DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO (NOW WITH 50% - I DO NOT AND 50% OWN NARUTO WHICH IS EQUAL TO NOT OWNING 100% OF IT)
A New Mission Awaits!
It was a rainy day in Konoha, the sky was rather dark and the atmosphere was a bit gloomy but this did not affect Naruto's overall jolly demeanor. Now in his new clothes that he and Ino bought the other day (with some slight modifications thanks to Ino's mom, Noriko), Naruto was looking quite sharp.
Naruto and Ino were walking towards the entrance of the Hokage's tower whilst sharing an umbrella, they would usually wait for their sensei at their training grounds but not today as it was raining.
"I feel like a brand new person when I'm wearing my new clothes dattebayo!" he said and smiled
"I'm glad you like it and see? I told you that you'd look even better compared to before"
"I guess you're right, plus these new sandals are really comfy. The soles of my old sandals were getting pretty thin and it kinda hurts my feet when I running, especially when I step on a rock"
"Well you won't experience that anymore, I should've worn a jacket though. I didn't expect it to rain today, yesterday's weather was the complete opposite of today"
Naruto then took off his jacket and placed it around Ino's shoulder, "There, hope that helps hehe" Naruto said with a foxy grin. Ino cheeks began to heat up as they turned red in color, she quickly looked away to avoid being seen by Naruto. "Since when did Naruto become such a gentleman? Is he into me? That can't be… I'm probably overthinking it" Ino thought to herself.
Both blondes then arrived at the entrance only to see Shino waiting for them, "Someone's early, good morning Shino" Ino greeted their teammate. Naruto did the same as well by saying hello to him and playfully punching Shino's shoulder.
"My bugs woke me up due to the cold weather we are having, which is why I am up so early"
"So if you're bugs are in distress, you're in distress too?" Ino asked
"Not necessarily but I will know if they are feeling unwell"
"I see… I guess Asuma-sensei is late… Again, which is not surprising"
"It appears so… I see that you have updated your wardrobe Naruto, it suits you" Shino complimented Naruto
"Hehe thanks Shino, but I couldn't have done it without Ino"
"Asking for Ino's assistance when it comes to fashion, a wise decision Naruto"
"Again Naruto… That won't earn you a day off"
"What?! I'm not trying to coax you into giving me a day off, that was a genuine compliment"
"Well if you say so, thank you for that Naruto"
"Don't mention it hehe"
The three of them continued to chat until they saw a figure from afar, Ino squinted her eyes only to see two of their senseis. "It's Asuma-sensei and… Kurenai-sensei?… What are they doing so early in the morning?…" Ino wondered whilst Naruto shrugged and Shino didn't comment anything.
Both of them were wearing trench coats, and they were sharing one umbrella as well but Kurenai seemed to be irritated. It's probably due to Asuma's smoking since the smoke is in close proximity to her face.
"You're late again Asuma-sensei… Don't tell us you had to help an old lady again" Ino said whilst raising an eyebrow.
A bead of sweat appeared on the side of Asuma's face, "Your Kurenai-sensei uhhh… Invited me to have some, coffee" Asuma said nervously as he finished his cigarette. Kurenai elbowed him which made Asuma flinch.
"What? We did have coffee, among other things…" he said as he was about to take out another cigarette from his cigarette case only to receive a glare from Kurenai. Asuma sighed and gave the case to Kurenai as a result. "Why don't you kids head on up, we'll catch up. I just need to have a word with your Asuma-sensei here" she said whilst smiling.
Ino, Shino, and Naruto then went upstairs just as Kurenai had told them. While they were talking up the stairs, Ino heard Kurenai scolding Asuma. "What the hell were you thinking?! Saying those things to kids… You're an idiot, you know that?" she said in a disappointed tone.
"I just said you invited me for coffee, relax… They don't even know what it means, I mean at least not yet"
"But that's not the point… My point is-" Ino didn't hear what Kurenai said as she got out of earshot. The three of them stood outside the Hokage's office, they didn't know whether to wait for their senseis to arrive or to knock and head right in. But they didn't need to decide since Hiruzen felt their presence from within the office, "You may enter" he said
Naruto opened the door only to see Hiruzen sitting behind his desk with his pipe in his mouth whilst doing some paperwork, "Good morning Hokage-sama" Ino said. "Thank you for having us Hokage-sama" Shino added. "Looks like someone is busy Hokage-jiji hehe" Naruto said on the other hand. Ino sighed in response to Naruto's lax greeting to the Hokage but Hiruzen didn't seem to mind. In fact, he found it delightful.
"Good morning to the three of you as well, I suppose you're here for a mission… Though, where is your Asuma-sensei?" Hiruzen inquired
"He's with Kurenai-sensei downstairs Hokage-jiji, they're discussing something about coffee. I'm not really sure, but Kurenai-sensei seems pissed though"
Hiruzen was able to decipher what Naruto meant about "coffee", he then chuckled in response thinking that Asuma was undoubtedly in a great deal of trouble. "I see, let's just wait for them to arrive here and then we'll discuss about your mission" Hiruzen said as he returned to his paperwork.
Naruto turned his gaze to the Hokage who was smoking his pipe while doing working at his desk, "Do you enjoy it Hokage-jiji?" Naruto asked
"Pardon me Naruto-kun? What do you mean 'I enjoy it'?" Hiruzen responded
"Your job of being the Hokage"
"Why of course Naruto-kun, I admit it is hard work but it is indeed rewarding. What brought upon this question Naruto-kun?"
"Well… How do I put this, er…" he stammered as he picked out the words he wanted to say but Ino understood what was going on in his mind. She intervened and told Hiruzen what was bothering Naruto.
After explaining to the Hokage, he understood why Naruto asked his question. "Sorry to disappoint you Naruto-kun, but Asuma is indeed telling the truth. Most of my work involves paperwork and politics, at least for now. Not unless a crisis would occur, which I hope wouldn't happen anytime soon. Most would say that aspiring to be the Hokage is a fool's dream, but that is up to you to decide whether it is foolish to pursue said dream. It was never my plan to be the Hokage at all, it was simply a responsibility that was given to me by the Nidaime Hokage (Second Hokage - Tobirama Senju) during a time of crisis"
"Did you regret it?"
"Being a Hokage is a mixed bag of experiencing good and bad things, there are high-highs and low-lows. I had my fair share of both, there are things that I truly enjoyed being part of and there are some that I wish didn't happen in the first place. But to answer your question Naruto-kun, I do not regret it at all"
"I see, I'm just y'know… Contemplating about my dream of being just like you Hokage-jiji, a person people look up to if you know what I mean"
"Hmmm… Well, just remember to do what you think is right and choose what you think is best not only for you but for the people you care for. And you don't have to be the Hokage or a Kage for that matter in order for people to look up to you, just look at your senseis. They are respected shinobi of our village, people know who they are and look up to them and they're not the Hokage" Hiruzen pointed out
This sparked something inside Naruto's mind, Hiruzen's explanation made sense to him, and almost all the doubts in his seemed to fade away. "You know what Hokage-jiji? I think I get it, thanks for that! I really appreciate it hehe" Naruto said with a foxy grin.
"Anytime Naruto-kun, I'm just glad that this old man is still able to help people whenever possible" Hiruzen said at the same time when the door to the office opened only to reveal an Asuma who was caressing his sore ear and a Kurenai who was smiling as if nothing happened.
"Greetings Hokage-sama, sorry for the hold-up. Asuma and I had some business that needed discussing in private, but no matter since it is all resolved now. Isn't that right Asuma?" she gave him a 'agree or I'll kill you' smile. Asuma sighed and agreed sheepishly.
"I am glad to hear that, shall we begin discussing about your team's mission details? Though I only have a mission for Team 10 at the moment" Hiruzen clarified to Kurenai who was simply standing there beside Asuma.
"Oh don't worry Hokage-sama, I'm just here accompanying Asuma. So don't mind me" she smiled at the Hokage
"Alright, suit yourself. On to business, your mission is to head to Mori no Kuni (Land of Forests) and deal with a gang that has been harassing the locals lately. It seems that the gang's presence there has affected the livelihood of many people since it has been reported that the gang now controls the docks and ports in the area" Hiruzen explained
"I see, is there anything else we should know about?" Asuma asked
"That is all the information I have with regards to the mission"
"Alright then, my team and I will head out this afternoon. I hope by then that this rain will let up, we will head out now Hokage-sama" Asuma said
"Very well, have a safe trip and good luck with the mission" Hiruzen said to Asuma and his students before they left. This left Kurenai alone with the Hokage, "Is there anything you would like me to do Hokage-sama?" Kurenai asked.
"I have no more missions to give out as of now but there is one thing I would like to as you"
"What is it Hokage-sama?"
"I am aware that what I am about to ask is unprofessional but has Asuma been treating you well?"
"I-I… Uhhh… O-Of course Hokage-sama, he's been very good so far"
"I see, I am glad to hear that"
"I thought I told him to keep this relationship under the wraps but apparently he told you"
"He didn't though"
"What do you mean by that Hokage-sama?"
"He hasn't told me anything, I just saw the both of you getting awfully close to one another lately so I just put two and two together. And for the record, you and Asuma are awful at not being obvious. I am assuming most if not all your colleague know about the both of you by now" Hiruzen told Kurenai, she simply blushed to which Hiruzen chuckled in response.
- At Naruto's Apartment -
"Should I bring my books with me? If so which one? I can't possibly bring it all… Unless…" Naruto thought to himself as he took out some sealing scroll he got from Ino. Apparently, her mother used to dabble in fuinjutsu in the past but realized that it was far too difficult for her which is why she gave the last of her materials to Naruto hoping that it would be put to good use instead of collecting dust in a box somewhere in their house. He was given a handful of scrolls which was enough for him to practice with, some brushes, as well as some ink to go with said brushes.
Naruto has been reading up on some fuinjutsu lately alongside other books about various stuff, he was feeling pretty confident about trying a basic sealing jutsu for the very first time.
Naruto read that an effective method of sealing things is by pouring in chakra into the scroll, the amount of chakra you put in is proportionate to its capacity. In simple terms, the more chakra you put in, the more stuff you can seal inside the scroll. Though for most people, it is recommended to pour in the right amount of chakra so as to not be wasteful but Naruto did not have those restrictions, but learning to pour in the right amount takes years of practice.
"How hard could it be?" Naruto said to no one in particular, he then took a clean scroll and dipped a brush inside a bottle of ink. But as soon as he was about to start, his hand became shaky and wobbly. Naruto didn't want to mess up, he remembered reading about the dangers of fuinjutsu. There were cases in the past where seals exploded spontaneously, a user accidentally sealed parts of their limbs, and there were worse cases where they sealed themselves inside the scrolls just because of a single mistake.
Naruto gulped and prayed to Kami that he doesn't mess this up, he started by copying the sealing formula on the book and onto the scroll. Once that was finished, he wrote the kanji for the word book/scroll in the middle. It wasn't as perfect as the one in the book but it was alright for a beginner, he began pouring chakra into the scroll so that it will seal the stuff he would put inside it. Naruto didn't know how much he should put inside the scroll but he thought that pouring in a lot of chakra wouldn't hurt, he streamed in chakra for about five minutes or so. And finally, it was the moment of truth to determine whether or not Naruto did the steps correctly.
Naruto placed one cup on top of the scroll, and also propped up a table in front of him as a safety precaution. "Here goes nothing, Funyu no Jutsu! (Enclosing Technique)" Naruto yelled and then a puff of smoke appeared inside his apartment. Once the smoke dissipated, the cup was nowhere to be found.
"Okay… The first part is a success, but what about the next part? Time to seal it this time, Kaifu no Jutsu! (Unsealing Technique)" Naruto exclaimed and a puff of smoke appeared once more. He waited for the smoke to vanish, what he saw delighted him. On top of the scroll was the cup he placed earlier, in pristine condition.
Naruto slowly approached the scroll in fear of accidentally being sealed inside it, it took a while for him to feel completely safe. He picked up the cup to see if nothing has changed and he was right, the cup remained the same before and after it was sealed. With this in mind, Naruto was now ready to seal the books/scrolls he planned on bringing.
He brought the scroll about Nebaiken, the book about fuinjutsu, the book about botany, and the book about flowers that Ino gave to him. He repeated the steps he did earlier without a hitch, Naruto then continued to pack his stuff inside his travel bag. Once finished, he left his apartment and locked the door as he headed to the front gate. Since Ino wasn't with him and it was still raining, Naruto had to run in the rain to get to the front gate thus getting wet in the process. But he was fast enough to avoid being drenched in rainwater.
- At Konoha's Gate -
Naruto quickly headed to a nearby waiting shed beside the gate, he placed his bag down on the bench and decided to wait for his teammates. "What are you doing out here in the rain?" a man asked
He looked up only to see Izumo wearing a raincoat, "Oh hey there Kamizuki-san, I'm just waiting for my teammates to get here since we have a mission" he answered
"I see… And you can call me Izumo, I don't mind" he said and smiled
"Alright then Izumo-san, where's Hagane-san though?" he asked
"Ahhh, Kotetsu isn't feeling well today so it's just me on guard duty for now. He must've caught a cold due to the cold weather"
"Perhaps so"
"So… Where are you guys off to?"
"To Mori no Kuni (Land of Forests), we're gonna handle some gang that's been causing some trouble there"
"I see I see, well I'm sure you guys would do just fine. I've heard about your first battle from your sensei as well as the whole carriage incident, congratulations now that you have a couple of missions under your belt as well as kills. How do you feel about that though?"
"Well I am proud that I am able to help my team accomplish a mission though I am still contemplating how I should feel about the people I killed, I did talk to Hokage-jiji and he told me not to revel in the deaths of my enemies"
"And that is true, and I'm guessing he told you that it would lead you to a dark path right?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"I was a Genin in the past as well and my first kill really bothered me but Hokage-sama was able to help me realize some stuff y'know? It's a cold world out there Naruto, sometimes it's just you or them. And nine times out of then, you should pick yourself" Izumo answered
"Nine times out of ten?"
"Well there are situations where you can reason with someone but that is a rather risky move if you ask me, there are people who can't be reasoned with. And there are those who are pretty much irredeemable no matter how you look at it so there's no point in talking to them, but it is up to you to decide whether to talk it out or fight it out. But when shit hits the fan, remember to do everything you can to protect yourself as well as the people you care about"
"I see, I'll keep that in mind Izumo-san. Thanks for the advice" Naruto smiled
"No worries, I'm glad I could help a fellow Konoha shinobi" Izumo smiled back, "Anyway, I'll return to my post now. Good luck with your mission Naruto" he waved goodbye and left the blonde alone.
Naruto was alone once more, he was just chilling there until suddenly, "There you are! What happened to you?"
Naruto turned his attention to where it was coming from only to see Ino. "Oh hey Ino, oh this? I didn't have an umbrella with me so I had to run in the rain" Naruto explained
"Well that was stupid of you, you could've asked me to lend you an extra umbrella in the first place. *sigh* You're just begging to get sick, aren't you?"
"Relax Ino, I'm fine… It's just a little water is all"
"Uh-huh, and I'm not taking any chances. I don't want you to get sick during the mission" Ino replied as she dug for an extra towel inside her pack. Naruto expected that Ino would just hand him the towel but he was surprised that Ino dried him herself.
"You know you could've just given me the towel Ino, I know how to dry myself"
"Yeah right, you know how to dry yourself yet you didn't think about not running in the rain huh? As I said, I'm not taking any chances, so shut up and sit still while I dry you off" Ino said to him. Naruto did as he was told and simply sat there while he let Ino do all of the work.
Izumo on the other hand couldn't help but smile and feel envious of Naruto, "Good for him but how come not a single kunoichi did these things for me in the past" He thought to himself as he sighed.
Asuma and Shino then arrived at the waiting shed, their sensei brought with him extra raincoats so that they could at least cover some distance to get to their destination. Mori no Kuni is quite far and it is a wise decision for them to be efficient with their time, "You guys ready?" Asuma asked his students to which they answered yes. "Alright then, you guys better keep up!" Asuma exclaimed as he sprinted away, his students then pursued him so as to not get left behind.
(A/N: Yo yo yo, a new mission huh? What could be in store for them? haha. Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for the late upload, I had some college business to deal with. Anyway, I am going to lessen the fluff stuff for now and focus on the action this time since I think I've provided enough fluff for now to satisfy you guys. There'll be more wholesome moments so don't worry, also! kindly tell me if you like the mechanics I provided for fuinjutsu since it hasn't been explored in canon so not much is known. I don't want to make it super OP cause if it was, then pretty much everyone should be using it, I'll try my best to make the explanation of the usage of seals feasible but for now, tell me if the mechanics are alright. Show me some love and RnR, that's all cheers ^^)