Back again, chapter four, enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Chapter 4: Don't Be Blinded
(Six Months Later - Naruto Age 14)
"How did this happen?"
A question spoke softly by Naruto in the dead of night. Naruto had one hand under his head while he lay in his tent. It was probably around midnight if the jinchuriki had to guess, and he found himself unable to sleep. And sleep was something someone very close to Naruto was getting right now. Hell, they were getting it while using Naruto as a pillow.
Naruto looked down and saw a heap of black hair lying across his chest. Beautiful hair that belonged to the girl cuddled up against him. It was Shizuka resting atop him as Naruto's other arm encircled her. Naruto smiled, seeing how peaceful the girl looked, and it was completely different than it was half a year ago.
"She was going to return home six months ago." thought Naruto reflecting on what happened. The day she was going back to get ready to be her village's next leader, the Akatsuki attacked. "They slaughtered most of her village. Probably not minutes before we got there."
Shizuka had been quiet since that day and didn't speak much at all. It wasn't much Naruto or Jiraiya could do as they allowed the girl a period to mourn her lost village and comrades. And considering she had nowhere else to go, Jiraiya lobbied that the girl stay with them until she figured out what to do.
Shizuka only nodded her head as that seemed the best option. The girl's melancholy was palpable from that day forward, and there wasn't much that would change it. One night though, after a few days of silence, Shizuka began having horrid nightmares. Nightmares that repeated themselves every night from that point forward.
It got to the point that Jiraiya eventually forced his student to do something. And that something happened to be comforting the girl. It was the only thing Naruto could think of. He had no clue if it would work but, Shizuka accepted his offer that night and the two of them slept next to each other. The nightmare didn't come that evening nor the following nights after their one-off sleeping arrangement.
But after those days, the nightmares returned. So, Naruto returned to sleeping next to the Nadeshiko princess. The nightmares stopped once more. This cycle repeated until Shizuka realized Naruto's presence somehow kept the night terrors away. And with that, she asked Naruto to be her permanent sleep buddy.
At least until she was confident the nightmares wouldn't come back. Eager to help the girl who'd lost her home, Naruto accepted, and here they were now six months after. Naruto was still Shizuka's comfort. It became so routine that Naruto didn't even think twice when she came into his tent at night—only scooting over to allow the girl room to sleep.
"Sakura-chan, Baa-chan, all of them are going to kill me. They'll think I'm doing something perverted." Naruto frowned, thinking he could be labeled a pervert. That meant that Jiraiya had successfully gotten him. Meh, it was bound to happen anyway. "Ero-Sennin's been getting a kick out of this as well."
And Naruto was right. After the first two weeks, it was weird with Jiraiya not saying anything about their sleeping together. Probably due to the events that occurred in Nadeshiko being the reason Shizuka needed Naruto there in the first place. But after a while, the teasing from the perverted man came and grew more lecherous as time passed.
"Don't do anything I would do. Do everything I would do."
"You always sleep half-naked? Or was that when she started joining you? Do you make her go shirtless too?"
"Two in the pink, one in the stink. Trust me, 60% of the time, it works every time."
Some of the lines Jiraiya spoke passed through Naruto's head. He shook his head to clear his thoughts of his sensei's words. The guy shouldn't have been left unsupervised in his watching of Naruto. His guardian needed his own guardian.
Deciding to try to get some rest finally, Naruto closed his eyes, and Shizuka's soft snores lulled him to sleep. He was out in seconds.
Who knew that's all he had to do rather than let his brain wander?
(Next Morning)
"Okay, here goes. Elemental jutsu 1A, take 36," said Naruto as he took a deep breath to calm himself. Slowly going through the tiger, snake, and ram hand seals, Naruto channeled his chakra. "Futon: Kami Oroshi (Wind Style: Godly Wind from the Mountain)"
Naruto held his palms out, the bottom of each palm touching, as a gust of wind shot forward in a vortex. Naruto smiled before looking to the side.
"Woo! Is that a success or what?" questioned Naruto looking at his spectators. There were four spectators, one being Shizuka and three being clones. Shizuka looked at the clones as they all held up signs with numbers. Naruto frowned, seeing the scores from his clone judges. "What? A six, four, and five? That had to be at least an eight? Vortex. Powerful. Cool. Right?" Naruto got stone faces from his clones and growled at them. "I'm learning these damn jutsu myself! There isn't even a premise to go off of outside of what Jiraiya kind of remembers. It has to be an eight off that alone. Shizuka-chan?"
Shizuka shook her head, seeing Naruto turn to her. She was the mediator by the original's command since Naruto's clones were haters. They rarely liked anything he did, which was weird because he was them. So, Shizuka was there to make sure they weren't hating but, Shizuka agreed with the clones this time.
"They are right. You did the jutsu fine. It's just, you hurt yourself doing it," said Shizuka as Naruto sat awkwardly in the destroyed training post he flew into from the backlash of his technique. "You need to counterbalance the wind pressure, so you don't send yourself backward. That's probably the reason for the low scores."
Naruto nodded his head as he stood up from the torn-up training post. Probably not an eight if he was shooting himself backward with the same force he was expelling. That probably halved his power output now that he thought about it. Well, maybe. Naruto didn't know how to science.
"Or is that mathematics? It doesn't matter." thought Naruto, not good with the mental stuff. And Naruto didn't like doing things he wasn't good at. His ego couldn't take the humility. "Alright, fine. It sucked. By the way, I didn't hurt myself by destroying this wooden post. Daddy's made of tough stuff," said Naruto smacking his chest twice. He made Shizuka give that cute giggle he loved hearing before turning to the other side of the clearing. There sat a larger-than-human-sized toad behind a camera. "Yo Kichi, you rolling still?"
Naruto's favorite toad, Gamakichi, threw a thumbs up his way, getting him to smile. Gamakichi was such a good cameratoad. Naruto liked having films of his training because studying himself was good. Studying was all he could do if he'd gone too hard that day in training. He couldn't do much else when he did such a thing.
And Gamakichi was his best bud. He was Naruto's favorite summon from Mount Myoboku with no questions asked. Gamakichi could fight, hang, and was always down for his main man, Naruto. He never let Naruto down.
"Great. Elemental jutsu 1A, take 37," said Naruto taking another deep breath before releasing it. Hand seals made much quicker this time; Naruto moved his hands to his hip. "Futon: Kami Oroshi (Wind Style: Godly Wind from the Mountain)"
Just like before, Naruto's jutsu activated perfectly like the last time. Too perfectly as it sent him in the other direction again, this time, instead of a training post, Naruto was snagged one-handed by his sensei, Jiraiya. Naruto stepped back and looked wide-eyed, seeing his teacher.
"Ero-Sennin? You're back! It's been almost three weeks," said Naruto as he noticed the stern look on his sensei's face. The three spectating clones got the message as they all dispelled in poofs of smoke. Gamakichi got the message too and returned home. "What's up with the face?"
"You found them," said Shizuka lowly before jumping out of the tree. She landed on the ground and walked up to stand in front of Jiraiya. "You found the people who attacked my village? Please tell me you have."
Jiraiya nodded his head and saw fire in the girls' eyes. He spoke to keep her from getting too rowdy.
"I want revenge too for what they did, but we can not be blinded by it," said Jiraiya as Shizuka calmly listened to the Toad Sage. Naruto stood to the side behind Shizuka, listening as well. He knew this was for him too. "There's been a spotting near Takigakure of the man Naruto saw, tri-bladed scythe and Akatsuki cloak. We will head there and exterminate him and his partner. They are extremely dangerous. Understood?"
Naruto nodded his head to his sensei's rule as Shizuka did too. Jiraiya looked at the two he'd be going with and felt uneasy about both options. It didn't matter because it wasn't even his choice. They both were coming regardless.
Shizuka was going to hunt these guys with or without Jiraiya. Jiraiya didn't think she was ready to face them one bit. She was good but not that good in Jiraiya's eyes. It was no question in his mind. But if she were going to hunt them, he'd rather her do so with her having adequate backup. She might not die that way.
Naruto was coming, and Jiraiya didn't like that either. Not because he didn't think Naruto couldn't handle it. Naruto would smack Jiraiya if he said that. The kid was able to these days. The kid's progression was insane with those clones.
Jiraiya felt uneasy about Naruto because the kid was their target. Jiraiya would be dangling the bait out there for the Akatsuki. That made the sannin not want to take Naruto. But, the boy was his best option. This whole training trip has been about prepping Naruto for them. Naruto would be okay. Jiraiya was worrying needlessly.
"Good, we'll head out when you two get ready," said Jiraiya as the two nodded and headed back to camp to get their stuff. Jiraiya looked up to the sky as a vision of Shizuka's sensei fluttered through it. The last leader of Nadeshiko and the one who'd fought for Jiraiya's heart so many years ago. "Don't worry. I will avenge you. I am a man of peace, but I can not forgive something like that."
Jiraiya stood alone in the clearing for a little while as he waited for the arrival of his teenage charges. It was time for some good old fashion revenge. No politics. Just the Akatsuki, and them.
"You both ready?" questioned Jiraiya, not surprised the two returned pretty quickly.
"Yes Jiraiya-sama."
"Born ready Ero-Sennin."
"Good, we'll head out when Naruto stops staring at Shizuka's butt." Shizuka blushed hearing what Jiraiya said.
"Stop dry snitching. You're old and can't appreciate it like I can." Shizuka's blush deepened hearing Naruto not deny Jiraiya's claims.
"Meh, you know it's not fun unless you let them catch you anyway."
"Wait, Jiraiya told Naruto to let himself be caught?" thought Shizuka as Naruto spoke again.
"I agree, but sometimes, I find doing it without her knowledge better. Because now that she knows I do, she'll try harder to find me doing it thus, making getting caught easier." Jiraiya agreed with Naruto's logic as Shizuka was shocked. Had he looked at her butt more than the times she'd caught him? She thought she always caught him. And why did she like him perving over her? "Alright, I'm good. We're ready to roll."
"Alright, let's get to it then."
And with that, the team of three departed. Shizuka was noticeably less tense than she was earlier. All part of Jiraiya's plan that Naruto helped him execute flawlessly. They couldn't have her too tight when they caught up to Akatsuki. The exact opposite of what Naruto and he went on this training trip for.
"Tsunade would kill me if she knew what I was doing with the gaki."
(Konoha - Same Time)
"Why do I feel like punching Jiraiya, right in the face, with all of my might?" thought Tsunade randomly before returning to what she was doing. And she frowned at what she was saw. "No, no, no," said Tsunade in a disappointed tone. "Sakura, no."
A solid punch to the stomach lifted Sakura off the ground and sent her flying back through the air. Sakura landed on the ground roughly and skidded a few more feet before coming to a painful stop. Sakura groaned in pain before placing a healing hand of chakra to her stomach from the hard punch by Tsunade. As Sakura let out a sigh, Tsunade walked over and stood above the pink-haired kunoichi with a 'what's going on' look.
"I can't stop thinking about what Naruto is doing. Or even just him, I guess," said Sakura as Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"Naruto? Over Sasuke?"
"Naruto didn't desert the village," informed Sakura with a frown thinking about her dark-haired teammate. She gritted her teeth before shaking her head. "I'm trying to think less about him anyway. And I think Naruto is taking his place since he's always there now."
"Are you developing feelings for the brat?" questioned Tsunade getting an incredulous look from her pupil.
"What? No, that's like asking if you have feelings for Jiraiya-sama," said Sakura as Tsunade tilted her head curiously. She hadn't thought of the parallels between her relationship with Jiraiya and her student's relationship with Jiraiya's student. That was a bit weird now that she'd been made aware of it. Sakura shook her head again as she continued speaking. "It's like, I know how he feels about me but, we're teammates, and I don't reciprocate those feelings. I do care for him, and I wonder how he's doing. Or if he's gotten into something stupid. It's weird not to be able to check up on him whenever I want or see him maturing like I am."
"Ah, I feel the same too. And you should know, the gaki is an idiot. Of course, he's gotten into something stupid," said Tsunade with a faint smile. Those always seemed to come when she thought about Naruto. Man, she missed that brat. "But you know whatever it is, he'll pull through it as he always does. Damn, now you got me thinking about the gaki. I wonder if he's met any girls out there? He might have lost his innocence!"
Sakura's healing stopped at that line as she looked up at Tsunade.
"You think Naruto met a girl out there?" questioned Sakura, almost laughing at the notion. Naruto? Her Naruto? As if. "Even if he did, he's utterly infatuated with me. Not that I'm the cocky type, but a girl can't help but have an inflated ego when someone is so fond of you."
"Hmmm, there are parallels Sakura but, Naruto isn't like Jiraiya in all ways. One, he looks way better than super pervert ever will. And even if he was hooked on you, I'm sure Jiraiya will try to break him of it," said Tsunade causing Sakura's eyes to widen. She didn't think about that. It was still Naruto, and Tsunade wouldn't disregard that. The boy had adored Sakura since he'd seen her, so the story goes. "But you may be right. Who would and could take your place? Kid's been all over you since he was a little tater tot."
"What if Naruto does find a girl? It was a childhood crush. What if he's grown out of it?" questioned Sakura before shaking her head and standing up. "No, that's impossible, and if it does happen, good for him. At least he won't bug me anymore. And I hope that doesn't turn out to be a bad thing, and I miss his constant swooning over me." Sakura hated that she was still thinking about this. They wouldn't stop. "Nope, I won't miss it. I still have Lee. But Lee is creepy. Naruto's at least ferally kind of cute. Ugh, I just said he's cute. I need a way to stop thinking about him, or else I'll-"
"Come back and fight me, Sakura. We aren't done," said Tsunade taking Sakura out of her thoughts.
Hmm, beatdowns from Tsunade would get Naruto out of her brain.
(Outskirts of Takigakure - Two Days Later)
"Not even once?"
"No"
"Are you gay?"
"No"
"How then?"
"No."
"That doesn't exactly answer the question, gaki."
"No, and because I'm not a pervert like you, Ero-Sennin."
A conversation between master and student. Naruto sat around a campfire with Jiraiya as the two shared breakfast. They were currently near Takigakure, looking for any lead on the Akatsuki. And to soften the mood of what they were eventually about to get into, Jiraiya began asking Naruto how he did it, does it, and continues to do it.
"You either have the sheer willpower of Kami or," said Jiraiya shaking his head at the first option. No one had that much willpower except Kami. Naruto was no god, not even close, so it had to be another reason. "Are you gay? I have to ask again if you were ashamed to say it beforehand. It's fine if you are because you have to be. Then again, you can't because you fawn over your teammate so hard." continued Jiraiya, not understanding at all. He looked at Naruto and had to know. "How do you go to bed at night with 'that' every night and not get excited?"
Jiraiya emphasized 'that' with a finger point as Naruto turned his head. He saw Shizuka taking a dip in the lake next to their current clearing. Naruto sat there watching, unaffected by the water glistening down her creamy and smooth skin. Or even how her bikini left not much, but just enough, to the imagination to make you want-
"You're not about to get me Ero-Sennin. You're like a creepy uncle trying to pawn me off on girls my age you think I find sexy," said Naruto getting a head nod from the sannin. The man didn't even deny it was what he was doing. Probably because he knew Naruto knew that he knew Naruto thinks Shizuka is sexy. "We got some Akatsuki members to take down. Not a princess. Stop losing focus."
Naruto stood with a red face before walking away from his teacher to get ready. Jiraiya smiled at the progressively more noticeable pervert in his student. Naruto hadn't stopped looking at Shizuka the whole time since he first did, even as he walked away to his tent to get dressed.
Naruto was right. It was time to get to business. Jiraiya polished off his plate of food before standing up. Before he could yell to Shizuka, Naruto returned from his tent and stopped him.
"No need to yell. I can go tell Shizuka-chan we're ready." Jiraiya perked up hearing that.
"Oh? Alright, be quick about it," said Jiraiya seeing Naruto already dressed. He had a towel over his shoulder that Jiraiya grinned at. Naruto was close, and Jiraiya wanted to ensure his influence ran deep. Thus, he needed to offer Naruto logical outs to his perverted plans. "You realize she already has a towel, right? Plus, It's much easier to yell and get her attention from here."
"No need, it's not that big of a deal to walk over there. Don't wanna shout and draw attention to us anyway," replied Naruto getting Jiraiya's grin to widen. Yes, Jiraiya's influence ran mighty deep. Naruto held up the towel and answered Jiraiya's other question. "And I'm bringing the second towel to help her dry off. You did say be quick about it. Two towels are better than one, you know."
"Yes, welcome to the dark side, my boy." thought a happy Jiraiya turning to get ready too.
Jiraiya had finally gotten Naruto. And Naruto was glad too. If not, Naruto would have never asked Shizuka if she wanted help. Nor would he have found out Shizuka would accept his assistance. Oh, how blind he had been.
"Maybe this whole pervert thing isn't that bad?" thought Naruto with a lascivious smile while he toweled off Shizuka.
The dark side was already looking up.
(2 hours later)
The trio eventually got on the hunt and got closer to Taki. From there, they hoped to find a lead on the Akatsuki so they could hunt them down. And right now, Naruto was curious about something considering he didn't know.
"So where exactly is Takigakure Ero-Sennin?"
"Hmm, it's a village hidden by a waterfall, as the name suggests. The only way to access it is through a cave under said waterfall," said Jiraiya in reply to his student. He then gave a necessary warning considering Naruto would internalize this information. It probably could be helpful to him in the future. Who knows? "Though, the trick is finding which one is the correct cave because if you choose wrong, you'll get trapped and die. And yes, even you with your Bijuu and freaky fast healing."
"Wow, I assume you know the correct one then?"
"Of course I do. I'm Konoha's Spy Network kid. I know about a lot of stuff," said Jiraiya in a matter-fact tone. He was good at his job and wanted to be respected for it. "However, we're not going to Takigakure because they aren't still there more than likely. It's been two days."
"Then why did we head to Takigakure in the first place if who we are looking for isn't even going to be there?" questioned Shizuka miffed at the time they'd wasted coming here if they weren't going to find the Akatsuki here.
Jiraiya was ready to answer the black-haired beauty but saw Naruto knew the answer and allowed his apprentice the honor.
"My apprentice? Nope, I didn't just think that. A little perversion doesn't make him mine officially." thought Jiraiya as Naruto turned to Shizuka.
"Because they're after the Jinchuriki. Takigakure holds the Seven-Tails, and in all likelihood, they have captured the Jinchuriki," said Naruto continuing since Jiraiya didn't stop him. "They wouldn't stick around the hidden village they stole it from to extract it. So we're going to pick up the trail they left whenever they fled from the village."
"Precisely," said Jiraiya before biting his thumb and placing it on the ground. A poof of smoke sounded off as a small yellow toad appeared from it. "Hello, can you help me find some strong chakras?"
The toad nodded as it placed its hands in the ram seal. Channeling its chakra, the toad seemed to find what it figured Jiraiya was looking for. The toad led the way with the three ninjas following right behind it.
"Gotta love sensor toads."
Shizuka and Naruto couldn't help but agree with Jiraiya on that.
(Sometime Later)
"So this is it? They're behind that boulder?" questioned Jiraiya quietly as he, Naruto, and Shizuka were situated in a few trees. Those trees were up on a cliff above a ravine with a cave with a boulder blocking its entrance. The sensor toad nodded his head before Jiraiya looked at the two teens. "Kind of close there, aren't you?" questioned Jiraiya in a nonchalant tone. Shizuka and Naruto's shoulders were touching, and neither had a problem with it. Shizuka didn't react at all due to her focus on getting revenge. Naruto frowned at his sensei, which the Sannin was hoping for. At least Naruto was loose still. "Just trying to get rid of any jitters you may have. But yes, they are. You remember the plan, correct?"
"Me and Shizuka-chan take one, and you take the other. Our job is to stall until you manage to finish off your guy, and then we all finish the second together, right?" questioned Naruto as Jiraiya nodded his head before his face turned more serious.
"One more time, these are dangerous ninjas. One mistake, and you will die. Are you sure you both want to do this?" questioned Jiraiya looking to see no hesitation from Shizuka in any way and Naruto only nodding his head. Shizuka wanted revenge. She was more than ready. And this is what his apprentice had been training to face. What better way to test if you were prepared? "I have to stop acknowledging you as my apprentice. It's the second time I've done it in my head today..."
"You know I am. Don't lie to yourself. It's unhealthy," said Naruto before holding his right palm up. Chakra swirled in his palm to form a perfect Rasengan. "Shall I?" Jiraiya nodded his head, getting Naruto to vanish in a Shunshin. Naruto appeared before the boulder with his arm cocked back. "Knock, Knock! Rasengan."
Naruto thrust the ball into the boulder and cracked it immediately. The boulder had a spiderweb crack form before Naruto let his Rasengan detonate and explode the boulder inward. Once the dust and debris cleared, the Kyubi Jinchuriki bore witness to quite the sight in front of him. 8 holograms and two actual people stood on top of what looked like fingers to a statue. The statue had dragons flowing out of it and into a girl with tanned skin.
"They must be extracting her Bijuu." thought Naruto angrily. That girl looked no older than him, and she'd perish from what was happening. Naruto's eyes glowed red when he saw the girl drop to the ground lifeless as whatever ritual they were doing was now over. "Her chakra signature is gone. She's dead."
"Extraction of the Nanabi complete. You all may go," said a spiky-haired projection as all the other holograms disappeared. That particular hologram then turned to the physically present members of Akatsuki and gave them instructions. "Take care of the Kyubi. Capture him if possible."
Naruto watched the last projection disappear and the statue dispelled in a poof of smoke. The two real ninjas in the room turned to Naruto to see him growling at them. He could see the Nanabi Jinchuriki, and his whisker marks began to darken as his pupils slit.
"No, no Kyubi." thought Naruto calming himself down. His eyes returned to their usual blue, and his whisker marks lightened up to their normal state. Naruto then looked at the two members of Akatsuki and figured it was time to get started. "Did I interrupt something? I apologize if I did," said Naruto before the tanned one rushed him. He came with impressive speed that made Naruto's eyes widen. Ducking a punch from the masked ninja, Naruto spun into a sweep kick that the ninja jumped over. "Guess I was. Ah well."
Coming into a stand from his spin kick, Naruto began to defend against the Akatsuki member's taijutsu. He was doing well and blocking well. The ninja wasn't giving him any opportunities to capitalize on, which annoyed Naruto, especially when he caught a knee aimed at his ribs.
"His body feels like stone. And even catching his knee took my breath so I couldn't counter like I wanted to." thought Naruto before bringing both arms up to block a punch that felt made of granite. Naruto skidded back 20 feet from the blow as he shook out the feeling in his forearm. "This dude is good, and his strikes are powerful. I can't take much more of them, even blocking them all."
Kyubi chakra healing the small fracture from blocking the punch, Naruto witnessed the silver-haired man he saw come leaping over his partner with his tri-blade scythe. A war cry came from the man as Naruto paid it no attention while whipping out a kunai. Naruto blocked the first strike as the ninja continued coming at him with a reckless offensive.
Naruto could counter him. His taijutsu was impressive, and the scythe made his reach longer but, he didn't compare to his partner. Naruto nodded his head, knowing this before ducking the man's next swipe and planting his foot in the man's stomach. The kick caused him to keel over the foot in his gut as Naruto spun before extending his hands toward the man.
"Futon: Kami Oroshi (Wind Style: Godly Wind from the Mountain)," said Naruto as a sudden gust of wind lifted the man clear up the cliff 50 feet away. Naruto then stood up, happy that he managed to not blow himself backward, before looking at the first man who attacked him. Seeing the man's face, Naruto tilted his head. "What's with the look, gramps?"
"That was pretty impressive, Kyubi Jinchuriki. My partner is an imbecile," said the man with an amused chuckle. He cracked his knuckles and readied for round two with the Jinchuriki. "You won't beat me if that's all you got."
"I got more, don't worry. I'm not going to be fighting you, though," said Naruto as the man's eyes widened when he felt a powerful and concussive ball of chakra hit him square in the back.
"Rasengan," said Jiraiya with authority as the jutsu carved its way into the man's back. Jiraiya let his Rasengan detonate and blasted the Akatsuki member into the cliff face. "That's Kakazu, a nuke-nin from Takigakure that uses the forbidden jutsu, Jiongu (Earth Grudge Fear)." continued Jiraiya looking to where he blasted the man. Jiraiya was ready for anything as he kept speaking to Naruto. "That one Rasengan isn't enough to take him out. Go and help your girlfriend with the other guy. I'll handle this. He's definitely out of your league."
Naruto nodded his head before turning to see Shizuka already en route to Kakazu's partner's location. Naruto made haste to catch her as Jiraiya looked at the man still stuck in the cliff from his earlier surprise attack. Jiraiya watched the man twitch as if coming back to life before he began to push himself out of the cliff.
"Jiraiya of the Toads. I should've known you'd be with the Jinchuriki," said Kakazu cracking his neck before turning to look at the Toad Sage. "A costly mistake on my part that won't happen again. I'll need to replace the heart you killed, and lucky for me, I can take yours."
Jiraiya said nothing before watching four beings made of black thread, each with their own mask, come popping out of Kakazu's back. Kakazu understood his opponent wasn't in the talking mood, and thus, he spared no more words. The masked beings attacked the Sannin to get things started.
(With Naruto and Shizuka)
"Fuck. That hurt a bit," said the silver-haired man standing up from the tree he splintered with his body. The Jinchuriki's jutsu launched him quite the distance. The man had no time to think as he moved his head back to dodge a punch from Shizuka. The Akatsuki member quirked an eyebrow looking at her. "Hmmm, you look familiar. Have we met before?"
Shizuka spared no words and continued to attack the man. She hit him several times before kicking him back into the tree he'd already splintered, causing it to tumble down on top of him. Shizuka didn't stop there as a faint shroud of wind chakra coated her leg. Jumping into a front flip, Shizuka led with her wind-coated leg.
"Nadeshiko-Ryu Koha Senkaigiri (Nadeshiko Style Hardliner Revolving Cut)," said Shizuka dropping that leg with force. A deep gash formed in the ground while cutting the fallen tree in half. Looking down, Shizuka realized the Akatsuki member had moved and was standing behind her. "He moves faster than I thought."
"That's why, Nadeshiko," said the silver-haired man with a grin while holding his scythe up. "Such a fine village to offer to Jashin-sama and for Kakazu to stock up on good hearts. We weren't going to stop there but, Jashin-sama's will brought me to it. And now you're going to see all of your fallen sisters."
The man was ready to cut into Shizuka but brought his head down to dodge a fast kick from Naruto, who came lunging at him full throttle. The man backed up as Naruto landed next to Shizuka, who stood up.
"Don't be blinded by revenge. You're better than that to let him get behind you," said Naruto, blue eyes hardened on the completely nonchalant man in front of them. The man placed his tri-bladed scythe on his shoulder before grinning at the two in front of him. "Remember what Ero-Sennin said. They're members of Akatsuki. We have to attack carefully."
"Hey, little girl, it was fun watching your village slowly die. Some got away, but the ones that didn't, I made sure they suffered," said the silver-haired man egging Shizuka on as he continued. He could see she was the much easier target, and it just happened to coincide with being easy to goad into making a mistake. "I made sure they knew that my face, my gorgeous face, was the last thing they saw before they died. Hidan, a follower of Jashin-sama, was the last thing your faithless comrades saw before death claimed them."
Shizuka looked ready to murder as she cocked her hand back and sprinted at Hidan.
"Nadeshiko-Ryu Koha Reppuken (Nadeshiko Style Hardliner Gale Fist)," said Shizuka approaching a now grinning Hidan. He had his scythe cocked back to let loose a swing the moment she arrived. Shizuka's progress halted as Hidan's scythe slashed through the air inches in front of her. Shizuka looked down to find Naruto's arm wrapped around her stomach holding her back. "Naruto-kun! Why did you-"
"Those markings I saw on the ground in Nadeshiko are a juinjutsu. It uses blood as a link. You can't let him cut you even if you do more damage, or he'll be able to curse you with his technique," said Naruto backing up with Shizuka as Hidan came rushing at them. "I don't know what it links but, my little bit of Fuinjutsu lessons from Ero-Sennin comes in handy here. Don't let him get your blood. It should be how he's able to link himself and his victim."
"Seems that last name of yours corresponds to some knowledge, Uzumaki," said Hidan taking swipe after swipe after swipe at them that they were dodging easily.
"I don't get it. Why is he leaving so many openings when attacking? It's like he wants me to attack him." thought Naruto in his mind while splitting up with Shizuka when Hidan brought his scythe down in the middle of them. "I guess he only needs a touch of my blood for his curse to work but, what happens if I kill him? He won't be able to do anything then."
"I'd love to see you try to kill me," said Hidan, shocking Naruto, who thought he said it out loud. Hidan smirked, seeing the shocked look on the Jinchuriki's face. "No, you didn't think that out loud. It's just what all of you non-believers think when you face me. Too bad for you. I'm immortal. You can't kill me."
A dozen kunai landed in Hidan's back from the Nadeshiko kunoichi as he laughed at the kunai puncturing him. Shizuka looked quizzical at that as the kunai were lodged pretty deep, and he was bleeding profusely from the wounds. Except, he was laughing giddily instead of dying.
"Try as much as you want. You can't kill me. Neither of you can," said Hidan before turning and sprinting at Shizuka.
Naruto's eyes widened while he sprinted to help Shizuka from Hidan. Naruto wasn't prepared when Hidan pulled out an extendable pike. Pike in one hand and scythe in the other, the immortal man did an unexpected spin.
"Shit." thought Naruto leaning back into a slide. Blood flew in the air as Naruto's blue eyes looked fearful as Hidan smiled wide. Hidan lashed out with a fast kick that Naruto didn't block due to the blood floating in the air as Hidan kicked Shizuka away as well. "No."
"Yes," said Hidan licking the blood off his weapon, which caused his skin to turn black. Bone patterns appeared on his skin that were reminiscent of a skeleton. Faster than Naruto or Shizuka could react, Hidan punctured his hand before drawing his juinjutsu design into the ground from the blood spilled. "Here comes the best part!"
"No," said Naruto before Hidan plunged his pike right into his chest.
A pained scream followed.
(Jiraiya vs. Kakazu)
Cartwheeling out of the way of several powerful shots of condensed wind, Jiraiya was on the move as one of Kakazu's black beings was showering him with powerful bullets of wind. Ending his cartwheel, Jiraiya jumped up to stick above the cave opening as a large torrent of fire exploded on the spot he was just at.
Two more of Kakazu's black beings appeared next to Jiraiya as the Toad Sage smirked. Slamming a palm to the ground, the immediate area around Jiraiya warped before appearing to suck into itself like a black hole that managed to grab the two masked beings next to him. Kakazu's eyes widened at that before turning to see the real Jiraiya standing up on the cliff, looking down at him.
"You reverse summoned them," said Kakazu as he lost contact with the other two signifying they were dead.
"Into the esophagus of one of Myoboku's great toads," said Jiraiya, face still holding an unnatural seriousness to it. "Don't worry. You'll be following them soon. Three down, 3 to go."
"This is an unnecessary fight and one that holds no value anyway it goes." thought Kakazu to himself as he looked at Jiraiya. "If I do kill him, his heart isn't enough to replace the hearts I've already lost. I could take that girl's, but that would put me still down one. That does me no good at all. There's no need to be here still since I'm sure this man will take at least another heart to put down."
Kakazu let the two remaining masked beings merge into him as a mask settled on either side of his head. The two masks sat there looking at Jiraiya as a flood of black threads poured from Kakazu's back. Kakazu spit up some of the black threads himself before looking at Jiraiya in his new form.
"But who's to say he'll allow me to leave." thought Kakazu before prepping to fight against Jiraiya, whose eyes widened when he heard a scream. Kakazu's own eyes widened when a burst of intense chakra filled the area shortly after the cry. "That chakra isn't Hidan's. Is that the Kyubi?"
"Naruto!" thought Jiraiya before taking off to his apprentice's location. Jiraiya pulled a fuinjutsu note from his shirt's pocket to stop his student from getting out of hand. He'd thought Naruto was ready for this, but he was wrong. The closer Jiraiya got to Naruto, the more the rational part of his brain realized the chakra wasn't what he thought it to be. "That's not the Kyubi?"
Jiraiya continued. He had to make sure.
(Naruto and Shizuka vs. Hidan - Moments Earlier)
The pained scream was like music to Hidan's ears as he let his jutsu take effect. That jutsu being aptly named Jujutsu: Shiji Hyotetsu (Curse Technique: Death Controlling Possessed Blood). The technique links Hidan to the person whose blood he has ingested as long as he stands in the symbol of his God, Jashin, which he draws on the ground. Any injury inflicted on Hidan, be it himself or his adversary, was equally imposed on the person he was linked to as long as he remained in the circle's radius.
And thus, you hear the blood-curdling scream as the stab was reciprocated on his target. Naruto looked on with wide eyes as he realized that he wasn't the one to get hit. It was Shizuka by Hidan's trailing scythe that she wasn't paying attention to due to the pike being revealed. From the blood beginning to pool underneath her skin, she was dying from a phantom wound caused by Hidan.
"Hmmm, seems I missed the heart by a few centimeters since our bodies are that different." thought Hidan realizing he didn't kill the girl just yet. Shrugging because it was no big deal to stab himself again, Hidan pulled the pike out before nearly stumbling out of his circle. His hair blew back due to an enormous power surge from Naruto. Mildly impressed by the powerful charka being exuded, Hidan only shrugged as the distance was too far for Naruto to do anything, even as he sprinted toward him. "Let's try this again, shall we? I won't miss a second time, I promise."
"I have to make it. I have to." thought Naruto in his head, reaching out with his hand. A futile attempt to stop Hidan from plunging his pike into his chest once again. Any ranged jutsu he would use would harm Shizuka more. He needed to grab Hidan and get him out of that circle somehow. If only his reach were longer. "I'm going to make it dattebayo! Please let me make it."
"Another sacrifice Jashin-sama," said Hidan with his head up and eyes closed as the pike pressed into his chest. Hidan's eyes opened, and he looked down to see that his pike didn't even break his skin due to a golden chain holding him tightly. Hidan looked at himself to see the chain wrapped snugly around his waist, shoulder, and down his arm and held him perfectly still. "Where the fuck did this chain come from?!"
With a hand to her internally bleeding chest, Shizuka looked on at the chain coming from Naruto as she saw him doing the same. Hidan struggled to bring his pike closer, but it wouldn't budge at all. He couldn't move one bit from the surprisingly strong chain.
"Let go of me, you brat, before I-"
Naruto didn't care to hear what Hidan was saying. The Jinchuriki turned quickly, whipping Hidan out of his circle. Naruto flung the Akatsuki member off the cliff face with ridiculous force. That was the scene Jiraiya arrived at to see Naruto looking in the direction he tossed Hidan. Jiraiya saw the golden chain and gasped, recognizing it.
"Kushina's chakra chains! The gaki has those?" thought Jiraiya seeing the chain dissipate.
"Shizuka-chan. She's dying. That circle," said Naruto as Jiraiya nodded his head.
A poof of smoke occurred as a toad in a nurse's outfit hopped over to the injured girl and began healing her wound. Jiraiya walked over to Hidan's juinjutsu circle before whipping out a paintbrush. Jiraiya drew a few lines over the symbol before channeling his chakra. The once black lines from Jiraiya glowed red before the Jashin symbol fizzled and evaporated into thin air.
The toad had a huge webbed hand glowing medical chakra laying on her chest. It'd been a couple of minutes before the toad's chakra stopped. Hours felt like they passed by for the Jinchuriki. Jiraiya turned his head back around to see Naruto looking at Shizuka.
"She will be fine, Jiraiya-sama and Naruto-sama. The wound missed her heart. I stopped the bleeding, and all she needs now is to rest," said the Toad as Naruto's heart stopped beating out of his chest. "She will feel soreness and a lack of energy for a few days, but afterward, she should be back to full health. This Toad Oil Cream will help the healing process as well."
"Thank you," said Jiraiya as the toad nodded before dispelling in a poof of smoke. Naruto looked out to where he sent Hidan flying as he didn't see any sign of the man. "They're gone. I thought you went Kyubi, and I rushed here without thinking about them. Kakazu already grabbed Hidan, and they're gone."
Naruto nodded his head before looking over at Shizuka and grabbing her bridal style. Naruto turned to Jiraiya, who saw the look his apprentice was giving him.
"We need to talk," said Naruto as Jiraiya only nodded his head at that.
It seemed Naruto learned something interesting about himself, and of course, he'd want to know about it.
"Guess it's time to learn of your heritage." thought Jiraiya steeling himself for what was about to come.
Jiraiya trudged on behind his charge and got ready to tell his pupil about his heritage. There was no way he'd get out of it now.
"Gotta stop calling him my pupil." thought Jiraiya following behind the Jinchuriki.
(1 Day later)
"Uzumaki Clan," said Naruto lowly while rubbing the spiral patch on his chunin vest that honored his clan. Jiraiya had just finished telling him that his last name corresponded to the clan. He was an Uzumaki for real. "My clan. I had a clan. A whole clan and family."
"No need to have a breakdown here. I don't do all that sappy, feelings stuff," said Jiraiya looking at Naruto as the two sat in the small clearing they were in. "Save that crying stuff for Tsunade-hime. She's all about that healing stuff."
"I just learned I have a clan. A family even if they aren't here," said Naruto holding up his hand as a golden chain protruded from it. Still not so good with the control from his adrenaline-fueled usage yesterday, Naruto let the chain sink back into his hand with plans to get to know the jutsu better in the coming days. His clones were about to be all over this one. "Can't I just let it sink in? For a little bit at least?"
"Nope, my apprentice doesn't mope about stuff," said Jiraiya before smacking his head as Naruto's eyes widened, and he looked at the Toad Sannin.
"That's three now. And the third time's the charm. I'm finally your apprentice," said Naruto with a smirk as Jiraiya merely made a 'T' with his hands.
"Timeout. Timeout. Timeout. A slip of the tongue," said Jiraiya before pointing out to the lake their clearing was next to. "If you were my apprentice, you'd be out there with her instead of sitting here with me."
Naruto looked out at Shizuka, casually taking a dip in the lake, as he nodded his head with a small smile.
"Guess I'm your apprentice then. Jiraiya's Pupil. That feels good to be able to say finally," said Naruto before looking at a confused Jiraiya.
Naruto put up a peace sign before disappearing in a poof of smoke. Jiraiya was surprised before looking back at the lake to see Naruto already in the water, swimming next to Shizuka.
"He just might be my apprentice." thought Jiraiya with a fond smile. The kid had impressed him, and they still had a year to go. "I wonder how good you'll be." continued Jiraiya imagining how much more Naruto would progress. Jiraiya shrugged since only time would tell. A lecherous grin crossed his face as he decided to do Jiraiya things. "I believe there's a hot spring close by. Why don't I swing by and see if I can find some good research? Hehehehe."
(With Naruto and Shizuka)
"So Uzumaki Naruto is a part of the Uzumaki clan. Who'd have guessed it?" questioned Shizuka looking at Naruto swimming up to her.
"Nobody, I guess. Definitely not me. I was always told I was an orphan, and I got my last name from our Shodai Hokage's wife," said Naruto holding the green necklace around his neck that once belonged to the Shodai himself. "I didn't think I was one because everyone used to say Uzumakis had red hair. Like all of them."
Shizuka smiled at Naruto before taking a scrutinizing eye and looking at him closely.
"Not exactly the trademark Uzumaki hair, but you have everything else," said Shizuka as she placed a hand to her chin. "Chakra chains are a dead giveaway from what Jiraiya-sama said. I should've known before then. You're incredibly dense about some things, most things. Well, everything really except for Fuinjutsu." continued Shizuka, not seeing Naruto twitch at his intelligence being questioned. "They say all Uzumakis are amazing at it. Like a fish to water. And you've been getting that down pretty quickly without the clone hack. It's crazy."
Shizuka seemed to be thinking more, but the stare from Naruto she was getting halted all that. His eyes were narrowed, and they got Shizuka to wonder why he was looking at her that way.
"Incredibly dense?" questioned Naruto with an eyebrow raised at the pretty girl in front of him. Shizuka smiled and nodded her head as Naruto slowly nodded his own in return. "Hmm, I'd rather be stupid than dying. Dense is better than a near-fatal wound to the chest."
"Ooohhh," said Shizuka holding a hand to the phantom wound she could still feel. It didn't hurt but, she could feel where it'd happened. "That was a low blow there, Naruto-kun."
"You started it by calling me dumb," said Naruto moving closer to Shizuka as they talked.
"Wounds can heal," said Shizuka chidingly, also moving closer to Naruto. "But it'll always be impossible to get through to you."
"Maybe you just weren't trying hard enough? I mean, I am pretty dense. Would take a stab to the chest to make me realize how much I like someone, I bet," said Naruto with his face inches from Shizuka's now. Blue eyes staring into green, the two paused for just a moment. "I was really scared that you were dead. My heart wouldn't stop beating out of my chest."
"Well, I'm not dead. But do I have to take another stab to the heart, or do you know what I want right now?" questioned Shizuka in a low tone that Naruto's body reacted to.
He'd be dense if he couldn't see the signs. Naruto's eyes closed when his lips made contact with Shizuka. However, it wasn't the girl's lips. Naruto opened his eyes to see Shizuka smiling at him slyly with her finger over his lips instead of the kiss he thought she'd wanted. Was he wrong?
"While I want a kiss," spoke Shizuka looking at Naruto. She licked her lips just thinking about it before shaking her head. "I hear great things come to those who are patient." continued Shizuka getting Naruto's eyebrows to rise. Shizuka smiled and nodded her head. "You got to wow me first. Then, maybe you can get a kiss."
"I have to wow you? To get a kiss?" questioned Naruto getting the girl to nod again. She went from trying to get him to marry her to waiting for a kiss? That was funny to think about and got Naruto to smile. "Alright, I'll wow you, Shizuka-chan. Don't you worry." continued Naruto getting the girl to smile when he kissed her finger that sat on his lips. Naruto moved back and just looked at her. "We still have a year till we're supposed to return. I'm sure I'll get you by then."
"We'll see. You might fail."
"And if I do, I'll just keep trying until I succeed."
"Ooh, but what if I don't like you back? You won't just give up and leave me alone?"
"You know that I know that you like me back. Plus, you know me better than that anyway," said Naruto getting the girl's smile to threaten to split her face in two. "I never give up. It's my nindo, dattebayo. Which means someday, you'll be all mine."
"I can't wait."
The two teens just stared at each other in the lake they were in. They had another year of this. It was to be fun.
Thanks for Reading