Author's Notes: Well... More lack of motivation on my part later... And here we are! The chapter has finally been written, and I apologize for the delays. I won't say too much, since it's a little personal, but a few health issues have hampered my updates. Hopefully, these issues will be resolved soon.
Review Responses
TigrezzTail: Indeed, Naruto did pretty much just take his frustrations out on Konohamaru.
The Baz: Yup, wanted to make a reference.
YeagerMeister31: Well... I do intend to have Naruto get lucky eventually, whilst I do have future plans for Sasuke(Can't confirm if it'll be positive).
Dragon and Sword Master: Thanks a lot, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Mikeblade: In summary, if you don't like what you're reading, stop.
bibink729: As much as that is a tempting proposition, I'd prefer to keep this story a single-pairing.
SPark681: Well... I won't say too much, but I suppose it's prudent to say that nothing stays a secret forever.
Nithi velu: Glad you enjoyed the Naruto/Haku moment. As for the 'bashing', I would consider that section character development, as Sasuke would now know that he is not a match for Naruto, and that there is room for improvement, even if he did come off as snobbish.
zachosg7: Thank you, glad you found it interesting.
Lightblade1121: Well, I'm glad to hear that you did!
"Talking"
'Thinking'
"'Talking or thinking by a Bijuu or berserk Jinchuuriki'"
Well... After who knows how long, let's get back to this story!
-Two Days Later, Dawn-
"Must you really go this early in the morning...?" Haku complained as she held onto Naruto, whilst the blond was busy getting dressed for the day.
"Yes, Haku-chan... I've explained why several times already..." Naruto replied as he slowly tried to pry Haku's hands off.
"Aww... Even on your birthday?" Haku mumbled as she slowly climbed up Naruto's back, placing her chin on his shoulder. "Are you sure you can't stay...? Even if I offer a special... Birthday Gift~?"
"Oh, you mean the same one that you wish I could've given you two days earlier?" Naruto teased back, turning the ice-user a deep shade of red.
"H-hey... That- I- T-That wasn't my intention! It... It was just in the moment!" Haku stammered, waving her arms about as she sat back on the bed.
"Yeah... Wouldn't it be very nice if... If we could just start with the moment again? Hmm? Right now?" Naruto asked, walking back towards her and lifting her chin with his fingers.
"S-stop! I... I'm not prepared!" Haku protested, her blush growing ever deeper as she looked away.
"Oh? And what does that tell us?" Naruto asked teasingly, leaning in closer to Haku as he did, "That means that you were prepared for it two nights ago... And that you were very much hoping for-"
"Alright! Enough!" Haku exclaimed, succumbing to the teasing as she buried her face in her pillow out of embarrassment, "I... I'll admit... I was hoping that we could... You know..."
"Aww... See? I finally got you to crack..." Naruto joked as he picked Haku back up before sitting on the bed next to her, hugging her gently soon after, whilst petting her on the back to try and calm her down. "Don't worry... Alright? I was just joking... We can take it at your pace..."
"I... I was well aware!" Haku retorted, even if she soon hugged him back, "It was all just a ploy to get you to hug me a bit more before leaving!"
"Oh, is that so?" Naruto teased, gently stroking her face as he pulled away from the hug, "I'll make sure to fall for your ploys more in the future then..."
"I... I'll be coming up with more... So don't worry..." Haku commented under her breath as she recuperated.
"I'll leave you to it, then," Naruto stated, giving Haku one last kiss on the cheek before leaping out of the window in their room, "And don't worry! I'll be having a peaceful morning!"
'And just like that... I'm already a mess...' Haku thought to herself as she watched Naruto leap away, his figure becoming smaller in the distance before vanishing entirely.
A few minutes went by, as the blond continued to make his way towards a place of significance to him. On the trip there, random thoughts flooded Naruto's mind. Was he being too hasty with his endeavor? Should he have spent some more time with Haku in the morning? Should he perhaps not be going to mourn his father, a man he has never technically met in person, on his birthday?
All these thoughts came to a quick end, however, as Naruto landed in front of a small cemetery dedicated to his father, alongside many others who had given their lives to build the world the blond, and everyone else were living in now. Eventually finding his father's grave, and sensing around for the presence of others in the area, the blond knelt before it, wiping the dust from his father's name before placing a few incense offerings in the designated spot.
"My apologies, father..." Naruto began to say, still kneeling before the grave as he did. "It took me a good fourteen years to find this place... And I greatly apologize for it. I'm so sorry for causing issues in your village... I have nothing but regret for having to partake in needless violence with those who revere you as their leader... I-"
"Oi! Ronin!" Came the voices of several Anbu as a few surrounded Naruto, who was still kneeling before Minato's grave, "You have a lot of nerve coming here... You dare desecrate the tomb of Lord Fourth?!"
"I've brought you incense sticks from the Land of Iron..." Naruto whispered under his breath as he stood back up, sensing the presence of four Anbu in total, "And how exactly have I desecrated the Fourth Hokage's grave?"
"You've used foreign incense sticks!" Another Anbu yelled, as Naruto shook his head in dismissal.
"And that's a problem?" Naruto asked back, "You sure you don't just hate me? And... Well, is Danzo paying you well?"
Now knowing that the gig was up, the disguised Root members withdrew their weapons, prepared to strike at Naruto the first chance they'd get, only for the blond to knock out the shinobi in front of him with a swift punch to the throat, grabbing him by the collar and suspending him halfway in the air before he'd collapse into any of the graves. Soon after, the blond found himself chased by the three remaining Root members, whilst now holding the unconscious one by the throat as he ran out of the cemetery, not wanting to cause any further disrespect than he already had.
'So much for a peaceful morning...' Naruto thought to himself, as he continued to run across the morning streets of Konoha, dodging any civilians on the way, not that there were many to begin with.
As he ran, Naruto ducked to the left, dodging kunai and shuriken from the three Root ninja behind him, before running onwards. Eventually, the blond came to a stop in the an opening of a forest, where he dropped the unconscious Root member before turning to face the three remaining members.
"Alright, you three..." Naruto began to say, unsheathing Muramasa as he did, "Easy way or the hard way?"
The three Root members gave no response, merely unsheathing their swords as Naruto did his.
"Well... Hard way it is," Naruto stated.
Without further warning, the three shinobi dashed towards the ronin, slashing at the blond to no avail as Naruto ducked under each of the attacks, dodging to the left for the last one before smacking the bottom of Muramasa's handle against the back of one of the Root Member's heads.
"One down, still not gonna take your chance to leave?" Naruto asked out, pulling Muramasa back into position
The two remaining shinobi stared at each other for a moment, before dashing forward regardless, slashing at the blond and engaging in a struggle for a moment, causing sparks to fly across their face as the blond's grin only grew ever wider.
"Probably should've taken my offer to run," Naruto commented, breaking the clash and spin-kicking one of the shinobi into a tree, before sending the shinobi's own blade into his shoulder, pinning him there and rendering him immobile, before turning to the final shinobi. "Still not gonna run-"
Naruto was never allowed to finish, as a blow from behind the Root Member would render him unconscious, prompting Naruto to sheathe his blade.
"I had him, sannin," Naruto stated coldly as he walked past Jiraiya.
"Quit acting like a whiny bitch for a moment," Jiraiya stated, placing a hand on the blond's shoulder, "I just want to talk."
"Yeah? Well, I was at my most vulnerable ten minutes ago... So you sure missed your opportunity." Naruto stated, before his body dissipated into a cloud of white smoke, revealing itself to be a clone.
'Clever brat...' Jiraiya thought to himself as he began the tedious process of retrieving all three of the unconscious Shinobi, intent of interrogating each of them personally.
-The Day After, Dusk-
"Have you found anything, ronin?" Yugao asked, having hopped around on each of Konoha's rooftops for a good three days by now.
"Patience, Neko-san..." Naruto replied as he sensed around the village, trying to find any semblance of Hayate's chakra that'd match the one of his handguard. "It's not exactly easy to find someone who's missing, y'know."
"But can't you just sense his chakra?" Yugao asked back, "It can't be that hard, right? Hayate's got a rather unique chakra presence..."
"That's... That's where it gets peculiar... I can't find anything... No matter where we are... I only seem to get vague hints..." Naruto explained as he sat on the top of a rooftop and sensed every single chakra signature in Konoha. "Why are you so eager to find him anyways?"
"I... Well, I want to get this mission over and done with... And, well... He's a rather close friend..." Yugao half-lied, something Naruto immediately noticed based on her unbalanced chakra based on her emotions.
"Just friends?" Naruto asked again, turning towards Yugao who was by now blushing slightly under her mask, "Your chakra tells me a different story."
"Really? You got all that from my chakra?" Yugao asked, deadpanning slightly.
"Maybe, maybe not. Point is... You're rather fond of him, aren't you?" Naruto questioned, standing up slowly as he did.
"I... What if I am? What could you possibly do with this information?" Yugao questioned right back, unsure of where Naruto was going to take this.
"... You might want to follow me..." Naruto mumbled as he slowly walked towards the edge of the roof, before leaping off to the neighboring roof, followed shortly behind by a confused Yugao.
"Hey... You gonna tell me what you found?" Yugao asked, slightly cautious in her tone as she now feared for the worst.
Naruto remained silent, only feeding into Yugao's fear of what may have happened as she continued to follow behind the blond. Eventually, the two came upon a wall, one which seemed perfectly normal from the outside.
"What... Why are we standing in front of a wall...?" Yugao asked, receiving no answer as the blond felt around the wall for a moment, before he turned towards the Anbu.
"You might want to stand back a little..." Naruto requested, not waiting for Yugao's answer as he stepped back and gently pushed Yugao a few steps back, before launching his fist forward, creating several cracks on the wall upon impact with it.
"Ummm... Ronin? Are you..." Yugao began to say, sounding rather confused as Naruto shook his head in response, merely taking her aside and up to a rooftop in front of the wall.
"Just... Just hold on a moment, alright?" Naruto requested.
A few seconds after Naruto had finished his statement, the building's door swung open as several Suna shinobi came dashing out, scouring the surrounding areas before one of them gave a signal, prompting a purple-clad, white-haired, glasses-wearing young man to walk out, alongside an imposing companion.
"One of them is Baki of the Sand... Isn't he? And the other...? Kabuto, Orochimaru's lapdog..." Naruto whispered as he sensed what was going on.
'Hmmm... Strange... A famed shinobi from a former allied nation and the pawn of a sworn enemy of Konoha, both meeting here... Could they be conspiring in regards to Konoha?' Yugao thought to herself, keeping completely calm and choosing not to engage for the moment.
"Just what was that noise? Another one of Konoha's rats?!" Baki questioned, prompting Yugao and Naruto to duck behind the structures of the rooftop to eliminate any off-chance they could be spotted, as a sand shinobi explained the situation, only to be sent to the ground with a punch from Baki. "You fools! Cracks in walls don't form without a trace! Search the area!"
Fearing further aggression from the jonin, the sand shinobi complied, each leaping off in their individual directions as Naruto and Yugao made their move, whilst Kabuto and Baki re-entered the building they had just left.
"That wasn't the most necessary act," Kabuto commented, referencing the shinobi Baki had struck.
"It was everything but unnecessary," Baki stated sternly, "Shinobi should be disciplined should they fail to accomplish basic tasks. In this regard, we cannot allow any more of Konoha's rats running around... Lest they end up like the one from a few days ago..."
'A few days ago... Wasn't that when Hayate went missing?' Naruto thought to himself, slowly piecing things together as Yugao did the same.
'Lest they end up like... I see... So that's what it is...' Yugao thought to herself, coming to a similar conclusion to Naruto as she silently unsheathed her sword, tears slowly streaming down her face as she did.
'Please don't do it...' Naruto thought to himself, sensing Yugao's flaring chakra and finding themselves to be in a less-than-favorable position, relative to their soon-to-be enemies. Nevertheless, the blond wrapped his fingers around Muramasa's handle, ready to take action should the need arise.
Seizing whatever advantage in terms of surprise they could have at the moment, Naruto and Yugao leaped out of their hiding spots, with Yugao's blade pointed at Baki's neck whilst Kabuto found himself at the end of Muramasa's edge.
'What the- Where did they come from?!' Baki thought to himself, thinking that his men would've found them before they'd even get close to entering.
'The ronin?! This is bad... Orochimaru-sama will not be pleased in the slightest...' Kabuto thought in turn, himself none too pleased with the situation.
"Evening gentlemen, you can tell us all about what you were doing here in the middle of the night later..." Naruto began to say in a strangely polite tone, "Right now, I'd like to know who the 'rat' you guys were talking about was, and what happened to him."
'Strange he's so polite... He must really know how to play a character...' Yugao thought, appearing calm whilst hiding away intense anger behind her mask.
"Rat? That little runt that couldn't stop coughing?" Baki mocked, as he stepped away slowly, "Caught me once in the shoulder..."
'No... It... It couldn't be... This bastard...' Yugao thought to herself, as Kabuto slowly stepped away from Naruto as well.
'Well... Things certainly did get more complicated...' Naruto thought as he pulled back his blade over his shoulder, preparing to attack at a moment's notice.
"... And it was the last thing he did." Baki sneered as he unsheathed a kunai and dashed towards Yugao.
"Definitely more complicated," Naruto remarked as he turned his attention towards Kabuto, "How's your master?"
"Not the worst, how's the scroll you stole?" Kaubto asked back, a soft blue glow taking shape over both of his hands.
"I wouldn't know, I gave it away," Naruto replied, irking Kabuto slightly as he dashed forward, dodging an attack from the purple-clad shinobi. "Why is Orochimaru here? Do all the sannin have a secret pact to make my life hell?"
"Oh, fear not..." Kabuto began to say, pushing his glasses up slightly, "Your presence here is most coincidental... If anything, it's to our advantage."
"Is it? Well, in that case, best I give you a fair fight," Naruto replied with a smirk, sheathing Muramasa and slipping into a stance, "Considering you are using chakra scalpels, and not a pair of regular ones."
Kabuto grinned for a moment, believing Naruto to be a fool as he dashed forward, plunging his right hand forward, only to miss completely when Naruto stepped to the left. The shinobi tried again, only to fail at meeting his mark once again, this time being met with a strike straight on his nose. Not to be dissuaded, Kabuto sent forth a flurry of strikes against Naruto, only for none of them to meet their mark.
"How... How are you not getting hit?" Kabuto questioned, only for Naruto to take advantage of an opening and land a kick on Kabuto's chin, sending him flying back onto the ground.
"Well, considering how linear your maneuvers are... It makes you very, very easy to predict..." Naruto stated, swinging his leg back and landing a kick at Kabuto who came out of the ground behind him, causing the clone before him to be dispelled. "As you can see for yourself..."
Without waiting for Kabuto's response, the blond reached downwards, grabbing the shinobi by his throat and holding him upwards, his fingers slowly tightening around the shinobi's throat as he did so.
"Now... Where is Hayate Gekko?" Naruto asked with a growl.
"O-out... K-Konoha..." Kabuto barely choked out, having difficulty to even breathe in the face of Naruto's tight grip, "T-tree..."
"Hmpf, good enough," Naruto stated, before slamming Kabuto into the table in the room, breaking the table and causing the shinobi to fall unconscious.
The blond brushed the dust off of his hands, before turning towards the clashing Yugao and Baki, sensing the situation as Yugao created two other clones of herself next to her, as Baki's eyes widened.
"I see... This technique, no wonder you're so interested in where that rat went," Baki mocked, dispelling both of Yugao's clones before grabbing onto Yugao's wrists moments before she would be able to slash straight into his face. "Do not worry... I'll be sure to send you where I sent him."
Yugao grit her teeth as Baki held up two fingers, emitting pulses of wind chakra out of his fingertips. The Anbu quickly shut her eyes, only for pain and death to never be granted to her.
"I've got you... Stay calm..." Naruto whispered calmly, placing Yugao on her feet after having carried her out of the way, "I've gotten what we came here for... Just relax, and we'll be out of here soon, alright?"
Seeing Naruto's strange, calm demeanor as somehow soothing, Yugao nodded, turning her face forward as she looked through the eye-holes of her mask, watching as Naruto faced Baki, unsheathing Muramasa as he poised it upward.
"Hmpf, another sword user? Konoha's employing this many? And to think, this one can't even see!" Baki taunted, pointing his fingers forward at Naruto, "Don't worry, kid... I'll make sure to end your suffering... And free you from this dark world you must live in..."
"Oh please... I'm used to it... In fact, it's the only constant in my life... But I am no Konoha Shinobi..." Naruto began to say, preparing himself as he sensed every tiny bit of chakra all around him.
"That's enough of your rambling... Take this!" Baki declared, blades made of wind emitting from his fingertips and launching towards Naruto.
"I am a ronin... A blind ronin specifically..." Naruto stated, "And you'd be wise to remember it."
Seeing his opportune moment, Naruto dashed forward, intercepting each and every one of the wind blades launched towards him with Muramasa's razor-sharp edge, before slashing once at Baki, slicing off both of his pointed fingers and causing the jonin to wince in pain.
"For just as I am blind... Justice is too..." Naruto began to say, before launching Baki into the wall with a swift kick, knocking him unconscious as he sheathed his blade, "And I am always happy to deliver it."
Finishing his fight, Naruto walked back towards Yugao, looking up at the Anbu member.
"Well... Unfortunately... We can't take Baki, else we cause a big international scene..." Naruto began to say, "But we can take Kabuto... He is the one that told me about where we need to go... If you don't want to... You don't need to-"
"I... Thank you, ronin... I'm not sure why you're showing this much concern... But I have to go..." Yugao began to say, "Even if... Well... Even if I want to see him one last time... But... May I ask why you're suddenly so concerned about how I feel...?"
"Well... Let's just say I've experienced something simillar..." Naruto began to say again, slowly walking out of the building with Yugao after sending a clone to deliver the unconscious Kabuto to Hiruzen. "It really is quite the kick to the teeth, but... While happiness is beneficial for the body... It is grief that develops the strength of one's mind."
"Well... How did you deal with your... Situation?" Yugao asked, walking along with Naruto in streets that now appeared far more lonely.
"Admittedly, I didn't... I just let it dwell within me for a long time... And, well, before long, it became the source of my hatred," Naruto explained, "... And four hundred people had to pay the price. Innocent or otherwise."
"You don't seem like a violent murderer..." Yugao pointed out.
"Not anymore. See... The way I dealt with my situation... Was to allow others into my life. I trust that you'll have a far easier time than I did... Considering you have a significant head-start by having friends to begin with... And trust me, it's much easier than what Haku-chan had to do to get through to me..."
"I... Well, if it isn't too much for me to ask... May I know about the nature of your loss...?" Yugao asked.
"I lost my first love... And one of the few people to show me genuine compassion..." Naruto explained.
"Oh... I... I'm truly sorry..." Yugao mumbled, noticing that she and Naruto really did have more in common than she could've predicted.
"Don't worry... It... Well, it still hurts... But... It hurts kinda less, y'know?" Naruto asked, thinking deeply about everything he had experienced in regards to his time with Akane, the pain, the joy, the bitterness, and the memories.
Before long, the two found themselves in the opening outside the village that Kabuto had mentioned. After a few moments of searching, Naruto determined the specific tree they had been looking for, before feeling around the ground.
"I... I think I shouldn't be the one to do this..." Naruto mumbled, before taking a few steps back, allowing Yugao the 'honors' of doing the deed she dreaded the most.
With a heavy heart and even heavier steps, Yugao slowly stepped forward, her arms twitching as she fell to her knees. For a moment, Yugao hesitated, considering running away and to hide from everything, before she heightened her resolve, scooping dirt out of the way from the ground prior to extending her arms, tears streaming down her face as she slowly lifted Hayate's lifeless body. Not knowing how else to react, Yugao slowly held Hayate close to her, embracing her lover one last time as she silently wept.
Not wanting to disturb the moment, Naruto slowly stepped forward, gently placing a hand on Yugao's shoulder.
"I'm truly sorry for your loss..." Naruto whispered, as Yugao continued to weep silently.
-Two Days Later, Night-
Naruto focused his covered gaze, narrowing his eyes under the cloth wrapped around them, as the blond turned towards the back and jolted his arm forward, tapping Konohamaru on the top of his head with a stick, causing the young boy to fall to the ground.
"Owww!" Konohamaru exclaimed, reeling back from the pain as he dropped his own stick, "How do you keep hitting me?!"
"Well, I know what I'm doing and not acting like an idiot for one..." Naruto replied as he helped Konohamaru back up. "And you're doing the same things that you've been doing in the past few days..."
As Naruto continued his explanation, the blond raised his right palm, blocking an attempted sucker-punch from Konohamaru.
"... All down to a tee..." Naruto finished as he stood back up.
"Aww, come on!" Konohamaru complained, standing back up as well, "That's just not fair!"
"It is, you've done it like... Three times in the past two days, haven't you?" Naruto asked back. "Trust me, Konohamaru, you learn a lot about someone's intelligence based on what actions they do and do not repeat."
"I see..." Konohamaru began to say, before shooting upward and pointing at Naruto, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean, Nii-san?!"
"Oh, don't worry, you'll get it when you're older," Naruto assured, turning around and facing the other side, sensing a familiar chakra as he did. "Hey... Konohamaru... I'll meet you back at the house, alright?"
"Eh?" Konohamaru asked in surprise, "But... What about you? Aren't you going to be coming back with me-"
"No buts, Konohamaru," Naruto instructed, pushing the boy a few steps back, "See you soon."
Konohamaru looked at the blond for a moment, opening his mouth to object only to decide against it and run off back to the house they resided in, as Naruto focused his attention on the current situation at play.
"It's been a while, hasn't it, perv?" Naruto joked, as Jiraiya stepped out of one of the bushes.
"Good to see my godson is still as bitter as ever," Jiraiya joked right back, "Look, I just want to tal-"
"I'm past talking... I'd like to know just which gust of wind brought you here..." Naruto continued, slowly unsheathing Muramasa as he did.
"I'd like to know how you were so bold to come back to Konoha," Jiraiya retorted, seeing the coming conflict that was brewing, "The den of those you call your enemies."
"This place...?" Naruto stated, fully unsheathing Muramasa, it's red glow illuminating the night sky. "This place was once my home."
"And it can still be your home, if you only gave it a chance," Jiraiya tried to reason.
"You know... I did my digging," Naruto began to say, "I kinda have to do it to see when particular people will and will not be back here in Konoha. From what I see... You come back here, every year, on a specific date... My birthday."
"I- I merely return to honor a good man," Jiraiya retorted, "One that has long since fallen."
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes on his wayward godson, keeping up the conversation to defend himself verbally, only to have to do so physically soon enough, as Naruto came dashing forward with a slash directed at the older man, prompting the sannin to block the blow with a kunai.
"Oh, sure... You come back here every year, bypass international borders, and honor someone you failed," Naruto joked, pressing his blade forward till it was an inch from Jiraiya's face, only halted by the kunai the sannin used, "I come here to honor my father, and I get the Anbu on my ass. That's fair."
"You know nothing of what happened!" Jiraiya yelled, pushing Naruto back with a kick to the blond's stomach, "I was doing my job!"
Naruto dragged his feet on the ground for a moment before he regained his footing, looking up at Jiraiya before making a single-handed hand seal.
"Uzumaki Secret Technique..." Naruto began to say, as Jiraiya's vision began to grow blurry, whilst the surrounding area being swallowed up around him, before it fell into total darkness, "Nocturnal Embrace."
Jiraiya found himself shrouded in this eternal field of darkness, as if he was alone in a completely dark plane, with Naruto being the master of the environment, and thus placing the sannin under his subjugation.
"I know the kind of man you are... Jiraiya, I have slain many of them before..." Naruto began to say, as Jiraiya flung a kunai towards the source of Naruto's voice, only for it to never meet its mark.
"Come out and fight me! Where the hell are you?!" Jiraiya demanded to know, "What is this place?!"
"You justify not being here to save me, nor my father as you being a spy... One whose job is to gather valuable intel in foreign lands..." Naruto's voice trailed on, Jiraiya's desperate attempts at hitting him coming up short each time. "That you had to do so to maintain order... That it was your duty."
"It was my duty," Jiraiya asserted, "And it is my burden. One that I will carry to the end of my days..." He stated, as he managed to land a kunai in Naruto's thigh, "That does not mean... That I do not honor him!"
Now finding his target, Jiraiya launched a few more kunai in that direction, only for all of them to miss. Eventually, Naruto's footsteps could be heard before Jiraiya, as the blond made himself seen in the middle of the dark plane. Taking initiative near immediately, Jiraiya flipped through his hand seals, filling up his mouth full of oil soon after.
'Fire Release... Flame Bullet!' He recited mentally, as the sannin released a large ball of fire towards Naruto through his mouth.
Naruto stood before the approaching flames for a moment, lamenting the utter violence that had broken out between them, before the blond dashed through the flames, seemingly unaffected as he grabbed Jiraiya by the throat and slammed him into the ground, not waiting for him to get back up as he kicked him against a tree, breaking the dark illusion placed across the forest opening they were in.
Jiraiya wiped the bits of blood from his face, as he stumbled back to his feet, glaring at the blond standing before him as he retrieved a pair of stone swords out of the ground. His grip over both swords tightened, Jiraiya dashed towards Naruto, sending slash after slash at the blond, only for each of them to be blocked with ease, much to the sannin's frustration.
"Ah yes... The swords of the toads... One used to cement they're most powerful genjutsu, or so the stories tell..." Naruto stated, deflecting another slash from Jiraiya before pulling a few steps back, "Allow me to end this lineage."
"Hold on... W- What are you talking about?" Jiraiya asked, as Muramasa's edge illuminated with a deeper, crimson red glow.
"Thousand year lineage or whatnot... Here, let me show you... The lineage of my blood..." Naruto stated, before dashing towards Jiraiya, clashing with him several times before backflipping over the sannin, slashing one final time before landing on the ground again, the shattered pieces of the stone swords on the ground surrounding Jiraiya.
"What... How... What have you done?" Jiraiya asked, his voice panicky as he tried his best to merge the pieces of the swords back together, only for the pieces to crumble into dust soon after.
"Simple. Just like this village has done to me... I'll do to you..." Naruto replied, preparing himself for Jiraiya's eventual counterattack. "I will take from you... Something intrinsically linked to you."
Jiraiya glared at Naruto for a moment, as the blond plunged Muramasa into the ground and stared up at the sannin, glaring under the cloth wrapped around his eyes, before the blond assumed a stance.
"I was a fool for assuming there was any hope left for you..." Jiraiya stated, venom laced throughout his voice as he slipped into a stance of his own.
"Yeah? Well..." Naruto began to say, ripping off the cloth around his eyes and glaring at Jiraiya with his blood red eyes, "I once thought the exact same of myself. The key in that statement being the word 'once'. Hope lies not in what others place upon you... But rather the chances you place upon yourself."
"Enough idioms," Jiraiya stated, "This time, I'll teach you a lesson you'll be sure to never forget."
Naruto smiled maniacally, as he dashed towards Jiraiya, ducking under a punch before intercepting a second one with a elbow to the sannin's lower arm, following up immediately from his advantageous position as he threw an elbow into Jiraiya's ribs, before spinning around and landing one final elbow downwards onto the sannin's back.
"You know... Elbows are especially effective when you use them efficiently," Naruto mocked as he blocked a kick, purposefully using his elbow as his shield. "Case in point, perhaps?"
Jiraiya only grew more and more enraged, a fact shown by the sannin's more irritated facial expressions, the gritting of his teeth acting as another dead giveaway from the sannin. Staring at Jiraiya for a bit, Naruto leaned back, dodging another punch before the blond finally unleashed his onslaught, intercepting a few more punches and kicks before he leaped upwards, flipping across the air for a bit before launching his right leg forward, landing square on Jiraiya's face and launching the sannin into another tree.
"Now... Tell me..." Naruto began to say, picking up his sword and dashing forward, seemingly intent on ending the sannin right there and then as he plunged his blade downwards upon Jiraiya, only for the sannin to delay it with the intervention of a lone kunai. "Do you really think you honor Minato Namikaze with Sake Offerings? Honor resides in one's actions... Not one's statements."
"You... You dare lecture me on honor...? You?! After you abandoned your home?!" Jiraiya growled, as he launched his head forward, slamming it into Naruto's and dazing the blond for a moment, using this opportunity to widen the distance between them. "You... You are not worthy to utter his name!"
Staring forward at the recovered blond, Jiraiya held onto his left wrist with his right hand, as a circulating blue sphere of chakra began to form upon his palm, slowly growing to a size much larger than it began at. As the blue sphere reached it's peak, Jiraiya leaped against a tree's trunk, bouncing off of it and launching towards Naruto.
"Giant Rasengan!" He yelled as he pointed the sphere at Naruto.
The blond stared at the rapidly rotating blue sphere, as he held onto Muramasa with both hands, it's blade glowing with a golden gleam, whilst a thin shroud of Kurama's chakra gently covered his body. Seeing his opportunity slowly slipping away, Naruto dashed forward, slashing straight through the sphere and causing it to prematurely explode, creating a crater where they were.
"Well... That went better than I thought..." Naruto mumbled to himself, standing over a downed and wounded Jiraiya as he sheathed Muramasa once again, looking downward as he slowly tied the cloth around his eyes once more.
For a moment, Naruto was tempted to help the man back up. What for he didn't know. Was it to perhaps beat on him some more? The desire to fight the sannin at his best? Or could it have been an attempt at reconciliation with the sannin? All of this fell to the sidelines, as Jiraiya softly spoke up.
"I... I only ever tried... Tried to help you..." Jiraiya stammered, sitting back up on the ground, clearly not intending to fight any longer.
"Oh... Don't worry..." Naruto stated, finishing the tying of his cloth as he turned around and began to walk away. "For all I care... You're dead to me.
Jiraiya struggled for a moment, surprised that Naruto didn't finish him off there and then. Instead of getting back up, however, the sannin remained lying on the ground, symbolically and practically giving up.
-The Home of the Third Hokage, A Few Hours Later-
"For Kami's sake... It's nearly eleven... Where could he be...?" Haku mused, staring out of the window, clearly bored as she awaited Naruto's return. 'I picked out a kimono at the markets today... Hopefully he gives me an honest opinion..."
Before long, a pair of familiar arms found themselves around her shoulders, wrapping themselves gently around Haku before a chin fell upon her right shoulder.
"Heh... Took you long enough..." Haku joked, as she continued to stare out of the window.
"My apologies... I had to deal with a certain pervert earlier..." Naruto replied, as he slowly pulled away and gently massaged her shoulders. "I hope I didn't leave you waiting too long..."
"Well, you were gone since early in the morning... You left without giving me any of the cuddles we used to share before you left for the day... You didn't give me any kisses... And hugs..." Haku began to say.
"Well... I'm very sorry..." Naruto began to say, "I didn't know those meant so much to you..."
"Forget it... You're here now... Let's just be happy together, alright?" Haku requested, turning around to look at Naruto.
"Haku-chan... Listen to me. I promise you... I am happy just by being here. I love every moment I spend with you... I look forward to every moment we will share together... And I will forever cherish all the happy memories that you have given me..." Naruto assured, removing the cloth around his eyes to look deep into ice-user's eyes as he did. "And... If it still means anything... You look very, very beautiful in that kimono."
Haku slowly looked up at Naruto, as the blond brushed bits of her hair out of her face. Unable to hold back any longer, Haku leaned in close, initiating a deep kiss with Naruto as the blond quickly obliged, kissing right back and gently placing his arms around her, an act quickly reciprocated by the ice-user.
"Wow... Rather eager, are we?" Naruto joked, pulling away for a second only to be pulled back into another kiss.
"I... Just... Just shut up and kiss me..." Haku murmured under her breath and into the kiss they shared, as Naruto soon found himself sitting on the edge of their bed, still kissing Haku as the ice-user now found herself straddling his lap.
"Is that enough...?" Naruto asked, slowly pulling away to take a breath, "Since... Well... You seem to hold the desire to... Perhaps, take things a step further?"
"Oh, you cheeky fox..." Haku giggled, gently stroking Naruto on the chin as she did, "Would you like to...?"
"I... Well... I mean..." Naruto began to say, being completely serious as he considered the situation, "Only if you'd like to. And if you'd like to, I'll do my very best."
-Mini Lemon Warning!-
Scroll down to the next set of Horizontal Lines if you wish to not read it!
You have been warned!
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"Good, because you weren't getting a choice in the first place," Haku stated, flinging her arm towards the door and launching a blast of ice, freezing the handle shut. "No interruptions this time."
"Heh, I didn't think so," Naruto replied, leaning closer to kiss her again, whilst placing a hand on Haku's lower regions behind her back, gently feeling her up as he did.
"Oh? Could it be~? Is my sweet boyfriend a little bit of a pervert~?" Haku teased as she continued to let Naruto feel her up, soft moans slowly escaping her mouth as the blond placed a hand on her chest and began to feel her up there as well.
"Believe it or not... It's a part of the curriculum at the Land of Iron... In order for students to graduate, they must at least know the theory of how to satisfy their partner... Male or female..." Naruto explained as he continued touching her through her clothes, moving his head to gently kiss and suck on a part of her neck as well.
"I... Part of me feels like you're making this up... Part of me wants to trust you... But..." Haku began to say, her moans growing slightly heavier as she stumbled with her words, "But... Most of me doesn't care... Please... Please keep going..."
"Well... Don't worry..." Naruto joked as he slowly pulled away, having left a very obvious love-mark on her neck as he leaned in close to her ear, "I intend to~"
Following up immediately on his statement, Naruto slowly stopped with his touching, before placing his hands on the edges of her kimono's obi, looking up at her to gain her consent before continuing. Gaining a nod of approval soon after, Naruto slowly unravelled the obi, dropping it to the ground before parting her kimono, allowing him to finally gaze at her stunning figure underneath.
"So... I... Am I everything you expected...?" Haku asked, slightly in fear of Naruto suddenly rejecting her based on her physical traits.
"Oh... Don't worry... I'll love you regardless..." Naruto assured jokingly, as if knowing of her insecurities, "But... If you must know... It is everything I've ever could've expected... You're beautiful..."
"I... I appreciate the praise... But... But... Any more, and I'll be like a tomato..." She mumbled as she tried her best to cover up her blush.
"Hey... It's okay... Please take your hands off... You're covering up that pretty face I love so much..." Naruto whispered, as he placed his hands on her thighs, slowly feeling them up and down as he eventually began to move his hands inward.
Not wanting to lose out on the momentum, and wanting to give Haku all the pleasure he could give her, Naruto moved a hand down to her nether regions, gently rubbing against her folds to gauge her initial reaction, before slowly sliding a finger into her vagina, eliciting a soft moan from the ice-user.
"You're soaking wet already... Are you that eager for this...?" Naruto joked, as he began to slowly move his fingers in and out.
"I... Fuck... You... You fucking tease..." Haku moaned softly, "Just... Just g-get on with it..."
"Heh, don't worry... I'll get right on that," Naruto teased, as he sped up the movements of his fingers, going deeper with each thrust and eliciting more and more moans from Haku.
"Ahh... Kami... How... How are you so good at this..." Haku moaned, gripping tightly onto Naruto's shoulders with her hands.
"Well... I did say I learned a bit in school..." Naruto joked as he went faster and deeper, finding her clitoris and rubbing it gently with his thumb, causing deeper and more frequent moans.
"N-Naruto- I- Ahh!" Haku moaned one last time, reaching her climax and releasing her fluids all over Naruto's fingers, leaving herself a panting mess. "H-haah... I... Wow... I... I didn't expect..."
Naruto smirked softly, slowly placing his fingers in her mouth for her to suck on before leaning in close to her ear.
"Well... You're gonna have quite the night, aren't you?" Naruto teased as he slowly placed Haku on her back.
-End of Mini Lemon!-
-Back to our regularly scheduled program!-
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-The Next Day, Morning-
Naruto slowly came to again, finding himself and Haku both lying on the bed, covered with nothing but their blanket as he slowly sat upright.
"That was quite the night..." He mumbled to himself as he gently stroked Haku's cheeks, as the ice-user remained sound asleep. "You're so damn beautiful... I could be here... In this moment... Forever..."
Just as Naruto was about to lean in to plant a soft kiss on Haku's cheek or forehead, a quick knock on the door broke his focus and drew his attention.
'And the cycle begins anew...' Naruto thought to himself, before getting dressed and placing the blanket back around Haku, "Anything the matter?"
"I'd like to see you in my office, Naruto," Hiruzen explained, "Your and Neko's mission report is due in today!"
"I'll be right there, old man... Don't worry..." Naruto assured, putting the rest of his clothes back on as he began to tie the cloth around his eyes once again, before he knelt down next to Haku and gently hugged her as she slept, "Don't worry... I'll be back soon..."
-Hokage's Office, Two Hours Later-
"So, to conclude our report, Neko-san and I discovered a potential conspiracy between the Sound and the Sand, with the sound Shinobi now placed in Torture and Interrogation. As such, we believe there to be a moderate risk for an incident soon enough," Naruto explained, before setting his scroll on the desk.
"I see... Very well, thank you two for the good work..." Hiruzen stated, before ordering the rest of his Anbu to leave. "Now... Ronin, I believe you have something to share, don't you?"
"I do indeed..." Naruto assured, making sure it was just the three of them in the room as he turned towards Yugao, slowly unwrapping the cloth around his eyes before looking straight at her. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki... You remember me, don't you?"
Author's Notes 2: And that's the chapter! We'll be getting onto Konoha Crush in the next one, but for now, I'll leave things off here on a slight cliffhanger. I hope the wait wasn't too long, even if it was a few months...
Regardless, feel free to tell me what you guys think of this chapter in the reviews below, I'm really curious regarding your feedback.