"Talking"
'Thinking'
Jutsu/ Bijuu/ Summons
Flashbacks, Letters, and Setting
I don't own Naruto
Chapter 51: Kusa's Hospitality Part 1
At the Gates of Konoha
Naruto stood at the gates of Konoha with Izumi and Shizune, as Team 7, Karin, and Kakashi came to see them off.
*Sigh* "Do you really have to leave again? It feels like you're always away these days." Narumi complained.
"I thought you were gonna train me in our family jutsu? How am I supposed to learn by myself?"
Naruto pulled out a scroll and gave it to Narumi. "I wrote down what you need to practice in that scroll. If you need any help, ask Kakashi-senpai, Yugao, or maybe even Mikoto oba-chan, though she might be busier with the security around the Chunin Exams. Also, when you're studying the seals for the thing we've been working on, try to fill in Karin on it too, so she can learn more about seals."
Narumi rolled her eyes as she got the scroll from her brother. "Ugh. Studying from scrolls? Again? I wish you could teach me. The sensei for the other teams never seem to leave their teams like this."
Naruto scratched the back of his head as he gave an awkward chuckle. She had a point, and he was feeling terrible about it. He became their sensei so he could spend more time with them, but the Hokage was always sending him on some "important" missions, which he hated.
"Now come on, Narumi-chan. That's not fair for your brother. It's not like he wants to be away from you guys." Izumi pointed out. "Besides, he's taught you guys more than any other sensei that I know teaches their teams. Most sensei have a pretty hands-off approach you know."
"I'll try to come back as soon as possible. I'm only doing this so we can have Karin be a part of our family forever. Didn't you say you wished we had a bigger family?" Naruto asked Narumi.
Narumi sighed as her shoulders sagged. She had to concede on Izumi and Naruto's points. It's not like she wanted to be a brat, but it felt like she was slowly losing her brother, and she wanted him to stay with her more like when they first became a team.
"You're right… I'm sorry I wasn't more understanding. It's just that… I feel like we have less and less time to spend together…"
Naruto felt awful. She was right, and it would only get worse when he became Hokage. This was supposed to be their last hurrah of sorts, where they spend a lot of time together before they become Chunin and he becomes Hokage. It seemed like things never went according to plan for him.
"Don't worry, Narumi-chan. We'll get these negotiations done as soon as possible and be back before you even know it! Until then, you'll have your team and Karin to keep you company, right guys?" Izumi asked.
Sasuke, Hinata, and Karin nodded.
Karin stepped up shyly, with her eyes on her toes.
"Ummm… I just wanted to say thank you. Thanks for going out of your way to do this for me…"
Naruto gave her a smile and rubbed the neat side of her hair, which irritated Karin a little, as she didn't need her hair to be any messier.
"Don't worry, Karin-chan. We're family after all. This is the least I could do." Naruto told her.
Narumi saw the interaction and it made her realize she wouldn't be coming home to an empty house this time, and it made her really realize how important it was for all three of them for Naruto to go to Kusa.
"Alright nii-chan! Hurry up and get going! The faster you get there, the faster you can come back, right?" Narumi said to Naruto.
Naruto smiled as Narumi's blessing for him to go helped him get over his feeling of guilt, and the downer of an atmosphere was dispelled due to her cheery attitude.
"Alright, I'll be going soon, ya little rascals. Just make sure you guys remember to focus on your training, and don't give Kakashi-senpai a tough time, ok?"
Kakashi gave Narumi a "you heard him" look and smirked under his mask.
Narumi rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Ugh. Fine. But only if he doesn't read that hentai book around us!"
Izumi gave Kakashi a glare which made him flinch back slightly. "Yes. DON'T read that smut around them!"
"Alright, can we get over the sappy goodbyes and hurry up and get to training?" Sasuke asked, as he was eager to learn his new powerful jutsu from Kakashi, but also because he didn't know how to deal with the emotional atmosphere.
Naruto and Kakashi shared a smirk.
"Alright, Sasuke. I'll be heading out now. Hope you have "fun" with Kakashi-senpai. I can't wait to see how much you guys improve while I'm gone! Don't disappoint me!" Naruto told his team before he headed out with Izumi and Shizune.
Kakashi put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "We are going to have a LOT of fun together."
Something about the way Kakashi said that made Sasuke regret his choice of words.
On the way to Kusa
Izumi glanced over at Naruto as they rushed over towards Kusa on Naruto's insistence.
It was plain for her to see that despite the cheery face he showed to his team at his departure, that he was annoyed with having to go and was anxious to get this over with as soon as possible.
"Don't stress too much, Naruto-kun. You're gonna get ugly wrinkles if you keep doing so. Besides, I don't think the negotiations will take too long. I have a pretty good rapport with the leader of Kusa, you know."
Naruto sighed. "I sure hope so. Because honestly, my team had a point. I feel terrible that I don't get to spend more time with them. It almost feels like Kakashi is becoming more of a sensei than I am."
Izumi giggled. "You mean that lazy pervert? I doubt he's half the sensei you are, Naruto, based on how your Genin basically idolize you."
Naruto scratched the back of his head awkwardly, not knowing how to handle the praise.
"She's right. While I was training Hinata, she had nothing but the highest of praises for you." Shizune added.
"Well, I'm not that worried about if they like me more or less. It's just that, I'm running out of time to spend with them, so I wanted to be with them as much as possible, but I keep having responsibilities getting in the way. And it's probably only gonna get worse."
Izumi looked at Naruto and Shizune a little nervously. Other than with the higher ups of the village, it wasn't really known that Naruto was going to become Hokage. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to know yet, and she didn't know if Shizune knew either, but it felt like Naruto was close to divulging the information.
"I'm sure you'll still be able to see them from time to time, Naruto-kun. Shodai-sama was able to train Sandaime-sama's team alongside Nidaime-sama while he was Hokage." Shizune pointed out.
Izumi's eyes widened in shock as she glanced over at Naruto to see his reaction.
"Oh? So, you've heard? It was supposed to be a secret until the announcement, you know." Naruto asked.
Shizune quickly covered her mouth, feeling like she had just ruined something. "I- I'm sorry Naruto-kun. Tsunade-sama told me about it a few days ago, and I didn't know it was a secret."
Naruto looked over at Izumi who was doing her best to pretend she wasn't listening to their conversation.
"You know too, don't you? I'm sure Mikoto-sama must have mentioned it to you." Naruto asked Izumi.
Izumi looked over at Naruto and Shizune, to decide how she should respond. She could see that Shizune was feeling guilty at potentially leaking secret information to Izumi, and Naruto was wondering if she knew.
"Errr… yeah… Mikoto-sama told me. Kinda surprised though. I can't imagine you as Hokage. I feel like you'd hate that." Izumi responded, revealing that she knew as well to help Shizune feel better, but also because she didn't like to lie to Naruto.
Naruto shrugged. "Well... what can I do. I'm a shinobi after all. I must do what must be done, regardless of how I feel about it."
Shizune quickly tried to change the topic to avoid the mood getting worse.
"Anyway, what is the plan for the negotiations, Izumi-san? I haven't actually really heard too much about what we're gonna do." Shizune asked.
"Right. So basically, we're going to talk to the leader of Kusa, Kyabetsu, to convince him that we can offer him something to replace Karin-chan." Izumi responded.
"And how are we going to do that? What does he want? What is he like?" Shizune asked.
"Well… to be honest he's a bit of a prideful person. He has a bit of an inferiority complex and demands respect. He tries to get respect through wealth and tries to leverage as much money as he can with his shrewd trade deals and other dealings." Izumi explained.
"Do you think we can just buy our way through? That would be really convenient." Naruto wondered.
Izumi shook her head. "I did say he likes money, but he's also prideful. He doesn't want to be seen as someone who is easily moved by money, even if he kinda might be. No, he'll want something on top of the money, so it doesn't look like he's just selling village assets. He'll want something else in return."
"Something else?" Shizune asked.
"That's where you come in, Shizune-san. You'll be our main bargaining chip." Izumi told her with a smirk.
"Ehhh?"
At the gates of Kusa in the evening, 2 days later
The Chunin stationed in front of the gates of the village kept glancing at the clock, as their daytime shifts would soon be over, and another team would be coming to relieve them of their duty.
"Still only 5? Sheesh. I can't wait to get out of gate duty for today so I can go to the bar. Maybe today is the day I get lucky and get one of the hotties to talk to me, eh? What do you think?" One of the gate guards told his friend.
The other Chunin laughed. "I don't know man. The way you keep stuttering when you see the "hotties" makes me doubt your chances."
The first Chunin clicked his tongue in annoyance. "And you? You can't even keep eye contact! Don't act like you're some expert with the ladies!"
The other Chunin was about argue back when he saw dust approaching them from a distance.
"Hey, what's that?" He asked his friend.
The first Chunin's hand reached for his kunai holster. "I'm not sure but it looks like somebody is coming to Kusa. What they're here for, I'm not sure, but the way they're basically charging here makes me feel uncomfortable."
"Nobody is dumb enough to attack a whole village. We'll see what this is all about."
A few seconds later, their questions were answered when three shinobi skidded to a halt.
*pant*
"Geez Naruto, are you happy now?"
*pant*
"Not everyone has your stamina, you know. Goodness. I'm so freaking tired. Can't believe we ran the whole time." Izumi complained.
"Hey, isn't that Izumi-san?" The second gate guard pointed out.
"Oh. Hey guys! It's been a while!" Izumi was still bent over with her hands on her knees to catch her breath, before she gave them a tired wave as she greeted them.
"H-hi Izumi-s-san…" The first gate guard greeted as he blushed.
Shizune spent less time on active shinobi than even Izumi, so she was even worse off.
"Got… to… get… more… fit…" She panted out. "This definitely isn't normal. Or necessary." She added.
"You guys need to stop complaining. Let's get going. If we're lucky, we might be able to get everything done today so we can head back tomorrow. We've already wasted enough time at that inn yesterday." Naruto told his two companions, seemingly perfectly fine from the long distance they practically sprinted to get here as quickly as possible.
The second gate guard went to the three Konoha shinobi and collected their identification documents. "What is your business in Kusa? We didn't hear anything about anyone coming today."
"We had some business to discuss with Kyabetsu-sama." Izumi answered back.
"Kyabetsu-sama?" The first Chunin asked.
Izumi nodded in confirmation.
"I'll go alert him of your presence. Please wait here a moment."
When the first Chunin left, the second one escorted the 3 travelers to the gate house nearby.
"Here. Please wait for a moment while we get a response on how to direct you." He told them.
Izumi nodded with a smile as she sat down on a couch inside and pointed to the other couches to indicate to her two companions to also sit down.
Shizune was grateful for the chance to rest her legs and quickly sat down and leaned into her couch.
Naruto sat down as well, but he was feeling impatient. He bounced his knees up and down impatiently as he waited for the gate guard to come back with some response.
He sighed as he kept looking out the window for any sign of the man's return.
The second gate guard came back with a teapot and 3 cups on a tray.
"Please, have some tea as you wait." He told them as he handed Izumi a cup.
"Thanks!" Izumi replied. "Try the tea, Shizune-san! Kusa has some pretty great tea if you ask me!"
Shizune nodded and reached out to grab her tea.
The gate guard looked away shyly as he handed her a cup. "H-hope you like it."
Shizune responded with a smile. "Thank you. I'm sure I will. It smells great!"
The Kusa Chunin quickly turned away from Shizune with a blush and offered Naruto the last cup.
"I'm ok. I don't have time to be drinking tea anyway." Naruto responded.
"It's rude to refuse tea the hosts offer you in Kusa, Naruto. They take these welcoming protocols pretty seriously." Izumi told Naruto.
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Fine. Thank you."
He brusquely took the cup from the tray and downed it in one gulp.
The Kusa Chunin was shocked. "Hey! That's hot tea! Are you ok?"
Naruto shrugged. He replied back with, "I'm good," with steam coming out of his mouth as he spoke.
Izumi rolled her eyes. "Geez Naruto. Have some patience, will you? You have to relax and enjoy things sometimes."
Naruto ignored her and kept looking out the window. He didn't have time to relax. He wanted to get this done quickly and get back home. 2 days here and 2 days back would mean that he'd already wasted close to a week of training time with his Genin, who only had a few weeks left until he'd become Hokage and they'd become Chunin, if things went well for them.
The sun looked like it would set soon, and then he'd have to waste another day in negotiations. No. He wanted, no, NEEDED to have the meeting with the leader of Kusa today.
Izumi shook her head as Shizune watched the two interact as she sipped on her delicious tea. It was clear Naruto did not want to be here.
Izumi and Shizune began to chat with the Chunin who couldn't seem meet their eyes for a few minutes before Naruto got up from his seat.
"They're here."
The first gate guard escorted a man dressed in a robe to the Konoha delegation.
"Ah! Good to see you, Izumi-san! It has been a while. It's great to meet you two as well!" The robed man greeted as he stepped into the guard house.
"Habu-san! Good to see you! How are your wife and kids?" Izumi asked as she got up with a smile and greeted the man.
"They're doing quite well. My little Shisho-chan has just entered the academy a few months ago!"
While Izumi and Habu chatted, Naruto grew more and more impatient. He didn't have time for all this formality and useless talking. Every moment they wasted here, the less of a chance they'd have to talk to the leader of Kusa today.
Naruto loudly cleared his throat.
"Ah! Sorry about that. I was too caught up catching up with a familiar face. It's nice to meet you too. I'm Habu. And you are?"
"Naruto. Is your leader still in his office?"
Izumi and Shizune looked at Naruto before giving each other a look of concern, while Habu looked back at Izumi before looking at Naruto again.
"Umm… yes he is." Habu responded, not knowing what Naruto was getting at.
"Great! Let's go talk to him now then. You two can catch up on the way to his office, right?" Naruto asked.
"To Kyabetsu-sama's office?" Habu asked. "It's quite late in the day, and you've just arrived after a long journey. Don't you want to go to your accommodations first, and meet him tomorrow?"
"Yeah Naruto. Let's just meet him tomorrow. We're all dusty and sweaty from our trip here, and we don't want to meet him like this do we? I sure don't, and I'm sure Shizune-san would enjoy a wash as well." Izumi commented, and Shizune nodded.
"We're all shinobi here. I'm sure he won't mind if you stink a little. Besides, it won't take too long. We just need to agree on a couple things, and we'll be good. I don't have time to waste here." Naruto responded. "Habu-san, can you take us to Kyabetsu-sama right now?"
Habu was slightly taken aback at Naruto's rudeness and lack of tact, and glanced over at Izumi unsurely, before he responded.
"This… is quite unusual, but I suppose we can greet him today. He only has an hour before he's out for the day though, so I'm not sure on how much you'll be able to accomplish."
"Don't worry about that. Just lead us." Naruto told Habu as he headed for the door.
After Naruto exited, Habu gave Izumi a look of confusion before he followed Naruto out.
Izumi sighed. "Freaking Naruto. Why does he have to be so impatient? Let's go Shizune-san. We have to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, ok?"
Shizune nodded as she followed Izumi out.
"What a bastard." The first gate guard commented after the Konoha delegation left.
"Hmmm. Tell me about it." The second guard replied with a strange smile.
"What are you all smiley about anyway?" The first guard asked.
"While you were out reporting to Kyabetsu-sama, I had a GREAT time with Izumi-san getting to know her cute friend, Shizune-san."
The first guard punched the air. "Damn it! I knew I should have sent you instead!"
"And if you did? You probably would have stuttered the whole time anyway." The second guard joked.
"Ah shut up with your smug mug, and just tell me about them. Are they single?"
At the Leader of Kusa's Office
Kyabetsu was reading through some scrolls at his desk when there was a knock on his door.
"Kyabetsu-sama? There are some guests from Konoha that want to see you." His secretary informed him through the door.
"Hmmm?" Kyabetsu wondered at he looked at the clock in his office. It was past 5:30, and he'd be done with work for the day soon. Why were they here? He had sent Habu to escort them to their accommodations, not to bring them here.
"Kyabetsu-sama?" The secretary called, unsure if he heard her due to the lack of response.
"Send them in, Kuroba-san." Kyabetsu told his secretary as he rolled up the scroll.
Naruto came in shortly followed by the others, who didn't look so happy, and gave Kyabetsu a bow.
"Nice to meet you, Kyabetsu-sama. I am Uzumaki Naruto of Konoha."
"Ah. The clan head of the renown Uzumaki Clan, eh?" Kyabetsu said a little sarcastically, as he wasn't pleased with how Naruto had taken the liberty to keep a Kusa asset at his house without permission.
He then turned to look at Shizune. "And you are?"
Shizune gave him a deep bow before responding. "I am Kato Shizune. It is an honor to meet you, Kyabetsu-sama."
Kyabetsu nodded as he gave her a polite but subtle smile. "Nice to meet you, Shizune-san."
He then turned to Izumi and gave her a slightly more genuine smile. "Izumi-san! It's good to see you again!"
Izumi responded with a smile and a bow. "Likewise, Kyabetsu-sama. I had been wondering how Kusa had been doing since the last time I was here, and it seems like it's been thriving under your guidance! That hotel in the square wasn't here the last time I was here, and it looks like my favorite teashop got a renovation!"
Kyabetsu's smile grew with Izumi's flattery. "Well, we've had some good fortune as of late, I suppose."
Naruto started getting impatient and crossed his arms as he waited for them to finish up with their pleasantries.
Kyabetsu noticed this and turned his attention to Naruto. "So, how can I help you?"
Naruto was glad he could finally get to business after what seemed like hours of useless chatting. "I was wondering if we could get down to business, since time is in short demand."
The leader of Kusa looked over at Izumi to figure out what was going on, because the other Konoha shinobi that had come before had usually been more willing to stick to the cultural norms of Kusa and do things at their pace.
"By business, you mean-"
"Negotiations about the transferal of my clansman, Uzumaki Karin." Naruto quickly blurted out, cutting Kyabetsu off.
"Ah. Of course. But this couldn't wait until tomorrow?" Kyabetsu asked.
Izumi could already see this was starting off on the wrong foot, so tried to step in and salvage the situation.
"I think that could work great. Maybe we should just come back tomorrow after we've had time to freshen up after our trip." Izumi suggested, with Shizune nodding in agreement.
However, Naruto was feeling the time crunch and wanted to avoid pointless wastes of time.
"Can't we just get it done today? There's still a lot of time left in the day. Why put off until tomorrow what we can do today? I don't really want to waste time if we don't have to."
"Fine. I suppose we'll do it your way. Let's go to the meeting room then." Kyabetsu said with the friendliness in his voice now gone.
He went over to the door, followed by Habu and his ANBU guard, and headed towards the meeting room.
As Naruto followed them out, Izumi grabbed him roughly by the arm.
"Remember Naruto, I'm the head negotiator here. You're making things difficult by being so rude and impatient." She hissed in his ear.
Naruto raised his hands to show that he was backing off. "Sure thing. Go negotiate. I was just trying to help you speed things along. The pleasantries were wasting so much time."
Izumi's eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "That's how you make friends, Naruto. By being willing to listen to people and empathize."
"Well, good thing I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to reclaim my family." Naruto replied before he left Izumi to follow the Kusa leader.
Izumi sighed. Why couldn't he see that making friends could help him?
Back in Konoha in Training Ground 7
"Alright. Now you can take a quick break." Kakashi told the exhausted Genin of Team 7.
The 3 collapsed to the ground, with the three of them immediately reaching for their pouches to drink some water.
Anko walked over to Kakashi and took a seat by him. "Geez Kakashi. You're training these kids like they're ANBU. Cut them some slack, will you?"
"Hmmm? Like ANBU? A shinobi is a shinobi. There's no need to make these classifications. I'm just doing a favor for my favorite kouhai by training them, and I intend to do a good job, so I don't get Naruto on my ass." Kakashi replied.
Anko looked over and saw the curse seals on Hinata and Sasuke's neck and felt sorry for them. She knew how her life had changed since that bastard Orochimaru put that cursed hickey on her neck and felt like they were somehow kindred spirits now.
Sasuke looked up and saw Anko and began go pale. "Y-you! What are you doing here?"
"Save your breath, brat, you'll need it. And don't worry about me. I'm just here to work on the princess over here." Anko told Sasuke as she pointed at Hinata.
"A-again?" Hinata asked.
"Yup. I'mma be working on you to make you into a complete bad ass so you can win this whole exam while Kashi works on making Sasuke-chan strong enough to not be so scared of a cute little woman like me." Anko replied.
"How about me?" Narumi asked. "Who's my trainer?
"Well Naruto wanted you to work on your family stuff, and we can't really help you with that. You'll just have to train on getting it down on your own until Naruto returns." Kakashi told Narumi.
Narumi grumbled as she walked over to Karin who was working on some seal basics with a scroll.
"This sucks. I wish Naruto nii-chan was here. Narumi complained.
"Look, you've been complaining a lot recently, but let me tell you, Naruto would like nothing more than to be here himself. But he's a shinobi, so he endures and does what he must. If you want to be a Chunin, you're gonna have to learn to stop complaining and understand that this is what shinobi do. We endure to achieve our goals. If you're tired of trying, you can just go home now." Kakashi told Narumi, a little harshly.
"Geez, Kakashi. She's obviously frustrated from her lack of progress. You don't need to be so harsh. Can't you help her out?" Anko told Kakashi.
"Look, this is the way Naruto told me to do it, ok? I'm already on edge from not being able to read Icha Icha for days now, so don't push me." Kakashi replied.
"Alright now. Break time is over. Get up." He told Sasuke and Hinata who sighed and got up.
Anko looked over at Narumi in concern, but she smiled when she saw Narumi.
Kakashi's speech had apparently been effective in inspiring her, and the determination on her face was apparent. She went back over to Karin and went to the storage scroll again.
At the Meeting Room in Kusa
"Alright. You wanted to get down to business, so let's get down to business." Kyabetsu told Naruto as he took his seat.
Izumi gave Naruto a glare, as a warning to remind him to behave and let her do her work.
"Sorry about everything being so rushed, Kyabetsu-sama. My teammate was a little over eager. I hope you understand." Izumi told Kyabetsu.
"Mhmm. I see." Kyabetsu replied, still a little peeved at Naruto's lack of etiquette. "So, let's hear what Uzumaki-sama has to say about these negotiations."
"I'm actually in charge of the negotiations regarding the transferal of Uzumaki Karin, so if you don't mind, I'll be reading Hokage-sama's offer to you." Izumi replied.
"Alright. Tell me." Kyabetsu replied.
"In addition to better trade deals with Konoha as offered before, Hokage-sama added another offer, as he understands Karin-san's value to your village." Izumi began.
"Oh? Is that so? What would that offer be?" Kyabetsu asked.
"Hokage-sama recognizes that Karin-san is valuable as a medical asset. That's why he's offering to help massively improve your medical system."
"And what's wrong with our medical system? And Karin's abilities are irreplicable. What can Konoha possibly teach us to replace someone like her?" Kyabetsu asked.
Izumi turned to gesture towards Shizune who gave a shy wave.
"This here is Shizune. She's Tsunade-sama's apprentice and is most likely the 2nd best medic in the world." Izumi told Kyabetsu.
Kyabetsu looked Shizune up and down and turned back to Izumi. "While I am impressed that someone so young is so talented, I'm not seeing what exactly it is that you're offering."
"Karin's ability to heal people with her chakra is admittedly pretty amazing. However, she's quite limited in what she is able to do, as she can only treat people who are immediately around her. And as her abilities are based on her chakra, she is only as effective when she has enough chakra." Izumi explained.
"Meanwhile, Shizune-san's brain is filled with all kinds of medical knowledge. And you know how advanced Konoha's medical system is due to Tsunade-sama's contribution. Shizune is basically Tsunade-sama's walking medical journal. Though Tsunade-sama might be able to perform some things better, Shizune has an advanced working knowledge of almost everything Tsunade-sama knows." She added.
"So, you're saying Shizune-san will teach our medics her knowledge?" Kyabetsu guessed.
"Precisely. Obviously, she can't teach you everything, as some things take too long to teach or some things are specific to the equipment or materials you have access too, but she can still almost completely overhaul the medical system in Kusa to be closer to that of Konoha. Plus, she's a master in toxicology, being able to create all sorts of poisons and antidotes. I've heard her being compared to Chiyo of Suna from some people." Izumi explained.
Shizune blushed at the praise.
Kyabetsu was impressed as he gave Shizune a second look. With the abundance of exotic plants in Kusa, poison was a huge part of their military ideology and strategies. Shizune's knowledge in developing and treating poisons would be hugely beneficial.
"That's quite impressive." He responded. "However, as great as knowledge is, knowledge doesn't give us bloodlines. While Karin is currently only one person, she can have multiple offspring to carry on her bloodline."
Naruto bristled at the way Kyabetsu talked about his clansman like they were some livestock to be bred.
"Unlike Konoha which is known for having numerous bloodlines, we don't have any. I'm not sure Shizune-san's knowledge, though impressive, can make up for a bloodline." Kyabetsu reasoned.
"Of course. I understand, Kyabetsu-sama. There's no way to replace someone like that. However, we are offering to make up for the lost medical value she brings." Izumi acknowledged. "We are trying to bring a family back together here, Kyabetsu-sama. Please help us. We can add other things in to make this noble sacrifice worth it for Kusa."
Naruto was annoyed that Izumi framed the situation like Kyabetsu was doing them a favor instead of making a fair exchange. Karin was worth very little to Kusa anyway, and he knew Kyabetsu was just milking the situation to get the most he could and cared very little about Karin herself.
"What are these other things you refer to?" Kyabetsu asked.
"In addition to better trade deals and medical training, we could offer some money." Izumi began.
"Are you trying to bribe me?" Kyabetsu asked, seeming to take offense.
"A bribe? Of course not! We know better than to offer a bribe to an honorable man like yourself! Please let me continue my explanation so I can clear up any misunderstandings. What I was offering were funds. Funds that can be used to expand the medical infrastructure of Kusa. I'm sure funds equivalent to several S-rank missions could go a long way in improving the village like you have already been doing, right? Think of how appreciative the villagers would be!" Izumi quickly explained, sneaking in some flattery to stoke the man's ego.
"Ah. Of course. I was too hasty. You do bring up great point, Izumi-san. As usual. The village could benefit from some extra funds." Kyabetsu imagined how he would ingratiate himself to the villagers and leave a legacy as someone who brought Kusa into greatness.
Besides, the pay for an S-rank mission was no small amount. Especially for a small village like Kusa, which mostly got B-rank missions. It was a very tempting offer.
"Money is great, but money comes and goes. If we're giving away a valuable asset, we want assets back instead." Habu, who had been quiet until this moment, added on.
"Hmm? Oh. Yes of course. Assets. Are there any other assets you can add on top of this?" Kyabetsu asked.
Naruto was really miffed now. But it seemed like they were getting close to an agreement, so he decided to make his own offer.
"I could teach you some seals."
"That's a pretty great offer. Uzumaki seals are known to be very powerful." Habu commented.
"Splendid. Let's add that to the list. Any other assets you can offer?" Kyabetsu asked.
This was too much for Naruto. This greedy bastard was asking for too much. "How much do you want for a Genin? Half of Konoha? She's part of the Uzumaki Clan, so she should be under MY jurisdiction anyway!"
Izumi and Shizune's jaws dropped at Naruto's outburst. Negotiations had been going well with all the things being offered being comparatively trivial for a major village like Konoha to offer, but Naruto was throwing a wrench into the negotiations with his rash behavior.
What little cordial atmosphere that was in the room was immediately extinguished.
"Oh, is that so? Is that why you saw it fit to kidnap her illegally? Or is it because Konoha is one of the big 5 that they can treat us minor villages like their lackeys? Tell me, does Karin's allegiance belong to Kusa first or the Uzumaki Clan first?" Kyabetsu asked Naruto with a cold glare.
"She shouldn't have been here anyway! The Uzumaki are a Konoha-based clan! She belongs with her family!" Naruto yelled.
"It sounds like you're saying clan comes over the village, Uzumaki-san. A dangerous ideology. From what I've heard, the Uchiha clan once shared your sentiments." Kyabetsu mentioned, hinting that he had a guess as to why the Uchiha were almost wiped out.
"You bastard! How dare you talk like that about things you don't know!" Naruto growled, rising to his feet as he slammed the table.
The ANBU around the room drew their weapons at Naruto's threatening demeanor towards their leader.
Naruto smirked. Like any of these shmucks could lay a hand on him if they tried. His eyes darted around, daring any of them to move an inch as he released a huge surge of killing intent.
The tension in the room was stifling. The negotiations had really gone to hell right now.
"Naruto! Behave yourself!" Izumi grabbed Naruto's shoulders and forcefully sat him down.
"And that goes for the rest of you too!" She growled as her onyx eyes turned red as her Sharingan revealed themselves.
The authority in her voice that she was somehow able to project, and her taking control of Naruto made the Kusa ANBU back down.
Izumi deactivated her Sharingan and gave Kyabetsu a deep bow. "I apologize on behalf of my teammate. His behavior was inexcusable, but I promise you he's usually a more pleasant person. He's just extremely tired and stressed out. He was in no condition to be a part of any negotiation today, but I made a mistake by not communicating that with him better. I hope you can forgive me, Kyabetsu-sama." Izumi apologized.
While he didn't show it, Kyabetsu had heard about Naruto's reputation and was a little scared when Naruto released his killing intent. He was secretly glad Izumi deescalated the situation and gave him a way out with dignity. He decided to make himself look magnanimous by letting this slight towards him pass.
"I suppose my words may have been a little presumptuous. Why don't we stop the negotiations today, and pick back up tomorrow when everyone is more rested and less irritated?" Kyabetsu suggested.
"That is a wonderful idea, Kyabetsu-sama. We will heed to your wisdom and go to our accommodations and enjoy Kusa's famous hospitality." Izumi replied back with a disarming smile on her face which always did the trick of making people feel less concerned.
"Shizune-san was dying to know if the rumors that the hot springs in Kusa were second only to Yugakure were true. Isn't that right, Shizune-san?" Izumi asked.
Shizune had never said anything of the sort and was caught off guard. But she knew what Izumi was trying to do, so she gave a nervous smile and nodded. "O-of course! I've been aching from our long journey here after all!"
"Excellent. Habu-san, please escort our guests to their accommodations and show them the way to our famous onsen, will you?" Kyabetsu ordered Habu.
"Of course, Kyabetsu-sama." Habu responded. "Come, follow me." He told the Konoha shinobi as they followed him out.
"We're going to have a chat about this." Izumi growled into Naruto's ear.
Naruto felt a chill going up his spine. Izumi had never talked to him like that before, and it was actually kind of scary. Besides, he knew he had messed up by letting his emotions get to him, which could have ruined the whole negotiation.
Back in Konoha, with Narumi and Karin
"Yay! You're a genius, Karin-chan! That was a breakthrough! I think if I practice just a little bit more, I can master it!" Narumi shouted as she jumped in the air with her fist punching the air in victory.
"Ugh… I'm so tired." Karin whined as she walked back home with Narumi. "Craning over scrolls and writing all day is making my back and arms sore."
Narumi scratched the back of her head as she wondered what it was like to be sore. "Hmmm… I remember Naruto nii-chan saying taking a hot bath helped with soreness, but I never really get sore, so I don't know…"
"OMG! Please! Can we go to a bathhouse? I used to go to the bathhouse in Kusa all the time!" Karin asked Narumi.
"Sure! Why not! I heard the bathhouse has some great snacks too!" Narumi replied as she led Karin to a bathhouse she had passed by several times.
Some time later, at the bathhouse
Narumi had let Karin go into the onsen first, while she went out to get some snacks.
"I heard the Wagashi is good here… What should I get? Some Monaka? Or maybe get some Dango?" She debated with herself as she headed towards the shop, when she thought she heard something.
"Hehehe… it's been a while since I've been here, and boy are the women here still as beautiful as I remember. There's something about kunoichi's and their firm bodies that civilians just can't replicate! Although those soft civilian bodies have their own charm too…"
Narumi was horrified at what she heard and went towards the voice to see who this weirdo was.
When she went through some bushes, she found a strange large man with long, white spikey hair, peeping into the onsen through a hole in the wall around it.
"OH MY GOSH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! YOU PERVERT!" Narumi screamed.
The man leapt at her faster than she could react and clamped his hand over her mouth as he escaped the scene with her.
When they were a short distance away from the bathhouse, he let her go.
"Geez, what was that all about! You almost got me caught!"
"Ummm… that was KIND OF THE POINT! YOU PERVERT!" Narumi screamed back.
"I'm not a pervert! I'm a super pervert!" The man replied back.
Narumi was taken aback. Not only had she never seen a grown up say something so childish, but she was shocked that he was so open with his creepy behavior.
"Wha- what the heck? What kind of weirdo are you? Who let you in here in the first place?"
The man grinned as got into a strange stance.
"I'm no weirdo! And I don't need permission to come into Konoha either! I'm the Gallant Jiraiya! Sage of Mount Myoboku and one of the Sannin!" The man declared in a loud voice as he jumped up, clapped the geta on his feet together, and landed in some showy stance.
Narumi felt a drop of sweat form on her forehead. Perhaps Tsunade baa-chan needed to look into his brain, preferably after opening up his skull with her bare hands.
"Ummm… ok…" Narumi replied, not knowing how else to respond to this flamboyant man.
Jiraiya maintained his stance for a couple seconds, waiting for Narumi to show more of a response until it got awkward.
"That's it? That's all you have to say to my introduction?" Jiraiya asked.
"I mean… 3 out of 10 on the theatrics, I guess?" Narumi answered back, not sure if that was what he meant.
"3 out of 10? Geez kid! Stingy with the points! I'd say that was at least a solid 7!" Jiraiya replied back.
Narumi shrugged. "Sorry. I'm just not that impressed."
"Really? You know how hard it is to learn all these Kabuki stances? I had to find someone in the capital to learn that! Getting that geta clap down was also- wait, that's not even the point! Don't you know who I am? Is that how you react to someone of my caliber?" Jiraiya asked in exaggerated exasperation.
"Ummm… you were… Shirai? Sorry, I couldn't really hear you with all the other stuff you were yelling out." Narumi told the bewildered man.
"Jiraiya! It's Jiraiya!" The white-haired man yelled out. "You know, like, Jiraiya of the Sannin? A hero of Konoha?"
Narumi rubbed her chin as she tried to remember if she had ever heard of someone like that.
"Hmmm… sorry. Doesn't really ring a bell. Though to be fair, I'm not the best at remembering random useless facts." Narumi told Jiraiya, with no intent to be offensive, although Jiraiya was taken aback.
"Random? Useless? You mean you don't know of the Sannin? The Sandaime's legendary students?" Jiraiya asked.
"Waiittt… I think I might remember something…" Narumi began.
"Good! Of course you do. I know Konoha wouldn't not teach the children about their heroes." Jiraiya replied.
"I don't know about all that hero business, but I think Tsunade baa-chan said she was a Sannin or something like that, but she didn't really go into it that much."
Jiraiya grabbed his belly as he laughed out loud. "Hah! Tsunade baa-chan! I bet she loves that, doesn't she!"
Narumi smirked. "Oh, you have no idea."
"You're pretty funny, kid." Jiraiya told Narumi as he wiped a tear out of his eye.
"Thanks. But don't think I forgot you're a super weirdo." Narumi replied. "Anyway, it was interesting meeting you, but I gotta go now. I have to train for the Chunin exams with Karin-chan after our bath. And don't you dare peep this time!"
Jiraiya raised his hands in surrender. "Woah hold your horses there, kid. Jiraiya-sama loves women and women love him, but he's not a pedophile, ok?"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. You can prove that by not peeping on some young girls."
"Hey! I've got no interest in some brats like you ok!" Jiraiya yelled out. "Speaking of being young though, did you say something about training for the Chunin Exams? Aren't you a bit young for that? You don't look like you can be older than 13."
"I'm 12 actually. And yes, I am participating in the Chunin Exams. My whole team is. Apparently, we're one of the first rookie teams to have all the members to make it to the final round!" Narumi told Jiraiya as she puffed out her chest in pride.
"You're a rookie? And Sarutobi-sensei let your whole team enter? What is he thinking! That was so dangerous! Who's your sensei? What kind of sensei would do something so risky?" Jiraiya said in shock.
"Hey! Don't talk about my sensei like that! That's my brother we're talking about!" Narumi yelled back.
"Oh yeah? And who's your brother?" Jiraiya asked.
"Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto! And he's the best sensei, so back off!" Narumi shouted back aggressively.
When Jiraiya heard that name, he felt a pang of guilt shooting throughout his heart. The boy who was a spitting image of his beloved student. The boy who was supposed to grow up with the most privilege but grew up as one of the poorest. The boy who was forced to become an adult at the age of 8. The boy he had failed.
He now realized that the girl in front of him was a mirror image of Kushina. Another child he had failed.
"My bad, kid. I was out of line." Jiraiya responded with a more serious tone.
Narumi saw his sudden change in countenance and sensed a deep sorrow in him, so she softened her tone.
"It's alright. I mean, it was pretty dangerous after all. But we're tougher than you think! My brother trained us well!"
"Is that right? And you're gonna go train with him again after your bath?" Jiraiya asked.
Narumi shook her head. "No… It's just me and Karin-chan. Naruto nii-chan is away on a mission right now…"
"Sarutobi-sensei sent him on a mission when you have the final round of your Chunin Exams coming up in a few weeks? That's… unusual…"
Narumi sighed. "Yeah… it sucks. But I'm a kunoichi, so I'll have to just deal with it, and do my best until he comes back."
Jiraiya smiled at her words. "That's quite mature of you, kid. You're sounding like a Chunin already."
Narumi smiled back. "Thanks! But by the way, I'm not kid. I'm Narumi!"
Jiraiya ruffled her hair. "Got it, kid."
Narumi rolled her eyes.
"You know what? I like you. Why don't I help you train until your brother comes back?" Jiraiya offered.
Narumi gave him a doubtful side glance. "Ummm… I mean… thanks but, what can you even train me in? Do you even know how I fight?"
Jiraiya showed her his upturned palm. He was going to show her her father's legacy.
"How about I teach you a powerful jutsu?" He offered.
Narumi watched as Jiraiya's chakra began to visibly swirl in his palm until it formed an orb.
"Pretty cool huh? This is an A-rank jutsu developed by the Yondaime himself!" Jiraiya told Narumi in order to entice her.
However, he was a little surprised when she didn't seem to be all that impressed.
"Come on, kid. You're telling you this isn't impressive either? Geez what does it take to impress you!?"
Narumi shrugged. "I mean its cool. I would have been impressed a few days ago. Or maybe even a few hours ago."
She then formed a clone and began forming a spinning orb of chakra on her hand with her clone.
"Wha- what the… Kage Bunshin? AND the Rasengan? What kind of Genin are you? How do you know how to do this?" Jiraiya asked in shock.
"I mean… it is my father's jutsu after all. If anything, I'm wondering how YOU know how to do it." Narumi told Jiraiya as she dispelled the Rasengan and her clone.
Jiraiya opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. What was he supposed to say? It really seemed like Naruto hadn't told her anything about him, which meant that Naruto likely didn't like him at all. And it wouldn't be Naruto's fault either. Jiraiya knew he had messed up, too busy dealing with his own grief to take care of his late student's children, and he had always made some excuse for himself to not come back to Konoha.
"I-I was his sensei." Jiraiya finally managed to say. "And he taught it to me."
Narumi raised an eyebrow. "His sensei? And he's the one teaching you? Are you sure he wasn't the sensei?"
Jiraiya let out a small chuckle. It seemed like Narumi was just like Kushina, able to lighten any atmosphere.
"Well, it sure sounds like it, doesn't it." He replied.
"Anyway, if that's all you were gonna teach me, I don't think I'll need your help." Narumi told Jiraiya.
Jiraiya couldn't let her go like that. He had been absent from her life for too long. He desperately wanted to make up for it in any way possible.
"Wait! I can teach you something else!"
"Hmm? And what would that be?"
Jiraiya began weaving a sequence of hand seals.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu! (Summoning Technique)"
There was poof of smoke, and when that began to settle, Narumi saw the silhouette of Jiraiya standing on the head of what looked like a giant frog.
Narumi swore she could hear what sounded like Kabuki music playing the background.
"You really thought that was the only thing I can teach you? I'm Jiraiya! The Toad Sage!" He announced as he got into another stance.
"Froggy!" Narumi squealed as she ran towards the "Frog" that Jiraiya was standing on top of.
"It's a toad, kid." Jiraiya said in a dead pan delivery.
"Frog, toad, whatever. Still cute!" Narumi told Jiraiya as she petted the giant toad.
"You can teach me to do that too?" Narumi asked as she looked at Jiraiya.
Jiraiya gave her a smirk. "Of course! That's just a tiny bit of what I can do!"
Narumi rubbed her palms together. "Now we're talking…"
Jiraiya could see he had her hooked. Finally, he could begin his path to redemption, he thought.
"Oh. And by the way. That entrance was much better. I'd say 6 out of 10." Narumi commented.
"6!? I summoned a giant toad and danced on its head and that's all I get?"
Narumi shrugged. "And it's mostly from the toad too."
Jiraiya face palmed. This girl was a tough cookie to impress.
*Author's Note*
Hey! It's been a long time since I last uploaded! Sorry about that. Hope you guys enjoyed the latest chapter though! I'm excited to write this Kusa arc, so I hope its something you guys can enjoy!
Also, Jiraiya finally comes back into the picture! A lot of you guys were wondering when he would be coming back, but here he is! Hope you guys are happy to see him.
Anyway, thanks for reading the story! Hope you guys enjoyed the latest chapter and let me know if you have any questions or have any comments! I really appreciate the feedback for each chapter!
I hope you guys all stay safe and have a great day! Until next time!