Author's Note: Sorry if folk didn't like Tatsuyoshi, he was just an idiot and you won't see him anymore. (Due to being in pieces, Mweheheh.) I'd like to thank everyone for their reviews. Some people like fluff, some don't. Fluff will occur when there is call for it. However, there's a lot of action coming up.
This chapter has a lot of explanation so bear with me, eh? This chapter has been cut off from its original length. New characters next chapter.
TVO( ): Haseibai, according to an online japanese dictionary, roughly means Leaf Judgement. (Ha Seibai)
and apparentely Boutou Senkou means Rocket Punch or something like that.
Please R + R!
I fixed Hiashi, now he is less friendly.
Chapter 6 They're Off!
Naruto spent the next several hours with his fellow Konoha shinobi, eating barbecue and swapping stories. Kiba, once he had recovered from his shopping trip, showed off his new scars and gave them a brutal play-by-play of his performance in the Chuunin exam finals that year.
"So, you did good this year, eh, Kiba?" Naruto queried.
"Oh yeah," came the cocky response. Ino nudged him. "We all did, really."
Naruto thought back to his encounter with Hinata the night before. "I hear Hinata was quite impressive."
Chouji stopped eating. "Definetely. She was able to beat me."
"You? But, you...you beat that big Sound guy, whats-his-name?"
"Didn't you see how I looked after beating that guy?" Chouji reminded him. "I was this close to being dead." He scarfed another piece of barbecue. "Anyway frmf, I didn't have the special medicine with me for the tournament. scrmf 'sides, I wasn't trying to kill her. We were both able to knock each other around, but in the end, it was her eyes that decided it."
"Oh, the weird vein thing," Naruto nodded.
"Yeah, she was able to deaden my arms and legs."
Kiba guffawed.
"Any other good matches?"
"Sakura's fight with Shino was interesting indeed," offered Asuma, taking a drag on his cigarette.
"It went on for way too long," muttered Shikamaru. "Troublesome."
"You're just saying that because you were the examiner," said Asuma, slapping the back of Shikamaru's head.
"Sakura against Shino? Funny. She didn't mention anything about that," mused Naruto.
Ino raised an eyebrow. "Really? You'd think she'd brag about her victories more."
"So she won?" Naruto smiled.
"Man was it close. Shino came this close to catching her at least three times," Kiba huffed. "But she did this weird thing. She punched the ground and it just knocked the bugs away. It was still a really close fight. Could of gone either way."
He faced away from the bar and leaned back. Akamaru barked.
"How about the Sound?" asked Naruto, grimacing again as he thought of Sasuke and his new master.
"We haven't heard much of anything, really," admitted Asuma. "This thing in the Stone country is the first definite Sound movement we've found in months. That's a big reason you and Shikamaru are going on your little mission." He puffed again.
At that moment, by the gates of Konoha, Hatake Kakashi was reading his latest aquisition. He was in one of his "moods" again. His eye was crinkled in a perverted leer, and the Jounin was giggling almost spasmodically. The chapter he had just reached was very very interesting indeed.
"Having fun?" came a voice from right behind him.
"Huh?" Kakashi started. "Oh it's you, Jiraiya-sama."
"Let's see...Oh my, that is a good part," observed the Sennin, looking over Kakashi's shoulder. His perverted grin matched Kakashi's. "Really fun to research and write."
The two quickly composed themselves.
"Anyway, what did you want to see me about?"
"I'm going to be pretty busy right up until we leave for Stone country, so I'll need you give those three a little training while there's time."
"I don't see why not," Kakashi scratched his nose. "I'll focus mainly on team tactics, I guess."
"Knowing the students, that would seem to be the best course."
"Both Naruto and, to a certain extent, Sakura have both had trouble working in a team. But Shikamaru shouldn't be a problem. The only trouble with him'll be getting him used to working with people other than his former teammates."
"KAKASHI!" rang a voice. "I challenge you!"
A green blur touched down before the two men.
"Gai," responded Kakashi, taking out his book again.
"Whoo, look at the time," exclaimed Jiraiya suddenly. "I gotta go."
"Thanks for the support," muttered Kakashi, glancing at him briefly as he vanished into the distance.
"After all these years," bellowed Maito Gai triumphantly. "We still do battle as rivals! We are now to have our 151st battle! We are currently tied at 75 wins, 75 losses each, but today, we shall tip the balance! Are you ready?" Gai pointed his finger directly in Kakashi's face.
"Hmm?" Kakashi glanced up. "Sorry, I wasn't listening. What was that?"
Gai's jaw fell open as he fell to the ground. The Jounin quickly composed himself. He adopted a pose, eyes closed, fist before his face.
"I am once again in awe of your awesome and hip attitude, Kakashi," Gai said, twitching. He brushed his hair back. "Nothing less from my rival!"
"Mmmm." Kakashi wasn't listening again.
Gai twitched once more. "Anyway, the challenge has been given! What shall it be?"
Kakashi popped his neck. "I'm not really in the mood for a contest now-"
"Nonsense, Kakashi! Where is your youthful spirit?"
"Fine, how about...a footrace to the top of the Hokage monument?"
Gai brightened even more, if such a thing is possible.
"Yes of course!" He took off running. "Victory shall be mine this day!"
Kakashi watched him go.
"I'll let him have this one," he decided, returning his attention to his book. His face assumed its former perverted cast.
He had more important things on his mind.
By the time Naruto left the yakuniku joint, it was nearly 2 o'clock and the young shinobi was no longer hungry.
Might as well well get some training in, he thought. He began making the trek towards the training area. He wanted someplace quiet, where he could work in peace. He finally found the perfect place: a secluded glade surrounded by trees, out of sight of the rest of the village. He walked to the center.
(All right, bak-...er, Kyuubi. Let's have some chakra.)
(You're learning tact, kit.)
Naruto felt the familiar sensation as the nine-tails chakra traveled through his body. He intensified the chakra, giving himself the familiar flamelike aura. To begin, Naruto went with an old standby.
"Kage-bunshin no-jutsu!" Naruto surround himself with thirty copies of himself. He presented his usual challenge. "Let's find out which of me is the strongest."
Five minutes later, Naruto stood triumphant, panting lightly.
(Hmmmm. That doesn't wind me as much as usual. Guess my stamina's gotten better.)
(Like I've told you, your capacity has increased.)
Naruto thought for a moment. (Oy, can you teach me more about that thing we did in Grass country.)
(I'm surprised you didn't ask me earlier,) Kyuubi repsponded. (Of course.)
(What exactly is it?)
(You might say that it is one of the last physical relics of my power remaining in this world. The Seijaka, or, as you might call it, Saintfire.)
(Okaaay...can you teach me to use it better?)
(There's not enough time to teach you new techniques, Kit. We'll just work on controlling it. Remember how you concentrated your chakra when you fought Tatsuyoshi? Do it.)
(Yup.) Naruto concentrated his chakra. The flame intensified, flaring up.
(No, no, no!) cursed Kyuubi. (Idiot boy, when I said concentrate, I didn't mean just pour more chakra into your effort. Wasteful.) The demon calmed himself. (You have to contain the chakra as much as possible.)
Naruto tried again. This time he got the desired result. His chakra surged again, but using every ounce of his will, he channeled it, compressing his aura until it was barely visible, yet incredibly strong.
(Not bad, kit. Now for the hard part.)
Several hours later...
After much practice, Naruto's use of the Seijaka had improved greatly. Through extreme concentration, he could now call upon it and have it last for up to ten minutes. He only hoped that with practice his skill and stamina would improve.
(Not bad, eh?)
(You'll do,) Kyuubi returned, pleased.
(As what?)
(My successor, after a fashion.)
The next day, Naruto spent his morning training with Kakashi, Sakura, and Shikamaru. They drilled relentlessly on team manuevers and tactics. At midday, Naruto lunched at Ichiraku. He restrained himself, eating a modest five bowls. In the afternoon, Naruto trained in the forest with Kyuubi. By the time they had finished, the sun had already set. As Naruto finished his training in the forest, at the Hyuuga manor, two white-eyed shinobi were also finishing their training for the day.
"It's time to stop for the night, Hinata-sama," said Neji, stretching.
Hinata shook her hair out. "Let's try just one more time, Neji-niisan."
Neji gave a small smile, his eyes developing a strange, veined appearance. "Very well." He adopted a ready position, hands open. "Here I come."
Hinata dropped into her own stance, activating her own Byakugan. "I'm ready."
Neji charged, striking at the Hyuuga heiress with his palms. Hinata blocked and ducked, returning many blows of her own. The mock combat strongly resembled their battle during the Chuunin exam, though with far less malice. Soon Neji decided to end the exercise. Flipping away, he quickly withdrew several shuriken from his leg pouch. While still in midair, he flung them directly at his cousin.
Hinata narrowed her eyes and stepped back. "Kaiten!" she cried, spinning rapidly and releasing chakra from every pore in her body. The shuriken were knocked away by the tornado of force. Neji landed, stumbling slightly on the edge of the crater left by Hinata's spin.
It's wider than before. He marveled, eyes widening.
"Very good Hinata," came a voice from the shadows. Hyuuga Hiashi stepped forward. "You've definetely improved." He rested his hands on his cane.
"Oh! Thank you, father," Hinata responded shyly.
"It's good to see the two of you working so hard," Hiashi smiled. "But it's time for dinner now."
Neji began gathering his scattered shuriken. "Yes, Hiashi-sama."
"Make sure you get plenty of rest tonight," Hiashi told them. "We'll be meeting Jiraiya-sama and the others at the gates at 9:00 sharp." He turned away and began to leave, Neji behind him.
Hinata smiled. She'd see Naruto-kun again soon. She nodded to herself, and began to follow her father towards the the main house.
Uzumaki Naruto awoke sore the next morning to the sound of his blaring alarm clock. How long had it been ringing? He had only just noticed it. Grunting lazily, he swung his arm over in the clocks general direction, missing completely and falling out of bed.
"Itai..." Naruto glanced at the clock.
8:50
blink
8:51
blink blink blink
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGH!"
"Shit, shit, shit, shit," cursed Naruto as he sprinted through the streets. "I can't believe I overslept!" On the way out the door, he had hastily grabbed his bag and ninja gear, not even stopping to properly adjust his headband. It had fallen over one eye, giving him the look of a demented manic short blond version of Kakashi. He pelted down an alley, heading straight for the gate. Hastily leaping to the top of a shop, he began hopping from building to building, going for broke. He came crashing down to earth in a cloud of dust, then continued running.
Jiraiya squatted at the gates. He sighed, looking at his watch.
"9:57," he sighed again. Sakura and Shikamaru were already present, as were the three Hyuuga. The only ones missing were Kakashi and-
"Oy, what's that?" asked Shikamaru, pointing. Everyone looked. Rapidly approaching down the main thouroughfaire was an orange blur haloed by dust.
Jiraiya squinted. Is that?
The figure attempted to stop, kicking up even more dust. It did not seem like it would be able to stop. Unfortunately for Jiraiya, he was directly in the dust cloud's path.
CRASH!
When the dust cloud cleared, it revealed Jiraiya and Naruto in a heap, their eyes replaced by swirls.
Hiashi raised an eyebrow. Hinata gave a small gasp of concern. Sakura, Neji, and Shikamaru sweatdropped.
"Troublesome," observed Shikamaru.
The two quickly came around.
"Idiot!" snarled Jiraiya, punching Naruto in the head.
"Shut up, Ero-sennin!" Naruto punched him back.
"Don't call me that in front of people, you'll ruin my image!" hissed Jiraiya, restraining himself this time.
"Um, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked.
"Yeah?"
"Your arm...it's..."
Naruto glanced at his arm. In his mad dash and subsequent collision, he had managed to scrape up his right arm fairly badly. Blood oozed from the worst cut on his wrist.
"Oh, this? It's alright," Naruto gave Hinata his "nice-guy" pose. "It's nothing."
Hinata took hold of his arm. "Let me get that." She performed a quick healing jutsu. The pain subsided.
"Thanks."
Hinata smiled, then noticed that she was still holding Naruto's arm. She blushed furiously, dropping the arm.
"Gomen."
"Huh?"
Hiashi stepped forward. "So, you are Uzumaki Naruto."
"Yep," came the response.
Hiashi frowned.
"Don't take that tone with Hiashi-sama!" snapped Neji.
"All right, sorry," Naruto gave an awkward bow.
"Hi everybody," came a new voice. Hatake Kakashi had just joined the group, nose buried in his book.
"You're late!" yelled Sakura and Naruto simultaneously.
"Sorry, sorry," came the predictable reply. "I had to save a kitten up a tree."
"Liar!" shouted his former students.
Jiraiya stifled a snigger. Hiashi' shook his head at the disrespect of youth.
"Well, if we're all here," Jiraiya began. "We'll be taking a cart along the main road, so this make take a bit longer than cutting straight through the woods. But with this many people, its the best way to travel."
"Right then," said Kakashi. "Come on, everyone. The cart's just down the road."
The party left Konoha. Shikamaru lay at the front of the cart, staring up at the clouds. Kakashi sat perfectly at ease, engrossed in his reading. Jiraiya idly scratched his nose, humming an off-key drinking song.The rest were arranged in the back, Naruto finding himself next to Hinata. Naruto looked back at the rapidly vanishing gates of Konoha.
"Figures," he said. "I just get back and now I have to leave again.
"Don't worry, Naruto-kun," Hinata said. "This time won't be as long."
"Yeah," he laughed. "And I'll have better company. Two and a half years with Jiraiya is enough to destroy anyone."
"I heard that!"
Hinata smiled brightly.
A motion off to the side caught their attention.
"That's weird," Naruto muttered. "What's a bat doing flying around in the daytime?"
"A bat?"
"I think so. Maybe it was just a bird."
"Not a bird," corrected Hiashi. "Definetely a bat. Curious."
"It's probably nothing."
As the cart rumbled off into the distance, the bat flew lazily into the forest. It made its way toward a dark grove of gnarled trees, bringing itself to hang from a large branch on one of the largest. However, the bat was not the largest thing hanging from that branch. A spindly figure, clinging to the branch, extended one of its hands. The larger form chittered at its messenger, who chittered back. This exchange went on for nearly a minute.
"So they've left at last," mused the figure in a delicate female voice. "I was growing weary of waiting here. Maybe I can get an interesting assignment next time."
The upside-down woman took out a piece of parchment and hastily penned a letter. She executed a quick jutsu, heating her ring and burning the symbol on it onto the parchment. Extinguishing her ring, she rolled up the paper and attached it to the bat's leg. She chittered again at the bat, and the creature took wing once more. The young woman grimaced, adjusting her cloud-patterned robe.
"We'd better do something soon," she snarled at the empty air. "I'm getting bored, Itachi."
Next Chapter: Tourney Hopefuls: Old and New
Author Note: This seems like a good place to end the chapter. New characters coming next chapter.
