Hey, everybody, it's that time again. A lot of people are saying I'm rushing the relationship elements or that Naruto is pushing too hard, but trust me. I have a plan, and I can tell you assuredly this story is long from over, and they won't be getting together for some time. Harmless flirting and teasing while she still protests the idea of liking him isn't pushing too hard. She's conflicted but still swears she only loves Sasuke. There may be more to the story in the coming chapters than y'all expect. Stay tuned. Also, the clones thing I'm not actually sure if they would transfer the physical strain or positive effects of the workout, but it never actually definitively states they don't transfer physical experience. It just says experience. Anyway, I don't own Naruto and never will.
Chapter 5
Naruto wakes up early the next morning dreading the day to come. Today is the day when his team starts taking D rank missions such as chasing cats, walking dogs, and pulling weeds. He knows someone has to do them, but he hates that it has to be him, even if for a brief while before the Wave mission. He gets up and starts his morning routine, eager to get it over with. He knows this is only going to take a week or two and then they'll get better missions from there, but the wait is almost unbearable.
And just like that, nearly two full weeks of boring, tedious missions pass, and Naruto hasn't had a chance to see or talk to Ino much at all during this time, but he knows it will be fine. It has to develop naturally and he doesn't want to try to force it. He decides not to go out of his way to see her throughout this time, and that his flirting and change in behavior will have time to marinate for a bit before he goes and makes another move.
Also during this time, Sandaime has checked into Naruto's claims about Danzo. At first, he refused to remove his bandages, but Hiruzen reinforced that it was an order from his hokage, and Danzo complied. When Hiruzen sees this he orders the ANBU to detain him with Ibiki in the torture and intel gathering department, but Danzo puts them all in a genjutsu and escapes, fleeing the village he once sought to protect in his own way. Hiruzen lists him as a missing-nin and adds his name to the bingo books of hunter nin everywhere. He summons Naruto to speak with him privately, and Naruto quickly makes his way to the Hokage tower.
"I've looked into your claim about Danzo, and you were correct. I'm not sure how you knew all this information, but I'm glad you were so forthcoming about it. You have allowed us to rid this village of another comrade attacking traitor. Though he did escape, he won't be plotting and controlling things in Konoha anymore. Thank you for the information, even if it was shared out of a sense of revenge. I also know you tire of all these D-rank missions, and as thanks for your help with cleansing my council, I will offer your team a C-rank mission that will allow you to leave the village for a short while. I've already summoned Kakashi to meet with me in about three hours. I have meetings now to determine our next course of action regarding the council. I will brief you with the rest of your team when that time comes. Thank you again, Naruto-kun," he says with a smile, and Naruto can't help but return it. The old man didn't try to break his promise, but he had no choice but to follow the council or they would replace him with Danzo or worse and Naruto's life would really be in danger.
"Sandaime-sama," he starts, and Hiruzen looks up from his paperwork at the young boy. "I'm sorry for my actions and words that night I killed Mizuki. I didn't know the whole story and I was emotional. Please forgive me for saying such harsh things about you and the Hokage. I'm going to be a stronger Hokage than all that came before me, and you know I don't break my word," he finishes his speech with his head bowed in respect to his elder. Hiruzen simply smiles and nods.
"It's alright, Naruto-kun. Your life has been short, but very hard on you. And I have not made it any easier. We all say harsh things when we are angry, so you have nothing to worry about. I'm glad to see the kind of man you are growing into, Naruto-kun. You will be stronger than your father with his level of maturity in no time. I believe in you," he says, and Naruto nods. He turns and walks out of the Hokage's office to prepare to meet with Kakashi. As he's walking out, Team Asuma is about to enter the Hokage's office to get their day's worth of D-rank missions. Naruto stops and talks to Shika and Chouji, but hardly says anything to Ino. On the way out, he looks back over his shoulder and makes full eye contact with Ino, however, and he smiles. She can't help herself but return the smile and her cheeks redden slightly. The boys all poke fun at her, saying she has a crush on their best friend, and she denies it vehemently until they eventually drop it and compose themselves to meet with the Hokage.
Naruto returns home and waters his flower that has thrived under his care. He truly does cherish it, because it was a gift from a girl he is beginning to truly like a lot. He always thought Ino was beautiful, however, he never really spoke with her much in his previous life. He respected Sakura's rivalry with her even after Sasuke left and there was nothing to compete over between them. She stood up for him when everyone in their class was calling him a murderer and a traitor. She didn't have to do that, and that thought was very present in Naruto's mind. He couldn't figure out why she did it, or if she even meant to, or if it was just a reaction since her father was the only one who knew the facts of the case. Either way, he decides it would probably be best if he kept a small amount of pressure on her by teasing and flirting with her. 'She's just so fun to mess with. She gets so flustered and she starts stuttering almost like Hinata when I tease her even just a little,' he thinks with a laugh. His thoughts and contemplation took up far more time than he thought and he notices it's time to meet Kakashi and the others in order to get their next mission.
Once Naruto meets up with Sakura and Sasuke in front of Hokage tower they wait in silence. Sakura was talking to Sasuke before Naruto showed up, but typical Sasuke he wasn't contributing to the conversation. When Naruto walks up, however, Sakura shuts right up and Naruto can't help but wonder why. He doesn't actually care, so he decides it best to just leave it be. If she decides to chase after Sasuke just as hard as before having a warning about taking herself and her training more seriously then that was her fault. It's not Naruto's place to ensure she survives or doesn't go with Sasuke when he leaves this go around. He did his part already, and he needs to focus on himself and his training, which he has been for the last two weeks when not on the pointless missions he hated so much.
Kakashi shows up a short while later and they all walk into the office to get their next mission, mostly in silence. "Ah, Team seven, I was expecting you," Hiruzen starts and begins looking through his paperwork for the mission he promised Naruto. "You have done so well with the D-rank missions that I've decided to reward you with a C-rank mission," he says and Naruto smiles. Sasuke scoffs that it's only a C-rank, but is admittedly happy about the change. Sakura looks at Sasuke with an excited expression but sees he's not that excited so she decides to tone it down. "There is a bridge-builder who needs to be escorted back to Wave country. This is Tazuna-san. He needs to get back in order to finish a key bridge in Wave, but there may be those who wish to stop him, so you will escort him and protect him until his team completes the bridge," he says, gesturing to Tazuna, who simply grunts and takes another swig from his bottle of sake.
"These are the shinobi you've chosen? C'mon three brats and one capable shinobi isn't gonna cut it. This isn't what I'm paying you for," he complains and Naruto smirks in response.
"What's wrong? Are there more than just common thugs after you? We're more than capable of taking out even genin level shinobi, so we should be more than capable of performing to the level you need, right? It's only common street thugs who are trying to stop you, isn't it, Tazuna-san?" He asks, and the old man visibly winces. He wonders if Naruto knows more than he's letting on, but decides to let it go for the sake of not having to pay more for better-trained shinobi.
"Uh y-yes! You'll actually be more than enough, brat. I wasn't aware Sandaime-sama had such praise for you three. My mistake," he says quickly, trying to recover from being called out on his lie about the mission details. Hiruzen nods and clears his throat.
"It's decided then. Team seven you will be Tazuna-san's bodyguards and escort him back to Wave until he finishes his bridge. Any trouble makers wishing him ill will should be dealt with without prejudice. Is that clear?," he asks and every member of team seven nods the affirmative. They then are dismissed to get packed for their mission, and they will be leaving tomorrow morning.
Naruto packs all the essentials: extra clothes, shuriken and kunai, scrolls on learning other nature affinities, and other such necessities like his toothbrush and high energy snacks for the journey. He smirks and joins Kurama in his mind-scape, "You ready for this? We're gonna have a real fight ahead of us when we get there. One of the Seven Deadly Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist is waiting for us, Fox-sama. He has a friend with an ice kekkei genkai, and he's pretty tough too. I'm probably gonna need you on this one," he says, not really asking, but simply stating it as fact.
Kurama sighs and nods. "Your knowledge of what's to come is a great asset, Kit. It's time to see just how much you've truly grown from your training. Although we haven't really had a chance to practice our link, it is good to be on good terms. I'll give you chakra when you need it, and I won't try to take over your body. But we will eventually need to unlock this seal and work on our link if we are to truly ascend to unimagined levels of strength," he says, and Naruto nods in understanding. "Hey, what was that you were doing before when you were meditating? You seemed upset that nothing happened," the mighty fox was curious about why his container would suddenly stop in the middle of a training session and meditate for hours on end.
Naruto smiled up at his demon turned friend. "I was trying to train myself in a form of senjutsu by drawing in nature chakra. The toad sages teach me much later, but it's incredibly strong. It enhances my strength, speed, and my ability to use ninjutsu. There's also a form of taijutsu based on the transformation that allows me more range and strength. When I use it I can even hit someone who thinks they dodged the attack. It's called Frog Kumite, and it's incredibly powerful for being just taijutsu. My future master, Jiraiya-sama is a toad sage himself, but it's not until the 'leader' of the Akatsuki kills him that I am trained in this technique," he says, using air quotes when referring to Pain being the leader. His fists involuntarily clench when recalling his master's death.
"I see. And you can use this technique along with my link?" He asks, impressed by his container being able to learn such a rare technique. Naruto nods and his fists unclench as Kurama changes the subject. "Interesting, with the strength and speed boost of that and the powerful chakra and boosts my link will give you, there is almost nothing that could stop us," he says with a mighty roar, showing pride in his young jinchuuriki.
"Well, Madara stops us even when using both at once, but I only just learned how to use your link at that time. If I had been able to spend more time truly getting to know your link I'm sure I could have easily stopped him. Kurama bows his head and grunts his understanding and Naruto returns to the real world drawing out the key to his seal. He wonders why he had waited so long to attempt unsealing Kurama, but doesn't dwell on it. He puts his hands on the key and channels chakra into it and then places his fingers on different parts of the seal, turning it and unlocking the cage Kurama has been locked in for twelve years.
He returns to his mind-scape and is now standing face to face with Kurama, no longer behind his cell. Naruto trusts him and doesn't even flinch when Kurama begins to stretch in the much more open area. He slowly raises his fist and Naruto follows his lead, feeling the chakra flowing into him in a way he hasn't felt in a long time. He suddenly is enveloped in a yellow aura and his eyes are red with slits in the center. "Awwwh yeah! I almost forgot how good this form felt!" He exclaims as he begins bouncing around, jumping much higher and faster than previously possible. He tries to get his younger body accustomed to being able to use such powerful chakra, but he loses his concentration and the form fades. "Shit! I forgot it took me a while to be able to hold this form before, and that was with my older, fully developed body. We won't really have a chance to practice on this mission, because I don't want to let Sasuke and Sakura know I hold you inside, but when we return in about two weeks we'll get this ironed out," he explains and Kurama nods. "I'm just glad you can freely move now. That seal must have been really uncomfortable. And now your chakra is up to you to give. No longer can I just take it when I feel I need it. You deserve at least that much, Fox-sama," Naruto continues and Kurama smiles at his jinchuuriki.
"Yes, thank you, Kit. You have no idea how long I've been cooped up. That old Uzumaki woman, and then your mother, and I get to be in the outside world for ten minutes before I'm sealed inside you. This trust in me will not go unnoticed, Kit," Kurama promises as Naruto returns to the real world once more and grabs his pack. He sets off for the village gates, running slightly late.
He decides Kakashi will be later still, so he decides to walk, as there is a long journey ahead of him. He's lost in thought and doesn't notice the blonde girl turning the corner with flowers in her hands. He bumps into Ino and the flowers slip from her hands. He quickly forms a clone and grabs her before she hits the ground, his clone catching the flowers carefully. "Ino-chan, I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there. I was thinking too much, I guess. Sorry," he looks into her eyes, and they both blush, staying like that for a moment. Naruto then quickly realizes what he's doing and sets her upright, letting go of her and nearly jumping away to create a small bit of distance in an attempt to cool his cheeks.
"I-it's okay, Naruto. I wasn't paying attention either. Thank you for saving the flowers. Tou-san would kill me if I dropped those," she trails off and notices his pack. "Are you going somewhere?" She asks, unsure of why the pang in her heart hurt when he nods.
"I'm about to leave on a mission to Wave country. Oh! That reminds me," he fumbles through his pockets and pulls out his apartment key. "Could you please water my plant once a day? I almost forgot to ask someone. I was gonna ask Iruka-sensei but I ran into you and how much more perfect could it be? It really means a lot to me, Ino-chan, so please look after it for me while I'm gone?" He asks, and she nods dumbly, not able to speak due to the completely different attitude he had just before graduation.
'This flower means that much to him? Is it because I gave it to him?' She questions herself mentally and can't help but blush. "Don't worry about it, Naruto. I'll take care of it for you," she says sweetly, even though she never consciously said the words, and isn't even sure where they came from. 'I can't be falling for a guy like Naruto, could I? I mean, just because he looks really good in that tank top- I mean, what? Where are these thoughts coming from?' She asks herself, and Naruto smiles brightly at her.
"Thank you so much, Ino-chan! This means a lot to me. I knew I could count on you!" He says and hugs her in his excitement. He quickly realizes what he's doing and releases her with a bright red face. "S-sorry, Ino-chan. I don't know what came over me," he says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. He half expects her to hit him like Sakura did when he tried to hug her in his previous life. She just giggles softly and shakes her head.
"It's okay, Naruto. Now, you better hurry before they leave you behind," she says while giggling with a pink face herself. Naruto's clone hands her the flowers and dispels. He gives her a grin and starts running the rest of the way.
He calls over his shoulder to her, "Thanks again, Ino-chan! You're a life-saver!", and just like that she loses sight of him. He makes it to the gates just before Kakashi appears beside him with a coy smile.
"What excuse do you have for being so late that you only just beat me here, Naruto?" He asks with clear interest. Naruto's blush resurfaces and Kakashi laughs. "I-I ran into a friend of mine, and asked her to take care of my plant at home," he stammers and Sakura looks at him wide-eyed.
"She? Plant? Oh, don't tell me… You've got a crush on Ion-pig now? That's hilarious. You know she's just as devoted to winning Sasuke-kun's love as I am. You sure know how to pick them, Naruto," she says sarcastically, but then an idea pops in her head. "Actually, that's great for you, Naruto. You woo Inn-pig and that'll leave Sasuke-kun just for me!" She exclaims with a dark blush, and Sasuke huffs in annoyance at Sakura's speech, but also the fact that Naruto thinks he can just take one of his most devoted fangirls.
"Are we done playing catch-up on the latest teenage gossip? Can we leave now?" Tazuna asks in clear annoyance, taking a drink from his bottle. Kakashi simply smiles at him and nods.
"Hai, sorry Tazuna-san. We're ready to leave now," he says and they then begin their journey to the land of Wave.
Alright, ladies and gents, chapter 5 is in the books. Two chapters in one day. I'm trying to crank these out as quickly as possible while keeping the quality as high as possible. Thank you everyone for the positive feedback. I have a ton of ground to cover still, and I would have kept going but the actual mission is going to to be the entire next chapter and maybe half of the next. I'm beginning to get to the point where writing out individual days would take like 700 chapters to get to the war arc, so I'm going to start giving a little recap after a small time skip over moments that weren't in the show or were insignificant tot he plot. Danzo is a missing-nin, which will make things interesting. Also, what is Sasuke planning to do about the Ino situation? Will Ino ever come to admit her feelings for Naruto to herself? Stay tuned to find out. Later!