Author's Note: I love how everybody's enjoying Fu's return. Well, here's more Fu goodness for you to dive into:
Chapter 61:
Training for the Dangers to Come
or
Teaching is not as easy as it looks
Hokage's Tower
It was early in the morning, and Naruto knew that his father wouldn't have any kind of meeting until at least two hours. However, when he arrived at his office, he found through Jiraiya's secretary that it wasn't the case, as somebody was already in the office discussing something with the Hokage.
"But...who the hell requests a meeting with the Hokage this soon?" Naruto asked, a bit frustrated.
"...you did?" the secretary, a middle aged woman with graying brown hair, replied. "And if you're wondering no, I'm not allowed to disclose such information with anybody. Not even with his son."
Naruto huffed, and crossed his arms. "And how long until dad's free again? This is kind of important!"
"Everybody who wants to meet the Hokage thinks they have important matters to discuss," the secretary snarked at Naruto.
Fortunately, the blond didn't have to wait much, and in a few minutes, the door to the office opened, and the last person Naruto was expecting his dad would see this soon in the morning walked out.
"Ino?" Naruto asked, confused.
"Oh, hello, Naruto. Sorry if you wanted to talk with your dad and I made you wait. He's free now," Ino said with a friendly smile.
"What are you doing here?" Naruto asked. He sounded more curious than demanding.
"I was giving Hokage-sama the report of my latest mission," Ino replied, as if stating something obvious.
"At this hour?" Naruto asked, scratching his temple. There was something fishy about Ino, but couldn't tell what.
Ino merely shrugged. "The sooner I do it, the sooner it's out of my hair. Anyway, I should get going, I have plenty of stuff to do today. See you later, Naruto!" Ino happily waved him goodbye as she left the office.
Naruto shrugged, and entered the Hokage's office, where Jiraiya was sitting by his desk.
"Oh, hello, Naruto. What can I do for you?" Jiraiya asked.
"I came to ask you something. But first, what was Ino doing here?" Naruto asked.
"She was giving me the report of her latest mission. Nothing you should worry about," Jiraiya added, noticing that Naruto's encounter with Ino left him a bit uneasy. "Anyway, what do you want to ask me?"
Naruto took a seat. "It's about Fu."
...
Land of the Waterfalls, undisclosed location
Kakashi was leaping from one tree branch to the other, as he was heading towards his destination. He looked at the sun, at his highest point in the sky, indicating it was high noon. The Copy Ninja felt satisfied with how fast he had managed to reach the country that hosted one of their former allies. Though with some luck, said alliance should be restored.
"Okay..." Kakashi mumbled, looking around. "This is the zone, but I have no idea where I should go..."
The silver haired Jonin continued to move forward, expecting to see some patrols or sentries that may direct him to the place he should go. He wondered if he should summon his tracking dogs and have them find the place for him.
His thoughts were interrupted when his uncovered eye saw multiple kunai flying at him from higher tree branches. Fast as lightning, Kakashi pulled a kunai of his own, and while jumping backwards, deflected the incoming knives he was unable to dodge.
"Ah, I was wondering where you'd guys show up," Kakashi nonchalantly said as he let himself fall to the ground below.
Two ninja wearing Takigakure headbands emerged from the canopies, a woman in her twenties with light blue hair tied in a ponytail, and a tall man about ten years older than her, with undercut black hair, a moustache and a small goatee. The man started to make hand seals.
"Water Release: Syrup Shot!"
The man expelled a stream blue jelly-like liquid from his mouth, which immobilized Kakashi and glued him to the ground when it hit his body.
"Yakari, now!" the man stated.
The blue haired woman nodded as he leaped at Kakashi, doing hand seals before winding her fist back.
"Fire Release: Combusting Fist!"
Yakari's fist burst into flames, before punching Kakashi with it, producing a considerable fiery blast. However, when the smoke caused by the explosion dispelled, there was only a charred log behind, much to her shock.
"Oh, shit! Where is he?" the Taki kunoichi asked.
"Right here," Kakashi said, not dropping his nonchalant tone, as he appeared behind the mustachioed man, and placed a kunai on his throat. "Whew, you guys know how to treat a guest, don't you? With such a warm welcome, no wonder Hokage-sama send me to deliver a mere message."
"Who are you? What do you want?" Yakari angrily asked, as she leaped into a branch close to Kakashi and the male Taki ninja.
"My name is Kakashi Hatake. I've been sent here by Jiraiya, Hokage of Konoha, in order to inform the Takigakure Resistance –which I presume you two are members of– about the incoming attack on your village to drive the Akatsuki out."
There was a moment of silence, as if the two ninjas were trying to discern if Kakashi's words were true, or if it was a trick by their enemy.
"Taeshi?" Yakari asked her partner.
Taeshi nodded, making sure not to touch Kakashi's kunai. "He...he's telling the truth."
"Oh, a sensor type, I see," Kakashi said, as he removed the kunai from Taeshi's throat. "Now that everything's been clarified, can you take me to your base camp? Like I said before, I have a message that I have to deliver to whoever is in charge of the Resistance. And no, I can't tell you the message to you two. My orders explicitly said the Resistance leader, or leaders if there's more than one," Kakashi clarified, before the two sentries had the chance to protest.
"Alright, it seems that you're telling the truth. We'll take you there," Taeshi said, as he started to look for something inside his ninja tool pouch.
"Sorry for attacking you, Kakashi-san," Yakari apologized, as she made a slight head bow. "But you have to understand our situation, with our village lost-"
"Don't worry," Kakashi said, dismissing her apology with a hand wave. "I know what you guys are going through, and I think I wouldn't be too trusting with strangers if I were in your shoes."
"Before we go, however, you must put this on your head," Teashi said, as he handed Kakashi a black cotton bag. "Nothing personal, but all non-Taki ninjas, even allies from other villages, can't know the location of our base."
"Of course. I can't believe I wasn't expecting it," Kakashi said, as he took the bag and placed it on his head. "Guess I won't be able to enjoy the sights this country has to offer while you guys take me there. Pity."
Taeshi carried the blinded Kakashi piggyback as he and his partner headed towards their base camp. After about fifteen minutes –Kakashi was sure they made several detours so he'd have a harder time remembering the way with his other senses, they arrived the base camp, and the silver haired Jonin was allowed to see again.
Kakashi found himself entering campsite. It was exactly as he imagined: several rows of camping tents, some bigger than others,a few piles of crates containing what he guessed would be supplies of the both the battle kind, such a kunai and shuriken, and necessary goods like food or medicine, torches scattered around –all of them unlit, given that it was daytime–, and Taki ninjas doing a variety of activities, such a menial tasks, talking, sparring, sharpening their weapons, and so on...
The Copy Ninja saw a small group of Taki ninja walking towards him. Leading them was a square-jawed man with spiky black hair. For some reason, he had the feeling he had seen this man somewhere.
"Yoro-sama," Yakari began. "This is Kakashi Hatake, from Konoha. He brings news from his village."
"Very well then. Welcome to our camp. This pretty much what the true Takigakure is now," Yoro told Kakashi, as he spread his arms in an enthusiastic manner.
"Thankfully, things won't stay like this for much longer. Hokage-sama has ensured the cooperation of both Sunagakure and Kirigakure. With three Great Villages joining forces, retaking Takigakure will be child's play," Kakashi explained, as he gave Yoro an -eye-smile.
Yoro smiled in return, letting out a sigh of relief. "It's really good to hear that. Morale will improve a lot when our comrades hear we're going to have such a huge support."
"Hokage-sama knows the threat of Akatsuki, especially since his oldest son is a jinchuuriki," Kakashi told him.
"Oh, speaking of which, what happened with Fu? I heard rumors that she managed to escape to Konoha, but we were unable to confirm them. Is that true? Is she in Konoha? Is she alright?"
"Fu is alright, you have nothing to worry about her. We're taking good care of her," Kakashi said in a reassuring manner.
Yoro chuckled. "Heh, good luck with that. Fu can be quite the real handful, despite her age and rank. She didn't grow up, she just became bigger."
"Oh, now I remember," Kakashi said in realization. "You were one of the two ninjas that came with her during the past Chunin Exams held in Konoha, right?"
Yoro laughed awkwardly. "I can't believe you still remember that. I thought that Fu would get all the spotlight, given that Kegon and I faked our defeats during the preliminaries."
"I usually have very good memory for faces," Kakashi stated. "I knew that there was something suspicious about you two, but when I heard that you were Jonin..."
"Shibuki-sama was afraid that sending Fu to another village unprotected would be too risky. That's why he sent us with her," Yoro explained.
"Wait, doesn't Fu had her own teammates or sensei? Why did you have to go through such charade that the Hokage ended up finding out anyway?" Kakashi asked.
"Well, Fu...she doesn't have a squad in the traditional sense of the word," Yoro replied, sounding uneasy.
Kakashi raised his only visible eyebrow. "Elaborate, please."
"Fu had some trouble adapting to her squadmates. Between her...exuberant and eccentric personality, status as a jinchuuriki, and closeness with our village leader, she always ended up on bad terms with her teammates. She went through four different teams before we finally give up and decided to give her personalized tutoring," Yoro explained.
"I see. It wasn't just one of two things, but several elements that gave her a hard time making friends and connecting with others," Kakashi pointed out.
Yoro nodded. "Which was a pity, since Fu is one of friendliest persons that ever walked this world. We were glad she able to make friends during her short stay in Konoha. If she wasn't a jinchuriki, I'm sure Shibuki-sama would have let her go there for a visit from time to time."
"Though it's no coincidence that the people she ended up befriending were the friends and former classmates of Naruto Uzumaki, our village's jinchuriki. They more than likely were able to see past her status and judge her by the strength of her character."
"Knowing that she's okay in Konoha will also act as moral booster for our troops. We're the only minor village with a jinchuriki, and she's like a symbol of pride for all of us," Yoro stated.
"Soon you'll be proud of her, though not for the beast that hosts inside her body, but by the actions she will take to help liberate the village," Kakashi thought.
…
Training Ground 8
"One of the requirements for a proper flight is to create a shield of chakra around your body, but mostly your face," Fu explained. "Not only to protect your body from the cold of higher attitudes, but also to stop dirt floating in the air to get into your eyes, as well as not accidentally swallow insects. Unless you like to do that, I'm not one to judge. Albeit Shino-kun isn't going to like if you do such a thing..."
As Fu's mind drifted into one of her rather usual aimless ramblings, Hinata and Hanabi followed their teacher through the sky. Right now, they were only slowly flying in circles as they learned the basics of proper flight.
The Hyuga sisters were rather surprised to learn how many things there were to flying. Fu made it look so easy, but that was only the years of experience showing. The chakra shield was only the tip of the iceberg: they had to learn how to sense wind currents in order to maximize their speed, how to jump from one wind current to the next, choose the proper attitude to fly depending on what speed did you want to go, adapt their stomachs to resist height-induced stomach sickness, and many more things. They would take a lot of time before they could reach Fu's level of expertise.
The mint haired girl interrupted her own ramble when she noticed that Hinata and Hanabi were struggling to keep her pace. She stopped mid air.
"Uh, am I going too fast?" she asked them.
The sisters stopped in front of her. At the very least, they had mastered how to remain in mid air stationary. Fu guessed it was their lack of a need for wings that allowed her to master rather quickly something she still had trouble with.
"Flying while keeping the shield active is far more complicated that I would have guessed," Hanabi admitted, her older sister nodding in agreement.
"Eh, it's like those chakra control exercises. Fighting somebody on a wall or on water was hard at first, but you get the hang of it with enough practice," Fu nonchalantly explained, as she shrugged. "So, you want to take a rest?"
Hinata looked at Hanabi, who looked back at her pleadingly.
"Yes, please. It would be appreciated," Hinata replied.
Fu's mouth formed a cheery smile. "Alright then!"
And with that, the three kunoichi landed on the ground. Fu's wings disappeared into her body. Hinata and Hanabi started to pant, as if they just made some brutal training exercise with Maito Gai.
"My, my, look at how exhausted you look!" Fu said, sounding so bright it was borderline obnoxious. "I'm not that strict of a teacher, am I?"
"No, but this...is, well...it's way harder than it looks," Hanabi replied between pants. Then, she smiled. "But it's really cool!"
"I know, right?" Fu replied, just as excited. "Those landwalkers will never know the amazing feeling of seeing the world from so high above. That's why, when I met Shino for the first time, I HAD to share such an experience with him. Occasional screaming aside, I think he enjoyed it."
"Hey, nee-chan, maybe you should take Naruto to a flying date!" Hanabi happily suggested.
"Now, that's something I wouldn't mind trying," Hinata said, as her lips formed a smile while her mind imagined the possibilities. "Though I don't think I'm strong enough to carry Naruto-kun into the air for long..."
"Oh, don't worry, I have the best solution! Just follow the same training Shibuki gave me, and soon your arms will be as thick as mine!" Fu proudly boasted as she flexed her rather impressive biceps.
"That's...tempting, but I think I'm going to pass," Hinata replied, trying to sound as polite as possible. "For the time being, let's stick to the flight, okay?"
Fu shrugged. "Your loss."
"Hey!" a new voice called.
The three girls turned towards the direction of the newcomer, and saw a smiling Naruto walking towards them.
"Naruto-kun!" Hinata said, as she ran at him with renewed forces. She wrapped her arms around his neck and greeted him with a kiss on his lips.
"Hello, Hime," Naruto happily replied. "So, how's the training going?"
"Slow, but we're progressing," Hinata replied. "Did you come here to see us train?"
"Yes, but that's not the only thing," Naruto said. He then looked at the mint haired girl. "There's something I want to talk with Fu about."
Fu perked up upon hearing her name. "Oh, and what that would be?"
"I was wondering...are you able to tap into your Tailed Beasts' power?" Naruto asked.
Fu's smile instantly vanished, replaced by shock, then by another smile, except this time, it was far more subdued. She averted her gaze, looking at her feet.
"Wow, you don't pull any punches, do you? Hehe," she laughed weakly. "To answer that, no. I don't know how to use the power of my Beast."
"Did somebody in the village teach you how? Or have you ever practiced on your own?" Naruto asked.
"Naruto-kun, stop," Hinata gently requested. "Don't you see that you're making her uncomfortable? Such topic clearly troubles her."
Naruto sighed. "I know, Hime. But this is important," the blond stated, before his eyes turned back at Fu, who rubbed her arm as she continued averting eye contact.
"The answer to those questions are 'no' either," Fu replied. "After, well...you do remember what happened in my fight against Gaara almost three years ago, right?"
Naruto nodded. "It's something hard to forget. Did that experience make you fearful of the Tailed Beasts' power?"
Fu nodded. "I lost control. The Tailed Beast took over. And if the pale redhead didn't knock me out...who knows what would have happened. I brought great shame to both Shibuki and my village with such display."
Both Naruto and Hinata were taken aback, even if they managed to hide their reaction. Hearing Fu, somebody so carefree who gave the impression that she didn't have a care in the world about whatever other people think of her, admitting feeling ashamed, then that past event had to affect her way deeper than what she let others believe at that time.
"From that day onwards, I swore that I'd never let that incident repeat again. And that means no more using Lucky Seven's chakra, other than the wings," Fu said in determination, as she raised her sight and looked at Naruto directly in the eye.
"I see. And is there anything I can do to change your mind in that front?" Naruto asked, as she tried to give Fu a reassuring smile.
Fu raised an eyebrow. "Why do you want me to do that?"
"Think about it. Akatsuki are after us, and we're going to need every resource at our disposal to fight them. Using our Beasts' chakra would can give us the edge against the enemy in battle," Naruto told her.
Fu looked unconvinced. "What kind of control do you have over the Fox?"
Naruto chuckled awkwardly. "Eh, not much. I can use his chakra to some degree, usually to one or two tails, if I push it. And even then I tend to have a hard time keeping in control."
The mint haired girl crossed her arms over her chest. "So you have the same problems as me. And you expect me to learn to use the power of Lucky Seven when you can't do the same with the Fox?"
"In my case, I have something else that serves as a replacement: Sage Mode."
"Sage Mode? Never heard of that," Fu replied.
"It's not an art many people are able to master. Long story short, you can draw nature's ambient energy and mix it with your own chakra. As a result, your body gets a massive boost in strength and endurance, and ninjutsu becomes far more powerful," Naruto explained. "The requirement to learn Sage Mode is that you need to have a rather large chakra pool in order to properly mix nature energy with your chakra. The larger your reserves, the easier you'll master Sage Mode."
When Naruto and Jiraiya went to Mount Myoboku to learn Sage Mode –or in the white haired man's case, to perfect it–, Naruto took a little more than a week to master it, and about half of that time was spent trying to understand how nature energy worked. Naruto even figured out a way to work around the Nine Tails making merging with Fukasaku or Shima impossible by using Shadow clones.
Naturally, Jiraiya was half amazed, half indignant, and wholly shocked, to see Naruto mastering Sage Mode in such a short amount of time while he struggled.
It was later revealed that the reason Naruto had such an easy time with nature energy was his colossal chakra reserves. It was like dissolving a spoonful of sugar in water; you'd have a hard time dissolving it on a few drops of water, but no problem with a large bucket. That's why large chakra reserves were a must to master Senjutsu.
So with that information, Jiraiya trained as much as he could in order to expand his chakra reserves until he got an acceptable level of control. Now, he only needed to merge with Fukasaku alone in order to activate Sage Mode, and could also use clones to gather nature energy like Naruto did.
"That sounds like fun! Why don't you teach me Sage Mode instead? I have pretty huge chakra reserves!" Fu excitedly suggested.
"I want to learn that too!" Hanabi piped in. "My chakra reserves got a boost after I awakened the Tenseigan!"
"And I'd love to teach it to you, but it's not that easy," Naruto replied, making the two girls to pout a little. "In order to be able to draw nature energy, you first need to get a taste out of it."
"How did you do it then?" Fu inquired.
"The toads of Mount Myoboku have some special oil that, when applied to the skin, makes your body draw nature energy on its own," Fu opened her mouth, but Naruto interrupted her. "And before you ask, no, you can't use that oil. The oil evaporates in a few seconds if it's taken out of Mount Myoboku. I don't know why."
"Maybe we could go to Mount Myoboku then?" Hanabi asked, almost pleasing.
Naruto shook his head again. "Only toad summoners can go there. And before you ask to become one, I find that unlikely. Summon tribes almost never accept more than two summoners at once."
Both Fu and Hanabi slumped in defeat, letting out depressed sighs.
"With so many obstacles, there's little wonder as for why there are so few Sages out there," Hinata commented.
"Besides," Naruto said, looking at Hanabi. "Why do you want to be a Sage so much? You already have the Tenseigan. From what I heard, it's a power beyond our wildest imagination."
"Duh, so I can have both," Hanabi replied, as if stating something obvious. "I'll do whatever it takes to be a kickass kunoichi like neechan!" she proudly stated, before throwing two quick punches into the air.
"I think you should focus on learning how to use the Tenseigan," Naruto said good naturedly. Then, he looked at Fu. "And you should try to learn to control your Tailed Beast's chakra. To some degree at least."
Fu let out a sight. "Okay, you win. You're no fun, you know that?"
"Oh, I'm plenty of fun!" Naruto replied, with a wide grin.
"So, who's going to train me to do it? You?" Fu asked.
"No, me!" a new male voice said, as Jiraiya landed behind Naruto, and started to make poses. "The Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku! The author of the successful Icha Icha Series! Konoha's Powerful and Handsome Fifth Hokage! The Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya!"
"Hokage-sama?" Hinata asked.
"Were you hidden near here all the time until you got a cue to come out?" Hanabi asked in disbelief.
"So what if I did? There's nothing wrong with being a little theatrical!" Jiraiya protested.
"You're going to train me? Nice!" Fu chirped.
Jiraiya's brow furrowed. "Nice? A living legend like yours truly is going to train you, and that's all what you have to say?"
"That's...very nice?" Fu asked, looking as if she trying really hard to think something else. "Is that better?"
"Uh, with all due respect Hokage-sama, I know it might not be my place to ask, but aren't you supposed to be working right now?" Hinata asked, trying to sound as deferential as possible.
"And I am. I'm a shadow clone reinforced with fuinjutsu for increased durability," Jiraiya explained. "Anyway, let's get to the training already! You too, Naruto! It's been a while since we last trained you on the Nine Tails' chakra!"
…
Training Ground Three
After Hinata and Hanabi went home, Jiraiya took Naruto and Fu to another training field so he could start their specialized training.
"Okay, we'll invade Takigakure in a few days, so we'll only have time to teach you some basic stuff," Jiraiya's clone began. "First of all, tell me what do you know about your Tailed Beast."
Fu raised an eyebrow, looking a bit lost. "Uh...not much, honestly. Is it important?"
"It is," it was Naruto who answered. "The more you know about your Tailed Beast, the better you'll be able to use its power. Sometimes you'll need to ask for power. Others, you'll be able to take it by force. I mostly need to ask the Nine Tails for his chakra, but sometimes I'm able to do it without his permission."
"If you can do it without his permission, what stops you from doing it at all times?" Fu asked.
"Because when I do that, I usually do it unwittingly. If I'm overwhelmed by an intense emotion, like anger, I'm able to draw the Nine Tails' chakra. But I'm at risk of losing myself to the rage when doing it," Naruto explained.
Fu's eyes saddened. "Like what happened to me when I drank the Hero Water."
"Indeed. The water allowed you to tap into your Beast's chakra freely, but it also allowed it to influence you to a greater degree," Jiraiya interjected.
"In my experience, when it's the Beast the one who allows you to use their chakra, it's when there's the least risk in using it," Naruto added.
"Because you're in a calmer state of mind?" Fu guessed.
"Exactly," Naruto told her. Fu smiled and clapped childishly upon guessing it right. "That's why the first step is to try to create a bond with your Tailed Beast so they'll be willing to lend you their chakra."
Fu started to grow uneasy, as she started to rub her arm. "Uh...do you think that's a good idea?"
"Don't worry, I'm here if things go out of control. I have a set of sealing tags able to suppress Tailed Beast chakra," Jiraiya assured her.
"Well, we can try but..." Fu began, leaving the sentence unfinished.
"But?" Naruto asked.
"...but after the Chunin Exams, I kinda rebuffed all of Lucky Seven's attempts to talk with me. I don't think she'll be very eager to let it go."
Naruto was going to point out that it was thanks to her Tailed Beast that she was able to call for help and evade Akatsuki. But then again, it could also be the Beast saving her own skin. After all, he used a similar trick with the Nine Tails in order to get his chakra.
"Okay, now, let's try to make contact with your tailed beast. Given that we have two jinchuriki, I'll like to try something that I have been thinking. First of all, sit in front of each other with your legs crossed." Jiraiya instructed. Naruto and Fu did so. "Okay, now hold your hands."
"Uhh..."
"Eh..."
This time, the two teens weren't as obedient. Both of them started to feel a bit uneasy. Jiraiya just rolled his eyes and groaned.
"Come on, I know you two have a significant other, but I'm only asking you to hold hands, not to kiss!" an exasperated Jiraiya snapped. Naruto and Fu quickly obeyed the Hokage. "Okay, now close your eyes, and try to synchronize your chakra with each other. As you do, think in your Tailed Beast, and let your chakra drag you to them..."
…
Jiraiya's voice started to sound more and more distant, as if the Sannin was slowly walking away. Naruto was already aware of what was going on, but it was something new to the green haired girl.
"Hokage-sama? What do we do now?" Fu asked, but got no response. "Hokage-sama?"
"He's no longer with us. At least not in this place. Open your eyes," Naruto instructed.
Fu did so, and gasped. She was no longer on the grassy training field, but some sort of...she was unable to find the word that properly described the place. It was some kind of large chamber made of a nondescript light brown material. Several torches on the walls provided some dim light to the place.
"Where are we?" Fu asked.
"Since you're a jinchuriki, a pocket dimension exists within you where your Tailed Beast is sealed. I presume this is such place," Naruto explained.
But much to the blond's confusion, Fu shook her head.
"No, I already talked to Lucky Seven before, and this place looks nowhere like where she's sealed," Fu replied. "Maybe this is your seal?"
"It's both, and it's neither," a new voice said, a voice that was foreign to Fu but familiar to Naruto.
"Nine Tails?" the Konoha ninja asked.
Wordlessly, Naruto and Fu started to walk towards the place the voice came from. Much to their surprise, when they reached one of the chamber's end, they saw two gigantic cell gates. The Nine Tails was in the one to the left, while the Seven Tails was in the rightmost one.
"Whoa! What the-?"
"Since you synchronized your chakra, the dimensions where we're sealed have been temporarily merged," the Seven Tails explained.
"Not that it's too big of a change for us, as you can see," the Fox dryly said as he flicked one of the heavy bars with one of his fingers.
"Hey, at least we now have each other to make us company," the giant beetle chimed in.
"I take that back. It's change for the WORSE," the Nine Tails grumbled.
"Awwww, don't be like that brother," the Seven Tails whined. "You must feel all lonely on that cage. I certainly do."
"I am. But then I think that it could be sealed with you or the rest of our dim-witted siblings," the Nine Tails fired back.
"Enough you two!" Naruto shouted. "We didn't come here to see you squabble."
The Nine Tails scoffed. "I couldn't care less about what you two came to do here."
"I do! What did you come here?" the giant beetle asked excitedly.
"Wow, this beast is almost as overexcitable as Fu. You'd think they would get along just fine," Naruto wondered. "We came here to try to fix things up between you two. I know that the Fox is a lost cause, but from what I see of you, there might still be hope."
"There is!" the Seven Tails happily chirped. Fu crossed her arms and looked away. It was obvious that the memory of the Chunin Exams was still in her mind despite being almost three years ago. "I'm willing to help her, but she doesn't want to. Not even when that Akatsuki guy almost got us."
"You already proved to me you can't be trusted! If that pale redhead wasn't as strong as he was, we could have killed him!" Fu protested.
"Oh come on, the boy had Shukaku with him, there's no way we could have make any permanent damage," the giant beetle feebly protested. "Besides...it was the first moment in a long time that I had some semblance of freedom, so I got a bit...carried away."
Fu, however, continued to give her Tailed Beast the cold shoulder.
"You should at least listen to her, she's willing to cooperate with you," Naruto advised Fu. "The Nine Tails only threatens to kill me and everyone I love at every opportunity."
"Yes, and you better remember those words, you puny human!" the Nine Tails growled, but Naruto ignored him.
"See?" he told Fu, as he rolled his eyes.
Fu still looked unconvinced, but decided to listen to her fellow jinchuriki.
"I guess I could give her another chance...since these Akatsuki guys are a rather big threat and I'm going to need more power..." Fu weakly conceded.
"See? That's the spirit! The next time we face that guy, use my power and tables will turn!" the Seven Tails happily claimed.
"I still have the feeling that you only want to have a chance to escape your seal..." Fu grumbled.
"Can you blame me?" the Seven Tails replied. "But don't worry, I have my priorities straight. It's not that I could keep a low profile in my true form...but anyway! If you don't trust me, just try using a little of my power. Enough to make a difference, but still not enough to let me influence you. Deal?"
Fu remained silent, but visibly conflicted. After she silently pondered her options, she reluctantly nodded in agreement.
"Alright. But the moment you step out of your bounds...!" Fu threatened, as she pointed an accusatory index finger at the caged beast.
"I get it girl! You won't have to worry, promise!" the Seven Tails said, raising all six arms defensively. "Okay then, let's get started!"
"Wait, you want to give me your power right now?" the green haired girl asked.
"Why not? That way you can get a taste after such long time. Plus even I was tricking you and was biding my time to escape –hypothetically speaking, of course!– you have that Jiraiya guy that can suppress my chakra," the Seven Tails explained.
Fu sighed. "Okay then."
"Yay! You're SO going to enjoy this!" the giant Beetle cheerfully said, as a wave of reddish-orange chakra emerged from her cage and enveloped Fu.
…
Both Naruto and Fu opened their eyes, and found themselves when they were before they were transported to that odd mental dimension, still sitting and holding both hands. The only difference is the reddish-orange aura that surrounded Fu's body.
"Given the results, I take it went well?" Jiraiya asked, snapping the two teens back into the real world.
They both stood up as Naruto nodded. "Yeah, the Seven Tails is far more reasonable than the stupid Fox."
"I heard that!"
"I know, I don't care,"
"Well, Fu, how do you feel?" Jiraiya asked.
Before answering, the green haired girl took a few seconds to contemplate her glowing hand, as if it was a new part of her body.
"It feels...oddly nice. It doesn't feel like that time in the Chunin Exams," Fu explained.
"There are many reasons for that. For once, you're using much less Tailed Beast chakra. You also aren't under the effect of the Hero Water either," Jiraiya explained. "Say, how about a spar against Naruto to test your new power?"
Fu enthusiastically nodded. "Yes!"
Naruto smirked. "Okay then, bring it on!"
…
Hyuga State, next day
Much to the Hyuga sisters' disappointment, Fu wouldn't be able to train them in the art of flying, since the green haired girl herself was undergoing some training of her own with the Hokage and Naruto on how to control her jinchuriki powers. Not that they didn't have anything to do, since their training to control the Tenseigan had just barely begun. They simply enjoyed flight practice much more.
Right now, the two sisters were in the state's ample backyard, practicing their telekinetic/gravity based powers –nobody really knew what those powers were– by stacking concrete blocks on top of each other, forming a tower. The point of this exercise was to test the limits of their power by lifting and manipulating large, heavy objects. Another similar exercise was to use lots of tiny bits of wood, which helped them refine their control by handling multiple small objects.
Watching over their training was Takuya, the High Priest of the Acolytes. Despite not having a Tenseigan –not even a Byakugan– the man proved himself to be a competent teacher.
"I've read the scrolls and books detailing the powers of the Tenseigan many times during my life. If I had one, I'm confident that I'd be able to master its powers with reasonable aptitude," the old man had replied when Hanabi pointed such thing out.
"Can I read those scrolls too? I'd prefer to choose what I get to train on," Hanabi said, as she lazily placed a block on the top of the tower, which briefly threatened to fall.
"Hanabi-sama, training can't be done in the order we wish. I know these exercises must be tedious, but the Tenseigan is no ordinary ability, and great skill honed through practice is needed in order to fully master it," Takuya patiently explained.
"There HAS to be a better way to learn this," Hanabi said as she stomped towards the small pile of books and scrolls that were resting on a bench, which Takuya was using for their training. The young, impatient Hyuga skimmed over the texts, until she found something worth her interest. "Aha! This sounds pretty exciting! Why don't you teach us how to do this?"
Takuya walked towards Hanabi, picked up the scroll the young girl was holding, and read it. A disproving expression appeared on his face.
"The Truth Seeking Ball? I think this is far too advanced for somebody who had just begun her training," Takuya said, shaking his head.
"Can I see what this 'Truth Seeking Ball' is?" Hinata asked, walking towards her teacher.
Takuya nodded and wordlessly handed the Hyuga Leader the scroll.
Truth Seeking Ball
Also called Truthseeker Orbs, this jutsu is the ultimate elemental combination, as they're composed of all five basic elements, as well as Yin and Yang. Across history, very few individuals managed to acquire this power, as it is not something a normal human being can attain, regardless of their strength, skill or determination...
While she found such description fascinating, there was something about it that made little sense.
"Wait a minute," Hinata said, as she stopped reading. "In order to combine two elements, one need to have affinity to said elements, and I know it's neither the case with Hanabi nor me. We had our elemental affinities tested. I'm just lightning, and she's just fire."
This seemed to amuse Takuya. "But you tested your affinities before awakening the Tenseigan, right?"
"Yes, but awakening it didn't change our affinities," Hinata replied. Seeing Takuya's expression, her confidence in her words faltered. "...right?"
"Why do you have to take my word for it? I'm sure you can see it for yourselves if I'm right or not," Takuya told them.
Hinata wordlessly left the backyard. She returned a couple minutes later with two pieces of Chakra Litmus paper, and handed one to Hanabi.
"Okay, let's see," Hinata said, as she and Hanabi channeled their chakra into the paper. "WHOA!"
Much to the sisters' shock, the paper quickly crumbled while turning wet, was sliced into multiple bits that turned almost immediately into dust, which ignited into small explosions as if it were gunpowder.
"W-What...?" Hinata dumbly stammered.
"So, do you believe me now, Hinata-sama?" Takuya asked, savoring the moment of validation. Hinata silently nodded.
"This...this...this is SO COOL!" Hanabi loudly cheered, as she threw both fists into the air. "All five elements! Just wait until I tell Kaida! She's going to be so jealous!"
While Hanabi continued cheering and planning all the cool things she'll do with all five elements at her disposal, Hinata continued to read the scroll. Once again, she stopped reading when she reached something that left her a bit puzzled:
Before any attempt to produce Truth Seeking Balls can be made, the user must have a certain level of mastery over the Tenseigan Chakra Cloak.
"Tenseigan Chakra Cloak? What is that?" Hinata asked.
"The Tenseigan Chakra Cloak is a state that brings to the surface the power of the Tenseigan. You need to awaken it in order to have access to most of its abilities," Takuya explained.
"Wait, but we are already using Tenseigan abilities without that mode!" Hanabi pointed out.
"Your kinetic abilities are nothing but a scratch in the surface. Or did you think moving objects from afar with your chakra was all the eyes of the Sage of the Moon had to offer?" Takuya asked.
"Then why aren't we learning how to use this mode, instead of working with concrete blocks?" Hanabi asked, her exasperation growing with each second.
"We're doing exactly that!" Takuya replied, who was also becoming a bit heated. "Six Paths Chakra is hard to control, and these exercises will help you in that regard."
"Takuya-san, maybe my little sister expressed it in a rash and impatient form, but I agree with her in this regard. Our chakra control is already good enough," Hinata softly said, trying to sound reasonable. "I was wondering if you could speed up our training. We're going to face powerful enemies in the near future, and we can't take a lot of time trying to master this new power."
Takuya crossed his arms over his chest, and pondered the Hyuga's words. When she put it that way, her request sounded more reasonable than Hanabi's lack of patience with a repetitive exercise.
"Very well then. I'll introduce you to the Tenseigan Chakra Mode, and I'll see for myself if you're ready to learn it or not," Takuya conceded.
"Way to go, nee-chan! I wish I had your way with words," Hanabi said, earnestly happy. Hinata giggled at her in return.
…
Training Ground Seven
The next day, Fu had asked the Animal Squad to go train with her, or at the very least, see her train, so she could show them the fruits of just one day of training with Naruto and Jiraiya. Given that the Animal Squad was temporarily lacking a sensei and didn't have any kind of schedule for today, they decided to tag along and spend some quality time with their seldom seen friend.
But what they saw wiped out completely whatever intention they were of training with Fu.
"I knew that she gotten stronger over the years, but this..." a dazed Kiba said. "This is too much..."
The three Chunin of the Animal Squad stared at the orange blurring forms of Naruto and Fu trading blows, moving so fast they were nearly impossible to track. Naruto was using his Sage Mode, while Fu was using the most basic stage of the Tailed Beast chakra cloak. Even then, it give her enough of a power up to push Naruto to fight seriously.
Though, given that it was a 'normal spar' to help Fu get accustomed to the Seven Tails' chakra, they decided to limit themselves to taijutsu only. No ninjutsu, or even kunai or shuriken. Naruto didn't use clones, and Fu's wings were hidden beneath her skin.
Every time the two jinchuriki traded blows, it would be accompanied by a loud thunderclap and a shockwave that raised some rather strong winds. And given that they traded several blows per second, for the onlookers it was like being in the center of a powerful storm.
"Watching them going like that, doesn't make you feel...inadequate?" Tamaki uneasily asked her teammates,
"Eh, maybe, but they're jinchuuriki, and Naruto is a Sage on top of that. They're on a completely different level we normal humans are unable to reach," Kiba said in mild resignation, shrugging.
"I'm sure that Kakashi-sensei would be able to fight either of them, and he's neither a jinchuriki nor a Sage," Shino pointed out.
"You guys just love to oppose me no matter what, right?" an annoyed Kiba asked.
"No. But if seeing them makes you feel inadequate, then maybe we should train harder. Even if we can't reach their level, at least we'll have the satisfaction to know that we're doing our best," Shino explained. "We might never be able to reach Fu and Naruto-san's level, but we can at least aspire to surpass Kakashi-sensei."
Nobody contested Shino's statement, and continued watching Naruto and Fu's bout in silence. They swore they could hear some giggles and laughs among the constant thunderclaps, as if the blond and the mint haired girl were having the time of their lives beating the tar out of each other. They spend like that for a few more minutes until the two of them put some distance from each other, in order to take some breath.
While the two jinchuriki were visibly panting, and their visible skin –a lot in Fu's case– had several bruises, the two of them looked ecstatic.
"We can't stop if you feel I'm going too hard on you," Naruto taunted.
Fu smirked in return. "Ha, asking to stop and making it look as if it's because of me. Give some credit, will ya?"
"So, how are you doing? Feel any different?" Naruto asked.
Fu looked at her hand, flexed her fingers before curling them into a fist, and threw a punch forward.
"I've never felt better. I can move so fast it's almost as if I weight nothing, yet at the same time I can hit really hard while my fists barely feel the impact!" Fu cheered.
"It's nice to see that you're getting the hang of Tailed Beast chakra, but try not to revel on it too much. Remember that the Tailed Beast will use it to trick you into letting her take over you," Naruto warned her.
"Yeah, yeah, I know! But don't worry, I'm not feeling any different," Fu reassured him.
"If the Tailed Beast chakra influenced you, would you notice it? Did you notice it when you lost control during your fights against Gaara?" Shino promptly asked.
The green haired girl opened her mouth to reply, but no words came from it. She tried to tell him that yes, she knew when something was wrong, but the truth was that it wasn't the case.
"Well...no," Fu was forced to admit. "But if I started to lose myself, I would notice that there's something wrong, right?"
"Sometimes yes, others not so much," Naruto replied. "There were a couple moments in which the Nine Tails' chakra completely overwhelmed me, and I thought that everything was okay. Tailed Beast chakra is at its most dangerous when you're overwhelmed by an intense emotion."
"So the key to control it is to remain calm?" Fu asked.
"It's a possibility. If you keep your head cool, the Tailed Beast won't be able to influence you," Naruto then looked at the Animal Squad. "Hey guys, why don't you fight against Fu now?"
"Fight against Fu while using Tailed Beast chakra?" Kiba incredulously asked. "No thanks, I choose to live!"
"Come on, guys, it will be fun!" Fu insisted.
"Then you and I have very different concepts of 'fun'," Kiba snarked.
"Listen, Fu won't go all out against you like she did with me. She'll have to remain calm while keeping the Tailed Beast chakra active. Such mental effort will stop her from fighting at her best," Naruto explained. "Plus it's three versus one."
"And I'll go easy on you guys, promise!" Fu happily added.
The three Chunin looked at each other unsurely. Well, Kiba and Tamaki looked unsure.
"Well, she said that she'll go easy on us. Plus we do this to help a friend in need," Tamaki said, though she clearly wasn't happy with the idea.
"And I know what you're going to say," Kiba said, looking at Shino. "So yeah, let's go with it. It might be good training for us as well."
As the Animal Squad Chunin walked towards Fu, Naruto cancelled his Sage mode and left them some space, taking their role of spectator. The four ninja adopted fighting stances, and the handicap spar began. Though it wasn't exactly clear who was the handicap for, given the difference in power between both sides.
As expected, the fight was nowhere near as fast paced and brutal as when Naruto was fighting her. While Fu was clearly in control of the fight, she wasn't overwhelming the three Chunin, and fought with less wild fighting style. She kept her eyes on her opponents, dodged their attacks with quick movements, and then she would deliver a single, precises strikes.
Not that this strategy worked all the time, not even close, especially against opponents that, unlike her, weren't holding back. Kiba and Tamaki managed to land quite a few hits on her, and on more than one occasion the jinchuriki found herself unable to avoid her boyfriend's long range jutsu.
"Dang, this is much harder than I thought!" Fu complained, as she briefly struggled against Tamaki, before disengaging her and jumping backwards, narrowly avoiding a claw swipe from both Kiba and Akamaru.
"You're used to rely on strength and reaction instead of thought and action," Shino stated. "Such things will only take you so far. Eventually, one must learn to think before they act. And against superior opponents, the time to think will be severely limited."
"Eh, I've always been a 'going with the flow' kind of person," Fu shrugged, as she resumed the fight.
"Keep going like that, Fu! You're doing great!" Naruto praised, as she gave her a thumbs up.
So far, the green haired kunoichi was doing fine with the most basic level of Tailed Beast chakra while remaining in control of her emotion. But Naruto wondered if that would be enough to face the Akatsuki.
…
Training Ground Twelve
While Naruto helped Fu train with the Animal Squad, Hinata was doing the same with her little sister. The Hyuga Clan Head, and Hanabi's sensei, Yamato, were watching the young Hyuga fighting against both Senju siblings.
"Fire Release: Burning Palm!"
Hanabi's palms were coated in fire, as she dashed towards her female teammate, who jumped backwards while making several hand seals.
"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!"
Kaida slammed both hands into the ground, erecting a wall with the Senju crest carved on it between herself and Hanabi. Hanabi's burning palm strike blew a hole in the wall, but the construct did its job in stopping her tracks. Her Tenseigan immediately saw Hagane, his body glowing with a white aura, leaping at her from behind, ready to deliver a flying kick.
Hanabi jumped into the air just in time to avoid Hagane's incoming kick, which shattered the wall Kaida had created. Staying mid air, she clenched her fists, causing the fire surrounding her hands to grow bigger.
"Now take this!" Hanabi said, as she began to thrust her hands downwards in a rapid way. "Fire Release: Eight Trigrams Phoenix Fire!"
Which each arm thrust, Hanabi released a small projectile of concentrated fire that produced a huge explosion when crashed against the ground. Despite the jutsu's widespread destruction, the twins' didn't falter.
"Brother, I need some senjutsu juice!" Kaida called.
"On it!" Hagane replied, as he jumped to her side, before bumping fists with her.
Hagane's white aura spread to Kaida. From above, Hanabi could see how some of Hagane's nature energy was being passed to his twin sister, and the two of them started to make hand seals.
"Water Release: Wild Water Wave!"
"Wind Release: Cyclone Vortex!"
Kaida's cheeks puffed, before releasing a massive stream upwards, while a tornado came from Hagane's hands. Hinata was a bit surprised to see one of Naruto's most used Wind jutsu being used by somebody else, but she quickly came to the conclusion that it was her boyfriend himself who taught it to him. The two attacks merged into a massive, spiralling water vortex, that engulfed and contained the explosions of Hanabi's jutsu, as it continued upwards, threatening to swallow the younger Hyuga.
Seeing no other options, Hanabi descended in order to avoid the twins' combined jutsu, which flew above her head, spraying everything below it.
"Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence!"
Hanabi had been so preoccupied with avoiding the combined elemental blast that she hadn't noticed the white haired girl preparing her next move. Thick wooden vines emerged around her, and launched themselves at the young Hyuga.
"Haha, got you! Where's your Six Paths chakra now?" Kaida taunted.
A fiery aura surrounded Hanabi as she started to spin. "I don't need Six Paths chakra to avoid such an attack! Fire Release: Heavenly Firestorm!"
Hanabi turned into an spiraling column of flames that instantly burned all the emerging vines, while releasing several firebolts in every direction. When Hanabi stopped spinning, she was standing on top of a charred crater.
And the moment she stopped spinning was the moment the twins choose to attack her in close combat. While it was Hanabi's specialty, she was completely wide open due still spinning. And while in the past the fight would have ended here and there, Hanabi now had one last ace in the hole.
Quickly spreading her arms, Hanabi cast a kinetic shockwave that pushed both white haired Chunin backwards with incredible force, until a tree painfully stopped their momentum.
"Ha! Not even the two of you are even close to-"
But Hanabi's boast was interrupted by a couple of hands coming from underground grabbing her ankles, and pulling her down with incredible force, leaving her buried to the waist.
"What the hell?" she shouted, as she tried to use her kinetic powers to pull herself out. That's it, until a kunai touching her neck forced her to stop.
"I think victory is ours," Hagane, who was holding the Kunai to her neck, stated.
Kaida emerged from behind, and high fived her brother, before the two of them helped Hanabi out of the ground. The match now over, Yamato and Hinata walked towards them.
"If there's a lesson to be learned here is that powers matters little if you lack the skill to use it," Yamato stated. "Hanabi, while your Tenseigan gave you a massive boost, and I'm sure one day you'll become of Konoha's most powerful kunoichi, that day is still pretty far."
"Well, it was two versus one," Hanabi scoffed, as she crossed her eyes, and turned sideways. "Plus it's not that they're a couple weaklings."
"Hanabi-chan, the reason you lost was because you lost sight of your opponents. With your Tenseigan you should have seen that Kaida had created Wood Clones to distract you while she went underground," Hinata stated, sounding chastising, but not demeaning. "You need to take care of those kind of details now that you're a Chunin."
"Listen to your sister, Hanabi. Do not let an unique and strong power blind you as to neglect proper fighting skill," Yamato added, before looking at the twins. "That goes for you two, you know."
"Hey, I'm not relying on Wood Release that much," Kaida protested.
Hagane, however, took the criticism in stride. "Yamato-sensei isn't lecturing us to make us feel bad. Listening to our teachers is the best way to improve."
"Sensei's pet," Both Hanabi and Kaida seethed.
"Okay, okay, I don't want any bad blood here. Let's take a rest before resuming the training, understood?" Yamato suggested.
"Alright!" the three Chunin said in unison.
…
Hokage Tower
"Come in," Jiraiya said after hearing somebody knocking the door.
The door opened, revealing a lizard-masked ANBU.
"Hokage-sama, here's Kakashi's latest report regarding the Takigakure resistance," the ANBU sotically said as he handed the white haired Sannin a scroll.
Jiraiya nodded, took and unfurled the scroll before reading its contents. His lips formed a smile of satisfaction, furling the scroll again once he had read everything on it.
"Alright, it seems that all the Taki ninjas outside of the village at the time of the invasion had been finally gathered, and they stand ready to retake their home. They're waiting for our reinforcements," Jiraiya stated. "Which we will be sending immediately."
"Understood, Hokage-sama," the ANBU said, as he was ready to leave.
"Before you leave, find my son and his teammates," Jiraiya stated. "I want them to spearhead the attack."
"Very well, Hokage-sama," the ANBU replied, making a quick bow before leaving the office.
Satisfied, Jiraiya stood up, and walked towards the window behind his desk.
"Alright, Akatsuki, you thought you can do whatever you want with no one able to stop you," Jiraiya said to no one, as his gaze drifted to the village before his eyes. "We're about to prove you wrong."
Author's Note: So, following where we left it the last chapter, Fu continues to adapt to her new life in Konoha. This time, some jinchuriki bonding with Naruto, as well as some training to help her control her Tailed Beast. Speaking of which, I had a lot of fun writing Chomei's scenes, especially the ones in which she's with Kurama.
And Fu isn't the only one who trains. She herself continues to train Hinata and Hanabi in the art of flying, while they also learn more about the power of the Tenseigan. Some little foreshadowing there *wink wink* ;)
Some reviewers were sad they couldn't see Hagane, Kaida and Hanabi fighting in the Chunin Exams, so I decided to throw a spar between the three of them to show a bit more their powers and fighting style. Hope you liked it.
Thanks to grimlock987 for betareading this chapter.
Anyway, the action will resume next chapter as the good guys try to take Takigakure back from Akatsuki! Meanwhile, leave a review with your thoughts on this chapter! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!