A/N: Another new chapter only a few days later!? What is this sorcery? LoL!
To answer a few questions and generally respond to a few comments, I will say this.
Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Ino are the only ones treated as Captains for the moment with Naruto being the only one who asks to be addressed as such directly.
The others (Kiba, Hinata, and Choji) either don't feel they deserve the rank (Choji and Hinata) or they just don't deserve it at all (Kiba).
So, yes, Kiba is kind of the Yamacha of the group for the moment. He will get better, but with most of his time devoted to training from his family, it going to be a while before he catches up with the others.
The ideas you guys and gals have thrown out for Zanpakuto are interesting. VERY interesting, indeed. I'm going to do my best to combine the ideas together in a way I think everyone can like. Special thanks to M.L.T Fictions, TimberlineWolf, Rodneysao, and xxx6sic6xxx for sharing their opinions on the topic of Zanpakuto.
Thirdly, toonlink111 asked about making Kurama as Naruto's inner Hollow. Well, ToonLink111, all I can say is that Naruto isn't the one getting the inner Hollow. It is the person you least expect. LoL!
And lastly, another special thanks to salasdaniel74 for saying something I had not even thought about while writing this story. Its a little detail, but it adds so much more to the story. I overlooked it, but you are so right! MVP award to you!
A/N: I am still on the fence if this story should be Naruto/Ino or not. In my mind, Ino was always the runner-up to be Naruto's love interest (right after Hinata). Sakura was too negative toward him throughout Part 1 for them getting together to ever be realistic to me. Tenten and Temari didn't really see or interact much with Naruto to have any feelings toward him one way or the other. I saw that Ino while thinking little of Naruto was still willing to give him a chance more than others. She spoke nicely about him during the Chunin Exams, even being the one to cheer for him and force Sakura to cheer for him as well while the pink-haired girl was thinking only of Sasuke. Then there is the anime filler of Part 1 that I liked. It fleshed out the characters a decent amount, and Episode 192 was where I first thought about Naruto and Ino being a couple, and liked the idea.
But like I said, if Hinata weren't around, I think Ino would be perfect for Naruto. They are both hot-headed and Naruto would be really good for Ino's growth as a ninja just as she would help him grow as a person. Neither are shy about what they want, and Ino has just the right amount of boldness to make Naruto calm down when a situation calls for it.
The way I rank them for pairings with Naruto are like this: Hinata, Ino, Temari, Tenten, and lastly Sakura. I don't hate Sakura. She's never done anything to me. But I can't stand the idea of Naruto forgiving her for all her useless moments when he needed her as a friend, and how many times she nearly got him killed because of "Sasuke-kun". But again: I don't hate Sakura. Badly written character, but still just a character. I try my best to change her to be a better one in my stories.
Now, some might like the pairing of Naruto with Tenten or Temari, and while I have nothing against these, they don't make much sense in Part 1 of the Naruto show. Tenten never gave Naruto a second look, even after he beat Neji. And Temari saw Naruto as more of just a good person rather than a love interest after he stopped Gaara. In fact, they both we thinking of Sasuke as handsome when they met him, but never once thought of Naruto until he beat the unbeatable male to each of them.
Honestly, I don't understand why Sasuke is so hyped in the show. Or why every girl likes him aside from Hinata. But I don't want to rant about how much I dislike Kishimoto's obvious Sasuke-worship. He created the show and the characters, so he is God over his creations. It just sucks that it is so one-sided to Sasuke.
Oh well, I try my best with these stories to make Sasuke actually likeable and show reasonable ways for people to see Naruto in a good light.
Let me know if I'm doing a good job, yeah!
Now then! Enough of this crap! On with the SHOW!
Chapter 6: Foundation of the Divisions, Part 2: Formation
Hinata sat on Naruto's couch, overwhelmed with how suddenly things had changed in the course of the last couple of years. In her lap lounged a platinum blonde cat, lazily flicking its tail left and right as her hand gently pet its fur.
If someone had told her two years ago she would be in a close-knit group with the blond boy of her dreams, chatting and laughing with him nearly every day and spending quality time with individuals she could actually call friends… well, she might have fainted from the mere thought!
She had gone so quickly from wishing that Naruto would just notice her, to being surprised every day when she was one of the first people he immediately latched onto for conversation and plans for that day.
It made her knees weak. Her, Hinata Hyuga, cohorts and chums with the unbridled ball of energetic determination that was Naruto Uzumaki.
Naruto would rush right up to her, going on and on about the newest volume of Deathberry he and the others had gotten into. She didn't read it much except when Naruto read it with her. Then he would take her by the hand and practically drag her to class where the others would be waiting. Kiba would be the first to brag about the new volume, saying how awesome this move was or how the clash between two characters had been epic. That would get the discussion going. Kiba had a very good memory for the characters names and their importance to the plot of the story. He always seemed to focus more on them as people than as warriors.
Ino or Choji would next elaborate on pages in detail; their setting and the characters abilities in contrast to each other. Ino could perfectly recall any and every outfit worn by the individuals in the manga. She would often go off in tangent about the materials and fabrics that would be best for the different environments the characters travelled through, going from the Human World to Soul Society and all. Choji was better at the powers of the people, scaling them in comparison to one another with great accuracy.
Then it was Shikamaru's turn to direct conversation. He would analyze and break down the techniques in use by the Deathberry cast in contrast to ninja arts from various books he and Naruto were studying up on. The Third Hokage had given Naruto permission to have shinobi texts and scrolls for him to study in order to become a better ninja. Whatever Naruto requested would be delivered to him by a member of the ANBU Black-Ops, normally by a brown-haired man in a Tora-mask or silver-haired guy in an Inu-mask. From the scrolls and books Naruto got, he and Shikamaru were more than able to define what kenjutsu styles were used in the manga and what level of ninjutsu the characters used against each other called "Kido".
Her new friends amazed her with the simplicity of their scientific method.
Naruto would demonstrate the move on a small scale, showing the others how the move would be executed with the use of his enormous stores of chakra. He'd say how it was either for someone lithe and flexible like Sui-Feng or Ino, or how it required muscle from a person like Renji Abarai, Kiba, or Choji. Or maybe it would be so simple and clever that only people like Shikamaru or Hinata herself could pull it off effortlessly and without looking like try-hard jackasses.
Naruto used vulgar language sometimes, but Hinata didn't mind. He never used it in front of their teachers, or directed it at her. She wasn't sure how she would feel if he did.
From there they would practice the move a couple of times, but they always waited until after their lessons at the Academy before they tried anything with the use of chakra. Sasuke Uchiha would join them then. The Third Hokage continued to lend Naruto the use of a private training ground, and extended that privileged to the rest of them.
"Your little band of friends are always welcome here!" the Third Hokage had offered with a smile. Hinata had been speechless to receive such honor from their village's leader and most powerful shinobi.
Thankfully, Ino had not been rendered to such a state. The blonde girl had grabbed Naruto by the neck, forcing him to respectfully bow and thank Lord Hokage for his unbelievable generosity.
Sometimes, Hinata wished she had Ino's outgoing and vibrant attitude.
"Hey, earth to Hinata!" the Hyuga girl jumped with a squeak as she was startled. The blonde cat in her lap hissed before jumping off her, running away. Naruto was moving in front of her, waving a hand in her face. "You still alive in there, Miss Hyuga!"
"Y-Yes, Naruto-kun!" Hinata had gotten a little better at keeping the stutter out of her voice. But with the source of her affection so close, she couldn't help the blush that covered her face or the trembling in her voice. "I'm s-sorry… I m-must have gotten lost in thought…"
"Eh, it's okay, so long as you ain't dead." Naruto shrugged casually. "I once heard that people can die just sitting there like zombies, or somethin'. It sounds really weird, but Ami from class says that's how her folks found her grandfather! Just sitting in the chair like he was thinking, but he was actually dead!"
"You idiot!" Ino had appeared behind Naruto, whacking him over the head with a paper fan, an irritated expression on her face. "That only applies to old people! Hinata isn't some grandma about to keel over! She hasn't even reached the prime of youthful beauty!"
Hinata blushed at the image of Ino's words. It was almost as if Ino were saying that she would grow more beautiful, and Naruto should take notice.
"Huh? Prime of youthful beauty?" Naruto looked momentarily confused, but then got really close to Hinata's face. All she could do was stare at him, her face red hot as she chanted mentally to not faint and look like a weirdo. "Hmmm… but Hinata's already pretty enough. She has really soft skin and no blemishes. Even if her eyes are kind weird, given they have no pupil, that still isn't much of a complaint. Plus, Hinata's hair is really nice and her breath always smells like cinnamon sticky buns!"
"Get out of her face, moron!" Ino began battering Naruto as Hinata was finally overloaded and collapsed back onto the couch. Her mind couldn't process if all the things Naruto had said were reality or a dream, but it had been wonderful while it lasted.
"Oh no! Hinata! She kicked the bucket, dattebayo!"
"You fool, let go of her! She's not dead!"
"Quick! We need to find an Unohana or Kurotsuchi-type person to revive her from the grave! We can't lose Hinata! She's the only nice girl in our group, dattebayo!"
"WHAT'D YOU JUST SAY?!"
"OH GODS, HELP! INO IS TRYING TO KILL ME!"
"I'LL SUCCEED THIS TIME TOO, YOU GIANT JACKASS!"
Sasuke Uchiha merely raised an eyebrow at the door before closing it. He turned on heel and walked away from the apartment, even as Shikamaru and Choji gave each other bemused looks.
"I'll meet you all at the training grounds. I refuse to be party to their foolishness." Was all Sasuke said before disappearing off into the distance.
Shikamaru sighed as Choji opened the door only for them to see Ino trying to stab Naruto through the eye with a butter knife. Choji politely stepped beyond the murder scene in order to raid Naruto's kitchen for a snack before they went out training. Hinata was still passed out on the couch, muttering to herself about how much Naruto's kisses tickled her skin.
Shikamaru could only sigh again as he took the plunge and stepped inside.
Why was he always the one left to defuse the crazies?
"Umm, Tenten-senpai… are you okay?" Hinata asked as she, Ino, Naruto, and Kiba were made spectators to the brown bun-haired girl's slightly… off mood.
The five individuals in question were standing in an empty hallway as classes were in session. The four students were allowed free time since they and Sasuke Uchiha had successfully mastered the Taijutsu maneuvers their class had been reviewing that day. Sasuke had gone off on his own to train for the rest of the hour, but Naruto had been adamant about tracking down the girl named Tenten in order to make their request.
Unfortunately, Naruto had no idea that Tenten would be… like this…
Tenten was staring off into space with stars in her eyes. There was a heavy blush across her cheeks and nose. Her face was cupped in her hands while she mindlessly giggled to herself.
"Me… their senpai…? They… respect me…? Hehe, hoho! They think of me so highly…! I'm already one step closer on becoming a legendary woman just like Lady Tsunade…! They need me…? They want me! Hehehe, hoho!"
"Umm… is she gonna be okay…?" Naruto asked as he tilted his head while watching the strange behavior.
"Either that, or we're getting lucky tonight… My mom and sister told me all about that kinda look on a girl…" Kiba whispered into Naruto's ear, but was not quiet enough as Ino bonked him over the head, her own face now slightly rosy in the cheeks. Though more from scandalous embarrassment than anything else.
Like she had some kind of growing crush or affection or whatever for Naruto Uzumaki…! AS IF!
Tenten finally snapped back to reality from her fantasies about being praised by Tsunade Senju as a more capable and powerful female than herself. Tenten saw this moment as fate. It was destiny that they—her juniors—had come to her with their problems. It was like Kami placing her in the perfect spot to start passing on the wisdom and guidance that she would one day become known for!
"Ohoho! And I'm not even out of the Academy yet! Thank you, Kami-sama! Your divine blessings know no bounds!" Tenten praised, clapping her hands together before dancing around in another bout of fantasy. She quickly snapped out of this one though, pointing her finger right in front of Naruto's face as she grinned her biggest grin to date.
"I'll do it!" Tenten declared.
"Eh? But we haven't even really told you what we need—" Kiba was cut off as Tenten shook her head.
"I don't care! It doesn't matter what it is! As your proud and wise senpai, it is my job to help you juniors in whatever endeavors your little hearts might desire! No task is too great or small for your beloved Tenten-senpai!" Tenten said, laughing delightedly as she went into yet another bout of fantasy. This time Naruto, Ino, Hinata, and Kiba were praising her for being so humble and caring.
In reality though, the four were staring at her with bewildered looks.
"Umm, okay then… I guess she'll ask her dad for us… I guess… Let's just leave her the design scrolls and be on our way…" Naruto said, making sure to slowly put the scroll down on the desk in front of Tenten. The others did the same, backing out of the room slowly and carefully while Tenten was again cupping her blushing face and giggling to herself about not needing any more praise from her peers or Lady Tsunade.
Tenten was rather weird about things the rest of the day, declaring that others below her call her senpai and feel free to ask for her guidance. People just gave her weird looks while the teachers were at least glad that a note-worthy student was being so helpful… if not a bit creepy about it, though to their view.
As the group were let out of Academy classes one day, Sasuke walked out into the village feeling… happy? Yes, it was probably happiness that he felt. He and Naruto had grown a lot closer than he had ever believed they would after that first evening talking to each other. Three years ago now, Sasuke still couldn't wrap his head around it. Naruto had head-butted himself into Sasuke's friendship, and it still didn't quite make sense to anyone, least of all the people of the village. Naruto simply had this presence about him that made it easy for him to be around people, even if they were irritated by him to no end.
Not to mention how he annoyingly clung to people like an infectious virus.
Naruto didn't let his friends go if he could help it, they had to pry themselves free of the blond.
None the less, Sasuke found that as he made his way through the village and listened to the whispers of people talking about his new appearance as though he were a fashion model, he still felt happy. It had now been three years since they sparred that faithful day, and Sasuke had found something more to live for.
When his clan was killed by that man, he had thought that everyone he cared for in the world had disappeared. All he had seen in front of him was him, and his desire to kill the man. Now, however… he realized that the Third Hokage was right when he prattled on and on about the bonds between those who lived in Konoha. The entire village could be his new family, in the vaguest sense of the word.
He would never forget the Uchiha clan as his real family would always be very dear to his heart. He would miss them for all eternity, but that would not stop others from becoming precious to him.
Granted, he could count his "precious" people as Naruto put it, on his two hands, but it was a good start none the less.
Also, his clan could be revived. That was something he vowed to himself a night after training himself into the ground with the others. That responsibility rested on his shoulders, if he wanted to bring the clan back to greatness, then he would have to become a man worth the attention of respectable women. Not fangirls.
That would be a last resort, something he was too ashamed to admit…
Therefore, he focused some of his attention on becoming a dignified man, someone that could immediately be seen as the head of an honorable family.
Taking up the character of Byakuya Kuchiki made that endeavor slightly easier.
After all, if he focused all his attention on getting strong enough to kill Itachi, then he might die in the destined battle… then the Uchiha clan would be forever gone from Konoha.
Another last resort was giving the quest to restore the Uchiha clan to Naruto. He would never admit it until his dying breath, but he wasn't ashamed of it either.
Just to be safe though, he did write it in a copy of his Last Will and Testament, given to the Third Hokage if he should die before killing the slayer of his clan and becoming a Jonin-level ninja.
Nonetheless, Sasuke vowed to himself that he would take charge of his destiny and defend the honor of the Uchiha just as Byakuya defended the honor of the noble Kuchiki household.
With that in mind, Sasuke stopped in front of the library where Naruto, Ino, Hinata, Choji and Shikamaru were already waiting for him.
Kiba would swing by in a few hours after training with his mother and sister in his clan arts. From what Sasuke understood, Kiba needed to become fast and strong enough to use his clan arts effectively. This was unlike Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, who only needed the proper chakra control and a few practice lessons every week.
Shaking his head of the distracting thoughts, Sasuke stepped forward. This was part of getting good enough to protect that honor. He and Naruto had decided to take matters into their own hands by actively searching out the information they would need. The texts and scrolls they received from their Head-Captain, the Third Hokage, were well enough, but without supplementary information and a foundation of theory, any further experimentation into making their goals a reality would end in critical failure.
Sasuke was also secretly proud that he was the only one among his friends that took the time out every other night for an hour to study a dictionary. Using big words against Naruto was just too easy to pass up. It was a way of humbling the blond, and too darn funny for Sasuke not to take advantage.
The Uchiha watched as the librarian threw Naruto a dirty look before greeting the rest of them with only the highest of respect. If the man had been anyone of note, then he would have recognized that Naruto was one of the last members of the Uzumaki clan in the entire world. They had discovered that last week, but Naruto didn't seem to really care. He must have cried about it though as he came to school the next day with a raw nose and puffy eyes. None the less, Naruto ignored the man at the front desk and simply continued on as though it didn't bother him. Sasuke knew that it did because Naruto would inevitably complain about it to them later that same day.
So now, they were looking through scroll after scroll, researching ninja and chakra as much as possible. Naruto would grouch about it to Hinata, the only one among them either too weak or simply too kind to turn a deaf ear to the annoying blond. Half way into the fifth hour, Naruto wanted to spend the rest of the day at Ichiraku Ramen, but Ino finally had enough as she smacked him with a book and told him to shut up and read it before she stuffed it down his throat. Sasuke had to admit, it was a bit harsh, but that seemed to be the only way to get through to Naruto. The only other time he shut up and read was when Hinata had asked politely for him to talk softly as she had lost her place in a scroll on the theory of Medical Ninjutsu. Naruto had clamped his mouth shut then, but been back at it an hour later. Now he was grumbling quietly to himself as he read through a text on the basic aspects of Sensor Ninja.
"Aaaah man, there's so many to choose from… How do we know which one will fit into the Divisions? I mean, we've been here for six hours already. Sensor ninja, medic ninja, offensive ninjutsu, defensive ninjutsu, Genjutsu specialist, Ninjutsu specialist, Taijutsu specialist, Shinobi theorist…" Naruto muttered, looking thoroughly overwhelmed as he put down his seventh scroll that day. The others were well into their twentieth, but there was no need to bring that up to the blond. "Aside from kenjutsu with a bit of elemental chakra manipulation, I've got no idea what we need."
"Then maybe you should put more energy into studying rather than griping about things." Sasuke spat, having enough of Naruto's childish antics. The blond was much smarter than he let on, but book knowledge was not his forte. The least he could do was let them all study in peace if he was not going to contribute.
"Sasuke is right. You need to build your theoretical knowledge if you ever want to help us achieve what we're planning." Shikamaru said as he put down a book on chakra natures. "You're the only one among us that has enough chakra to make multiple attempts at these techniques in a single day. Without you're blunders on the training field as we help you get through the trial and error process, we'd be set back by years instead of months. We have only another year left before the next Graduation Exams are held at the Academy. In that time, we still have much to master before our personal time is cut drastically short by our responsibilities as shinobi to the village."
"We've held ourselves back enough already. There can be no more excuses as to why we don't graduate. Everyone is questioning why we have held ourselves back the past three years. We must graduate on time since we did not exit the Academy program with an early graduation. And I will say again; I will not bring shame to the noble name of Uchiha." Sasuke said with his closed eyes, looking a little furious.
"Not to mention the fact that we still don't have a devoted healer in our group, even after three years. We've become so popular a group that no one in the school or on the streets will approach us to join. Not even when we offer fabulous prizes to include them." Ino sighed as she gave up on an interrogations text.
"I like the presents we get in return though, those are nice." Kiba said, having arrived a couple hours ago with his clothes all mussed up from training with his family.
"Y-You know… Shino has inquired about j-joining us…" Hinata said, and was promptly ignored by everyone.
True, they wanted people to join, but Shino Aburame was just plain creepy…
"For the moment, I think we should all focus on personal achievement rather than group effort. Naruto will still be our lab rat and test dummy," Sasuke said into the awkward silence. Naruto shouted in protest to being called such demeaning things. The librarian shushed the blond for his volume. "Like for instance, I am an offensive fighter for the most part. I will master techniques in Zanjutsu, Kido, Shunpo, and Hakuda. However, I have not allowed my ninja arts to suffer for this, and so have continued to expand my arsenal of Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu."
"Hmm… You have never seemed the genjutsu type to me… You've no imagination… And you've never mentioned any of this before." Naruto said, tilting his head to the side.
Sasuke shrugged. "Well, not right now, but when I acquire the Sharingan, it will come naturally to me exponentially."
Naruto stared at Sasuke for a long time. "What is Cha-ring-gum and Expo-nin-tail-lee?"
Sasuke smirked even as Shikamaru facepalmed himself.
"Perhaps when you've finished ten books, I'll tell you things only an Uchiha could hope to understand." Sasuke said smugly, making Naruto bristle.
"Why you dirty bas—!" Naruto's face was pushed into the table by Ino, who was looking around quickly to make sure no one was paying them any attention.
"Let's just stay on topic, dimwits. Sasuke is right, but we still need to refine ourselves in a group setting. My dad is always telling me about how dangerous the job of a ninja is. He thinks I'm not cut out for it since we're getting so close to the end of our time at the Academy, but I know I have what it takes. We study on our own time, but at least once every few days from now on until the graduate exams, we should come together on the training grounds to study a new technique."
"That s-sounds more than a-agreeable." Hinata said softly, her hands clutching a book on medicinal plants.
"Then I think we can all agree that Naruto should take the lead on the Deathberry stuff for the rest of the year." Kiba said, putting down his book on animal markings. "He's got the most free-time, and doesn't have the added layer of clan techniques to learn. There aren't any books on the Uzumaki clan he can research now, anyway. All o' those are under guard in the Shinobi History and Research Department across the village where only registered ninja and specially approved individuals can enter. Which means that Naruto can use the time we're not around for those few days between our group sessions to start mastering the Deathberry techniques enough to show the rest of us how to do 'em."
"Oh yeah, just leave me to do all the heavy lifting…" Naruto muttered, but then shrugged as he took up a scroll of the basics of the Sealing Arts. Opening it to the index, the others saw Naruto furrow his brow before clicking his tongue and closing it immediately.
He still kept it to himself however, which did not go unnoticed. "Fine, fine. I'll be the group guinea pig since the rest of you are too weak to even begin the process on your own… But it'll consume most of my training time as it is."
"Your ninja arts were lacking anyway." Shikamaru said without a care, even as Naruto threw an angry glare at him. "At least this way you'd become good at something. I mean, you still can't make even one halfway decent clone to save your life. Maybe if you mastered Sui-Feng or Zommari's afterimage techniques, it would be a nice substitute."
"Hmm…" Naruto hummed, putting some serious thought into the matter. He opened a wooden hand fan in front of his face, fanning himself as he spoke. "You make a fair point… Damned as I am to admit it, I really haven't improved my Clone Jutsu at all even with all the practice I've put into it. I would say I have too much chakra for it, but even when I try to create dozens of the clones, I still only come out with one sickly looking thing… Boy oh boy… Tough decisions, all around…"
"Umm, N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata started slowly, fidgeting with her index fingers before taking a deep breath. "I'd be happy to h-help you improve in your Deathberry t-techniques. As with before, my B-Byakugan still needs training, and you've been a big help in that… My father says my eyes are growing stronger every day. He's even started to take an interest in our training group!"
"Well that's great, Hinata!" Naruto cheered, getting shushed by an annoyed librarian. "I hope I didn't get you in trouble when I called your dad a… you-know-what to his face."
Hinata blushed as she recalled Naruto calling her father a cold-hearted bastard when they had visited the Hyuga family compound in order to spend the day with Hinata, who was ordered by her father not to leave the compound as to focus on her own training instead of her friends.
Naruto had thrown her father's decision out the window when he simply had Sasuke lead the group to the Hyuga family compound on the other side of the village. There, Naruto and the others were ushered in at the order of her father, who was surprised and annoyed that they had come looking for his daughter. When Hiashi Hyuga had made the mistake of dismissing Hinata's skills in front of Naruto, saying that she was unworthy of her position as clan heiress, he had got a first-hand lesson in how fiercely Naruto regarded his friends.
Naruto grabbed her father by the collar of his robes before shouting in his face that she was an excellent training partner and a first-rate member of the newly founded Divisions. He ranted and raved about how she was wonderful in many ways, from the way her Byakugan could analyze his chakra to see how they could all correctly perform techniques from the Deathberry series, to when she used her medical knowledge in medicinal herbs to make salve that healed their wounds after a day of hard training.
Naruto had snapped, "If you, her father and head of the Hyuga family household can't see something so obvious with that damn freaky eye power of yours, then you're either really stupid, or you're just being a cold-hearted bastard!"
"What was that, intolerable brat!?" Her father had stood to his full height with Naruto barely coming up to his chest.
"I called you a stupid cold-hearted bastard, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted again, this time loud enough for the entire compound to probably hear.
Naturally, her father had been furious. He had called the guards to grab Naruto, but Naruto had proved once again that he wasn't done. He had knocked the guards aside, demanding that her father be "man" enough to face the de facto leader of the Divisions himself. Hiashi had nearly risen to the bait, his chakra rising to the point where his favorite tea cup had cracked. Naruto had matched him, however, shattering that tea cup when their chakra clashed in the middle of the room. Naruto and her father blurred, clashing fist against open palm at top the table. Naruto was swiftly defeated though, with eight palm strikes that sealed his chakra in quick succession.
He groaned about it before standing up, saying that his bones would wither to dust before he failed to defend Hinata's honor as a founding member of the Divisions.
That was when, to the surprise of everyone, her father had begun laughing. Hysterically. He quickly got over it though, folding his hands behind his back as, with a very serious look on his face, he actually encouraged her to spend more time around "this young street urchin" as hopefully some of Naruto's confidence and bravado would rub off on her.
Ever since that day, her father hadn't even looked disgusted at her choice to wear the Shihakushō outside to school and training. He would merely give her outfit a glance, letting her know to have it washed or if he would have it repaired or replaced because of the damage to it from her practice.
"Oh no, my father hardly even remembers that day…" Hinata said, though she was fibbing a bit.
Her father had made it expressly clear that he would only tolerate Naruto in very small doses. They could train with the Hyuga family on their grounds once or twice a month, but only that much. It would help her and them build their Taijutsu properly, he had said.
So far, they had only had ten sessions with the members of her family.
And only one with her prodigy of a cousin Neji, who had butt heads with Naruto literally as Naruto did with opponents who he apparently considered rivals.
Sasuke had been the one to confirm to them that much.
"Great! Then with your help, Hinata, I'm sure I'll get it all down! We'll have mastered everything those books have to teach us in no time flat, dattebayo!" Naruto cheered loudly, pumping a fist into the air.
He was kicked out of the library after that by a very satisfied-looking librarian.
A platinum blonde cat with teal eyes swished its tail back and forth while being held by a lavender-haired young girl with pale pupil-less eyes. The two young women were accompanied by an annoyed boy with his black hair resembling a pineapple and a chubbier boy who was busy eating small cakes from a snack box. These four individuals were standing a safe distance away from the commotion in front of them, even as an explosion tore apart the ground and kicked up a gust of wind that sent dust flying their way.
"Geez, just cover us in dirt, why don't cha?" Shikamaru muttered as Choji stopped eating for a second to throw up an orange cubic barrier that would protect them from further dust clouds.
"And why hadn't you done that before now?" The blonde cat asked in an annoyed tone. "Those two have been at this for nearly an hour!"
"Because now it was starting to make me chew small mineral deposits from my snack cakes," was Choji's simple answer around the powder-covered snack in his mouth. "I didn't like that, so I fixed it. Now my food is safe."
"Ch-Choji… you sh-shouldn't use you're a-abilities for such frivolous things…" Hinata stuttered as she clutched Ino's cat form close to her. Another explosion rocked the area, though this time it was a clash between green flames and white lightning that sent the dust and debris skyward.
"And Ino really shouldn't turn into a cat just because Yoruichi Shihōin did it in Deathberry." Choji retorted with no ill intent. The dust settled atop the cubic orange barrier, and Choji freed a hand from his snacks in order to make a one-handed signal that distorted the shape of his construct, causing the dust to harmless slide off the side of it before returning to normal.
"This coming from the guy trying to get as large as Hachigen Ushōda…" Ino muttered as Choji appeared to take offense to that comment.
"What'd you say?!" he yelled, glaring comically at Ino, who only gave him back a cool stare.
"I said you are fat, tubbs," Ino was back to her human form in an instant. She stood beside Hinata in her now, normal purple version of the Yoruichi outfit, though this time with a Captain's haori for the Second Division over it. "What'cha gonna do about it, ne?"
"I'll kill you." Choji stated harshly, his palm now holding a small, glowing red orb as Ino smirked. She lashed backward with a kick, easily shattering Choji's barrier and disappearing just as Choji cried out, "Hado #31: Shakkahō!"
The explosion that followed was escaped by Hinata and Shikamaru, both whose Division clothes were now dirty from the close-range attack that sent dirt flying everywhere near them.
"Hey! The hell is going on over there!?" Naruto's voice called out from the distance. That was his mistake as he was screaming the next second as yellow lightning descended upon him.
"You should focus on your own survival." Sasuke stated while preparing another Kido attack.
"Choji and I are working on his anger management issues!" Ino laughed, dodging a barrage of small red orbs that all exploded with the force to blow apart a tree. She made it look easy, slipping between the thrown bombs as though dancing on a nightclub floor.
"Now I've got you!" Choji suddenly exclaimed. Ino would have laughed more, if she didn't feel her stomach impact with a bar of light. This was just before five more bars pinned her to the spot by slamming into her from all horizontal directions. "And you're gonna pay for calling me fat! I'M BIG-BONED, DAMMIT! Hado #33: Sōkatsui!"
Ino saw the wave of blue flames engulf every blade of grass on their way toward her. She sighed. This was gonna really mess up her clothes and hair.
"Bakudo #81: Danku!" came the shout from Shikamaru, and a transparent shield came to life in front of Ino, only to crack and buckle under the pressure of the blue flames. Luckily for the purple-clad girl, the shield held fast until the bitter end, where after the torrent of blue hell fizzled out of existence. The protective spell shattered into nonexistence a moment later, leaving only the heat from the attack it defended to make Ino sweat.
She quickly shattered the shafts of light binding her in place, and appeared in a swift blur in front of Choji, who was looking all too satisfied with himself. "You brain-dead jackass! You could have seriously killed me with that attack! It was way too overpowered!"
"Huh?" Choji blinked in surprise, then tilted his head. "You're still alive? Damn!"
"You were seriously trying to murder me!?" Ino was outraged.
"Well… you had no right to call me fat. Fair is fair." The Akimichi chirped happily with a shrug of his shoulders, the black sleeves of his robes falling to his elbows.
"You should have made sure I was dead, fatso." Ino seethed, and Choji was back to murder as well as they got in each other's faces. "Because now I'm gonna reduce your size to tiny chunks of lard!" Ino drew the bokken sheathed horizontally behind her lower back. It seemed to steam with grey energy, growling like an alley cat cornered.
"You just bring it, ya blonde bimbo!" Choji snapped back, his hands crackling with intense blue energy that arched and shuttered like lightning.
"Hmph, to think that this is how the Divisions would act… Disgraceful…"
Sasuke Uchiha had arrived on the scene, his eyes closed and his white haori for the Sixth Division billowing behind him. In his long black hair was an intricate bone-white kenseikan headpiece. Around his neck was a silver-white scarf that looked expensive. He finally opened his eyes, leveling his Divisions comrades with his cool onyx gaze.
"I find myself ashamed to call either of you boorish peons my colleagues." He stated plainly, which turned both Ino and Choji's ire toward him as their new target.
"What was that, Uchiha? I didn't quite catch it." Ino hissed, her entire body now engulfed in flowing grey power.
"I think he meant to insult us, Ino." Choji growled, his form shrouded in crackling blue lightning. "But that couldn't be true… not unless you had a DEATH WISH!"
"As if the likes of you could even touch one such as me…" Sasuke said in cool confidence, his hand resting comfortably on the hilt of his bokken. "I wouldn't even need to dirt my blade with paupers such as you."
Just as Ino and Choji inched closer to the Uchiha, and he narrowed his eyes in challenge to them, every last one of them, even Hinata and Shikamaru, were slammed with the overwhelming pressure of Naruto's chakra as he entered the clearing. He looked none too concerned with whatever battle was about to occur between the three, but did seem to take issue with something.
"This is no way for the Divisions to act! Founders fighting amongst themselves over petty insults! DISGRACEFUL!" Naruto said, his bokken being used like a walking cane as he approached the gathering of his friends like an old man. He was hunched over, his other hand folded behind his back as he narrowed his eyes like an elderly man at them. "And to think… YOU WOULD SULLY YOUR UNIFORMS OVER THIS! THOSE HAORI AND SHIHAKUSHŌ ARE EXPENSIVE! WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY'RE FOR?!"
"They make excellent and convenient napkins!" Choji happily supplied his answer in the face of Naruto's wrath.
"They are stylish and match well with my outfits!" Ino chirped while a vein appeared to throb in Naruto's forehead.
"They are cheap and easily replaceable…" Sasuke muttered with a look of disinterest on his face, even as Naruto exploded in anger.
"IDIOTS!"
"Umm, Tenten… sweetie… Are you sure you don't want Daddy's help in there?" her father questioned nervously as his daughter heated the furnace again to their smith site.
"NO, DAD! I CAN DO THIS! MY JUNIORS ARE DEPENDING ON ME!" Tenten shouted over the roaring flames and sounds of hammer striking metal anvil. She paused only for a second to wipe the sweat from her brow and heave a deep breath. "No task is too great or small for their beloved Tenten-senpai! NO TASK WHAT-SO-EVER! DO YOU HEAR ME? NONE!"
"Umm, okay sweetheart… Just be careful… Daddy loves you!" he said, watching fretfully as his adopted daughter finally took an interest in his ironworks and weapon expertise.
Later found Sasuke watching Naruto as the blond led their group to the very top of the Hokage Monument. It was his first time ever coming up there, having had no interest in visiting a local landmark before he befriended Naruto and the others. Naruto, however, seemed to come there very often. At least once every few days. Iruka had once told him that if he ever wanted a bit of peace and quiet away from his fangirls—who had increased since he started to wear his clothes similar to the character of Byakuya Kuchiki around the village in the recent year—that this was the place to go.
Iruka had also said that the suggestion had come from one of his students.
Now Sasuke knew exactly who that student was.
Sasuke had to admit, the last few years of being close to Naruto and the others had made him… happy? He wasn't over the death of his clan or his hatred of that man, but at least now he had others around him that helped to channel his rage and frustration into something else.
"Wow, N-Naruto!" Hinata exclaimed, "You can see the whole village from here!"
"Yeah, this was actually a pretty good break from training." Shikamaru was smiling lightly. "Almost certainly worth the walk."
"You can see so much from up there." Choji muttered in awe, and beside him was Kiba who had finally finished his day's training with his mother in the Inuzuka clan's secret arts. Whatever it was that he had been training in had been tough, leaving him covered in scraps and cuts, some even on his face. They were all now covered in salve, courtesy of Hinata and Ino's healing paste.
"Kinda makes a guy feel small, ya know… Like we're all just tiny parts of something much bigger than ourselves…" Kiba said, and Sasuke saw Ino nod her head in agreement. Even he had to agree. The village was vast and it did make him feel tiny in comparison; as though he and they were mere raindrops in an ever-falling storm, or ants a part of a colony.
One in the many.
And the needs of one never outweighed those of the many…
"This… is what we must protect." Naruto said solemnly, and Sasuke could see the very serious look on his face. "We might play around, joke, and even make light of killing one another, but… This is what it's all about. All the training. All the skills. All the experiments we've been doing with chakra and the ninja arts to create Kido and Deathberry techniques. This is what it will lead to. What it already has involved. We will become strong enough to protect this place. These people. Their lives and their families. Our lives and our bonds together. All the junk we do is fun, and always will be fun for us… but this is why I committed myself to it all."
"Naruto…" Ino whispered in shock of his determination. Naruto's fist clenched so hard that they could all hear the knuckles crack.
"I come up here, and… despite how most of them may treat me… Regardless of the way they all look at me… I look down on it all and I feel the desire rise in me. One that demands I protect them with every fiber of my being! Every man, woman, and child!"
"Until we grow strong," Sasuke found himself saying, "Those words are nothing but hollow declarations."
"You're right." Naruto turned to Sasuke, his eyes burning with an intensity the Uchiha had rarely seen in him before. It was beyond a simple will to grow stronger or be noticed. It was something else entirely. "Those are merely words right now. But they are the foundation of the Divisions. We will build on them. And if I die before I become strong enough… then you all must rise from my ashes and carry on. Make the goal of the Divisions possible!"
"You talk like you're dead already…" Kiba muttered, but his grin was in good nature. "What is it that Old Man Yama says…? Hmm…"
"Place everything you have on the line, and crush the enemy where they stand! Even if they should tear your flesh from your bones, make every last fragment of those bones an iron wall! They must not be permitted to set a single foot… within the village of Konoha!"
All seven members of the fledging Divisions jumped in surprise, turning their heads to see none other than the elderly Third Hokage walking toward them, his expression stern and ruthless.
All seven stood aside and bowed at the waist to Hiruzen Genryūsai Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, their Head-Captain.
"It would seem that your little group has indeed grown strong and smart. Though you all might not see eye to eye on everything, you share a bond only you can understand. It is invaluable that this bond grows and matures until the Divisions is a family!" Sarutobi said, hands behind his back in a firm manner as he gazed over the village. "Life is much too short… Every warrior born of this village lives with many scars, but we are all a family here. And the family will always protect the home!"
"Umm… what is the Head-Captain even talking about now?" Kiba asked in a mutter to Ino, who bonked him on the head comically. It didn't even hurt that time.
"Shut up will ya! He's so cool right now!" Ino hissed before turning back to stare at the Third Hokage in awe.
Unfortunately, he had fallen asleep in that time, standing before the village as he snored lightly with his head leaning to one side.
"Everyone can just shut up and enjoy the view." Naruto said with a pleasant sigh.
Kiba took a moment to scoff, but turned his gaze onto the village as asked. The group stayed in silence after that, bathing in the sunlight of the midday sun.
Far off to the side, where the path up to the top of the Hokage Monument led downward into a small bridge, a pink-haired girl observed the group with an unreadable expression.
When and how had they all become such good friends?!
The pink-haired girl vowed that she would get to the bottom of this mystery!
A/N: I have to apologize for that HUGE timeskip in this character. Looking back over my chapter summaries for these last few chapters, I realized that I had never specified the passage of time between one chapter and the next. It just came to a head when I have the graduation exams written in Chapter 10 and 11 of the story. So, I decided to simply bite the bullet and make the timeskips in one chapter instead of spreading them out all over the next few. It would have confused me and you guys as I wrote months passing from them being 8 to the characters suddenly being 12 in the next few chapters as I say, "six months passed" and "one month after blah blah blah" for the next four to five chapters.
Instead, I jumped three years to where they did research, trial and error, and after those three years are finally proficient with the Gotei 13 moves and techniques.
Also, I made the characters a bit more distinctive in this chapter.
Tenten, the Self-Proclaimed "Senpai" to the Divisions: She has cluelessly roped herself into the Division with her fantasies being on a completely different level from Naruto's and all the others. She has no clue what she's gotten into, and is too proud to admit it. Let's just hope she doesn't accidently kill herself working that forge, right!
Ino Yamanaka, Rose of the Divisions: Ino is still feisty and violent toward the boys, even Sasuke sometimes as she calls him "dimwit" and includes him in her rants. Its just that Sasuke doesn't sit there and take it like the others. The first skill he decided to learn was Flash-Step or "Shunpo", simply to get away from Ino. He and Ino are tied in speed, with Naruto edging over them by only a little. Just fast enough to stop them from killing other or people that annoy them. Gotei 13 skills were something Naruto felt he needed to develop in order to protect the name of the Divisions before they even became official with all the volatile personalities they have. Ino has used this to become the best and most stylish ninja she can. Her abilities in stealth are top-notch and her place among the Divisions is unquestioned.
Choji Akimichi, Heart of the Divisions: Choji isn't so much of a marshmallow anymore as he is now offensively and defensively strong simply so he can keep his marshmallow nature. Except when you call him fat. He doesn't care who you are, he will try to kill you. Whether you survive, or not, is entirely on you. His abilities with Kido are great, and his physical strength is inhuman.
Shikamaru Nara, (Lazy) Brains of the Divisions: Shikamaru, still lazy, but now making himself strong enough so he can keep being lazy. His Kido skills are good, but not as good as Choji, who is probably the best in the group at Kido for now. Shikamaru, however, is still the smartest by a long shot. He's the one picking which techniques they need to learn and in what order so they can maximize their effectiveness as fighters if an emergency should occur. Remember, he's always thinking three steps ahead, at least.
Kiba Inuzuka, Beast of the Divisions: Kiba is probably the weakest of the members at the moment, but that is only because his clan training comes first and foremost. His family seem like very proactive people who lead by example, so Kiba trains personally with his mom and sister as often as possible to get himself ready for when they teach him Beast Mimicry ninjutsu. Right now, as an 11-year-old, Kiba has been training his body to endure the stuff his family have to teach him. This final year will be devoted to actually teaching him the jutsu that he used in Part 1 of the Naruto series. He needed to be strong and fast enough to handle the extremely disorienting moves of the Inuzuka clan. So, that leaves very little time for him to practice Kido or Zanjutsu. He might be halfway keeping up in Flash-Step and Hakuda, but he doesn't have the luxury of time like the others do. I always figured that the Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka clans were teaching their techniques through chakra control rather than much physical effort. Maybe the Akimichi do some muscle training, but I don't think it can be very much since they have to pack on a lot of weight before they can use their jutsu to its full potential. Nevertheless, Kiba is the deadlast of the Divisions, but for very good reason as he is probably the best "shinobi" of the group at the moment.
Sasuke Uchiha, Noble of the Divisions: Sasuke is probably the second strongest of the Divisions because he hangs out with Naruto the most. While the others have to go train with their families, Sasuke is still training with Naruto, who really likes using the moves from Bleach as they are all flashy and super cool, just the way the blond thinks ninjutsu and ninja stuff should be. Sasuke doesn't mind it because Naruto is helping him become stronger and the Uchiha knows how to actually balance his ninja training with his Gotei 13 training methods, unlike Naruto who is completely in the deep end of the Gotei 13 stuff. Sasuke doesn't care what anyone thinks of him, and so he'll gladly walk around looking like Byakuya. Unfortunately for him, this has only increased his supply of fangirls, much to his dismay. What can you do? Ladies just love the cool impassive types who talk down to everyone around them. It's a terrible illness, I assure you…
Hinata Hyuga, Sunflower of the Divisions: Hinata is good at the Divisions stuff, but she focuses more on being a supportive member of the Divisions than anything. Her Kido is mostly defensive, and she doesn't use the Zanjutsu techniques much because her clan's fighting style doesn't mesh well with swords. Nonetheless, Hinata is determined, and is pushing herself to be more like Naruto and the others. However, as their only "healer" in the fact that she knows how to make medicine while Ino can supply the plants, the others don't leave her with much time to learn more offensive things. They also need her Byuakugan to see if their doing things right so they don't end up blowing themselves up the way they let Naruto do when they're committing their "trial and error" test runs. Hinata doesn't mind much, though. She just likes feeling needed and appreciated, which the others supply in spades.
Naruto Uzumaki, Founder of the Divisions: Naruto is, hands down, the best of the Divisions. He has gone crazy with it the way actual people have gone crazy with learning every little fact about the Naruto world. He is one of those people, and luckily for him it is paying off as he is slowly but surely discovering that he can emulate every aspect of Bleach with some hard work and research into translating fiction into reality. For every move that he studies with the help of his friends, he's learning at least two or three more in the time they leave him alone to his own "Hmm, let me try this out" devices. Sasuke is around for some of those times, but not nearly enough of them to see how far Naruto is getting into the Gotei 13 stuff without them. Sasuke has an idea, but only that. Naruto has modelled himself near perfectly after certain members (Kaien Shiba, Isshin Kurosaki, Kisuke Urahara, even bits of Aizen and a bit of Old Man Yamamoto for good measure) and he's not slowing down as he comes into his finally year at the Academy, dattebayo!
If you like what you've read and you want to read more, then check out my profile page where I have a ton of other stories, include more Naruto and other crossovers.
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Until Next Time, See Ya!