DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO (I AM NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THE DAY KISHIMOTO CALLS MY PHONE AND SAYS THAT IM IN TROUBLE HAHA)
A New Jutsu & A New Look
- At the Hokage's Office -
"Call me crazy but I think Naruto has two chakra nature affinities"
"Are you sure about what you saw the other day Asuma?"
"As I said earlier, I'm not a hundred percent sure but there is a good chance. You mastered pretty much every chakra nature under the sun dad, surely you would know something about this" Asuma replied to Hiruzen
"Hmmm… I suppose we can test him again to make sure but it is indeed possible for a person to have more than one affinity, though it is rare"
"Do you think it has something to do with his tenant?"
"Perhaps, though it is unwise to make premature assumptions as of now. Little is known about the Kyubi except for the fact that it is an extremely dangerous entity that lives within Naruto, I pray to Kami that this village will never experience the tragedy that occurred years ago once more" Hiruzen replied
"I see… Come to think of it, why doesn't the academy conduct tests that determine the chakra nature affinities of students?" Asuma asked
"The answer is quite simple really, it is not yet relevant for them to learn about it. Time is better spent if students focus on the basics of being a shinobi first, determining one's chakra nature affinity is supplementary at most despite it being beneficial in the long run"
"Yeah I suppose that makes sense"
The two Sarutobis were interrupted in their conversation when someone knocked on the door, "You may enter" Hiruzen said
The person who knocked was none other than Umino Iruka, a Chunin/Tokubetsu Jounin (Special High Ninja) of Konohagakure no Sato (Village Hidden in the Leaves). For those who are unaware of what a Tokubetsu Jounin (Special High Ninja) is, it is a type of Jounin that specializes in something like assassination, reconnaissance, teaching, and many more fields to mention. What separates them from the standard Jounin is that their skills are closer to that of a Chunin but due to their prowess in a specific field, they are granted the title of Tokubetsu Jounin (Special High Ninja).
"Good morning Hokage-sama and Asuma-san, I have with me here the full list of information about the new academy students this year. Everything you need to know about them is in this scroll" Iruka informed Hiruzen, both men nodded in acknowledgment.
"Excellent, thank you for that Iruka. I would also like to apologize to you for putting such a burden on you, I hope you're not having any difficulties teaching a class without an assistant considering the whole fiasco with regards to Mizuki" Hiruzen said
"Ahhh, don't worry about the Hokage-sama. I can still manage and I understand why there isn't a replacement yet since most shinobi don't consider the career of being an educator" Iruka offered
"I will inform you as soon as I am able to find a replacement for Mizuki, I thank you once again for your hard work. Our village wouldn't have many fine shinobi without people like you" Hiruzen praised Iruka to which he was honored for receiving the Hokage's gratitude for his services.
"Of course Hokage-sama, anything for the village for each and every one of us has the Will of Fire. I believe that is all Hokage-sama, I'll excuse myself now" Iruka said as he bid goodbye to both Hiruzen and Asuma.
"It's been a while since I last heard that " Asuma commented
"You mean the Will of Fire? What about it?"
"It's good and all but I prefer my analogy better"
"Ahhh… Protecting the 'King' at all costs, both essentially strive to achieve the same thing. It is nice to know that you finally see what I have been trying to show you years ago, I still remember the time when you were rebellious" Hiruzen chuckled
"That was in the past dad, I've grown now and matured more than I thought I would" Asuma retorted
"You know… I am hoping that before I die, I would have some grandchildren perhaps"
"Gahhh! There you go again! Could you stop sticking your nose in my love life?" Asuma complained
"I apologize for invading your privacy though, I do hope you and Kurenai are getting along nicely"
"It's alright dad, and yeah we're doing fine. Taking it nice and slow"
"Well don't make it too slow if you know what I mean"
"Alright that's it, I'm out of here. See you later dad" Asuma said as he left the Hokage's office. Hiruzen was chuckling, he took a puff from his pipe and mused about the thought of having grandchildren. The closest to a grandchild he has was Naruto, "Ahhh… The joys and hardships of being a parent" Hiruzen mused to himself.
- At the Academy -
Hours have passed and lunchtime has arrived, Iruka was done teaching for now. What he said about not having any troubles when it comes to teaching, was a lie. He was in fact having a harder time teaching a class all by himself, especially when it comes to conducting sparring sessions. But this is the life of a teacher and he has accepted this many many years ago, it is rewarding in the end even if it is hard.
He was sitting at his table in an empty classroom, he organized the paper on his table and was about to put it inside a folder. As he was doing that, he heard something hitting the window. Iruka turned his attention towards it and saw nothing, disregarding it thinking that it was a bird that flew into it. As he was about to place the folder inside his bag, he heard it again. He looked out the window for the second time and nothing has changed, still nothing. Iruka took his bag and was about to lock the door for now since he plans on grabbing something to eat for lunch, something hit the window again.
This infuriated Iruka, whatever it is that's hitting the window should knock it off. One's an incident, two's a coincidence, and three's a pattern. Iruka then opened the window to see an old student, Naruto.
"Naruto?! What in Kami's name are you doing?"
"Iruka-sensei! Can I come up there?!" Naruto asked from below
"You could've just entered the building in the first place…" Iruka said
"But that's boring and I wanted to show you this" he said as he walked on the building's wall and up to the window where Iruka was
"Chakra Control, I see… Impressive, I see that you are growing as a shinobi Naruto. Good for you" Iruka said with a smile
"Hehe thanks, Iruka-sensei. How have you been though?"
"Oh, you know… Teaching and stuff, can't really complain that much, what about you?"
"I'm doing fine Iruka-sensei, thanks for asking hehe"
"I'm glad to hear that, so what brings you here then?…"
"I wanted to ask for your help Iruka-sensei, that is if you don't mind"
"Sure, I don't mind. Though, what is it that you need help with?"
"The other day, Asuma-sensei taught us how to detect chakra signatures. I did alright I guess, but I feel like I can do better but I don't know how"
"Chakra signatures huh? I see… That is indeed a beneficial skill for a shinobi to have, and I think I can help you Naruto"
"Really?! SWEET! THANK YOU SO MUCH IRUKA-SENSEI, I OWE YA BIG TIME DATTEBAYO!"
"Now now, hold on for just a sec. Before I teach you this, you must promise not to share this technique with anyone else. Am I understood, this is a jutsu I created for myself initially but I am willing to share it with you"
"I understand Iruka-sensei, you can count on me hehe"
"Alright then, what I'm going to teach you is my Echolocation no Jutsu (Echolocation Technique). Tell me Naruto, do you recall a time when I knew you weren't paying attention without looking behind me?"
Naruto recalled his memories and indeed remembered an incident where he got scolded for dozing off at his desk, this made him wonder how the heck his sensei was able to tell
"Ohhh yeah!… How did you do that though?"
"I used the Echolocation no Jutsu (Echolocation Technique) I was talking about, I can have a rough idea of my surroundings with the help of that jutsu. Though I think it'll suit you just fine, using that jutsu was taxing for me but I think it won't be a big deal for you since you have a lot of chakra at your disposal"
"Ohhh nice! So… how do I do it then?"
"There are no hand seals required, all you have to do is release a pulse of chakra into your surroundings, this pulse is like a wave. Since it is your chakra, it is pretty much linked to you. Whenever the wave of chakra hits a surface, it will give you a mental image of your surroundings. The only downside to this is that it doesn't go through walls and by doing this you are essentially giving away your location, so only use it when it is practical and safe"
"I see… Can you show me how it's done?" Naruto said to Iruka to which his sensei gladly showed him how to perform it. Iruka taught Naruto how to perform the jutsu a couple of times, this took around half an hour before Naruto was able to get the hang of it. Once Iruka was satisfied with Naruto's execution, he told him to continue practicing so that he could extend its range and accuracy. Naruto thanked his former sensei and said goodbye thus leaving Iruka all by himself, he still had 30 minutes to eat lunch which was cutting it close but more than enough. Despite using up time from his lunch break, he didn't mind since it was Naruto asking. Only then did Iruka realize that he missed having Naruto in his class, but he was proud of Naruto for he is already growing at an incredible rate. Iruka grabbed his bag, locked that door, and went out to eat lunch.
- At Yamanaka Flowers: Friday -
"Thank you for your patronage" Ino said to a customer who just bought a bouquet of flowers, she then turned her gaze towards her fellow blonde teammate who was moving bags of soil and fertilizer. It was a Friday, meaning that Naruto had to go to his part-time job.
They had just finished training a while ago. Once their sensei wrapped up the session, both blondes went straight to the flower shop to go do work.
Naruto was almost done with his task, all he had to was move the final bag. "Hey, Ino! Where should I put this last bag? I can't seem to fit any more bags here at the back" Naruto asked
"Hang on just a sec let me see… I guess you can put it inside the storage shed, I'll just inform my mom about it"
"Alright, last bag and I can take a break dattebayo!' he said as he squatted down when suddenly he heard a loud rip. Naruto panicked thinking that the bag ripped open, he quickly checked where the tear was only to find nothing. But something did feel strange, he felt a gentle breeze enter his pants. He then realized that his pants ripped apart thus creating a hole, Naruto then heard Ino laughing which only confirms it.
"Ha ha very funny Ino, you like the view don't ya?"
"Whatever, I thought it was funny so deal with it. Besides, didn't I tell you to buy new clothes?"
"Yeah yeah I know… I guess now is the time for that"
"Ah ah ah, not so fast Naruto…"
"What?…"
"Our shift is not yet done, you still got to work even if your pants have a hole in it"
Naruto sighed but he then thought of an idea, he took off his apron and wore it backward. "What are you doing?"
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm covering the hole, duh…"
"Wear your apron properly, what would people think if they see you wearing an apron the wrong way? They'll think we hire crazy people, so take it off and wear it the right way" Ino smirked
Naruto let out another sigh and undid his apron and wore it correctly. But while he was doing so, Naruto then thought of another brilliant idea. He took off the apron and his jacket, he then wore his jacket around his waist to cover the hole and then wore the apron properly. Ino saw this and rolled her eyes, "That's not fair!" she protested
"Ah-ha! I'm able to hide the hole anyway hehe" he gave her a foxy grin
"Whatever, you still ripped your pants" she said to him as she stuck out her tongue, Naruto reciprocated and did the same. The two blondes continued to finish their shift until it was closing time, "So where do you plan to buy new clothes?" Ino asked
"I think I saw a thrift store nearby, maybe they have some-" he was cut off by Ino
"No"
"Huh? What do you mean, no?"
"You're not going to buy clothes from a thrift store, not on my watch"
"But it's cheap and I don't really care about what I wear"
"Shhhh… Just, no. You are not buying clothes from a thrift store, end of discussion" she said as she placed her finger on Naruto's lip to silence him
"But-"
"No buts"
"Isn't this supposed to be my decision?"
"Yeah well not anymore, so tough luck. Besides, I'm going shopping tomorrow as well. You might as well accompany me" Ino said to Naruto
"*sigh* Fine… What time do you want to meet up tomorrow?" he said, Naruto knew that there was no point in arguing with Ino when it comes to shopping.
"Meet me here at 8 o'clock, I know just the place to get clothes for you. This would be so much fun!" she said joyfully to a pouting Naruto
"Don't give me that look, it'll be fun Naruto. Trust me, I'll treat you to some ramen after we're done shopping" she said this to entice Naruto. Naruto's face was expressionless but Ino knew it was working.
"Come on, I know you want to get some ramen tomorrow. Oh, just imagine eating some Miso Char Siu ramen after being exhausted. Doesn't that sound nice?" she said to him, Naruto's face was beginning to betray him as his lips turned into a small smile
"See there you go, all you need is a little motivation"
"That's not fair, you used ramen against me"
"Oh yeah? You used your jacket to cover up that hole in your pants"
"Well duh! I need to cover it up since my underwear is exposed Ino. Why are you fixated on it though, do you want to see my underwear that badly? You pervert"
"WHA-?! I AM NOT A PERVERT! YOU TAKE THAT BACK! I just thought it would be funny" Ino pouted
"Hahaha, you should've seen the look on your face when I called you a pervert. You were as red as a cherry tomato haha" Naruto laughed
"WHY YOU!" Ino gritted her teeth as she was about to smack Naruto when suddenly he vanished, she then saw him running away whilst waving.
"Bye Ino! See ya tomorrow dattebayo!" he yelled from afar
Ino laughed due to Naruto's antics, "That Naruto… You can't really tell what's going on in that thick skull of his" she said as she locked the store and went home.
- The Next Day -
"How come you get to shop for your clothes first?… I thought you were gonna help me find a new outfit for me?"
"Oh relax… Finding clothes for you is much easier compared to the shopping I need to do, so it's much better to finish my shopping first and then yours. The store isn't going anywhere you know?"
"I guess… But why do I have to carry all of your stuff though?"
"Because that's what a gentleman does for their lady, you should know that"
"You mean to say that this is a date?…"
"WHAT?! No, this is not a date. When did I say this was a date?"
"You said that gentlemen do stuff for their ladies, so does that mean I am the gentleman and you are 'my lady'. And if so, then this must be a date then right?…"
"Huh? Just… Forget about what I said, okay? I-Its just a nice thing you can do to help me, problem solved" she said in a flustered tone. Naruto was satisfied with her new answer and dropped the topic altogether.
Ino then dragged Naruto into a new store but this store made Naruto uncomfortable, it was the women's swimwear section. "S-Should I even be here Ino?" Naruto asked who was hesitant to enter the area.
"It's fine… Don't worry about it, it's not like you're going to peek anyway. Oh yeah, don't be a pervert and don't peek" Ino reminded him
Naruto blushed and his face turned red, "O-Of course not! Jeez…"
"Okay good, just stay there"
Naruto waited outside for a couple of minutes and let Ino choose what she wanted to try out first before purchasing. Once she was done with that, Ino then went into a dressing room to change
Naruto was sitting on a nearby chair when he suddenly heard the sound of a curtain opening, "Naruto, what do you think?" Ino asked him
Naruto faced her and saw that she was wearing a modest two-piece swimsuit that was color blue, Naruto was speechless, he thought Ino looked good. Despite how modest the swimsuit she was wearing, it wasn't helping Naruto that he could see Ino's curves and fair skin. Naruto gulped and tried his best to give her a straight answer without sounding like a pervert/creep.
"I-It's okay I guess" he said
"I'll try on another one, give me a sec" she said as she returned to the dressing room. Moments passed and she opened the curtains once more, this time she was wearing a one-piece swimsuit that was white in color. Nothing changed, Naruto still thinks Ino looked good.
"Y-Yep, look's okay to me" he replied
"That's what you said earlier as well… Come on Naruto be honest" Ino pouted
"It looks fine alright?..." Naruto said sheepishly
"You gotta try better than that, is it good? Is it bad? Tell me-" she was cut off when Naruto gave her an answer
"I think it doesn't matter what you wear, you'll look good anyway! So can we go somewhere else now? Please?..." Naruto said while being flustered, Ino was surprised to hear Naruto's outburst/compliment
"See? That wasn't so hard, was it? Alright I think I know what to buy" she said as she changed back into her clothes, Ino couldn't help but grin cause of Naruto's reaction. 'He thought I looked good no matter what I wear huh?' she mused to herself. Sure he wasn't Sasuke, but she still got a kick out of his reaction and she still appreciated Naruto's answer.
- At A Different Store -
"So Naruto, what do you want to wear then? Let's start with what color you want"
"Orange for sure!"
"Orange again?…"
"Why not?…"
"Aren't you getting tired of that color?"
"Nah… I still like it"
"Okay but why?…"
"I dunno… I just feel like it's right for me y'know? Kinda like, it was meant for me"
"Hmmm… What about this one?" she said as she handed him an orange shirt with long sleeves
"Er… Anything else?…"
Ino returned the shirt and saw another one, this time it was a t-shirt with black and orange stripes
"I don't like the design though…"
Ino sighed and kept looking, this went on for hours. A cycle of finding something with the color orange, showing it to Naruto, and him saying that he doesn't like it.
"This is the last one Naruto… If you don't like it then we'll have to look somewhere else" she said as she handed him an orange hoodie with black sleeves which has orange strips at the end.
Naruto examined it and tried it on, it was a good fit and he liked the design. It was still orange and somewhat reminiscent of his original jacket, so to him it feels right.
"This, I like this one"
"Finally… Now that your top is settled, the rest should be easy. Let's buy you black and white shirts, five of each so that you can wear them underneath the hoodie. You can keep it open or zip it up, a preference of mine is when guys roll up their sleeves" Ino explained
"I see, you sure do know a lot about fashion Ino"
"Tell me something I don't know, you'll look 10 times better after this. Let's get you some black designer pants to contrast your orange hoodie and black sandals to go with it, we should get you a new kunai holster and some new bandage wraps as well. What do you think?"
"Sure, you're the expert. I'm just thankful you're going out of your way to help me, thanks Ino"
"Don't mention it, this is also for me so that you're much better to look at during missions or when we're training"
"What?"
"N-Nothing… Go try these on" she said as she pushed Naruto inside the dressing room. Naruto then wore all the clothes Ino gave him, he then exited the room and showed Ino by spinning around slowly. Satisfied with his look, Ino told Naruto to change back to his clothes and give her the clothes while he waits outside.
"I liked the clothes you picked. But uh..."
"Don't tell me you changed your mind now, they have a no refund policy"
"No, it's not that. I just wish the symbol on the back of my original jacket could be placed on the new one, also this thingy on my sleeve as well"
"Oh, that's it? My mom could easily do that?"
"Really? Your mom wouldn't mind?"
"Of course not! She likes you so she'll gladly do it"
"Well, gee... Thanks, Ino!"
- On The Road -
"Now Naruto, be sure to read the instruction on how to wash your new clothes. If you do it the wrong way, you'll damage it right away so be careful okay?"
"Read instruction to wash it properly, got it"
"Now I believe you know what time it is"
It took a while for Naruto to know what Ino was referring to when he saw what store they were walking to, "ICHIRAKU RAMEN! YIPPEE!" he said as he scurried to get a bowl of Miso Chair Siu.
Ino giggled at how goofy Naruto is and followed him there, she sat down beside him and set aside some bags she was holding.
"Ahhh Naruto-kun and I see you brought Ino-chan with you, what would the both of you like to order"
"You already know what I'm getting Ayame-neechan"
"Alright then, Miso Char Siu it is. What about you though?"
"I guess I'll be having what he's having as well"
"Got it, Dad! Two bowls of Miso Char Siu! Add extra toppings, Naruto's here and he brought a… friend" she said with a cheeky smile but Ino and Naruto didn't notice.
(A/N: Ah-ha! The long-awaited shopping chapter where Ino models for Naruto haha, I tried my best not to make it sound creepy since I'm describing a thirteen-year-old girl wearing a bikini. But you gotta admit, Ino looks gorgeous. Anyway, if you cant visualize what Naruto's clothes look like, pm me, and I'll send the images I drew inspiration from. Also, I have made some changes, remember chapter9 with the mobilization of the troops part at the end? Yeah... I'm gonna edit that out, it's too soon for the Chunin Exams, I am planning to train them up first before putting them in the Chunin Exams, ever wondered why the rookie teams took the exams after a few months of being Genin? Felt kinda rushed but I plan to change that here, so it feels more natural for them to take the exams to go to the next level. So I'll move the exams from July to October. And yep this Echolocation Jutsu is the same as in Better Left Unsaid, it has no name and no explanation in the wiki though Kenchi618's explanation and mechanics of it are nice so I implemented it. I really like a lot of his stuff so you might see a lot of similarities anyway I hope yall enjoyed this chapter, thanks for the continued support! that's all cheers ^^)