Chapter 5 – Realizations and Examinations
Naruto pretended to pay attention to what Iruka was saying, but it was hard. His mind kept leaping back to three months prior when the Hokage had confirmed his heritage, explained how he had ended up with the Kyuubi sealed inside him (as if he didn't already know from his discussions with the Biju in question) and had taken Naruto to see his family home and claim the Jutsu scrolls stored there but Naruto knew they were somewhere else and safe.
The first sign was when instead of reacting correctly to Naruto's blood and dispelling, the seal on the main gate had shattered, causing the gate to crack. Kakashi had gone pale at that and, at Naruto's query, explained that the seal had been tampered with.
Someone had broken into the mansion and was unsuccessful at finding anything of value to Minato and Kushina
"Haha losers. Probably Danzo wanting to get his hands on Naruto's fortune and all of the Jutsus that Minato and Kushina had." Hiruzen thought.
The mansion itself had been hidden by some trees, which may have explained why no-one had seen it burn down. Under Kakashi's direction, Naruto had unearthed the entrance to the Jutsu vault and found that the seal to the vault had been broken as well.
Hiruzen had gone white upon discovering that but remembered the scrolls were with Jiraiya and that they were safe with him and the Toads.
Inside the vault, however, it became obvious that the last of the security seals had done their job. The scrolls that had been stored there had been reduced to piles of ash, the only recognizable parts being the metal end-caps. The end-caps of the scrolls containing the Rasengan and Hiraishin had been identified by Kakashi as the first steps and the other scrolls were with Jiraiya, so whoever had managed to break through had not been able to actually secure any of the Jutsu (again haha losers).
Hiruzen guess was that the thief, whoever he or she was, again it was probably Danzo and his ROOT, had burned down the mansion after realising that the Jutsu of the Yondaime had, quite literally, gone up in smoke. But what was actually supposedly burnt was Naruto' inheritance. Hiruzen and the others found his birth certificate was sealed in a scroll that was buried under a rock with a seal on it.
Whoever the thief was, he or she thought had destroyed Naruto's inheritance. And since Jiraiya of the Sannin had, at Hiruzen's request, placed Naruto's birth certificate and other documents that was in the house with him since he was one of the few Minato trusted.
And the Civilian Council had pounced on that opportunity, officially denying that he was the Yondaime's son, quoting the total lack of paperwork in his favors, a move supported by none of the Clan Heads, but by the three Advisors, over-ruling Hiruzen but Hiruzen couldn't wait for Jiraiya to return and put the Civilian Council in their place.
For some reason, Hinata had been incredibly upset over the Council's decision to officially disinherit him, thinking that Naruto was being denied but that isn't the truth. Naruto himself had been almost incandescent with rage, as was the Kyuubi but the Kyuubi should have known. Jiraiya is keeping everything safe. However, it had been Hinata who had talked him out of going directly after the Council; she had proven herself a true friend and valued comrade. If only she could stop turning red. Naruto was getting worried about what could be wrong with her to cause such a thing.
No one ever discovered who painted whiskers on the Yondaime's face, thus showing the resemblance between Naruto and Minato. At the time it was done, Naruto was facing the Council, trying to argue his case.
Naruto had, however, been the one to single-handedly (literally) demolish the new plaque celebrating the most recent (and not-so-recent) members of the Civilian Council. He had been let off by the Hokage with a verbal warning. As much as 'Try not to get caught next time' could be considered a warning, anyway and meaning he can prank them as much as he wants without getting caught. Oh the plans Naruto was already thinking of.
After that incident, Naruto stopped trying at the Academy, often skipping class for a week at a time and taking out his frustrations on the wildlife in the Forest of Death. Although, he shouldn't be that upset, he just needs to meet with Jiraiya, who can prove he is Minato's and Kushina's son.
In a bizarre coincidence, the councilors who had voted to deny Naruto his heritage had discovered that almost none of the village's ninja would take missions for them anymore and the Ninjas knew Naruto's true heritage and the missions that were taken invariably ended up failing in a very expensive way, usually one that was humiliating to the councilor or their family and they got ideas from Naruto himself. Already, several councilors had resigned and fled Konoha with their families. The message to the other councilors from the ninja was clear. Mess with one of ours, and you will live to regret it.
Unfortunately, since the council's decision had been countersigned by the Daimyo, Hiruzen couldn't reverse until Naruto's inheritance is proven but couldn't do anything because the councilors that had fled.
On the plus side, Naruto had gained a few pets and was trying to train them. The Inuzuka had their Ninja Hounds, Naruto was trying to train the giant white tigers. Much to his shock, they had learned from him how to tree-walk and water-walk. He hadn't actually been trying to teach them that at the time and was now somewhat leery of using Jutsu around them just in case they managed to copy it. They were definitely far more intelligent than anyone had given them credit for. Little does Naruto know that the Tigers have been waiting for him to come. They are the Uzumaki Clan's official Animal summons.
Plus, they were so much fun to wrestle with. While he still had to hold back, he could work up a sweat against them.
Still at the Academy
"…and that wraps up this lesson." Iruka said, glancing at Shikamaru, who was half-asleep on his desk and Naruto, who was glaring out of the window. "The test is on Monday, so all of you are reminded to show up on time."
Naruto snorted and Iruka sighed.
"…all except Naruto, who is being taken on as an apprentice and as such will be given a conditional pass anyway." He said resignedly.
"Sensei, did the exam requirements change since last year?" Sakura asked giving Naruto a slightly scared look. She still remembered the time that she had mentioned the Council's decision about Naruto's family status as relayed to her by her mother and Naruto had proceeded to smash a boulder into gravel with repeated punches, threatening to do the same to her and her mother should Sakura ever bring up that subject again. Although he did it to scare her and Sakura had believed him, and had warned her mother that it would be… unwise to make any other move against Naruto. And that she would rather not be on the same team as him.
"…There has been no change since last year." Iruka confirmed, giving Naruto a concerned glance. Naruto shrugged.
"The Civilian Council doesn't want me become a ninja and you know what they can kiss my tan ass. I will become a ninja if I want to. I don't need their permission. I will become a one-man army if I have too." He said harshly. "They've already stolen my family and they think they stole my money and now they want to steal my dreams as well. That's why they insist on a normal Bunshin because they know I'm too damned powerful to do one."
Sakura looked away guiltily as Iruka nodded with an expression of pained agreement. Naruto stood up and slid the window open.
"I'll be back for the team assignments, but right now, I need to find one of my cats and get some fuzz-therapy and relaxation." Naruto said he leapt out of the window.
Everyone blinked a few times, then Hinata spoke up.
"Did anyone else know that he has a cat? I didn't." Hinata said.
With Kakashi
Kakashi stared in shock at the sight before him. Iruka had told him that Naruto had skipped lessons (again), so he had used his skill as a tracker and followed his ward into the Forest of Death. Given Naruto's insane strength and skills (which were, as Kakashi admitted to himself, pretty close to Jonin level), he didn't think that much in the forest would be a danger. He had not been prepared for what he had found.
In a clearing, Naruto was relaxing, leaning against one of the giant tigers of the forest. That would have been enough to stop most ninja in their tracks, but there was over a dozen adult tigers surrounding Naruto as his purring back-rest and several kittens, for lack of a better term.
And Naruto had one of the kittens in his lap that was purring happily as he stroked it, as the mother watched placidly.
As if that wasn't enough, one of the tigers that were moving around and walked across the stream. Not through it, across it. The damn things knew how to use Chakra! And Naruto was petting one of them! No, two of them now. Kakashi idly wondered if he would survive the test that he had been planning to give Naruto and the other two on the team he was being assigned. Plus he knew that he wasn't going to be his Jonin Sensei's. A couple of people at the T&I Department. The said two, sneezed.
At the Academy (again)
"All right classes, when I call your name, come through for the final part of the test." Iruka said. "Shino Aburame, You're first."
The bug user rose from his seat and followed Iruka into the testing room. The others watched him go, then Sakura spoke up.
"I… I'm not sure I should try to pass. I might end up on Naruto's team, and after what my mother did to him… I'm not sure I'd survive." Sakura said fearfully.
Kiba snorted.
"I wouldn't worry so much. He holds grudges, but only against those who actually set out to hurt him. You're safe. Your mom, not so much." Kiba said.
Sakura winced and Hinata glared at Kiba.
"Stop worrying her like that. Sakura, just ignore him and stop worrying. N…Naruto isn't here today, so just do your best." Hinata said.
"Choji Akimichi." Iruka called.
The large boy swallowed as he left the room, passing Shino who was wearing a Hitai-ate.
"You passed, well done, Shino." Hinata said. Shino inclined his head in acknowledgement, then moved to the corner of the room.
With Kakashi (again)
"Are you bloody nuts?!" Kakashi half-yelled, glaring at Homura. "You know the rules, I can only have one apprentice, and I already have one! I can't have the Uchiha assigned to me as my apprentice!"
"The council has decided otherwise." Homura said, trying not to sweat under the killing intent that Kakashi was leaking despite his self-control. "As the only other Sharingan wielder in Konoha, you are vital to the development of the Uchiha and the eventual re-establishment of his clan. Therefore, Uchiha Sasuke is your new apprentice, irrespective of him passing the second Genin test."
"And Naruto?" Kakashi ground out through clenched teeth.
"As he did not show up at the test last week, he has been marked as having failed. Furthermore, his absence and previous failure means that he will not be allowed to retake his test."
Kakashi closed his eyes as he concentrated on not cutting the throat of the elder in front of him. His muscles tensed for a few minutes, then he opened his eye again.
"You have just made a big mistake." He said quietly. "Deny him the right to be a ninja and he will have no reason to stay. I wish Minato-sensei was still here so he could see what you are doing to his son besides it's not up to you. The Hokage has to make the decision and his Jonin Sensei's and you know who they are."
"If he leaves, he will be charged with treason and no, Hiruzen cannot overturn the council decision." Homura half-whispered and Kakashi laughed sarcastically but was cut off by a high dose of killing intent coming from Hiruzen and Kakashi. Hiruzen just arrived
"You declared that he has failed, that makes him a civilian and thus he can leave whenever he wishes. The Council declared him to be clan less, so you cannot use the clan laws to keep him here. And should you try to use force to restrain him… I have seen him at full strength. Even Might Guy is not willing to go against him when he gets angry and what you have just done… I have taught him. He is at least upper-Chunin level, possibly Jonin, and that's before he gets experience."
Homura stared at him, going white as Kakashi continued.
"You have two days before Naruto is meant to meet me for his first official Genin meeting. Two days before I have no choice but to tell him that the council has screwed him over again. Oh, did I mention that I recently taught him the Rasengan? At the time, he was still his father's son, and thus it was his heritage. Or that he can create over a thousand Kage Bunshin? I leave you to combine those two facts. Oh, one more thing you might find interesting. You know those giant tigers in the Forest of Death? Seems he's tamed them to his will, and they can use chakra. Puts the Inuzuka in the shade, doesn't it? I wonder which village will want him and his pets to start a new clan for them. Kumo perhaps?" Kakashi said.
Kakashi stormed out of the room, leaving a shocked elder who was frantically trying to come up with a way of staving off the destruction that was looming.
"Danzo, what the hell did you think you were doing? This plan you came up with to claim him as a weapon for Konoha… you've doomed us all!" Homura exclaimed.
"What about Danzo, Homura? He is a Genin under MY authority and his Sensei's are Anko Mitarashi and Ibiki Morino. Have you remembered what I said at the council meeting. Jiraiya will be here in 2 months and so will the Daimyo. Until then, do not go behind my back. I am the Hokage and you are my advisor. Not my boss or teammate anymore. Homura, Lord Second would be ashamed of you." Hiruzen said as he left the room.
Homura paled even more and started blaming everything on Danzo.
With Hiruzen
"You're shitting me, right?" Anko said.
"Not at all." Hiruzen smiled. "The council pushed for and signed off on your promotion to full Jonin ten minutes ago."
Anko stared at the old man in near-shock. "But my past… who I was trained by… and all of a sudden they pull a turnaround and push for my promotion rather than try to have me removed from the Shinobi lists? What the hell happened?"
"It's actually quite amusing." Hiruzen said, a wide grin on his face. "The Civilian Council decided to try and undermine me, but realized too late that on this occasion I wasn't the one they should be scared of. When they realized how badly they had erred, they came to me begging for me to solve their problems for them. I managed to really put the screws on them, and your promotion was one of the results."
Anko grinned ferally.
"Nice. So what's the catch?" Anko asked.
"Well," Hiruzen said, "You get a Genin and will be co-ed Jonin with Ibiki. He's already been trained somewhat by Kakashi and Guy, so you and Ibiki will be his Jonin Sensei's.
"Wait!" Anko interrupted, her grin widening. "I get promoted to Jonin and Ibiki and I get the gaki that everyone knows is the Yondaime's son, despite what the council claims? Sweet! When do we meet him?"
"Soon. SNAIL." Hiruzen called. SNAIL appeared a second later.
"You called Lord Third." SNAIL asked.
"Get me Ibiki Morino." Hiruzen said.
"Yes Sir." SNAIL said as he vanished from the office.
About 10 minutes later, Ibiki showed up and bowed to Hiruzen.
"You called Lord Third." Ibiki said.
"Yes. I have selected you and Anko to be Naruto Uzumaki's Jonin Sensei's. The council has been trying to deny Naruto his heritage but only Jiraiya can prove that Naruto is Minato's and Kushina's son. Do you two accept?" Hiruzen asked.
"Yes I accept lord Third. About time I put those fuckers in their places." Anko said.
"I accept as well Lord Third." Ibiki said.
"When will the gaki becoming?" Anko asked.
Before Hiruzen could answer Anko, Naruto burst through the door.
"Old man! Tell me why I shouldn't rip the bloody council to shreds!" Naruto said in frustration.
Anko and Ibiki spun round and stared in shock. The reason for their surprise was not that Naruto had slammed through the doors, but that a pair of giant white tigers were behind him, rumbling with displeasure.
"Anko and Ibiki, meet Naruto, your apprentice/Genin in assassination/sabotage and torture. Naruto, this is Jonin Anko Mitarashi and Ibiki Morino, your new sensei's." Hiruzen said.
Naruto froze, then looked at Anko, a grin forming on his face. "Assassination? Sabotage? Cool! Thanks Jiji! Oh, while I'm here, can I ask for a favor? It's about my name…"
"What is it Naruto?" Hiruzen asked.
"I want Kagetora to be added to Uzumaki. I want to be known as Naruto Uzumaki-Kagetora." Naruto said.
"Very well. If you are proven to be Minato's so, which I already know, will you add Namikaze to your name and be known as Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze-Kagetora." Hiruzen asked.
"Yes I will old man. I want my parents to be proud of me." Naruto said.
"Alright. It's accepted then. Now go have fun with Ibiki and Anko." Hiruzen said as Ibiki, Anko, and Naruto left the office.
With Anko, Naruto, and Ibiki
"So, gaki, tell me about yourself and your… pets?" Anko asked.
Naruto grinned down at Anko from his perch on the back of one of the tigers as they moved away from the Hokage tower down the rapidly-emptying road.
"My name's Naruto. I was known as Naruto Uzumaki, but I am known as Naruto Uzumaki-Kagetora until I am proven to be my father's son, first of my clan and friend of the tigers. I'm the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune and have a Kekkai Genkais and that gives me totally awesome strength and speed. I train with Team 9, know almost a hundred Jutsu and can use three Taijutsu styles. My Genjutsu skills suck, but Kurenai-sensei taught me a way to disrupt Genjutsu. I use Shuriken and Kunai and can throw them through rocks and boulders. I don't have a close-in weapon, but I haven't needed one yet. I'm studying up on seals and can already do storage seals and explosive tags, which I sell to Tenten's dad. I live in an old bunker, Kakashi-sensei and Guy-sensei live there too. Jiji said he meant it to be temporary until I got my dad's house, but it burned down before I could, then the council fucked things up so he made it so the bunker's in my name." Naruto said. Anko nodded.
"I heard Guy talking about that bunker. You really let him train his team there?" Anko asked. Naruto shrugged.
"Sure. I helped Guy set up two of the barracks as guest areas for overnight guests and his team occasionally crashes there after one of his long training days." Naruto said.
"Do you have any spare rooms?" Anko asked and Naruto nodded.
"Yep! Three observation rooms, two barracks, a half-dozen storage rooms… even a cavern with a lake. Why?" Naruto asked. Anko shrugged.
"My landlord doesn't like me and he's hiked my rent again. I was thinking…" Anko said before being interrupted.
"Sure!" Naruto said. "Just let me handle the introductions, the tigers don't like it when people they don't know come."
Anko halted in her tracks.
"Wait. The tigers live with you? I thought they lived in Training Area 44?" Anko asked.
"Yep, but they were losing too many cubs to the spiders. And those spiders are nasty." Naruto said. "They asked if I had a place they could be and since the bunkers in a wooded area, I said yes. Jiji let me have all the woods around the bunker and it's really near the gate so the tigers can go out to hunt whenever they want."
"…how many tigers?" Anko asked in a faint voice. Naruto frowned.
"Ummmm… I think about a hundred and fifty. More if you include the cubs. Is it important?" Naruto asked.
Anko's eyes lit up.
"Important? You have a hundred and fifty furry killing machines as your pets and you think it isn't important? That's one of the coolest things I've ever come across! This is amazing! Does the Hokage know about the tigers?" Anko said in amazement.
Naruto shrugged again.
"I think so. I asked if I could keep some cats, he said yes." Naruto said. Anko smirked.
"Kid, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Wait, the cats asked?" Anko said.
"Gaki, you said you have Kekkai Genkais? What are they?" Ibiki asked.
"I have a Dojutsu called the Ryūgan and I have access to Steel (Koton) and Scorch Style Jutsus. Minus my super speed and super strength." Naruto said.
"What does the Ryūgan do exactly?" Ibiki asked.
"I can see the flow of Chakra almost like Kakashi-sensei's Sharigan, clear vision, and allows me to have complete control over Steel (Koton) style Jutsus and Scorch (Shakuton) style Jutsus." Naruto said. "My ancestor Takahiro Uzumaki said that's what the Ryūgan does."
"That's amazing gaki. Almost like the Sharigan and you can make weapons I assume." Ibiki said. Naruto nodded.
"I will be joining Anko when she comes to move in. Will that be alright gaki?" Ibiki said.
"Yea as long as I can tell the Tigers, it won't be a problem." Naruto said.
"I'll be ready by tomorrow night. Will that be alright gaki?" Anko asked. Naruto nodded.
"We should be going. We have paperwork to finish Anko. See you tomorrow gaki." Ibiki said as he and Anko left to go to the T&I Department.
Naruto nodded and left to go back to his bunker home.
At the Bunker
"…and in addition to emo-duck butt and pink banshee, I got this ink-using pale kid who keeps going on about male genitalia, of all things." Kakashi groused to a grinning Guy as Naruto and Anko entered the main hall. "I'm telling you, I'd have handed my Hitai-ate back to the Hokage had he not told me that he's managed to get Naruto enlisted as the apprentice and sole Genin of another Jonin… Naruto, you're back and I see you brought Anko. What is the special occasion?" Kakashi asked.
"Yes. I'm back. So how was Lord Duck Butt and the pink banshee?" Naruto asked.
"As I was telling Guy, I got this Ink-using pale kid, who sort of reminds of Sasuke, and keeps going on about male genitalia and called Sakura an ugly banshee and Sasuke little penis boy. I had to do all that I can to stop the two from killing Sai. Although it was funny. Anyways, who are your Sensei's?" Kakashi asked.
"Ibiki Morino and Anko Mitarashi." Naruto said.
Kakashi's jaw dropped open. He never suspected those two.
"Anko and Ibiki will be moving in here tomorrow night by the way." Naruto said. Kakashi laughed and sweat dropped.
"I have to hide my books now." Kakashi thought.
"Well, we should go to bed. I have some work to do. HEHEHEHE" Kakashi said laughing.
"I agree. Good night Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said as he went to bed.
"Good night Naruto." Kakashi said as he too went to bed and hid his books where Anko will not find them.
The next two days went by with no incidents yet, Naruto woke up early and went out to meet with Anko and Ibiki. But more Anko though. Naruto contacted via one of his Tigers and told Anko to move in the night before. Anko came over with all of her things sealed in scrolls. Naruto showed her to her room. Then they left for the weapons shop.
At Tenten's Weapons Shop
"Welcome to Higarashi's Weapons… Naruto!" Tenten exclaimed.
"Hi, Tenten!" Naruto called. "Anko-sensei, this is Tenten, she's one of Guy-sensei's students. Ten-chan, this is Mitarashi Anko, one of my Jonin-senseis."
Anko nodded, and then looked round.
"This will take a while." Naruto said.
"What will?" Tenten asked.
"Anko wants me to have a close-range weapon." Naruto said. "I want a naginata!"
"No." Tenten said firmly. "A naginata wouldn't work for you; you'd probably snap it in the middle of battle."
Anko laughed as Naruto sulked.
"You've probably got a better chance of finding something for Gaki here, so I'll leave you two to it. I hear dango calling me. Gaki, find me after you've got a weapon that works for you." Anko said as she left to get her dango.
Tenten and Naruto watched her leave, and then swapped glances.
"Let me get my dad in, and then we go to the storehouse and see what might work." Tenten said.
Naruto gazed round at the vast collection with a sense of mounting awe. Looking round he moved towards a rack of swords, only for Tenten to grab him by the shoulder.
"No." Tenten said.
"But I want a sword! Swords are cool!" Naruto exclaimed.
"No." Tenten said firmly. "A sword wouldn't work for you, you're too strong for a sword, and you'd break them. Any sword strong enough to withstand being used by you would have to be custom-made… and very heavy… and… I need to talk to Anko. Let's go!"
Naruto couldn't understand how, despite his awesome strength, Tenten was able to tow him out of the shop without any apparent effort.
Back at the Shop
"Welcome back! Come in! It's ready! Sorry it took so long to make." Tenten said.
Naruto almost bounced through the door with Anko following at a slower pace as she finished her dango.
"This way! Dad made it specially; he used thunderbolt iron to make it for extra strength and chakra metal so that you could use your elemental wind chakra. It's perfect for you!"
"Did the payment cover it all?" Anko asked and Tenten nodded.
"Yep, just. Anyway, it's through here, we made a sheath for it with a reinforced strap but you'll have to practice drawing it. What do you think?" Tenten said as she explained what it was.
Anko stared in shock at the weapon in front of her. It was metal, it had a handle, but it was… it was…
"What is that?" Anko asked.
Tenten grinned at Anko's shocked question.
"This is the strongest sword in the world! The handle is reinforced with ninja-wire along it for grip and to stop it breaking in combat. The blade is thicker than a normal sword with a modified-wedge cross-section and a reinforced tip, allowing you to hit harder with it and if you place it against something and hit the back, it'll allow you to break through almost anything. The blade isn't very sharp under normal circumstances, but if you channel wind chakra through, the result is an edge that can cut anything except another chakra blade." Tenten said.
Anko reached down and grabbed the handle. Channeling chakra to her muscles, she tried to lift it.
"Damn, it's heavy! I can barely move it!" Anko said.
Tenten nodded and waved for Naruto to try. He grabbed it and lifted it one-handed, causing Anko's eyes to widen in shock.
"This is really cool. Can I try it out?" Naruto asked.
"There's a practice yard out the back." Tenten said.
Naruto bounced out into the yard, the weight of the sword not even slowing him down in the slightest and Anko scrambled after him while hearing Tenten laughing behind her. She got through the door just in time to see Naruto raise the sword almost lazily above a giant boulder, then bring it down almost gently with the boulder shattering in result.
"…wow." Anko whispered as Naruto examined the blade.
"Not a single chip… I like it!" Naruto said.
Anko stood motionless as Naruto bounced back inside. After a few minutes, her mind restarted and she found herself staring at a worried Tenten.
"Are you alright?" Tenten asked.
"That is not a sword." Anko stated in a shocked voice. "That is a metal Tetsubo with an edge."
Tenten laughed.
"Yep, pretty much. But it works." Tenten said.
Anko stared at the younger girl.
"Do you have any idea how much damage he could do with that thing? He could take down a freaking castle wall with… a… single… oh Kami, this'll be great!" Anko exclaimed.
"Hey, Naruto!" Tenten shouted. "What are you going to call that?"
"I'm going to name it, Kitsune's Claw." Naruto said.
At Ichiraku's Ramen Stand
"…the Kitsune's Claw?" Anko asked.
"Yep." Naruto said between mouthfuls of ramen. "My dagger's called the Kitsune's Fang, and my sword is bigger, so Kitsune's Claw."
'I like it.' Kyuubi said, 'And if you want, I can push some Youkai into it to make it even stronger. Maybe even give it a special ability or two. At the very least, an internal summoning seal so you can call it into your hand without having to worry about unsheathing it.'
'Really? Thanks!' Naruto replied silently.
"Not a bad name, Gaki." Anko said after a moment's thought. "And to anyone from Konoha, at least, it's a very scary name. I wonder what Ibiki will say when he knows you have a sword."
"Can't wait to use it on a mission." Naruto smirked. "A proper mission, not another D-rank."
"Hey, don't diss the D-ranks." Anko smirked. "I thought you loved them. Snatching Tora before the other teams could grab her, ambushing them on their grocery shopping, switching out the paint and seeing how long it takes for them to notice the fence is the wrong color… all good practice for when we hit the field!"
"At least you got permission from the other Jonin-sensei's first." Naruto laughed. "I still remember Neji's face when he realized that he was pulling a stuffed toy along instead of the dog he'd started out with."
"So much for the all-seeing Byakugan." Anko chuckled. "How you pulled off the trick the second time, I still don't know. His scream when he saw one of your tigers with the leash going into its mouth… who knew he could sound so girly?"
"Kaze found it very amusing." Naruto snickered. "So did I and Guy-sensei."
"It is fated that you shall not succeed in doing that again. Eeeek!" Anko quoted with a laugh. From behind them, Kaze gave a rumbling purr and Anko reached back and quickly scratched him between his ears.
"Still amazes me how you understand them so well." Anko admitted with a smirk. "It's like watching an Inuzuka pair, only they're bigger."
"I can't help thinking I'd look even more awesome in samurai armor when riding one of them." Naruto admitted. "Probably just my imagination, I mean, plate armor wouldn't last long on me, but damn, it would look cool!"
Anko nodded as she shared his mental image, then she turned to look at her student.
"Gaki, you've been doing great so far. Your Taijutsu is excellent, your Ninjutsu way more advanced than it should be… heck, you're pretty much at special Jonin level as is, and we haven't even had an out-of-village mission yet!" Anko said.
"My eternal friend and rival! I have returned from my most youthful mission and am overjoyed to see you!" Lee's voice said from outside of the Ramen Stand.
Naruto spun round, his face lighting up as he searched for the source of the familiar voice.
"Lee-sempai! Your flames of youth bring light to Konoha now you've returned!" Naruto exclaimed.
Anko froze in shock. This was a side to Naruto that she had never seen before, yet something told her that it was as genuine as the side she had seen up until now. Wait until Ibiki knows this side of Naruto.
"I heard about the most unyouthful decision of the council, denying Kakashi-sensei the right to take you as an apprentice, but I see you have a Hitai-ate, so you can still show your youthful passions in becoming a ninja! May I ask who your sensei is? And where are your team-mates?"
"I am the sole Genin assigned as apprentice to the most youthful yet very scary Jonin senseis, Anko Mitarashi and Ibiki Morino, who is seated next to me and the other is at work!" Naruto said. Anko gave a slight wave, her gaze transfixed on Lee's eyebrows. Lee grinned at her, his teeth sparkling.
"I am heading out to train; my flames of youth are reaching previously unimagined heights!" Lee proclaimed. "I am very glad that you have become a true ninja, as I always believed you would be!"
"Thanks, Lee-sempai." Naruto said.
"Naruto-nii-chan!" Lee said.
"Lee-sempai!" Naruto exclaimed.
"NARUTO-NII-CHAN!" Lee exclaimed.
"LEE-SENPAI!" Naruto exclaimed.
To Anko's horror, her student and Guy's embraced…
…to the background of crashing waves as the sun set behind their display of youthfulness!
For almost a minute, Anko remained frozen in shock, and then she twitched a few times before exhaling sharply. Oh the horror Anko had to go through.
"…Sensei? Anko-sensei, are you alright?" Naruto asked.
Anko took several deep breaths.
"How did you two do that? That was the Unbreakable Sunset Genjutsu! Only Guy can do that!" Anko exclaimed.
Naruto scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.
"Ummmm, Lee and Guy perform it so often that Lee knows what it feels like, but can't do it on his own because of his chakra problem. So when we do it, I kind of push my chakra through his chakra coils and he shapes it into the Sunset Genjutsu. The first time we used it on Guy, he was weeping with joy for an hour over how we had proven we were capable of mastering our youthful flames, or something like that." Naruto said.
Anko stared at her student in shock. What he and Lee had done was impossible. By any rational type of logic, it just could not be done that way. But it had.
"I think that I need to talk to Guy." Anko muttered. She could feel a headache coming on.
With Anko and others
The Sunset Genjutsu faded away and Guy's expression was a complex mix of pride, astonishment and total confusion.
"You are right, Anko-san. Now that you mention it, which shouldn't be possible." Guy said.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, perplexed. "Lee can't use his chakra, so he uses mine instead. How is that so strange?"
"Because Lee-kun's coils prevent him from using chakra at all! They are deformed, so chakra cannot pass through them. For him to be able to guide and shape your chakra like that, his coils would… have… to… Neji! Use your eyes on Lee, now!" Guy said sternly.
Neji backed away from his sparring with Tenten and jogged over. Standing by Gai, he activated his Byakugan, and gasped in shock.
"What do you see?" Guy asked.
"Lee's coils! They… they're not as twisted as they were! He's got chakra flowing…" Neji said.
"How much chakra?" Anko demanded and Neji shook his head in disbelief.
"At the moment, about as much as an Academy student." He said slowly. "But his coils… they look as if they are… becoming less tangled? I don't understand. How is this possible?"
Anko and Guy looked at each other and then, in perfect unison, turned to look at Naruto who grinned nervously.
"Ah, give me moment to think." He said. 'Kyuubi-san, are you there?'
'And where else would I be, Kit?' Kyuubi responded sarcastically. 'Before you ask, I have a theory. Your chakra is tinged with my Youkai, even after filtering through the seal. Youkai normally has a bad effect on chakra coils, weakening them, so since Lee was born with overly-rigid tenketsu, thus preventing the flow of chakra through them…'
'Then weakening the coils makes them more flexible and allows chakra to flow properly!' Naruto mentally exclaimed. 'Kyuubi-sama, you are a genius!'
'One tries.' Kyuubi said sarcastically.
Naruto re-opened his eyes and looked round.
"I think it's to do with my… special chakra. If I remember correctly, Lee's tenketsu were too rigid, my chakra probably loosened them a bit. I guess this means Lee and I need to stop doing that Genjutsu, we don't want to risk ruining his newfound chakra abilities…ooof!" Naruto said.
Lee hugged Naruto as hard as he could, and then released him and held him at arm's length.
"Naruto-kun, your flames of youthfulness has given me the chance to raise my youthfulness to a new level! Thank you! Thank you!" Lee said.
Before Naruto could respond, he found himself in an even tighter hug, this one courtesy of Guy.
"Naruto-kun, you have re-ignited my student's potential, bringing his flames of youth to a veritable conflagration! Lee-kun, I can now teach you the Henge, Kawarimi, Bunshin and how to tree- and water-walk, increasing the youthfulness of your skills! And at last, I can let you sign the Turtle contract! Naruto-kun, I can never repay you for what you have done! If you wish, I shall even instruct you in the Goken!" Guy said.
"Guy! Lee! Air!" Naruto exclaimed as he struggled to breathe.
Both Guy and Lee released Naruto and he dropped to the ground, gasping for breath. After a few minutes, he stood up and shook his head.
"Guy-sensei, the Goken is your style, yours and Lee's. I would not take that away from you. But Lee, I think that this is worth at least… two victories in our competitions, don't you?" Naruto said.
"Yosh, I can learn at least six new techniques all because of you, so I concede six victories, meaning that you are at 794 wins to my 790! Rest assured. I shall catch up!" Lee said.
Naruto grinned widely.
"I look forwards to your next challenge, Lee-sempai." Naruto said.
With Anko and Naruto
"Yo, Gaki!" Anko shouted. "Get your shit together and get ready, we have a mission! Ibiki won't be coming but he will be training when we get back from the mission.
A cry of "really?!" echoed and Naruto leaped out of the lower stairwell, a wide grin on his face. "A mission, really?"
"Yep." Anko said, opening the cupboard that she had placed by the main door and pulling out her pre-packed mission-pack.
"Kakashi wants your help, seems the C-rank he and his team took is actually an A-rank. Bring your sword." Anko said.
Naruto held out both hands and Anko's eyes widened as his dagger appeared in his left hand and his sword appeared in his right. Naruto placed the dagger along his left thigh and his sword to his back, both of the blades adhering without any visible sign of support.
"That's… a good trick, Gaki." Anko said slowly. "Okay, we're heading for Wave. Any last-minute thoughts before we go?"
Naruto grinned, and then unleashed a high-pitched whistle. Anko grinned widely.
"Oh, Gaki." She said almost reverently. "If only we'd met sooner."
"Kage, Kiara, Kiki, and Kouga will be coming with us. I will have Kage and his mate, Kiara and you will have Kiki and her mate, Kouga." Naruto said. Anko nodded and climbed onto Kouga, who had crouched down for her. Naruto climbed on Kage, who lowered himself for Naruto.
Naruto and Anko and the four Tigers left the village and headed for wave. Wave and Team 7 will not know what hit them until they meet Naruto and one of his sensei's, Anko Mitarashi.
In Wave with Kakashi
"Copy-cat Kakashi, the man who knows a thousand Jutsu." The masked figure said while standing on sword that was embedded in a tree across from Kakashi and he glared up at his newest adversary.
"Zabuza Momochi, Demon of the Bloody Mist and master of the silent killing technique." He responded. "I assume that you are here for a reason?"
"I'm here to kill that old man, Tazuna." Zabuza stated. "You may be able to slow me down, but those three brats of yours are good as dead already."
Kakashi frowned and slowly pulled out his Kunai as Zabuza leapt off his perch and pulled the sword out of the tree. A moment later, a thick mist rose, cutting everyone's vision to less than arm's length and Zabuza's voice echoed menacingly.
"Eight choices. Liver, lungs, spine, clavicle vein, jugular vein, brain, kidneys, heart. Which one should I go after?" Zabuza's voice came from the fog.
Sakura gulped nervously, trying to see through the fog. Sasuke wiped the sweat off his forehead and Sai unsheathed his tanto.
"Where is he?" Sakura whispered.
"I wouldn't worry about him." Anko said, causing both Sasuke and Sakura to scream with shock while Sai inhaled sharply.
"Anko-san? Where the hell did you come from?" Sakura gasped while she pressed her hands to her chest as she tried to stop hyperventilating.
"Just got here." Anko smirked, finishing off her dango and hurling the stick into the mist. A second later, there was a faint ting as it bounced off something metal. "Came with some serious reinforcements. Yo, Kaze, Kiara, Kiki, and Kouga time to live up to your names!"
There was a breathless silence and Anko clasped her hands over her ears, nodding for them to do the same. An instant later, the air seemed to tremble, and then a massive roar sounded, the blast of air accompanying it blasting the mist away as a harsh clang announced that two swords had met. Zabuza stared in shock at the young blond who had effortlessly blocked his killing stroke.
"Naruto." Kakashi said in a relieved voice as he lowered his Hitai-ate back over his Sharingan. "You'll want to be careful, Zabuza is a Kenjutsu master."
"Like Genma-san. I got it, Kakashi-sensei." Naruto grinned. "Okay, browless, let's dance!"
Zabuza tried to push Naruto's sword away, but his answer was a sudden thrust that launched him backwards. Kakashi ambled back to his team as Naruto and Zabuza slashed at each other.
"Shouldn't you be doing something to help him?" Kakashi asked curiously. Anko shook her head.
"Nah, Gaki learns best by doing. Going up against Zabuza, that's like a week's intensive Kenjutsu training in less than an hour. Besides, he's got his clones watching from all around, like that squirrel there. He's learning Zabuza's style." Anko said.
Zabuza blurred past, chasing Naruto who slashed a pair of trees, causing them to fall inwards and forcing Zabuza to slow down as he cut his way through them.
"He's good at using the environment in his favor." Kakashi noted. "How did you get here so fast?"
"His cats gave us a lift." Anko said almost absently as she pulled out another stick of dango. "Kaze got rid of the mist, and they're waiting over there."
Naruto charged by, slashing at a frantically-evading Zabuza.
"That Kekkai Genkai of his never ceases to amaze me." Kakashi noted. "His stamina is unreal. Hey, Zabuza! Naruto doesn't tire easily; he can fight for a full day before slowing!"
"I… didn't… need… to… know… that!" Zabuza roared back as Naruto's attacks sent him skidding across the surface of the lake. "How the hell… is this brat… so strong? Whoa!"
"Bloodline Limit! Super-strength and among the others he has." Anko called back. "So, Kakashi, are these the brats you were complaining about? Emo duckbutt, pink banshee and inky idiot?"
"Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno and Sai respectively, yes." Kakashi replied, ignoring the killing glares that two of his team was directing at Anko. "They're my… wow, nice move, Naruto-kun!"
"Naruto-kun?" Sasuke grumbled. "How does that dobe deserve being called –kun?"
"I don't see you defeating Zabuza." Kakashi replied and Sasuke glared at him, and then gave Sakura a confused look as she remained silent rather than speaking up in his favor. Sakura was staring at Naruto with a terrified expression as Naruto managed to block every one of Zabuza's attacks.
"Think we should step in yet?" Anko asked and Kakashi shook his head.
"Not unless Zabuza tries anything other than Kenjutsu." He said. "You said it yourself; this fight is a real learning experience for Naruto. I hope you three are paying attention."
Kakashi ducked as Zabuza was sent flying overhead, smashing through a tree. Naruto punched the falling tree out of the way and quickly blocked Zabuza's attack as he flew through the air in a prodigious leap, but Zabuza swung his sword and hurled him through another tree. Zabuza paused, breathing deeply and looking at Naruto with a confused expression.
"That is not a normal sword, kid." He said slowly. "Twice I've knocked it out of your hands, and each time you summoned it back. How?"
Kakashi glanced at Anko, who shrugged.
"I'm awesome that way." Naruto grinned, rising to his feet and spinning his sword one-handed before settling into the same stance that Zabuza had used at the start of the fight.
"You have one hell of a healing factor too." Zabuza mused as the cut on Naruto's arm finished closing. "Who are you?"
"Naruto Uzumaki-Kagetora." Naruto said. "First of my line and soon-to-be clan head and hopefully another named added to it in the future."
"First of your line?" Zabuza echoed. "Who were your parents?"
Naruto snarled.
"Legally, I never had parents. Orphan at birth. No mother, no father. Pretty much everyone in Konoha knows who they were, but due to the damned council and the bastard who raided a certain house, I am legally clan less until a man named Jiraiya I am the son of Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze and Minato Namikaze. The damn civilian council has fucked me over basically." Naruto said.
Sakura gulped and moved behind Sasuke.
"Tough break, kid. Wait then it might be possible you are the son of Yellow Flash Minato Namikaze and his wife, the Red-Hot Habanero Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze." Zabuza said, lowering his sword slightly. "Once all this is over, how about I take you on as an apprentice? Your style stinks, but your reflexes are amazing."
Naruto grinned.
"Unfortunately, it has to be proven first. Sorry, but me and my senseis have other plans. Care to surrender now? Or will you try your luck against a supercharged Genin and a pair of Jonin and one of them is just one of my senseis out of two?" Naruto said.
Before Zabuza could answer, a pair of senbon seemed to sprout from his neck, causing him to collapse bonelessly. A masked figure dropped down beside him.
"I thank you for distracting him long enough for me to get into position." The figure said. "Now, I must dispose of the body."
The figure vanished along with Zabuza's corpse and Kakashi turned back towards his team before he noted Naruto sniffing suspiciously at the spot where Zabuza had collapsed.
"What is that dobe doing?" Sasuke half-asked, half-sneered.
Sakura stifled a scream as a giant white-and-black shape seemed to materialize out of the woods and joined the blond. The boy and the cats continued sniffing at the area for a few more seconds, and then the Naruto whispered something and the cat shook its head.
"Sensei, Zabuza's not dead. There's no death-scent." Naruto said.
"What?" Kakashi half-shouted. "But we saw the… senbon… hit… oh fucking damn it all."
"False-death state." Anko groaned, slapping herself on her forehead. "How the hell did we both miss that? Kami, we'll never live that down."
"Can I tell Ibiki about it then." Naruto grinned.
"NO!" Anko said as she threw two kunais at Naruto who dodged them, only by a little fraction.
"We will have to work on your dodging skills when we get back from the mission." Anko said.
"Ummmm, excuse me, but what is it?" Sakura asked, keeping both Anko and Kakashi between herself and the irritated Naruto.
"Zabuza's still alive." Kakashi sighed. "The hunter-nin was obviously his assistant and used senbon to send him into a false-death state before fleeing with him. We've been duped. The only good point is that it'll take at least a week for him to recover, so we have some time to train you three up. Tazuna, I think we should get going."
More giant tigers seemed to materialize out of the trees as Naruto leapt onto the back of the first one. "Climb on, they'll carry us the rest of the way, we'll get there faster."
"Emo duckbutt?" Anko said.
Sasuke glared at Anko, who ignored the glare.
"Anko and the banshee will ride Kiki, Emo Duckbutt and Ink Boy will ride Kouga, Kakashi and Tazuna will ride Kiara, and I will ride Kaze. Any questions? No, let's get moving then." Naruto said as he ignored Sasuke's and Sakura's glare.
At Tazuna's House
Naruto was impressed.
Most people, upon opening their front door and seeing a half-dozen-plus giant tigers, would have screamed, slammed the door shut and piled up the furniture while swearing in panic. Tsunami had merely blinked a few times, and then enquired politely if it was possible for the tigers to remain outside since she was unsure if they were housebroken, and she didn't know if the floor was strong enough to support them.
Anko and Kakashi found it hilarious when the others couldn't understand the Tigers but only Naruto could, especially when all the tigers, after a quick series of growls, snarls, yelps and purrs, all nodded at Naruto and settled down in front of the house. Once inside, Kakashi glanced over at his students.
"Sensei," Sakura said carefully, "What do we do? Will Zabuza return?"
"Probably, but not for at least a week." Anko said, pulling out a small scroll and unsealing a plate of dango. Tossing a stick to Naruto, she bit into her dango with a sigh of pleasure. "Going into a… scrumph… false-death state screws the body up. It'll be a week at least before he's back to battle-ready. Gives us time to get you brats to a level that'll give you a chance of living through this."
"Anko's right." Kakashi said. "For the next week, you are going to get trained. Basic chakra control and Taijutsu practice. We'll start with tree-walking tomorrow."
"What?" Anko half-shouted. "You went on a C-rank without even teaching them the basics?"
"I was trying to hammer teamwork into them." Kakashi protested, much to Naruto's amusement. "The emo is insistent that the others will slow him down and he can do better alone, the pinky is a total fan girl and is thus currently totally useless and inky is so maladjusted and I'm amazed he's survived this long. If it hadn't been for the damned council forcing me to pass them and not do anything they consider harsh, they would have failed and been chucked out of the academy."
Naruto burst into howls of laughter and Kakashi paled as he realized that his three Genin were staring at him, two of them with betrayed expressions. Anko smirked.
"I made no promises, so how about this. You and Naruto go and find where this Gato that Tazuna mentioned has his headquarters, I'll drill the terrible trio in the basics." Anko said evilly and started thinking about the tort…training she was going to put them through.
Sasuke and Sakura looked at Anko's feral grin and both shuddered. Kakashi placed his chin on his hand.
"Try not to hurt them too much, I need them to still be mobile in a week." Kakashi said.
Anko pouted, then slapped Naruto's head.
"Calm down, Gaki. It's not their fault that they're so pathetic. You know how most of the academy teachers were trying to screw up your education, these three… well, pinky and emo, just got caught in the splash. Since pinky is from a civilian family and emo decided to refuse any external help in favor of training badly by himself, neither of them could compensate. How emo got the rookie of the year award, I don't know. Probably council interference. So, you and Kakashi, and your tigers, go searching for Gato and find out what he's planning. Rich scum like him are always seeking ways of spending less, it wouldn't surprise me if he's planning on backstabbing Zabuza. Probably something like hiring a load of thugs and sending them to kill Zabuza after he's worn himself out trying to take us down."
Naruto nodded slowly.
"That's dirty, underhanded, devious… from what I've heard about Gato, I'd agree." Naruto said.
"Then it's agreed." Kakashi said brightly. "Tomorrow, you and I will set off to see if we can find Gato's headquarters while Anko tortu… I mean trains my students in my absence. With my skills and your clones, we should be able to cover quite a bit of ground. Why did you suddenly look guilty when I mentioned clones?"
"Ummmm, Kaze and I were experimenting with what we could do…" Naruto muttered. "I think that the tigers may have learned the Kage Bunshin. On the plus side, if I do a Henge after linking my chakra to Kaze's, I turn into a tiger too!"
"I think I need to see what you've been getting up to." Kakashi said after a long silence. "On the plus side, what you've done may count as Clan Techniques, so you don't need to worry about teaching them to anyone for some time. Can the tigers turn into humans?"
Naruto shook his head.
"Nah, they're happy as they are. They don't see human form as being anywhere near as perfect as they are, and I guess they do have a bit of a point." Naruto said.
Anko laughed out loud as Kakashi smiled behind his mask.
"We should get going. Anko-sensei, what tiger should I leave behind. Kouga, Kiki, or Kiara?" Naruto asked.
"You and Kakashi take Kaze and Kouga and leave Kiara and Kiki behind with me. Maybe they could help me with some of their training." Anko said. Naruto nodded.
"Let me go inform them. I will be right back." Naruto left and everyone heard more growls, snarls, yelps and purrs. Naruto came back in.
"They said it was alright with them. Let's get going Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said as he and Kakashi left Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai with Anko.
Anko looked at them and grinned evilly and winked.
"Oh this will be fun. The tortu…I mean training will begin tomorrow." Anko said.
Sasuke and Sakura looked scared while Sai looked indifferent.
Author's Note:
Again, I wish to clarify that this is my story now as it was adopted by me. Yes, I am posting original chapters but I am also combining them to make them longer and changing some of the words around to make it fit more of my style. So please be kind to me as my work schedule is very hectic lately. I work from 4pm to 2am but those times often changes. I have been trying to implement a updating story schedule but even that has failed too. So I do apologize from the bottom of my heart. Please bare with me as I am trying.