I'm back my readers! First of all, I wanted to apologize for the long wait, I am so deeply sorry! I've been really busy at work and trying to catch up with all the school work I missed since my accident. Speaking of which, I'm happy to announce that I have made a full recovery and no longer feel any pain throughout my body. But that doesn't excuse me for unintentionally ghosting you all. Another reason I've been gone is because my niece got me hooked on a game called Genshin Impact and I was trying to rank up like crazy.
So, to make up for my failure to deliver any new chapters these past few months, I've made this chapter the longest I ever made for this fanfic. Believe me, it greatly wounds my heart that I wasn't able to write any new chapters for my beloved readers. I want to, from the bottom of my heart, deeply thank the people who have dealt with my abrupt disappearances and continued to stay loyal to my work. It because of people like you that I find the strength to keep on writing despite how busy I get. Truth be told, I wanted to post this on Halloween, but a lot of stuff happened that I couldn't log in for a few days.
On another note, you have all been really helpful by suggesting possible pairings for Kojiro. You all made interesting suggestions that it's hard for me to choose just one and I'm trying to avoid a harem. I don't have anything against harems, it's just I find it hard to write fanfics like those and keep track of how many girls one guy hooked up with and vice versa. So, I just want to announce I will be putting up a poll for who to pair Kojiro with in the near future.
Speaking of polls, I do hope that you stop by my profile and leave a vote in the poll I currently have set up. Also, due to the request of an online friend who goes by DancingPinkMonkey (Don't know if they're still using that username), I have decided to add one additional choice into the poll. Furthermore, the poll will remain open until one of the options has reached 30 votes. I do hope that you'll drop by and leave a vote.
I think I've kept you long enough, may the curtain rise and begin the next act of New Life in Naruto?!
Chapter Eighteen: Graduation Dilemma
Life in the academy was a bit on the boring side, if I'm being honest. All we did was sit in a classroom and learn about the history of the ninja world. Following that were classes on what we needed to know when we graduated. Then there was weapon training and sparring practices, which is the only thing I look forward to. Other than that, academy life went on without any hiccups. That is, if you don't count Naruto's pranks as hiccups, but at least the day is a little more tolerable.
As the years went by, I got acquainted with almost everyone in the rookie nine, although two of them are a little awkward with me. The two in question were Ino and Sakura, because they thought I was a girl, much to my irritation. I met those two when they were still friends and they tried to get me to join them in girl talk. They thought it was strange for a girl to have a boy's name but brushed it off. I tried to tell them I was a boy, I really did, but every time I got cut off when they suddenly switched subjects.
It wasn't long before the Sasuke fan club was formed and they tried to get me to join, "tried" being the keyword here. While they thought it meant less competition for them, they still tried just so I wasn't left out. At least, that's what it seemed like when they saw me not hanging out with the other girls. That was quickly put to an end when they saw me hanging out with Sasuke and Naruto one day.
They finally figured out I was a boy after a small mishap involving one of Naruto's pranks. Let's just say my clothes were missing for half the day and I had to borrow Sasuke's. Needless to say, both Ino and Sakura avoided me like the plague for a week after the incident. That day was by far the most embarrassing moment of my life and Isobu thinks Kurama got quite a kick out of it.
Speaking of the nine-tailed fox, I may be imagining it, but it seems he's mellowed out a small percentage. Again, I might have imagined it, it's impossible a creature who's hated humans for so long would mellow out that quickly. Well, not like I'm gonna complain, it'll make things slightly easier in the long run. The remaining problem is Naruto and how he'll react when he meets Kurama. I know that there'll be a shouting match at most, what happens after that is entirely up to them.
But enough about that, I got my revenge on Naruto when I met Hinata by playing the part of cupid. I met Hinata when I saw her following Naruto on his way home after a day at the academy. The saying shy as a clam doesn't do her justice at all, especially when she practically jumped out of her skin when I called out to her. After that encounter, I did everything I could to get those two together, even went as far as "accidentally" making them kiss each other's cheek. Naruto, dense as he is, didn't seem affected while Hinata's face was red and she passed out.
But as the years passed, and I kept playing cupid, I felt I made a little progress on Hinata's side. Her face still turns unnatural shades of red whenever Naruto is nearby, but she doesn't faint anymore. Naruto eventually starts to blush slightly when he bumps into Hinata and he always looks confused when it happens. I'm not going to get my hopes up and say he's developing feelings for Hinata, but he's getting there. He's still dense as a brick, maybe a boulder, but it's slowly softening with each attempt.
Before I knew it, four years had passed and graduation day was approaching. Not just graduation, but the event that started everything for Naruto. The time for one secret I've been hiding to come out is also approaching. Unfortunately, the secret is Isobu and the fact I'm his jinchuriki. While I would like for him to stay a secret, revealing Isobu is necessary to get all my years of preparation started.
"Forget it." Sasuke and I said simultaneously, giving the person in front of us a deadpan stare.
The person in question was Naruto, wearing his signature orange jumpsuit and goggles. He was holding a paintbrush in one hand and a can of paint in the other. Just by seeing that I knew what prank Naruto was planning. I felt sorry for Minato as his face was going to be defaced by his own son. Of course, Naruto doesn't know Minato is his father, but I still feel sorry for the dead man.
"Come on, guys!" Naruto complained, setting the paint can down and pointed at us with the paintbrush. "You said you wanted more stealth training, this is perfect!"
"We did say that." Sasuke admitted, narrowing his eyes slightly as he placed his hands in his pockets. "But I don't remember saying we wanted to get in trouble in the process."
Sasuke changed quite a bit over the years, much to my intervention and Naruto's boisterous self. He's still out for revenge, nothing I can do about that, but I at least managed to have him be a bit more social. It wasn't easy, even after that talk we had at the lake, but it seems my words wedged themselves deep in his mind. All I needed to do now was hammer them in, which Naruto was more than happy to do for me. Eventually, he became less cold and started interacting with us.
"And what does that have to do with stealth training?" I demanded, pointing at a purple chinese dress with butterfly designs lying innocently on the couch of Shisui's living room. "I am not putting that on, Naruto!"
Sasuke wasn't the only one who's changed, I changed too, but not by much. I still look like a girl, dashing any hopes I had of being more masculine when I got older. My clothes also changed on my twelfth birthday which were a present from Shisui. I now wore an open short sleeve dark blue jacket with green linings over a mesh armor T-shirt. I also wore a pair of brown pants with a kunai holster on my right thigh. A small white weapon bag placed in the middle of my back, and blue sandals. I still wear my mother's hair stick in its usual place in my spiky ponytail.
To be honest, I wanted to join in on the prank since it seemed like fun, minus the chinese dress obviously. I also developed a bit of a mischievous side, which I blame Naruto for because of the pranks he drags me and Sasuke into. I've finally accepted the fact that I look like a girl and use it for pranks of my own. I gotta admit, it's kinda fun seeing the looks on peoples faces when they first meet me. I usually put on a sweet, innocent girl act before dropping the bombshell that I was a boy. Their reactions were hilarious ranging from shock, mortification, irritation and a few other emotions.
"Geez, you guys are such sticks in the mud." Naruto whined, doing his signature eye squint, placing the brush on the paint can to place his hands behind his head. "Don't you want to see how long it'll take before we're caught?"
"And the dress?" I raised an eyebrow, giving the offending garment a brief side glance as I crossed my arms. "I may have accepted that I look like a girl, but that doesn't mean I want to dress like one."
"As for your question." Sasuke looked at Naruto from top to bottom, appraising the bright orange jumpsuit he was wearing. "Considering you're wearing something that screams 'Here I am, please kill me', you'll be caught fast."
"Wanna bet!" Naruto raised a fist, a challenging grin on his face and a fire burning in his eyes. "I'll finish before Iruka-sensei catches me, believe it!"
"I'll believe it when it happens." Sasuke shrugs, turning his back and walking off with a backhanded wave. "If you can't, then you'll have to eat Kojiro's next culinary disaster."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" I shouted, an offended tone in my voice as I heard the front door open and close. I gave Naruto a side glare when I noticed he was looking blue and backed away from me. "And why are you backing away?"
"Um…" Naruto's looked everywhere but in my general direction, sweating nervously before running out of the living room. "Gotta go!"
"Idiot." I muttered, hearing the door open and close again and sighed resting my hands on my hips. I looked over at the dress, paint, and brushes Naruto left behind in his hurry. "Is my cooking really that bad?"
"Don't worry, Kojiro." Isobu said reassuringly as I picked up the paint cans and brushes to put away. "You just need to practice more."
"Thanks, Isobu." I felt a small smile on my lips as I walked the halls of my and Shisui's house. I then frowned when I remembered the dress laying innocently on the couch. "Better get rid of that before someone sees it."
"Kojiro!" I cringed when I heard a familiar voice calling from the living room. I set the paint can and the brush down and hurried back to see Zensuke holding the dress. "I see you finally decided to try crossdressing."
"It's not like that." I said as I sped walked towards the older man and snatched the dress out of his hands. I then proceeded to toss it into the trash can, mentally reminding myself to burn it later. "Naruto wanted me to wear it for some kind of stealth training."
"I see, two birds with one stone." Zensuke said, an intrigued tone was in his voice when I turned and gave him an inquiring look. "He probably wanted to get you used to girls' clothes and embarrass you in the process."
"I'm still waiting for the stealth part." I deadpanned, waving my hand in a go on gesture.
"Have you looked in a mirror lately?" Zensuke asked, an amused smirk on his face while I sighed. "You would be perfect for undercover missions since you won't need the transformation jutsu."
"I don't care, I'm not dressing as a girl." I said, turning my back to Zensuke and crossing my arms with a stubborn huff. "I'm a boy, I still have my pride." I then looked over my shoulder, giving Zensuke a curious look. "By the way, what are you doing here?"
"Thought I'd check up on Shisui." Zensuke gave a small shrug, aimlessly looking around the living room. "Haven't seen him in a while."
"He's not here." I replied, leaving the living room and walked down the hall with Zensuke following behind me. "He's at the hospital right now."
"The hospital?" Zensuke raised an eyebrow as I spotted the paint can and brush I left behind. He suddenly gasped and turned to face him to see his eyes widened in horror. "Kojiro, you didn't…"
"I didn't what?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows when I saw Zensuke's reaction and he was backing away from me.
"Please…" Zensuke's hand slowly went up to cover his mouth and his face started to lose color. "Please tell me you haven't cooked recently!"
"You too?!" I shouted, feeling a tick mark on the back of my head at the jab at my cooking skills. I get it, I'm not a good cook, but the things I make aren't bad enough to kill anyone!
"No offense, but your cooking is deadly, Kojiro." Zensuke said with a serious look on his face before it became sickly and placed a hand over his stomach. "The last time I ate your cooking, I ended up in the hospital for a week."
"It was just regular beef stew." I muttered, picking up the paint can in one hand and the brush in the other. I waved the brush as I remembered the dish I first made for Zensuke. "Sure, it was a little purple, but I doubt it was deadly."
"Regular beef stew isn't purple, Kojiro." Zensuke deadpanned, patting me on the head before walking towards the door. "By the way, don't you need to head to class now?"
"I forgot!" I dropped the paint can and brush before frantically running past Zensuke and out the door. Once I was out the door, I quickly jumped up onto the roof of a nearby building and started hopping towards the academy. "Oh man, I'm so gonna be late!"
"At least your jumps are getting better, Kojiro." Isobu commented as I jumped from one rooftop to another.
It's true, thanks to Shisui's training, I can now jump higher than I used to and much farther. I'll admit I was a bit… giddy… when I realized how high I could jump now. Shisui tried to calm me down, but I just kept jumping everywhere. I only calmed down when I tried to show off and ended up twisting my ankle. It was at that moment I realized how childish I was acting when I was mentally older.
Well, no one can really blame me for being a bit childish since I technically am a child. There's also the fact that I'm a huge Naruto fan, a fan who always wanted to do all the things the characters did. Now that I can, I'm planning on taking advantage of it no matter how childish it makes me.
"Not helping, Isobu!" I shouted frantically, glancing down to see I was getting a few curious looks. I silently cursed myself when I realized I said that outloud but ignored the looks as I quickly approached the academy.
"Late again, Kojiro." Iruka Umino said, giving me an amused smirk when I slid the door to his classroom open.
"I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei." I apologized, giving the teacher a bow before hurrying to my seat which was directly below Sasuke's.
"Naruto's not here." Sasuke stated, his elbows on the desk and his fingers laced in front of him.
"He actually went through with it." I sighed, resting my head in the palm of my right hand to stare out the window. I had a clear view of the hokage monument which no one else was paying attention to. 'Well, better get ready for tomorrow.'
Tomorrow is the graduation exam, and the day Mizuki shows his true colors. Because I knew his true nature, I didn't fall for the traitor's nice guy act. I warned Naruto and Sasuke to be wary of Mizuki, saying I got bad vibes from him. While Sasuke took my words into consideration, Naruto was as naive as ever. He was so naive, I'm starting to think everyone believing blonds are dumb is true.
But I digress, I've been making a bunch of preparations for this day since I arrived in the village. Some were successful, others were not, which can be viewed as either good or bad depending on the outcome. I've also been working on creating a persona for myself to use as a cover. The initial reason for the creation of the persona was to throw any suspicion off me. However, I realized halfway through that I could also use it to supply information if the situation ever calls for it.
"How's Shisui?" I looked over my shoulder to see that Sasuke kept his eyes forward to pay attention to what Iruka-sensei was teaching.
"He's fine." I replied, turning to face forward again as I practiced making hand signs under my desk. This became a bit of a habit when I'm bored or have nothing better to do. "He's at the hospital getting his eyes checked."
"You finally convinced him?" I could practically hear Sasuke's eyebrow rising as I shook my head in response.
After I finished my training with Shisui and he allowed me to attend the academy, I tried to convince him to have an eye transplant. I felt guilty that I took his Sharingan, and his sight in the process, so I wanted him to at least see again. Therefore, I suggested he get an eye transplant, so he can continue his duties as a leaf shinobi. However, Shisui refused the first time I asked, saying that it was alright.
I knew that Shisui was thinking of his best friend when he gave that response from the sad look on his face. I also knew that he felt responsible because he witnessed their death at the end of the third great ninja war. I'm willing to bet grief and the feeling of powerlessness were the key factors in why Shisui felt responsible. In a way, Shisui can relate to doctors, who also feel responsible when they fail to save a life.
'It still amazes me how people can still move forward.' I clasped my hands together and rested them on my desk as I stared out the window. As I stared at the sky, I thought back to my previous life.
Since both of my parents in my previous life were doctors, I knew full well that they do everything they can to save lives. Even though they put up a brave front when I'm around, I knew that they were hurting deep inside when someone dies. I always pretended to be ignorant, but I still knew how they were feeling. I can still hear my mom sobbing and saying it was her fault when someone dies on her operating table. It was at that moment I realized how fragile life can be and how easily it can be taken.
It was also because of this revelation that I knew that it isn't anyone's fault someone dies except the one responsible. While I can understand their grief, I can't help but think it to be pointless to put the blame on yourself. Sure, that sounds harsh, but there's not a doubt in my mind the people who passed wouldn't want them to grieve.
'Great, I'm becoming a hypocrite.' I wanted to slam my forehead against my desk when I realized where my thoughts were going. Out of all people in the world, I'm the last person to speak about what the dead want.
I remembered all the times I grieved over the death of my parents. It really is hypocritical of me to judge people for grieving the loss of their loved ones. Even though I've only known them for five years, they're still my parents and I loved them. I guess it was only natural to feel as if your heart suddenly had a big hole in it after such a loss. I remember how I just wanted to be alone and shut out any form of connection I had before. I guess I was just scared of feeling that same loss for a second time.
After coming to the leaf village, even when I tried to keep them up, I felt the walls I built up slowly breaking down. When Shisui found me, I initially had all intentions of being distant from everyone. However, I remembered the anime and manga of Naruto that I loved to read and watch. If I was going to live a new life, I wanted to at least do something that would change things for the better, even if it's only by a small margin.
"Iruka!" I jumped out of my thoughts when the door slid open with a resounding bang. "Naruto's at it again!"
"What did he do this time?" Iruka asked, letting out an exasperated sigh and setting the chalk he was using down.
"Iruka-sensei, look out the window." I said, pointing to the said window I've been staring at for the past hour.
Iruka did so and almost immediately you can see a blood vessel about to pop. The reason being that the heads of the previous hokage were covered in paint. The first had a red swirl on his left cheek and white paint running down his nose like snot. The second had a dung shaped drawing on his right cheek along with red paint dripping from the mouth like blood. The third had white paint down the nose and eyes making it look like it was crying and having a runny nose. And the fourth, which made me feel sorry for Minato, had swirls on his cheeks, green paint below the lower left lip resembling a scar, and the snot trail that the other heads had.
"Naruto!" Iruka shouted, anger barely being held back in his growling throat before facing the class. "Everyone, the rest of class will be study hall until I get back!" With that said, Iruka opened the nearest window and was gone before we could blink.
"Naruto's done it this time." I looked to the side and saw Shikamaru raising his head from his arms. He looked sleepy as always as he scratched his head and let out a yawn. "What a drag."
"Is that all you can say?" That exasperated question could have come from no one other than Ino Yamanaka. She had her arms crossed as she stared in annoyance at the Nara clan heir. "I swear, if I hear you say that one more time…"
"Chill out, Ino." Choji said good naturedly, holding out the bag of chips he was devouring throughout the class. "Here, have a chip."
"I don't think chips will help that much, Choji." I said, a small smirk on my face at Choji being how I remembered him in the anime and manga. My smirk quickly became a mischievous grin when an idea popped in my head. "How does a little bet sound to you guys?"
"What kind of bet?" I could hear the wariness in Sasuke's voice when he saw my grin.
"It's simple." I snickered and pointed out the window where everyone in class followed. "We each guess what Iruka-sensei will do after he catches Naruto." I then reached into my pocket and pulled out a ryo coin. "Then the winner gets 50 ryo from the losers."
"Count me out." Sakura said, waving a hand dismissively while shaking her head. "We all know you don't make bets like these unless you know you'll win."
"Why Sakura, I'm hurt you think so little of me." I said, letting out a dramatic gasp and held a hand over my chest as if her words physically hurt me. I turned away from the pink haired girl and wiped a nonexistent tear from my eye. "And after all we've been through these last few years."
"Leave it to Kojiro to bring the dramatics." I could hear Kiba snickering when he said that with his faithful ninja hound Akamaru barking in agreement.
"It's what he does best, unfortunately." Sasuke muttered, turning his head away from the scene I was making while everyone else in the class laughed.
"Someone needs to bring the laughs when Naruto's not here." I shrugged, dropping the act I was doing, before walking to the front of the class and turned to face everyone. "So, is anyone in on the bet?"
"I say Iruka-sensei will make Naruto clean the classroom by himself." Kiba declared, a confident grin on his face while Akamaru barked in agreement.
"Runs laps around the academy." Ino uncrossed her arms and rested a hand on her hip before looking at Sakura. "What do you think, Billboard Brow?"
"I said I wasn't doing it, Ino-pig!" Sakura shouted, her eyebrow twitching at being called her insulting nickname. She then had a slight blush on her face when she shyly looked in Sasuke's direction. "What do you think, Sasuke?"
"Hey, don't copy my question!" Ino looked furious and out for blood when she heard Sakura ask Sasuke the question. I quickly got behind her while Choji got in front as I held the Yamanaka heir back by the arms. "Let me go!"
"Not until you calm down." I said sternly, struggling to keep my hold on Ino as she still tried to march towards Sakura to pick a fight. "This animosity between you two has got to stop."
"Kojiro's right, Ino." Choji said, holding his hands up in a placating gesture as he intercepted Ino when she tried to get around him. "We're all friends here."
"Besides, Sasuke finds crazy fangirls the most annoying thing in the world." I added, and immediately regretted it when Ino suddenly stopped struggling. I felt a chill go down my spine and I gulped nervously. "Ino?"
"You might want to run, Kojiro." Shikamaru said dully, lowering his head to his arms, whether to pray for my safety or fall asleep, I didn't know. "You just signed your death warrant."
"What did you say just now?" Ino asked, her voice disturbingly calm and low as I finally let go of her and slowly backed away. "Say it again."
"I-I said nothing." I looked around the classroom to see if anyone would save me from this situation. Everyone just turned their eyes away from me, clearly not wanting to get involved, traitors. 'Isobu, a little help here?'
"Sorry Kojiro, but I have to remain hidden until the right time." Wow, even Isobu's betraying me, talk about a slap to the face.
"I, uh, gotta go!" I said, quickly running to the window Iruka conveniently kept open and jumped out.
"Get back here!" I heard Ino shouting and I knew she was chasing after me.
"I had to open my big mouth!" I whined, jumping from building to building in an attempt to shake off Ino and finding a place to hide. Sakura's scary when she's mad, but Ino's not that far behind.
No matter how many buildings I jump to and sharp turns I make, Ino only seemed to be getting closer. I even attempted to lose her in the crowd at the shopping district and that only gave me a small amount of distance between us. I even bumped into Naruto for a few seconds as he was also being chased. I managed to grab the paint can he was holding when we passed each other before we continued our respective game of cat and mouse. I didn't know why I grabbed the paint can, but I do know I needed to think fast.
When Ino finally caught up to me and attempted to grab the back of my jacket until I turned around and splashed the yellow paint on her. Ino screamed at being covered and blinded by paint and I quickly made a run for it. I saw I was closing in on Ichiraku Ramen and that's when I had an idea.
"Ayame, Mr. Teuchi, I need help!" I shouted, running into the ramen restaurant and trying to catch my breath.
"Ah, Kojiro, come on in." Teuchi greeted me warmly from behind the counter while Ayame looked at me curiously. "What can I get for ya?"
"Someplace to hide would be nice!" I said, peeking out of the restaurant and sighed when I didn't see Ino.
"What happened?" Ayame asked, tilting her head curiously at my behavior.
"Long story short, I pissed off Ino and now she's after me." I quickly said, jumping over the counter and ducking under. "I'm just glad Sakura was distracted by Sasuke."
"Let me get this straight." I parried a punch aimed for my face courtesy of Sasuke, then grabbed his wrist. "While Ino was chasing me," I followed that up by throwing him over my shoulder, which he landed on his feet and backed away from me. "Iruka-sensei had you guys review the transformation jutsu after catching Naruto?"
Once the academy let us out, and Ino calmed down a little, Sasuke and I decided to have a bit of a sparring match. There were limited places since we're not allowed in the training areas yet, but we managed with my front yard. It used to be a three-way spar between myself, Naruto, and Sasuke, but Naruto's a bit preoccupied.
"That's right." Sasuke charged at me again, sweeping a leg towards my feet which I jumped over, only to get a follow up kick to the gut. I flew back and fell flat on my back, face contorted in pain as I clutched the area Sasuke kicked me. "And the idiot used that pointless prank he calls a jutsu."
"The sexy justu?" I placed my hands by the sides of my head and bent my knees before quickly getting to a standing position. I let out a sigh as I dusted myself off before giving Sasuke a slight grin. "You gotta admit it's good for distracting an enemy."
"Sometimes I wonder how the three of us are friends." Sasuke muttered, reaching a hand to hover over his kunai holster with myself doing the same.
"Admit it, you like hanging with us." I gave the young Uchiha a teasing smirk as we both pulled out a kunai and held them in a reverse grip. "You already confirmed we're friends, what's stopping you from admitting that?"
Sauke said nothing in response and instead charged towards me as I did the same. We clashed blades and struggled to break the lock. I quickly reached into my back weapon pouch with my free hand and pulled out three senbon that I immediately threw. Sasuke tilted his head to the side to dodge the needles, thereby breaking his concentration. I forced our kunai down and swiftly delivered a kick to the gut causing Sasuke to skid back.
I quickly threw my kunai along with a few more senbon before going through the hand signs for dragon, tiger, and hare. Thanks to Shisui's training, I can finally use jutsu a lot better compared to when I first attempted it. Admittedly, I can only use a few jutsu, aside from the basics of course, but I'm not complaining. Sasuke deflected the kunai and jumped to the side to avoid being a pincushion.
"Water Style: Water Trumpet!" I took a deep breath and cupped my hands in front of it before launching a large jet of water through them. Sasuke also went through a series of hand signs for snake, ram, monkey, boar, horse, and tiger.
"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" Sasuke also took a deep breath, but instead of water, a stream of fire was released. The two attacks collided head on, neither side giving an inch before the both of us stopped supplying chakra.
"I think we can stop there for today." I said, wiping away the sweat building on my forehead. I then looked around with a confused look. "By the way, where's Naruto?"
"Cleaning his mess." Sasuke replied, pointing towards the hokage monument to see a kind of platform under the fourth head.
"Can't say I didn't see that coming." I sweatdropped, doing a little mental math to see how long it'll take to clean all four heads. "He probably won't be done until a little after sundown."
"You're probably right." Sasuke nodded in agreement, placing his hands in his pockets and proceeded to walk past me. "It'll be a miracle if he passes the graduation test tomorrow."
"You could help him with that, you know." I retorted, practically tasting the wittiness I placed in my response. I rested a hand on my hip and looked up in faux thought. "We both know the reason he keeps failing is because of the clone jutsu."
"Do you really think that idiot would accept our help?" Sasuke said, throwing my retort right back at me, stopping just outside the front gate. He looked over my shoulder to give me a deadpan look. "Besides, I don't think either of us can help him with that."
With that said, he continued his trek away from my house and out of sight. Once I was sure he was completely gone, I channeled some of Isobu's chakra through my body. Before long, my front yard started to be shrouded by a thin layer of mist. The mist got thicker and thicker with each passing second until it was impossible to see two feet in front of me.
This was a result of my training in Isobu's chakra combined with my chakra control training. With Isobu's help, I can now make thick layers of fog which I have an intended use for. The fog doesn't do anything, just what it normally does when the weather conditions are met. The fog I create can only cover about seven meters for now, but it'll have to do.
'Alright, show time.' I made the fog dissipate and reached into my weapons pouch to pull out a pair of rubber gloves.
"Is it that time, Kojiro?" Isobu asked and I nodded in response as I put on the gloves and adjusted them. I then jumped onto the nearest roof and proceeded to make my way to the hokage tower. "I hope this plan of yours works."
'That makes two of us, Isobu.' I reached into my kunai holster and pulled one out and inspected it. This kunai is different from the one I used against Sasuke as it was entirely coated in red paint. 'I just hope I don't get caught.'
Once the tower was within sight, I looked around for the nearest rooftop and landed there. I looked around cautiously, which would have made me suspicious if someone saw. When I saw that I was alone, I looked towards the tower and nodded when I was exactly seven meters away from it. I quickly ducked behind a potted plant when a ninja left the tower and started roof hopping away. I let out a sigh of relief when the ninja was going in the opposite direction I was.
Without wasting a single moment, I started creating the fog again, making sure to stay where I was behind the potted plant. I could hear the confused chatter of the villagers below me, but paid them no mind as I continued to shroud the area in fog. Once the fog was thick enough, I left my hiding spot and looked in the direction of the tower, only to realize one problem.
"Great, I forgot I can't see the windows from here." I groaned, tilting my head back and placing a hand on my forehead. I took a deep breath through my teeth before facing the tower again and held up the red kunai. "Welp, just gotta do it."
I reached into my weapons pouch again and this time pulled out a folded strip of paper which I then tied to the kunai. Let me tell you, tying paper on something is a lot harder than it looks, it takes a lot of time and practice. How people can do this without tearing the paper is beyond me sometimes.
But I digress, once the paper was securely tied to the kunai, I positioned the kunai to where I think the tower is. I tossed the kunai, listening to it cut through the air and disappear into the fog. I felt my body tense as I prepared to run at any moment should a chase start. I then heard the shattering of glass but not the resounding thunk of the kunai hitting wood.
I slightly eased up on the fog, just to get a better view of what happened. Once it was clear enough to see, I saw that one of the tower windows was shattered and Hiruzen holding the kunai in his hand. I resisted the urge to fist pump as I watched Hiruzen untie the paper and began to read its contents. Hiruzen took his eyes off the paper and looked in my direction.
'I've been spotted!' I'll admit that I was starting to panic as I quickly made the fog thicker again. I waited for a moment before jumping off the roof and hastily ran into a nearby crowd. 'I gotta get as far away as possible!'
I formed a hand sign before I was engulfed in a cloud of smoke within the fog. Once the smoke cleared, I looked myself over and nodded in satisfaction. I had used the transformation jutsu and turned into a random boy I saw the other day. I caught movement in the corner of my eye and made a run for it, making sure to blend in with the crowd. Every once in a while, I would transform into another person to throw my pursuers off. It worked for a time, but I almost got caught more times than I'm comfortable admitting.
Once I was sure I wasn't being followed anymore, I let the fog dissipate and undid my transformation before making a beeline home. Shisui was still not home when I got back, which I was a little relieved for, because I wouldn't have to explain why I was out so late. I flopped onto my bed, breathing hard and my body coated in sweat from how hard I was running.
"That was close." I rested the back of my hand on my forehead as I played back what happened in my head. Hiruzen was clearly looking in my direction, which wasn't a good sign if he saw my face. "He didn't get a good look at me, right?"
"He shouldn't have." Isobu replied as I turned my gaze to stare out my window to watch the sun set. "With my fog, as well as the potted plant you were hiding behind, chances are he didn't see your face."
"I hope you're right, Isobu." I muttered, dragging myself off my bed and walked towards my closet. "Well, time to take a bath and off to bed, I have a big day tomorrow."
The next day, I was beyond nervous and for good reason, it was graduation day. It's also the day where everything begins. I went over countless scenarios in how everything would play out, and only thirteen percent of them had the desired ending. But those were just scenarios, I won't know until it actually happened. I just hope that my meddling will be a positive influence and not a negative one.
We will now start the final exam." Iruka said, looking over everyone present in the classroom. "When you name is called, proceed to the testing room." He then looked at the piece of paper in his hand to read what was written on it. "The final test will be on the clone jutsu."
'A show of hands of who saw this coming.' I thought sarcastically, looking around the classroom to see everyone's reactions. Naturally, the only one who reacted was Naruto, who was holding his face in dismay. 'Poor guy.'
"If everyone's ready, I'll start calling out names." With that said, Iruka began reading out the first name.
I tuned everything else out as I entered my mindscape to talk with Isobu. It was mainly to iron out what we should do and what should stay the same. I decided it would be best to keep most of what happens in the Mizuki incident the same. After all, it was the most important moment for Naruto. That being said, I still need to be careful in my involvement in any situation. A perfect example was when I faked Shisui's death in front of Itachi.
Just because Itachi wasn't focusing his Sharingan to see past the transformation, doesn't mean he wasn't suspicious of something. That's why every move I make has to be precise from this point onward. If I don't, not only will I be exposed, but so will Isobu and I do NOT want to know what'll happen if that was to occur.
Once I left my mindscape, I saw that all the students still sat patiently in their seats as they waited to be called. Well, the majority of us were sitting patiently. I could hear Naruto rapidly tapping the heel of his foot as failing to keep himself sitting still. I looked over my shoulder to share a look with Sasuke and I knew we were both having the same thought.
'He's about to burst.'
"Kojiro Kurosawa." I perked up at my name to see Iruka peeking his head through the door. "You're up."
"Okay." I nodded, got up from my seat and made my way to the instructor.
Iruka led me down the hall and slid open the door to another classroom before stepping inside. I followed him inside to see that the classroom was empty save for a table with a number of headbands neatly placed on it and a pair of chairs, one of which Mizuki was sitting on. He gave me a friendly smile in greeting and I fought the urge to flip him off. If there was anything my mothers from both lives taught me it's to be polite, even if it's to someone you hate.
"Alright Kojiro," Iruka said, getting my attention as he took a seat in the chair beside Mizuki and picked up the clipboard resting against said chair. He read over what was written on the paper before looking up at me with a smile. "Whenever you're ready."
"Right." I nodded, taking a deep breath as my hands went through the necessary hand signs. With each hand sign I made, I was concentrating on my chakra control with Isobu nudging me in the right direction. "Clone Jutsu!"
Once I made the final hand sign, I released the chakra I was gathering and watched in fascination as my body seemed to split into four. I looked to my left to see two perfect copies of myself also looking to their left. I then looked right to see another one doing the same motion.
"Congratulations Kojiro." Mizuki said, clapping his hands as my clones vanished as I put on my best cheery smile. He reached for the assortment of headbands in front of him before getting to his feet and walking towards me. He held out the headband to me, that obvious fake smile still plastered on his face. "You made three successful clones, which means you pass."
"Thanks Mizuki-sensei!" Jason, wherever you are right now, I just want to let you know that all that acting training we did together paid off. Cause if not, I would have slugged Mizuki in the face right this second as I kept up the cheerful smile and reached for the headband.
"You've earned it, Kojiro." I looked to Iruka to see he was writing something on the clipboard before giving me a proud smile. "I remember you had just as much trouble with that jutsu as Naruto."
"Don't remind me." I groaned, remembering my first attempt in both a shadow and regular clone, both of which ended poorly. "It's because we have too much chakra."
"What do you mean 'too much chakra'?" Iruka asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow at my statement.
"It's nothing." I quickly said, running towards the window and sliding it open before giving Iruka a two-fingered salute. "Welp, gotta go."
Without wasting a single second, in much Naruto fashion, I left the classroom via the window and ran through the schoolyard. I quickly climbed the lone tree with a swing and perched myself on the lowest branch. I still had a while before everyone had a turn, so I decided to pass the time by braiding my hair.
…
Don't judge me, it's a habit I developed when I'm bored and have nothing better to do. Before anyone asks, I blame the girls Ino and Sakura made me hang out with before they found out I was a boy. They wouldn't stop playing with my hair no matter how much I begged them to. I eventually took the path of least resistance and let them do what they wanted.
It wasn't long before a large group of adults started filling the schoolyard as students wearing headbands exited the academy. A familiar head of blond hair followed and I saw that he was the only one without a headband. I knew right away it was Naruto when he approached the tree I was perched on and sat on the swing.
"Failed again, huh?" I asked, giving the young blond a sympathetic look and getting a nod in response. I jumped off the branch and landed next to Naruto to see he looked really depressed. "Cheer up Naruto, there's always next year."
"Why is it the clone jutsu every year, though?" Naruto complained, running his hands through his spiky blond hair in frustration. "Everyone knows that's my worst jutsu!"
"You can't really help it." I crossed my arms, nodding my head in agreement to the blond's statement. "I mean, you're an absolute chakra monster, a normal clone jutsu is impossible for you."
"Gee, thanks." Naruto muttered sarcastically, swinging himself back and forth on the swing. "Want me to turn the other cheek so you can slap it too?"
"That's not what I meant and you know it." I gave Naruto a reproachful look as I uncrossed my arms and rested them on my hips. "You just need a clone jutsu that uses more chakra than a normal one."
"Yeah, like those grow on trees." Naruto mumbled, looking even more depressed than he was earlier. "I don't get it, why can't I get that jutsu down?"
'I still find it ironic that his best jutsu is a clone jutsu.' It was at that moment that I saw he was looking at all the kids who passed and getting praised by their parents. I frowned when I saw a couple of the mothers glaring in our direction. I reached for Isobu's chakra and let it flare for a moment, which had the desired effect when they averted their eyes. 'Pathetic, can't these people tell the difference between a kunai and the scroll it's sealed in?'
"Kojiro, Hiruzen is here." At Isobu's voice, I looked in the direction of the graduated students and parents to see Hiruzen standing beside Iruka. "Relax, he's not looking at you."
'So it's safe to say he didn't see me on that roof.' I felt my body relax in relief and turned to address Naruto, only to see he was gone. 'What the, where'd he go?'
"He left with Mizuki just now." Isobu replied and I clenched my hands into fists for not keeping a better eye on Naruto. "This will actually work in our favor."
'Maybe.' I unclenched my hands and stuffed them in my pocket before walking out of the schoolyard. Once I was a good enough distance away from the academy, I jumped to the nearest roof, only to see Sasuke standing there. "Sasuke?"
"Going after Naruto and Mizuki?" He gestured for me to follow with his head before turning his back to me. "It's obvious you suspect something."
"I sometimes forget how observant you are." I muttered moving to stand beside Sasuke before we began roof hopping at the same time. "I just get this bad feeling whenever Mizuki-sensei is near Naruto."
We said nothing after that as we caught sight of Naruto waving to Mizuki and happily hopping his way home. Even from this distance, I could see the smug smirk on Mizuki's face, as if he already won. I gave Sasuke a side glance and knew he saw it too when I saw his eyes narrow in suspicion. Even without the Sharingan, it's a little scary how observant Sasuke is, Naruto and I can't put anything past him.
"You saw that look too?" I asked, watching as Mizuki went the opposite way of Naruto to prepare for his scheme.
"Yeah." Sasuke replied, his eyebrows furrowed in deep thought.
"Let's talk more about it tomorrow." I suggested getting a nod from Sasuke before he left without another word. I waited until he was out of sight before making my way to where everything began.
It wasn't easy, but I managed to make it to the shed where Naruto takes the scroll without being spotted. I went through the necessary hand signs and I was engulfed in a cloud of smoke that quickly dispersed. I looked myself over and saw I now had the appearance of a teenage boy with short, messy brown hair and eyes. I was also wearing a black short-sleeve T-shirt with a white tiger design, blue jeans, and white sneakers.
"Your past life appearance?" Isobu questioned as I went inside the shed and moved to sit below the window with my back against the wall. "Why would you go with that one?"
"I think it's time for Kyle Samson to have another chance at life." I muttered in reply, relishing how good it feels to use a voice I haven't heard since I died. I chuckled slightly, pulling out my newly acquired headband and putting it on. "Poor choice of words, but the best alias needs to be somewhat natural, right?" I peeked outside the window to see that there was still a little sunlight. "Now to wait."
I didn't have to wait long for nightfall, for I soon heard the sound of footsteps I knew who they belonged to. I peeked outside the window, and lo and behold, I saw Naruto was a large scroll strapped to his back. I shook my head in amusement when I saw the familiar cheeky grin on the blond's face. Naruto wasted no time taking the scroll off his back and unfurling it to read what was inside. I left the shed and quickly got behind one of the trees surrounding Naruto, who was oblivious to my presence.
"Let's see, the first one is…" Naruto muttered as he read through the scroll he stole. "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu." Once he finished reading, he groaned in frustration and scratched his head. "Not this again, it's my worst jutsu!"
"Then maybe you shouldn't have stolen the scroll." I suddenly said, getting a startled yell out of Naruto as I stepped out from behind the tree. I crossed my arms and gave the blond jinchuriki a scolding look that transcends scolding looks. "Do you not know what you've done?"
"Who are you?" Naruto demanded, getting to his feet and raising his fist in preparation for a fight. "I've never seen you around the village before!"
"The name's Kyle." I said, giving the scroll a brief glance before turning my attention back to Naruto. "Now you answer my question, do you not know what you've done?"
"What are you talking about?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head in confusion as he looked down at the scroll. "I'm just doing a secret graduation test Mizuki-sensei told me about."
"There's my answer." I sighed, once again getting a confused look from Naruto as I reached down to pick up the scroll and roll it back up. "There IS no secret graduation test."
"What?!" The look of shock on Naruto's face was understandable, but there was also doubt hidden beneath his blue eyes. He took the scroll from my hands and held it protectively as he backed away from me. "You're lying!"
"I'm not." I looked in the direction of the village and narrowed my eyes for a moment before facing Naruto again. "Tell you what, I'll help you learn the shadow clone jutsu and the secrets it holds." He still looked wary of me, but didn't move from where he stood, which was a good thing. "In exchange, when Iruka finds you, you mention this so-called test to him and pay close attention to his reaction." I rested a hand against my hip and held out my free hand in a handshake. "Do we have a deal?"
"Is this really a deal?" Isobu asked as I watched Naruto straining his brain for the right response to my proposal. "You don't really get anything out of it."
'Not quite, Isobu.' I replied, keeping my eyes on Naruto as he continued his internal conflict. 'I do get something out of this.' Naruto crossed his arms and nodded, then proceeded to shake his head followed by scratching it. 'If I can get Naruto to trust me as Kyle, then I'll be deemed trustworthy by Hiruzen, who's most likely watching us right now.'
"I see." Isobu said in understanding and I could feel he was suppressing his chakra.
"Argh, fine!" Naruto's shouting brought me out of my internal conversation with Isobu. The blond strapped the scroll to his back again and pointed at me. "So, what's first?"
"Firstly, shadow clones are different from regular clones." I said, pacing back and forth with my arms behind my back. "There are two key factors in this jutsu that separates it from the rest." I stopped pacing and held up one finger. "The first is that the clones are solid and have a will of their own." I then dramatically pointed at Naruto as he listened to every word I said. "Meaning you can use them as distractions or literally be a one man army."
"Wait a minute." Naruto interrupted, squinting his eyes and adjusting his goggles. "I thought clones were just illusions."
"That's why I said they're different at the start." I deadpanned, lightly flicking the blond on the forehead. "Pay attention to what people are trying to teach you." I then turned my back to Naruto and held up two fingers. "The second factor is that the clones can be used for both information gathering and training."
"Now you lost me, believe it." I turned to face Naruto to see he was scratching his head in confusion. "How can illusions gather information and help with training?"
"Didn't I just covered that they're solid clones?" I sweatdropped as I thought back to the start of my shadow clone lesson. I shook my head and went back to pacing back and forth. "Forget it, it's better to just demonstrate." I stopped pacing and formed a cross with my index and middle fingers. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Ever since my first attempt, I've been secretly training this jutsu with Isobu's help. At the start, they all ended up the same as my first clone. But with time and effort, they've slowly been getting better until they were finally perfect copies of myself. I can only make two clones, but that's to be expected since my chakra is being divided between them.
A puff of smoke appeared next to me and revealed another me when it dispersed. Naruto cautiously approached the clone and reached out to poke it. He pulled his hand back as if it was burned when he realized the clone was solid. I nodded to the clone who nodded back before quickly jumping into the trees and out of sight.
"Where's he going?" Naruto asked, tilting his head curiously as he watched the clone disappear from sight.
"Don't worry about that." I replied, gesturing towards the blond with a hand. "Now you try."
"Alright, here I go!" Naruto said excitedly, forming a cross with his fingers like I did and started focusing on his chakra.
"Don't go overboard." I warned, taking a few steps back just in case something goes wrong. "This jutsu even divides your chakra between yourself and your clones." I leaned my back against a tree and crossed my arms. "Just focus on making one for now."
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto shouted as he closed his eyes shut and a puff of smoke appeared next to him.
I smiled when I saw a perfect clone of Naruto standing beside the original as they both opened their eyes. They both look at each other with looks of shock, holding each other's faces to make sure the other was real. They both soon broke out into big smiles and each raised a fist in the air in celebration. I watched on as the two blonds kept cheering on finally mastering a clone jutsu after so long.
I felt a slight jolt as images began to play before my eyes and closed them to see them better. What I saw was far from pleasant, for my clone had a run-in with Mizuki. I could see my clone quickly jumping over the roofs of the leaf village in an attempt to buy me some time. However, it wasn't much time when my clone decided to look behind himself. That was a big mistake as the last thing my clone saw was a flurry of kunai.
'That was brutal.' I thought, opening my eyes to see Naruto and his clone were still celebrating. I jumped up into the trees and hid within the leaves before undoing my transformation. 'Now to wait for Iruka and Mizuki to show up.'
"Hey, where'd that guy go?" I looked down to see Naruto was looking around as his clone dispersed. He scratched the back of his head before shrugging and formed a cross with his fingers again. "Ah well, I gotta master this before Iruka-sensei or Mizuki-sensei find me."
I didn't have to wait long, because half an hour later, Iruka found Naruto and everything went as I remembered it. From Naruto telling Iruka about the fake test all the way to Iruka taking a shuriken to the back for him. I just about teared up as I listened to Iruka dialogue about his past and how he and Naruto were the same. When Naruto made a break for it, I followed close behind, making sure to not get too close. I caught sight of Iruka following Naruto and asking the blond for the scroll only for Naruto to tackle Iruka to the ground.
'That's Iruka, isn't it?' I questioned as I saw the real Naruto hiding behind a tree and tightly clutching the scroll. "Naruto!"
"Kojiro?" Naruto looked up at me in shock as I approached him and knelt down beside him. "What are you doing here?"
"I followed some guy I've never seen before and found you." I replied, immediately putting my acting training from my previous life to good use. I peered out from behind the tree to watch as both Mizuki and Iruka undid their transformations. "Nevermind that for now, I knew there was something suspicious about Mizuki."
"So you heard it." I looked back at the blond to see he had his head lowered, his eyes filled with fear and sadness. "That I'm the nine-tailed fox?"
"That's utter crap, Naruto!" I gripped his shoulders and violently shook the blond. "You're not the nine-tails, just its container, you're still you!"
"Kurama's not going to like hearing you calling him an 'it', Kojiro." Isobu commented and I can already imagine the ranting I'm in for the next time I see Kurama.
"You're a fool." I heard Mizuki say this and I immediately brought a finger to my lips, signaling Naruto to keep quiet as we peered out from behind the tree. "Why are you protecting that freak?" I gave Naruto a side glance to see he tightened his hold on the scroll. "He's the one that wiped out your family!"
"I don't care what you say, you're not getting your hands on the scroll." Iruka said and I resisted the urge to go out there and help him.
"As if you can stop me." Mizuki scoffed, irritating me with every word that came out of his cocky mouth. "Don't you get it, Naruto is just like me."
"How's that?"
"He wants the scroll for his own power and his own vengeance, that's just how beasts are." Mizuki spread out his arms as if he just stated the obvious. "He'll pour all his rage into the scroll and destroy everything."
"You're right." I heard Naruto gasp in shock when he heard Iruka agreeing with Mizuki.
"So it's true." Naruto lowered his head, a look of betrayal on his face as held the scroll closer to himself as a form of comfort. "Iruka-sensei never believed in me, he thinks I'm some beast, some kind of freak!"
"Don't jump to conclusions, Naruto." I firmly said, watching as Naruto reluctantly looked up at me. I lightly chopped him on the head before nodding in Iruka's direction. "Iruka-sensei hasn't finished talking."
"That is how beasts are." Naruto gently pushed me aside so he could watch what was going on and better hear what Iruka was saying. "But that's not who Naruto is, he's nothing like that." I saw Naruto's eyes widened in shock, but there wasn't any fear or sadness in them this time. "Naruto's one of a kind, works hard, puts his whole heart into it."
"See?" I said softly, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder and lightly squeezed it. "Everything Iruka-sensei's saying right now, I feel the same." I brought my head closer to Naruto's ear and lowered my voice. "Also, you and I have something in common."
"Sure he messes up sometimes, and everyone jumps on him, but his suffering only makes him stronger." I could hear the fondness in Iruka's voice the more he talked about what he felt about Naruto. I could also see tears beginning to form in the blond's eyes the more he listened. "That's what separates him from being a beast. So you're wrong, he's nothing like the nine-tailed fox, he is Naruto Uzumaki, of the village hidden in the leaves!"
'This is why I hold so much respect for him.' I couldn't help but smile when Iruka finished his speech and saw the tears flowing down Naruto's face. I quietly moved away from the crying blond and approached the two adults. 'Isobu, it's showtime.'
"You really believe that drivel?" Mizuki scoffed yet again as he removed the last shuriken from his back. "Iruka, I was gonna save you for later, but I changed my mind." He then rapidly spinned the shuriken in his hand as he charged at Iruka. "You're finished!"
"I don't think so!" I shouted, hearing Naruto moving from his hiding spot and was close behind me.
Paying him no mind, I focused on channeling Isobu's chakra as Iruka and Mizuki both looked in our direction. I quickly got in front of Iruka and formed one of Isobu's tails that I positioned in front of me. I felt something metal strike the armored tail and bounced right off it and heard Mizuki shout in surprise. I then saw Naruto come up and punch Mizuki in the face, sending back.
"Kojiro, Naruto!" Iruka cried out in surprise as I moved Isobu's tail to wrap protectively around him. "Kojiro, what is this?"
"Not now, Iruka-sensei." I reached into the holster on my right thigh and pulled out a kunai, twirling it before grabbing it in a reverse grip.
"Not bad, for a little punk." Mizuki grunted, wiping a trail of blood from his mouth with the back of his hand.
"If you ever lay a hand on my sensei, I'll kill you!" Naruto threatened, tossing me the scroll as he stood protectively in front of me and Iruka."
"Such big words." Mizuki mocked, not the least bit scared by Naruto's threat. He looked over Naruto's shoulder to look at me, or specifically, Isobu's tail sprouting from my body. "And it would seem you're not the only freak in this village." He then turned his attention back to Naruto and held up a fist. "But it doesn't matter, I can completely destroy you with a single move!"
"Take your best shot fool." Naruto challenged, bringing his hands up and forming a cross with his finger. "I'll give it back to you a thousand fold!"
"Let's see you try!" Mizuki yelled, unaware of what's about to happen to him. "Show me what you can do, nine-tailed fox!"
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
I didn't try to suppress the smirk on my face as the forest was filled with hundreds, maybe thousands, of Narutos. Each Naruto had a smug grin on their faces as they called out to the quickly panicking Mizuki. No matter where Mizuki looked, there were more Naruto's prepared to give him a beating he won't soon forget. And then there's the fact I'm training to be a medical ninja, but won't heal him, does that make me a bad person?
Anyway, that part doesn't matter as I watched with satisfaction as the Naruto army proceeded to pummel Mizuki. It's times like these I wish I had some popcorn as I took note of every blow that was dealt. Punches to the face here, kicks to the gut there, you name a blow and location, Naruto's done them. I think I even heard Mizuki shirek like a girl a couple times, but couldn't see where Naruto struck to get that effect. Needless to say, Mizuki was unconscious and unrecognizable at the end of the pummeling and Naruto dispersed his clones.
"Sorry, I kinda got carried away." Naruto apologized, laughing sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.
"I think you did plenty, Naruto." I said, unwrapping Isobu's tail from Iruka and retracting it into my body before kneeling down beside Iruka. "Are you alright, Iruka-sensei?"
"I'm fine, Kojiro." Iruka made a move to stand up, only to hiss in pain and cease all movement. "Actually, can you do something about my back?"
"Sure thing." I nodded and helped Iruka lean forward without irritating his wounds. I then placed my hands over the stab wound on his back as my hands were engulfed in green chakra.
"This situation makes me glad you're training to be a healer, Kojiro." Iruka sighed, looking a little less tense as I continued to treat his wound. He then looked up at Naruto, who was still standing over an unconscious Mizuki. "Naruto, come here a minute, I've got something I want to give you."
"What is it, Iruka-sensei?" Naruto asked, eyes shimmering with excitement as he walked over to us.
"Close your eyes." Iruka ordered and I smiled as I watched Naruto do as he was told. Iruka reached over to Naruto and carefully removed his goggles.
'I better hurry up.' I thought as Iruka removed his headband and proceeded to put it on Naruto's head. 'Don't want to be tackle hugged by Naruto.'
With that in mind, I continued to focus on healing Iruka's wounds, which didn't take long. The only serious injury Iruka had was on his back from the shuriken. Once I finished healing that, it didn't take long to heal the wounds on his leg and shoulder. When I was sure Iruka was completely healed, I backed away so I could watch the rest of what's happening.
"Sensei, how much longer?" Naruto asked impatiently, trying hard not to open his eyes as Iruka finished tying the headband.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now." Iruka finally said, stepping back from Naruto as the blond opened his eyes. He was confused when he saw Iruka smiling and holding up his goggles until he felt the fabric and cool metal of the headband on his head. "Congratulations, you graduate!"
"Way to go, Naruto." I said, stepping to stand beside Iruka and giving the blond a smile of my own. "I told you ya needed a jutsu that uses more chakra."
"And to celebrate, I have a surprise." Iruka continued while Naruto looked like he was still processing what's happening right now. "We're going out for ramen tonight."
"Don't you mean this morning?" I asked, grinning as I pointed to the rising sun.
"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto finally shouted, tackling our academy instructor in a hug and they both started laughing. He then turned to me with a confused look on his face. "By the way Kojiro, what was with that tail?"
"Way to ruin the moment, Naruto." I muttered, letting out a sigh as I formed Isobu's tail again and let it sway behind me. I gave the blond an apologetic smile, bringing the tail up in front of me. "Truth is, you're not the only one with something inside them."
I hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter, now onto Review Corner, where I reply to your reviews and answer any questions you may have.
Karsap: Unfortunately, to make up for the months I was gone, I had to do a timeskip chapter this time.
frankieu: You're welcome and I hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter as well. I'm happy to hear that you like how I ended that arc and Kojiro will make a slip up in the near future. Yes, I'm back in action and prepared to write more chapters.
Quickness: I plan to have Shisui undergo an eye transplant in the future, just not at this time.
guest reader: Lol, I almost used harpies when I was writing this chapter.
Sen Tobi: I don't know, I quite liked the Shikamaru/Temari pairing. The other two might be a possibility, but I'll keep all suggestions under consideration as I set up the poll in the future.
collinsjr: I don't mind you asking serious questions, that's what Review Corner is all about, so thank you for asking your questions. First of all, Kojiro will be a part of team seven, I just need to work the details a little. As for if he'll train with Jiraya and Naruto, that's still up in the air, but the probability is extremely high. I plan to have Kojiro learn Senjutsu in the future, I just need to figure out what kind of summons to give him first. Unfortunately, to avoid spoilers, I cannot divulge possible alterations of the main story at this time, but I hope you can bear with me until I can. Thank you for asking your questions and I look forward to hear from you again.
DragonBladeB5 and Masknyan: I wasn't hospitalized for aching arms, I was in an accident that landed me in a full-body cast. I was able to remove the cast leaving only my arms left that needed to heal. As for how it happened, I was on my way to work when a drunk truck driver was swerving out of control on the road. As I stated in the intro, I have made a full recovery. Thank you Masknyan for wishing for my swift recovery and my arms are feeling just fine. Sorry for the late response, but I had a halloween party at my house.
J.R.E.D.C: Those are good questions you're asking. During the Twelve Guardian Ninja arc, I may plan to have Kojiro absorb Kurama's chakra that leaves Sora's body, that plan may change depending on the situation. Again, I may plan on doing that... scratch that, the possibility of that happening are rather high considering the amount of involvement I plan Kojiro on having in the future.
That's it for Review Corner, now it's time for the curtain to drop once again for our performers to prepare for the next act. I look forward to seeing you all again.