. That gives you the privilege of watching as she pounds me into paste for doing this when we return." He heard her short chuckle and joined her in laughter for a few moments before his face went sober. "Lieutenant, tell everyone to finish their business here. Come dawn, we go to fight another war."
The woman gave him a short salute reminiscent of her time in the ANBU, not that he could see it, before vanishing with the grace that all shinobi gain. "Yes, sir!"
Naruto only stared at the empty window for a few more moments before leaving as well. His voice would be covered by the pelting rain, but the wind would carry his words long after he was gone. "Goodbye Sakura."
-/-/-/
Mitarashi Anko never considered herself the touchy-feely type. After all, her idea of a good time was highlighting with Morino Ibiki at the torture and interrogation cells. She had always been energetic, even when she'd served under her traitorous sensei. That never changed, much to his annoyance and the amusement of the Sandaime Hokage. She ignored, mostly, Kurenai's attempts to get her to 'go out and find herself a man', not feeling comfortable with such things like relationships. The few times that she had listened to her friend and tried it out, it had led to more irritation and annoyance than anything else.
Except for that short period with Maito Gai a few months back. That had just been hilarious, both for her and Kurenai, a nice change really, as opposed to Kurenai simply laughing at her. She still smirked at the memories from time to time. Heh, that spandex wearing freak and his little clone will NEVER do that little student-teacher bonding thing in front of me again.
She also had never considered herself the teaching-type, but as she watched the kid before her, she couldn't help but grin at how things were turning out. She had done that nameless wonder his favor, giving that scroll of jutsu to the Kyuubi-brat when he was ready. The kid hadn't trusted her at first, but upon saying she had jutsu to give him, his attitude shifted completely, thus leading to an interesting, and really goddamn entertaining, 'agreement' between the two.
To put it plainly, Anko came to the realization rather quickly that the kid would cut his own damn arm off if it would make him a stronger shinobi. Thus, Anko realized she could have some fun with this, as well as maybe picking up a few new jutsu as well. Or at least use him as one of her own jutsu guinia pigs. She offered to help him learn the techniques in the scroll, as long as he let her learn them too. He was confused at first, but eventually gave in. Anko thought she had won the better part of the deal; the kid couldn't be all that bad if he could do the water walking skill before being a genin, right?
She learned over the next few months that she probably should have thought her deal further before making it. Somehow, 'helping him with his techniques' grew to 'improving his skills', without her realizing it. After helping him learn those jutsu, the brat has somehow talked her into refining his taijutsu and other shinobi skills. No, it wasn't so much that as it just physically hurt to watch the shitty movements that brat called taijutsu. After all, he virtually created a new definition of pathetic when it came to actual skill. So she began 'helping him'. Nothing big at first, and she still only bothered when she had nothing better to do. She was busy on missions a lot, either out in the field or in the 'dungeon' with Ibiki. And she tended to barter 'training' for the talents of Konoha's biggest prankster. Kurenai was still having trouble airing out the fish smell from her apartment, in retaliation for trying to set Anko up on yet another date a few weeks back.
The scroll itself had consisted of a few Fuuton jutsu, mostly C – rank, which was understandable. She didn't know Nanashi that well, she doubted that even old man Hokage knew his mysterious 'retainer' that well, but she was fairly sure that he wouldn't give high-level techniques to an academy student. She held no such concerns; after all, he wasn't her student or anything, and she demonstrated this lack of concern every time she took him to paces in his taijutsu. She had quite of bit of fun turning him into a human punching bag, especially on her bad days, the few days she actually searched the pre-teen out. Naruto learned he should try to avoid Anko on those days; the days where killing intent was just hovering around her, even as she ate dango, her 'happy' food.
Amazing what that would do for a pre-genin's stealth skills, despite his wearing bright orange.
She watched the kid in amusement. "Come on brat, don't tell me you're giving up already. Psh, maybe I overestimated you, brat." She found amusement in his pissed off expression as he glared at her. She smirked back, not being able to help herself. I pity that Iruka guy he's always talking about. "I guess that's as far as you can go. You are still in the 'academy' after all." She played with the word, forcing a bit of mockery into her tone as she watched the fireworks behind the boy's eyes.
"Screw you, bitch," he ground out, forcing his hands through the seals again, trying to brute force the technique. She was teaching him a jutsu for a change, rather than just improving the one's he received from Nanashi. She knew she would probably get some flack for teaching him this, but the potential hilarity from the boy actually being able to do it was worth it.
She felt him form and twist the chakra, once again being impressed at his reserves, despite mocking him for everything she could. "Maybe when you're older... and I'm really drunk," she grinned in glee as his face flushed, his control slipping completely at her jab. She laughed at his open embarrassment, finding amusement in flustering him, as always.
He growled after hearing her laughter and forced himself through the technique again, blocking her out to the best of his ability, his voice a roar now. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"
Anko blinked in surprised when she saw the shadow clones pop into existence. Far more of them than I expected. Well, from the stupid look on his face, it seems that he's figured it out. "All right!" she cried out, raising a fist in triumph. She cackled wildly as the boy and his clones followed her example. Beneath the insane laughter, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of pride at the success of her 'student'. About damn time, kid. Despite his shitty physical skills and stupidity, the brat will go far on his chakra alone. If he ever masters it, he'll be a complete monster. She shook her head, letting her laughter die down before looking at the kid with a sadistic grin. And Kurenai said I'd never be a good sensei. She internally chuckled at the suspicious expression on their faces, both creator and clones, before reaching into her coat and withdrawing a small piece of paper. She waved it once at him before saying, "Here's the list kid. You remember our deal, don't you?"
The clones popped out of existence, leaving numerous smoke plumes. The original simply grabbed the paper, a sadistic grin of his own covering his face. He looked it over quickly before nodding. "Oh, this is gonna be good..." his voice trailed off with something that could only send chills down the spines of those who had dealt with Konoha's most notorious prankster in the past. He raised an eyebrow at her in curiosity. "So why these people? I mean, I can understand oji-san, but who are these other people?" He gave the list another look before raising an eyebrow, "And some of them have 'suggestions' for their pranks," he paused, his eyes continuing down the list before stopping. "Damn... what the hell did Kurenai-san do this time?" he asked with after a short whistle of amazement.
Anko merely smirked. "That's a story for another day, brat. Now get to work! I expect the old man's office to gain its decorations before I go in for my next mission. And Kakashi-baka's book in my hand by the end of the week."
"O ye of little faith," Naruto chimed in, his eyes slanted into what Anko termed, the 'fox-grin.' It was one that never meant well for whoever his target was. As she watched him leave, she couldn't help but break into maniacal laughter, even as she walked back to her apartment.
The people on the street gave her a wide berth, most of them far too worried as to why the local psychopath was so happy.
-/-/-/
How did things go to hell so quickly? She cursed under her breath as she continued lugging her injured teammate over her shoulder, ignoring the flares of pain that shot up her own slashed arm. She listened intently to the sounds of footsteps beside her, knowing that the other member of their squad was hiding his own wounds, in an attempt to keep the 'rookie' calm. Under other circumstances she would have simply snorted in disbelief at his arrogance, but right now she could only hope that he wasn't as injured as the smell of his blood was implying.
It was times like this when the enhanced senses of her sealed Bijuu irritated her.
It was supposed to be a simple search and destroy mission. The Yondaime Raikage, her mentor and surrogate father, even before his rise to power a little more than a year ago, had informed her that she would be accompanying a higher level team in order to gain some first hand experience. She had received advanced training and knew that she was at least Chuunin level, but she had relatively little experience, as many were uncomfortable working with her. Even more so after the Sandaime marked Setsuka nee-sama as a traitor. Her current teammates had been wary of her at first, but eventually they slid together to form a cohesive unit by the time they found their targets. Just some rogue shinobi that were causing headaches for the locals. Typically, Kumogakure no Sato wouldn't sortie a team for something so minor, but the fools had crossed a line when they attacked one of the village's genin teams.
The orders were clear. None were to be left alive for such an insult.
The three shinobi squad had tracked their targets to a small village and begun making preparations. She still didn't know if it was because the information they had been given was bad, or due to their own underestimation of their enemies, but Nii Yugito was still annoyed by the outcome. An ambush, well timed and planned, nearly took the makeshift oinin squad down before they realized what was happening. Their team's genjutsu specialist had nearly been impaled by a ninjato, only able to avoid the loss of the heart or a lung by Yugito's own quick reaction, shoving the older woman to the side. As she ran, carrying her comrade as if she were a parcel, Yugito knew that despite the horrific wound that still occurred, she had probably saved the woman's life.
Not that Yugito made it out much better. At her captain's command, she had unleashed everything in her arsenal, Raiton jutsu flying like fireworks on a night of celebration. As the enemy dodged her lightning bursts and jutsu, it became abundantly clear that the information that they had on these 'rogue' shinobi was complete were supposed to be Chuunin level, not this good! After a brief, but ineffective battle, her squad leader had ordered a retreat. Yugito acted immediately, activating a distraction jutsu that consisted of bright flares before grabbing her injured comrade. Her squad captain had followed, at least after breaking one of their enemies' faces with his fist.
She shook her head, aggravated that her healing was not acting as fast as usual. Damn you, Nibi! Fix me, damn it! There was no response from her inner demon, not that she expected one. In fact, she probably would have been more concerned with their situation if she actually had heard a response. She had only recently begun experimenting with drawing out the demon's chakra, and she wasn't going to risk using it if allies were present. There was no telling what the side-effects would do to her.
"Yugito, go ahead with Kiara. I'll stay here and buy some time," she turned to her captain at his gruff voice. A voice that expected to be followed without question.
She snarled back at him, hopping over a large boulder in her path as she spoke. "Fuck that, boss! You ain't that good!"
"Neither are you, kitty cat."
"Don't call me that," she hissed out. She was about to add something when a kunai flew in front of her face, causing her to lean backwards, the blade cutting the bridge of her nose. Her squad captain wasn't as lucky, as the projectile went straight into his chest as he had turned to speak to his subordinate. Yugito cursed as she ground to a halt before heading to her captain. He was still breathing, but unless the situation changed quickly, he was going to die soon.
"Heh, that was even easier than we planned!" The cocky voice came from behind her and she glared over her shoulder at the one who had thrown the kunai. He was probably in his mid-twenties, with black hair long enough that it went down to his waist.
"Bah, what do you expect out of Kumo? They've been on the way down ever since those tree-hugging bastards sent them packing in the last war," this voice sounded even older, and came from a man who was clearly in his forties, numerous scars running down his face that gave him a sinister look.
Yugito slowly placed her teammate down near her captain before turning on her pursuers. She glanced between the two of them with a glare. There were three... where's the last bastard?
"Where is that lazy prick?" the first one asked, obviously thinking along the same lines as Yugito.
The second shrugged. "He'll catch up. Now let's just deal with these dogs of the Raikage and head out of here. We've been here far too long."
The first nodded before looking back to the only member of the group still standing. "Such a pretty young woman... can I have some fun with her before we leave, boss?"
The second only chuckled darkly, ignoring the spike of killing intent from the female jinchuuriki. "Why not? She certainly looks feisty enough."
Yugito was about to growl something out, her hands preparing themselves for another jutsu before a new voice cut her off. "'Fraid I can't let you do that, bastards," the shinobi all looked upwards and were shocked to find a new arrival there, sitting lazily on a sturdy tree branch with a relaxed air about him. As if it was normal to see fights between shinobi everyday. He had blond hair, tied back into a short ponytail, and wore a mask and trench-coat. Yugito stiffened when she saw the emblem of Konoha on his forehead. Great... just what we need...
The rogue leader simply nodded towards his partner. The other rogue released a hail of shuriken at the new arrival's position. The shuriken weren't truly meant to harm him, it was a ploy to get him into a better position. But the man's plan was shattered when, with only a single hand seal, a barrier of swirling wind rose in front of the Konoha shinobi, sending the shuriken flying off in other directions. The blond simply stared down, his eyes narrowing at the two rogues before speaking in a calm voice. "You know, I was planning on letting you two run. But it looks like I'll have to send you to meet that idiot friend of yours."
"Bastard..." the man growled, his eyes narrowing further when staring at the new threat.
The same eyes widened in shock when a katana pierced his chest from behind. He stared down dumbly at the blade, before looking back up with a gurgle of blood in his throat, only to see the blond in the trees above disappear into nothingness.
Nanashi withdrew the blade quickly, following the attack with a brutal sidekick that sent the dying man's body into the nearest tree hard enough to knock branches down from above. He turned his gaze on the final rogue before flicking his blade once to remove some of the excess blood. "Now for you," the Konoha-nin unleashed the full force of his killing intent in an instant, paralyzing both his future victim and the shinobi he was saving. Time to try one of my new moves. He held his katana, given to him by Gekkou Hayate, in his right hand as his left lashed out, a three-pronged kunai thrown with incredible force. The enemy was able to snap out of his paralysis in time to move out of the way, but paled in horror when he heard the words behind him. "Raiton: Kaminari no Yaiba ." He couldn't even scream when the blade pierced him, the energy flowing through its edge electrocuting him with unrelenting force.
Yugito watched in a mixture of morbid fascination and disgust as his body convulsed wildly, his pupils rolling back so she could only see the whites of his eyes. It lasted for what seemed like hours before the blond holding the sword released the blade. She was curious as to why he did so, but the answer soon followed, the blade's edge melting down to its hilt from the high energy heat being generated. The man's body slumped down in silence, his body still twitching wildly, but Yugito tensed as the Konoha-nin simply stared at the body.
Nanashi let out a sigh as he stared at what 'had' been his sword. Oh man, Hayate is going to fucking murder me when I get back. I really hope that wasn't some clan heirloom or something. He turned his gaze to the Kumo kunoichi and tried not to smile beneath his mask at her tensing. "Yo!"
Yugito almost face-faulted when she heard his happy tone, as if he hadn't just killed two men and wasn't facing down one of his village's enemies. She quickly went into a defensive stance as he walked towards her slowly. Apparently, she wasn't very discrete about it as he stopped. She had the impression that he was frowning beneath his mask. "Who are you? What do you want?"
Nanashi stared at the woman before sighing. "My name's not important, and I was going to help you treat your squad mates," he raised an eyebrow at her distrustful expression before sighing again, reaching into his coat, eliciting more tensing. He pulled out a single scroll and held it up, only mildly amused when she stared at it instinctively, despite eyeing it warily. "Delivery service from Hokage-sama. Supposed to go to the Yondaime Raikage. Now do you want me to help you bandage those two up, or not?"
The two simply stared at each other in silence for quite some time, neither moving. The moment was only broken by the raspy coughs of the woman on the ground behind Yugito. "Kid, if he wanted us dead, we'd be dead already."
Yugito only turned her head to snarl at the woman. "Don't call me 'kid'." She pocketed the scroll without a thought, before walking to the woman. Without so much as another word, she pulled out the medical bandages from the woman's side pouch. Without looking, she threw one of the rolls to the strange Konoha shinobi, who had already moved to her squad captain. "Hurry up, tree hugger..." she muttered quietly.
"As you wish. After we get your teammates treated, I don't suppose a lovely band of Kumo-nin like yourselves would be willing to accompany little ol' me to your Raikage, eh?"
Yugito really had to fight to keep from lashing out at the man, biting her tongue in the process and tasting blood in her mouth. Even worse, she somehow knew that he knew she had done so, and had found amusement in it. As she bandaged up her comrade, she could only think of one thing.
How come I have the feeling this guy is going to be a pain in my ass?
-/-/-/
"Uzumaki Naruto," the man masked his emotions as he called on the student. Internally, he was praying that his blond-haired, ramen-obsessed student would pass this time. Iruka wasn't sure when it happened, or exactly how, but he had no qualms admitting to those he trusted that, despite all of the child's pranks and signs of pure idiocy, Naruto was by far his favorite student. Not just his favorite out of the current year, but rather, his favorite out of all the students he had ever had the privilege to teach. Not that teaching the boy hadn't been a trial in patience. The Sandaime once joked with him that he should be nominated as a local Kami for having the patience to deal with the hyperactive prankster on such a regular basis without complaint. Iruka had taken the compliment with a grain of salt, only saying he wished the boy spent as much time on his studies as he did on planning out his incredibly elaborate pranks.
So it was with great apprehension that he watched the orange jumpsuit wearing preteen walk down to the front of the class. The boy's grades were, as usual, once again on the verge of passing, and like every other time before; his passing was dependent on the boy being able to perform two of the three basic ninja techniques. A passing grade and graduation into Genin-ship would require the boy to perform Henge no jutsu and Bunshin no jutsu; one of Naruto's weakest skills.
"Okay Naruto, first, please transform into either Mizuki or myself." Iruka requested, a smile on his face as he looked down at his student. The boy let out a blinding smile, and Iruka couldn't help himself but allow his own to become a little less forced. He has confidence. That's a good sign. As he watched the boy start making seals, a small portion of his mind flashed in warning but he didn't have enough time to consider it before Naruto finished his jutsu.
"Henge no jutsu!" Iruka didn't bother to flinch at the sudden poof of smoke; he was used to it after all. And as he stared at Naruto's transformation, instead of seeing himself, he was met by a busty woman with blonde pigtails. Small floating clouds covered 'her' unmentionables and Iruka had to fight the massive onrush of blood. He found his eyebrow twitching as the girl puckered her lips before bring a finger to her lips. "So do I pass sensei?"
"NARUTO!" he barked out, ignoring the laughter from the class at the boy's newest prank. He could feel himself blushing and knew it was unbecoming of a Chuunin to be distracted so easily. His eyebrow continued twitching as the boy reverted to his real form, a fox like grin on his face. It was at that point that he conked Naruto on the head, prompting another round of laughter from the class. "Now do it right, this time!"
Naruto simply smiled up at him in amusement. "Lighten up sensei. Maybe you need to go on a date or something." Another twitch of the eyebrow before the blond decided enough was enough. He quickly formed the seals again. "Henge no jutsu!"
This time, once the smoke cleared, Iruka was treated to his own visage, which was accurate down to even the slight wrinkles in his clothing. Iruka couldn't help himself and allowed himself a small grin, impressed at his student's improvement. Last time, Naruto couldn't even get his clothing right, and it spoke volumes about how much the boy had improved since the last exam. I knew he could do it if he applied himself. But this is a drastic jump in his skill... Maybe I should ask him about it later? He shook the thought away before smiling at Naruto. "That's enough, Naruto. Excellent improvement," he chuckled slightly as the boy reverted to himself, scratching the back of his head sheepishly at the compliment. "Now, please make three clones using the bunshin no jutsu."
The boy's hand halted immediately, and Iruka winced at the feeling that had just risen in his gut. So he still can't do a decent bunshin. Come on, Naruto. You can do this!He had been expecting a heartfelt attempt and eventual failure, knowing that this was the boy's worst skill. He hadn't been expecting a question that stunned him. "Ne, sensei, will any bunshin do?"
Iruka blinked at the odd question. He looked over at his fellow teacher, Mizuki, who only shrugged, before turning back to Naruto. "I suppose so... remember Naruto, you need to make three."
The boy's grin returned full force. "No problem Iruka-sensei." Iruka blinked once again as the boy's hands twisted into a single cross-shaped hand seal before the boy all but bellowed out, "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!" Iruka could feel his insides churning from the palpable feeling of chakra being released from his student and was caught off guard by the smoke plumes that appeared around him. He coughed a few times before the smoke dissipated.
Umino Iruka had come to expect the unexpected from Naruto. He had lived a similar life growing up, or at least as far as being desperate for attention and pranking for that attention. He knew the boy was smarter than he let on, as he was easily able to evade pursuit wearing bright orange after any number of his numerous pranks. However, he had not expected the boy to create over a dozen solid clones, all surrounding him and Mizuki. Kage Bunshin? That's a kinjutsu! How in the name of the Sandaime did he learn such a thing? "Ne, how's that?" The class had gone silent, obviously expecting the blond to fail again as he had done so numerous times throughout the year. Iruka doubted that any of them truly understood what Naruto had just done, but he was still having a hard time processing it as well. He actually heard Mizuki choking on something behind him and knew he wasn't imagining what had just occurred.
Finally, he heard Mizuki's voice from behind. "Iruka, are these...?" He began, trailing off in shock.
"Kage bunshin..." Iruka's voice was hollow, shock overriding his system. He shook himself out of it before leveling a stern glare at Naruto, who flinched back. Iruka softened his look a bit at that before asking. "Naruto, how did you learn this? I know you didn't learn this on your own."
Naruto placed both hands on the back of his head, completely oblivious to the strange looks his classmates were giving him. The boy chuckled a bit with a grin before answering. "I got psycho-bitch to teach it to me."
Iruka looked over his shoulder at Mizuki, who was looking back at him with the same expression of disbelief. Psycho-bitch? "Psycho... bitch...?" He repeated the words slowly and calmly, his disbelief apparent as he trailed off.
He shrugged. "I think old man Hokage called her Anko... something or other. She's a total psychopath though, so I just call her psycho-bitch."
Uchiha Sasuke apparently was tired of this and scoffed. "They're just a bunch of bunshins, dead last." Several of the other students nodded in agreement, not knowing of what the kage bunshin involved. Not that they should; it was a kinjutsu after all.
Iruka narrowed his eyes at that before speaking again. "Actually, Sasuke, these are a very unique type of bunshin. They are not mere illusions, and can interact with the physical world, among other things. Not only that," he continued, somewhat amused at the interested looks that were now in many of his other students' eyes, "they require a far greater amount of chakra to create and maintain. In fact, even making a few can have a severe impact on the chakra reserves of a seasoned jounin." He turned his eyes back to Naruto. "You pass, Naruto. Though, I would like to speak with this Anko woman. She shouldn't be teaching skills like this to academy students."
Naruto actually looked scared at that request. "No way!" Iruka couldn't keep his confused expression off his face. Naruto picked up on this and explained. "I like you too much, Iruka-sensei! I wouldn't expose Sasuke-teme to her if I could help it, let alone you!"
Iruka gained a bemused look before shaking his head. "Go sit down, Naruto. We'll discuss this later." As he watched his blond-haired student walk back to his seat, a chill of utter foreboding washed over him. As if predicting something horrible in the near future. He shook it off, calling down another student. As he watched his next student perform the transformation technique, he found himself wondering one thing.
I wonder who this Anko person is...
-/-/-/
Naruto sat in silence, overlooking the night horizon with an odd sense of peace. The stars were bright, and he was in a place where he had a free view of the sky for the first time in a long time. He had stopped counting days long ago. It was depressing if he allowed himself to dwell on it. After a few moments, he spoke to his companion. "Konohamaru, is everyone ready? We're only going to get one chance at this. Odds are, the snake knows we're coming too, and is ready for us," he could sense the brown haired young man nod at his former 'rival'. The boy had grown into a dependable shinobi, one that would make his grandfather proud. While not nearly being one of Naruto's strongest allies, he wouldn't give the former member of the Konohamaru Corps up for anything.
Konohamaru leveled his gaze at Naruto and spoke quietly. There was no need to, but one could never be too careful. He had learned that a long time ago, during the war where he had lost the other two members of his genin cell early. As much as he hated to give the man any credit, Ebisu did his work well in his training. "Yeah, Boss. The Captain already put us through this. We'll be ready to move out in the morning. According to the info we have, at an even pace, we should come across that bastard snake's group in three days."
"Which, of course, means that we'll meet them on the second," Naruto commented with a hint of dry humor. Misinformation was common nowadays, and it wouldn't be the first time the resistance had walked into a trap on purpose. Something that aggravated the snake on more than one occasion.
Konohamaru shrugged, having no answer for his friend. He had long since given up on competing with Naruto for anything. When the two had been children, he had admired his friend for his skill and unbending personality. He admired his friend long before ever actually seeing the boy in battle. After the first battle the two fought alongside each other, Konohamaru knew that, if anything, his friend was overly modest about his strength. During the war, he came to respect Naruto's attitude, leadership, and fighting ability that rivaled that of famous jounin. He had never personally served under Naruto during the war, or worked alongside him on any missions prior to joining the resistance.
After serving under Naruto's command for the last four years in the resistance, Konohamaru knew he would die without hesitation, if Naruto asked it of him.
Odd how that happened... Konohamaru idly mused, his own gaze traveling skyward as well. He looked at the blond sitting in front of him one more time. Then again, he's given all of us everything he has without a second thought or a single complaint. How can we do any different? He would have made a damn good Rokudaime.
Konohamaru's musings were cut off when he felt someone behind him. He reached for a kunai on reflex as he made to turn but was surprised when he felt Naruto's hand grasp his wrist, halting his movements. The blond hadn't even turned around, nor looked at Konohamaru or their new guest. "It's fine, Konohamaru. Go get some rest. We're moving out at first light."
Konohamaru only looked between his leader and their unexpected guest for a few moments before nodding. "Sure thing, Boss. You get some rest too," he pulled his hand back after Naruto released him and began walking away, his eyes never leaving the silent man who was now with his friend. He only shot the man one final look, as if to say 'you hurt him, I'll kill you myself', despite knowing that he was no match for this shinobi, before leaping away.
The visitor simply walked forward before he was standing beside Naruto, never saying a word as he joined in Naruto's observation of the heavens. Neither spoke for a long time, before Naruto finally let out a sigh. "I can see why you like it here. Despite the heat and the sand, it's pretty cool." He continued on, knowing that his companion was unlikely to say anything on the matter. "Do you ever just wonder why things turned this way?"
"Not particularly." The man's voice was monotone, as if bored, but Naruto knew him better than that. Most couldn't stomach their fear long enough in the presence of Sabuku no Gaara to learn how to understand his monotones, but Naruto considered himself an expert on the subject.
Naruto finally turned his head to his friend, staring at the red headed man with a hint of amusement. Gaara wasn't looking at Naruto, his arms crossed over his chest as he stared impassively at the horizon. "Not even once? Never wondered why your old man put that idiot raccoon in you? Or just how you were able to become Kazekage, despite a majority of the villagers here being scared shitless of you?"
Gaara only stared at him for a long time. "Cause and effect, Naruto. Nothing more."
The blond only chuckled dryly at his friend's matter of fact tone. Gaara was never one for philosophic thoughts. Then again, neither was I."Of course, of course."
The two were once again plunged into silence as the blond turned his gaze back towards the horizon. It didn't last nearly as long this time before Gaara's voice broke it. "They do not know... do they?"
Naruto only shook his head. Unconsciously, his right hand traveled down to his stomach as he answered his friend's query. "No, and for all intents and purposes, it is better that they don't. Otherwise, they'll waste time trying to convince me not to do it."
"As if you would listen."
"Hey, I don't plan on using it unless I have to! Do I look suicidal or something?"
"..."
"Well played, Sandman. Well played. I trust that you'll take them in when it's all over?"
Gaara merely looked his friend in the eyes, narrowing his own. "If they will accept loyalty to the Sand."
"Good enough."
"Temari and Kankuro have expressed their willingness to aide you in this last mission of yours."
Now that little tidbit caused Naruto to look at the Kazekage with a hint of shock before realization set in. "I'm sure that you had nothing to do with it," he drawled, sarcasm present in his voice.
Gaara simply looked at him for a moment before saying, "No." His monotone was the same as always, but the fact that Gaara had averted his eyes for a moment spoke the truth on the matter.
Naruto chuckled at that. Seems Gaara still has it in him to bully people around sometimes... "Gaara, we've been over this. If this fails, I don't want it tracked back to Suna. You have taken care of my people; I refuse to lead Orochimaru to your doorstep."
Gaara actually scoffed at that comment. "Foolish. It's well known that you and I are allies. If Orochimaru does not know of my involvement with the resistance, then he truly is a fool."
"Oh, I have no doubts that he suspects something. But he won't make a move on your turf without iron-clad proof. Despite his arrogance, he knows that you would squash him and his tone-deaf minions with the amount of sand this desert provides. Just like you squashed those two Akatsuki idiots."
Gaara only shook his head. "What's it called?"
Naruto blinked at that. "What?"
"Your shinjutsu. I have doubts that you have recorded it anywhere. Just so if one of your followers asks me, I can give an honest answer."
Naruto scratched the back of his head at that, feeling as if the redhead was chastising him somehow. "Well, I call it the Death God's Dance."
Gaara actually cracked a smirk at the odd name. "Dance?"
Naruto shrugged in response. "Well, it takes two to tango. It works on the premise..."
-/-/-/END FLASHBACK-/-/-/
"That damn cat..." Naruto muttered, glaring hatefully at the cat that Sakura carried back to its owner. He didn't know how many times they had been sent to retrieve the damn mongrel, but he did allow himself a sick sense of satisfaction when he saw the owner give the vermin a hug that was obviously painful. Suffer, kitty, suffer! I didn't hate cats until I became a genin; because of you Tora-chan! Bwahahaha!
Naruto shook his head as his mental laughter settled down, ignoring Kakashi-sensei announce that the mission was complete. Man, this sucks. Sent to retrieve animals, weed people's gardens, deliveries. I thought being a ninja would be cool, but it's like we didn't even need to go to the academy for this stupid crap! He turned an eye on the bastard and noticed that despite the boy's attempts, a rare twitch of annoyance was showing through the existence of a twitching eyebrow. At least I'm not the only one, not that the bastard will ever admit it.
The small group began walking back towards the Hokage's tower. Kakashi-sensei was reading his book; Sakura was asking Sasuke out on a date, only to be shot down, again and again. Naruto, for once, remained mostly silent, only letting out a sigh. I could be Ichiraku's right now... mmmm, sweet, delicious, ramen...
They weren't in Konoha 'proper', more towards the outskirts of the village itself. In fact, their path to the Hokage's tower would take them past their training area, where much to Naruto's surprise and annoyance, they had yet to actually do any real training at. I thought jounin-sensei were supposed to actually, I don't know, teach! I learned more from psycho-bitch in one day than I have in the months since becoming a genin. His thoughts had taken a bad turn and he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. It was one of the things that Anko had taught him, though through no effort of her own. If you get angry too easily, then someone will kick your ass just as easily.
It was debatable that he was lucky that they were outside the main streets of the village. If they had been, he probably wouldn't have sensed the kunai heading towards him. Then again, if they had been surrounded by civilians, the attack might not have happened. What am I thinking? As if that would stop her! He dove to the side, shocking his teammates and maybe even his sensei as he burst into his favorite hand seal formation, getting ready to summon shadow clones to aide him. He didn't bother to notice the shocked looks from his two teammates, nor the expression of amusement from his one-eyed sensei, only looking for the direction that the next attack would come from.
He stiffened when he felt something scaly against the back of his neck. He hesitated only for a second before spinning quickly, stabbing a kunai into the snake's head, grinning slightly at its hiss of pain, before dispelling itself. He coughed a bit from the smoke before something impacted hard against his face, sending him bouncing along the ground several feet before coming to a sudden stop. Naruto only wearily opened his eyes, knowing damn well that his nose was probably bleeding from that kick, to stare into the twinkling grayish-brown eyes of a woman that he knew rather well, leaning over him with a grin on her demented face. He opened his mouth to say something but shut it immediately when a very familiar looking snake summon was dropped on his chest. Not the poisonous snake again...
"Howdy, brat!" Anko apparently felt no need to disguise her glee at openly attacking a genin in front of his team. "Saw you walking down the street and I just thought, gee it's been a long time since Kraitler-chan got to play with his favorite chew toy."
Naruto blinked a few times, totally ignoring the poisonous snake on his chest that was eyeing him like a new meal. "Have I ever mentioned how much I don't like you?" His voice was surprisingly calm, all things considered.
Kakashi gazed at all of this in amusement. He watched as the purple-haired woman snarled at the blond's words, hissing out some sort of command to her snake before he finally spoke his piece, still reading his book. "As amusing as this is... why are you attacking my student, Anko-san?"
Anko looked over at the masked man, as if only now noticing his presence. "Copycat? The brat is one of yours? When the hell did you pass a genin team?"
"Ma... it was bound to happen sooner or later," Kakashi drawled, casually turning a page in his book.
"Sensei! Get this psychopath away from me!" Naruto cried out, his eyes not leaving the snake that was slowly traveling closer to his face. "Nice snake... nice snake..."
Sakura finally spoke up, her voice hesitant as it shifted between the strange woman and the snake on Naruto's chest. Granted she didn't particularly like the boy, but she didn't want anything bad to happen to him. "Umm... sensei, that snake looks hungry..."
Kakashi only closed his book with a sigh. "And it was becoming so entertaining too... Anko-san, if you would be so kind?"
Anko only pouted at the man, complete with quivering lip. "Do I have to?" When she got blank stares in return, she only scoffed. "Tch, pussies." She hissed once more, dispelling her snake, and glared down at the genin on the ground. "Guess this means that you actually passed that stupid test."
Naruto only sat up and glared. "I told you'd I be a shinobi soon enough."
Anko only pushed her leg forward a bit, albeit none too gently. "Can it brat. Talk to me after you get some C-ranks under your belt. A genin is nothing special." She then turned her eyes on Sakura and Sasuke. Sakura flinched under the woman's stare and even Sasuke seemed uncomfortable near the woman. "Hmmm, so they saddled you with the Uchiha brat, that blond idiot, and... who are you girl? I don't recognize you."
"Haruno Sakura! Ma'am!" Sakura quickly answered, bowing her head a few times. She didn't know why, but this Anko person seemed to make her nervous as hell. Inner Sakura was more distracted by what the woman was wearing. How can she get away with wearing that in public? A few short moments passed before her inner voice frowned, and why does it actually look good on her? Sakura began ignoring her inner voice after that, as it was taking a treacherous turn.
Anko only raised an eyebrow, raising her foot and holding it against Naruto's forehead as he tried to attack her. She only turned her head to Kakashi in disbelief. "So they gave you Konoha's precious little Uchiha, the village prankster, and a first generation kunoichi? Who the hell did you piss off and how exactly did you do it?"
Kakashi only chuckled at Naruto's display. "Talent, I suppose. Naruto, please stop trying to attack Anko-san before she decides to actually hurt you."
Naruto only glared at his sensei before taking a few steps back from Anko. "Psycho-bitch..." He muttered under his breath, only to feel the sting of a kunai as it flew past his face. Anko was behind him instantly, a firm grip on him as she brought her finger to the blood trail to scoop up some of it into her mouth.
The three genin simply stared, Naruto's eyebrow twitching at the woman's antics. Kakashi smiled, his visible eye becoming an expression that one would think the mask needed to be gone for. "Anko-san, please stop trying to scare my students."
"Oh, but Kakashi-chan, your student's blood is so... tasty." She said in a cute voice, only trailing off into a vicious leer.
Kakashi nodded knowingly, though in reality, even he was started to get a little crept out. "I'm sure it is, Anko-san."
Sasuke spoke for the first time, his eyes narrowing as if something finally clicked. "Psycho-bitch... you're the one who taught him that jutsu."
Anko only blinked owlishly at the last Uchiha. "Which jutsu?"
Kakashi only sighed, now starting to find the situation less amusing. Of course. Only Mitarashi would teach a kinjutsu to a child... and of course, Sasuke will want to learn some as well. Damn kids... "I'm assuming he means the Kage Bunshin no jutsu." A slight pause. "Please tell me that you weren't the one who taught him a kinjutsu."
Anko only scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Eh, heh. I wasn't the one who taught it to him?" It wasn't a statement, and the two genin and their instructor couldn't help but sweat drop at the woman's reaction.
"Why Naruto?" Sasuke asked, his voice starting to get a little irritated. Kakashi and Sakura both looked at him in surprise, as it was unusual for Sasuke to get this visibly irritated around someone, besides Naruto, that is.
Anko shrugged, pushing Naruto forward and watching as he came to a stop in front of Kakashi and turned around. "Why not? We had a mutual exchange of interests. And he has the fucking chakra for it." She paused for a moment before letting out a grin as she took a few steps towards Sasuke and Sakura tensed. Kakashi continued watching, though it was plain that he was more interested in pulling his book out again more than anything else. "Aww, is the little Uchiha jealous?" Her voice was saccharine sweet, yet ever so mocking. She reached Sasuke and leaned forward, giving the genin an ample view of her cleavage before running a finger down his chest with a suggestive grin. "Play your cards right kid, and maybe I'll... 'teach' you too."
Sakura was stuttering and blushing at the woman's words, her inner self spiraling downwards in fury that someone dared to touch 'her' Sasuke-kun. Sasuke was fighting the urge to blush, especially since he was having trouble removing his gaze from Anko's impressive chest. Kakashi simply chuckled, finding it amusing to see his most talented student so shaken up by a woman's charms and some skin. Hmm, perhaps I should lend him a copy of Icha Icha?
Of course, all good things have to come to an end. "Ne, Anko-san, I don't think that'll work. I'm pretty sure that the bastard is gay. Or asexual or something." Kakashi only let out a sigh as Naruto was assaulted by his two teammates in unison at his mocking words. As Kakashi watched Anko laugh at the display, he couldn't help but wonder how the hell Naruto met Orochimaru's former apprentice. Then again, considering it's Naruto and Anko, perhaps it's better I don't ask.
Anko only grinned as she walked over to stand beside Kakashi and watched the ensuring brawl between the blond and his rival, the pink haired girl already sitting out and cheering her hero on. "Heh, this is too damn funny. I might have to bother you guys more often."
Kakashi had a horrible feeling rush up his spine at those words. Oh dear kami, no. "I suppose..."
She only smirked at him before turning to leave. "Tell the brat that I'll see him around. I haven't put him through the paces in a while. Should be fun." With those words the woman simply walked away, cackling like an insane person the entire way.
Kakashi only shook his head, turning his attention back to his book. As he ignored the fight between his students, he could only wonder one thing. How come I have the feeling that life is going to become far more complicated than it needs to be?
-/-/-/
Nanashi only sighed as he took his seat. It had been a long day. He was weary and exhausted, and by all rights should be skipping the drinks and simply passing out in the room he rented at the small inn and tavern. But he had just perfected his newest technique, and felt he had to celebrate it somehow. He only sighed as he signaled the bartender, feeling as if his arm was about to fall off. He placed his order quickly before placing his head down on the counter and closing his eyes. Damn, I'm tired. It was worth it though. I bet even my old man would have never have thought to try it out. He felt, rather than heard, the bartender return with his drink. Without really thinking about it, he pulled out some ryo and placed it on the table, not even bothering to look up.
It wasn't until a few minutes later that Nanashi actually raised his head up off the counter, reaching for his drink with a tired sigh. He was caught off guard by a familiar voice, "Damn, buddy, that must be one hell of a technique you're developing."
Nanashi almost choked on his drink. What are the chances? He patted his chest a few times to cough up the drink that had gone down the wrong tube before pulling up his mask and answering. "You can tell?"
"Tch, I can practically smell the leftover chakra residue coming off of you like you haven't had a bath in weeks."
Nanashi hummed in amusement at that before finally turning his eyes on the man whom he had taken a seat next to without even realizing it. "Maa, it'll be worth it."
The silver haired man merely chuckled, taking a sip of his own drink. "Hope so. You look like hell."
Nanashi only shrugged, his hand reaching out towards the man. "Name's Nanashi. I work for old man Hokage. Pleasure to meet ya, Jiraiya-sama. Can I buy ya a drink?"
In case you didn't realize it, the first section and the section where Naruto is talking to Gaara are flashbacks. I decided that I wasn't going to use complete blocks of italics for it, as it does become hard to read after a while.
Jutsu List:
Raiton: Kaminari no Yaiba (Lightning Blade) - C-rank Raiton technique. Simple technique that consists of charging a physical blade with electric energy. Will electrocute anyone stuck by the blade. Think of it as a weaker version of Uchiha Sasuke's 'recent' (I may be working off of really old info here) lightning manipulation in the manga. Unfortunately for our dear friend Nanashi, he forgot that not all blades are meant to handle chakra as he uses it, thus melting the gift that Hayate gave him when he left for his trip.
Ninpou: Death God's Dance - Unranked (As only one person has ever performed it, or ever will). If it were to be marked down in the annuels of shinobi history, the Death God's Dance would be labeled as either a kinjutsu (forbidden technique) or a shinjutsu (suicide technique). This will not happen, as the technique can only be performed by those who have some sort of connection to the death god itself; in Naruto/Nanashi's case, the Shiki Fujin that was placed on him at birth. Naruto/Nanashi developed this technique as his ultimate suicide attack during the remnant period. It involves allowing temporary possession by the spirit of the death god to destroy one enemy the user targets in their mind ahead of time. While under the possession of the Shinigami, the host loses all fear, inhibitions, and external sensation (such as pain). The host's combat abilities skyrocket far beyond what the human body can handle, even a Jinchuuriki like Naruto/Nanashi, and the longer the technique is active, the faster the host's body destroys itself. The technique also sacrifices whatever chakra the user holds, including the chakra of the Kyuubi no Kitsune within Naruto/Nanashi. The host will continue fighting, regardless of damage until it's target has been destroyed. The spirit of the death god will then fade, leaving the user to suffer the consequences of invoking a god's spirit in a mortal body.
This is the technique Naruto uses in the prologue of this story, and why his body is all but obliterated after his battle with Orochimaru. He was supposed to die after using this, but his assumption that it was the Kyuubi that accelerated his healing was incorrect. Hence why, due to the quick actions of Konoha's medic-nin, he was able to survive after his time jump.
On a side note, Nanashi is unsure if he is still capable of using this technique, as the Shiki Fujin seems to have vanished from his body after his little time trip. In all likelihood, Nanashi will take the knowledge of this jutsu to the grave.
After this, ToR will most likely be on a short hiatus. I wish to finish up Clans, and since I started this, I've pretty much let that vanish into the depths of my hard drive. I only have one more chapter of it to go, so this little hiatus will most likely be dependent on how efficient I can be with that final chapter.
Until next time.