A/N: BWAAAAAARG! I had this chapter ¾ finished and then my computer glitched and it shut my open office. Normally, I save my work every 3 or so paragraphs, however, this time I was lazy, and boy did I pay for it. I lost about half the chapter and all of the A/N at the top, which were VERY extensive, as you can see. I believe a little bit of venting is in order. Owners and moderaters of this site, as well as my readers, please forgive what is about to transpire. This is where the story REALLY earns it's M raiting. Those of you with sensitive eyes and minds, you may want to skip th from the bold line underneath to the next bold line. I will be using a very funny flash file by the name of Onyxia Wipe Animation as inspiraon for this rant. I will be starting now.
THOSE OF YOU WHO DO NOT LIKE EXCESSIVE SWEARING LOOK AWAY!
'Specula's computer has encountered errors.'
WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT? QUESTON! WHAT THE FUCK? ERRORS! LEFT SIDE! RIGHT SIDE, MANY ERRORS!... FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK! THAT'S A FUCKING 50DKP MINUS! WTF WAS THAT SHIT! IT'S LIKE ONE IN A FUCKING MILLION! FROM THE FUCKING NEAR COMPLETED CHAPTER, TO THE GLITCHED STATE, TO THE BARE BONES CHAPTER, IT'S NOT EVEN FUCKING REMOTELY IMAGINABLE!
/End Rant.
IT IS SAFE TO LOOK AGAIN!
/Sob, now I have to type it all up again... I hope you can forgive me for the above rant. Anyways, I'll get back to it now.
Votes:
Ok, First poll is the options for D. As I said, I'll post the first three options made and those will be your options for D. Here's what's been suggested.
(D):
(I): sleeves like sasukes, but black and made out of chainmail delicately attached together by chakra. can absorb chakra and create a sort of force field with it. - White Alchemist Taya.
Taya, I have to tell you right now that this is the most plausable option. In the second Naruto movie, one of Temujin's friends had some sort of ability called the plasma ball which either activated when anything approached at close range, forming an electromagnetic shield around her, or it was active at all times, and only became visable when something hit it.
(II): A headpiece that guards against and amplifies Genjutsus. - Ki master.
I think that this could be a decent idea. Although you suggested a helemt or headpiece, I'm going to go with a headpiece like Deidra's from the manga when he helps Sasori capture Gaara, as a helmet wouldd be too bulky. It's basically a mix between a monicle and half a pair of binoculars. Also, I decided that I'd have to modify it a little bit to do both your possibilities, both lessening opponents genjutsu and amplifying their own.
(III): A piece for Gaara only. A special metal sand that is lighter, thus faster, and finer so he can mold sharpened blades with it (yeah i'm inspired by sunagakure's sandaime kazekage) – Dradon Noir
You know, I think this is the only piece that Gaara could even use. A decent idea to.
Now, for the real poll, what each person gets. BTW, If you think that one of the custom pieces is actually suited better for a character and you picked one of the options I gave you before I introduced the three of your options, then I will allow you to repick, however, in your review, please state in the very first line that you are repicking. I will allow ONLY the people who picked before I put up your options to repick, everyone else only has one choice for each character. First option to five for each character wins:
Naruto: RESULTS: Gauntlet.
(A): Gauntlet: 5
(B): Greaves: 0
(C): Shoes: 0
(D):
(I): Plasma Defense Sleeves: 0
(II): Genjutsu Eyepiece: 0
(III): Iron Sand: (Gaara Only): 0
Yukiko:
(A): Gauntlet: 1
(B): Greaves: 2
(C): Shoes: 3
(D):
(I): Plasma Defense Sleeves: 0
(II): Genjutsu Eyepiece: 0
(III): Iron Sand: (Gaara Only):
Gaara:
(A): Gauntlet: 1
(B): Greaves: 1
(C): Shoes: 0
(D):
(I): Plasma Defense Sleeves: 0
(II): Genjutsu Eyepiece: 0
(III): Iron Sand: (Gaara Only): 2
Sora:
(A): Gauntlet: 0
(B): Greaves: 0
(C): Shoes: 3
(D):
(I): Plasma Defense Sleeves: 2
(II): Genjutsu Eyepiece: 0
(III): Iron Sand: (Gaara Only):
Hotaru:
(A): Gauntlet: 0
(B): Greaves: 4
(C): Shoes: 0
(D):
(I): Plasma Defense Sleeves: 0
(II): Genjutsu Eyepiece: 1
(III): Iron Sand: (Gaara Only):
Remember, if you picked before this chapter was uploaded, you may pick again if you wish, but ONLY if you picked before this chapter. If you do, I will take all of your previous choices, take them off your first choices and add them to your new choice.
Now, for the comments/questions:
Shinku Naito: Sorry, no real hidden nins in this story. In truth, Jiraiya... tampered with the story slightly. Everything is true about the story up to the point of them retuning from retirement. In reality, most of them were so disturbed by the demon lords that they either went into permanent retirement or dissapeared. Where to, no one knows. Jiraiya just modified the story for his own personal gain, namely, to learn all of the elemental jutsus.
becomingthis: Thinking? Does it hurt? LOL, I'm joking. Well, hope you keep reading.
White Alchemist Taya: Heh, I had a fairly good idea that you were female. Also, you hit your head? So badly that it caused you confusion? Did you see a doctor or something? I don't think that's healthy. Thanks for the armour part idea, I'm definitely using it, as you can see.
Ki master: Oh! You can wipe memories? Is it possible to wipe parts of memories? I have parts I'd rather forget, namely 95 percent of my childhood. Yup, it was that bad. Anyways, as for Gaara's armour part, I'd have to agree with you. Not much Gaara could use, is there? The only thing I could think of was some sort of in between barrier that rests somewhere in between his shield and armour. Apart from that, there's not much I can think of.
Zagen: To tell you the truth, Zagen I didn't like it much either, however, I was still intrigued by the notion of a much more technically advanced part of the world from the part we're all familiar with. I'll try my hardest to not make it out and out wacky, however, it will still be different from the east. Kind of like how the Chinese Empire was to the Roman Empire in ancient times in the real world, I guess.
smart-redneck: Em... Sorry for sounding rude, but I had a really hard time trying to understand what you were trying to get across. As much as I hate to say it, I can only accept one of your ideas, and all of them are too simmilar to one of the already existing pieces on offer, so unless you can come up with something more... original I guess, I'll have to ask you to vote again, or come up with one completely original idea. As for the nullifying of the elemental jutsus, they can use an opposing elemental jutsu, or if they get it, the gauntlet to counter it. The only thing I can salvage from your review is some piece of armour that absorbs chakra when it's put into it for later use. And if you agree with this, PLEASE not a vest or something that covers the upper body, as that would severely go against the image I'm trying to give the characters. Sorry about that...
Dragon Noir: Um, I've accepted your first idea, as someone else suggested it as well, but I can't accept your second originla idea. Also, I said no body armour period. It wouldn't suit t image I'm trying to set for them.
shadow frost 91: Gah, how many times do I have to type this? Anywho... ONE PIECE EACH! And I'd appreciate it if you voted for the rest of them as well, so until then, your vote is not counted.
Kyuubi-Sama: I want to cry... Sorry, nothing against you personally, but I'm kinda getting bored with writing pretty much the same thing again and again... Please vote for everyone else...
Alphabain: 'Cries'... Not again... Read the above responses...
Solar Guardian: Well, I have no idea what time frame this is, but I've seen in the anime and manga that they do in fact have TVs, video games consoles, mp3 players and computers, however, they still have wooden sailing ships. How that's possible, I have no idea. And yes that 'little box' is a nuke... Guess it's just the screwed up world that is Naruto... Point taken about the gauntlets and the demonic nails, however, the gauntlet can form a mass of spikes on their command, which I think would be far more effective both psycholgically and physically on their opponents. If you need a visual on what I mean, kind of imagine Kimmimaro from the Sasuke retrival arc with his bones jutting out of his body everywhere. As for the gauntlet idea you gave, the gauntlet can already form a blade at will, so there's kinda no point in that... Also, I've already got the three original ideas, so I can't take any more new ones. As for your last question, I was hoping that absolutely NO ONE would ask that EVER. This is the question I was fearing the most. It would ruin the whole plot of the story, so I'm going to have to leave that one hanging. As for everyone else, please do not ask/pressure me for what their relationship will be at the end of the trip, all will be revealed soon.
Katana Haibane: HAH! I got your name right this time! Yeah, but you have to remember, the goal of Akatsuki was to DRAIN the bijus, and Naruto and Yukiko just absorbed them, pretty much turning them into what Kisame is. IE, buggering Akasuki's plans up royally. The only option they would have left if they wanted to harness the Kyubi and Nibi's powers would be to have them join Akatsuki, and IMO, the fics that do that sound so unnatural... Anywho, we've gone past that vote, so please vote again in the more recent one. As you suggested, I do not want any major body part covered with armour, so nothing in the form of helmets, chest pieces or leg plates. As for the idea of leaving their powers to me... I believe that a good author can take anything in his/her stride and run with it, also, the readers tend to enjoy it more if they have some control over the character's destinies. Also, as stated before, the three ideas have been taken, so I can't accept anymore. Also, I said no armour that covers a major part of the body.
xXxANIMEfreekxXx1234: Please don't make me type it again... I seriously wished I added the A/N of this chapter as a spearate intermission now... Oh well...
Rokudaime quote for the chapter: ITACHI: "I've always wanted to kill the world's sexiest man. But then I realized suicide's not the way to go."
As always, I hope my creativity gives you some semblance of pleasure to read.
Legend:
'...Thoughts...'
"...Japanese..."
"...English..."
"...TWO PEOPLE CASTING THE SAME JUTSU..."
'...Biju Thoughts...'
"...Biju Talking..."
&&&&&&&&&...Scene Change...&&&&&&&&&&
A Tail of Two Bijus:
Chapter 22:
Heading to the West:
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Two Months Later, at the Tsuchikage's Office:
Two months had gone by, and the group had somehow managed to master all of the Doton jutsus they were taught in their two month time limit, as well as getting a basic grip on the English language. They had successfully completed over 10 S rank missions, meaning they had enough money to get them to the west and back. They walked into the Tsuchikage's office to say their farewell. The Tsuchikage looked up as they entered the room.
"Ah greetings. I've been informed that you will be leaving the Stone today?"
Jiraiya nodded.
"That is correct, Tsuchikage-Dono."
The Tsuchikage sighed.
"Is there nothing I can do to convince you to stay?"
Jiraiya shook his head.
"Unfortunately, a mission had been received by Konoha which will affect the entire stability of the east, and no one except Kage level ninjas or above have a chance of completing."
The Tsuchikage's eyes widened.
"Well, if that is the case, I will not keep you waiting. Thank you for stopping by in the Hidden Stone Village. I hope to see you again some time, preferably before I retire."
Jiraiya nodded.
"We will try to come back before that happens, Tsuchikage-Dono. Thank you for the hospitality."
"You are most welcome."
With that, the six of them filed out of the door and walked towards the village gate. Once they reached it, the guards saluted.
"Take care."
"You to."
With that, the group made their way to the edge of the Earth Country, through the small gap in between Earth and Fire, and then through the Fire Country, stopping at a small port town. The town was a rather small town, made out of what seemed like mostly pines from the surrounding area with driftwood attached to the walls in odd places, probably to cover up holes and other things. The smell of salt had been assaulting their noses for the past half hour as they approached the village. Once they had reached it, Naruto voiced his question he had been saving up.
"Neh, Ero-Sennin, how exactly are we going to get to the west? Isn't it across the sea?"
Jiraiya nodded.
"It is however, one part of the letter sent to Sarutobi-Sensei 50 years ago said to wait at this port, because we would be picked up here."
Naruto's eyes bulged.
"The westerners are coming to pick us up?"
Jiraiya nodded for his answer.
"We still have a few days until they come and pick us up, so I want all of you to study the scrolls of English I gave you until they arrive."
They nodded and went to the local inn, reserving a few rooms for several days. For the next several days, they studied the scrolls almost non stop. On the second night, they went to sleep, knowing that tomorrow they would finally meet them.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Third Morning of their Stay in the Port Town:
Naruto woke up groggily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He took a whiff of the salty air and sighed. However, there was an unusual smell that was very, very faint. He sniffed again, before he could place the smell.
'Oil?'
Naruto hugged Yukiko and planted a kiss on her forehead, which he had realised by now was an almost sure-fire way of waking her up. Not surprisingly, Yukiko moaned and opened her eyes. Naruto smiled at her.
"See if you can smell it."
Yukiko breathed in through her nose several times and her eyes widened.
"Oil?"
Naruto nodded. They both got out of the sleeping bag and changed quickly, before they packed up. Once they had packed up, they went and woke everyone else, telling them about the arrival of the westerners. Everyone quickly got packed up and headed downstairs. Once they did, they paid the woman at the counter for their time here and walked outside. When they did, they noticed something strange. Normally, there were a few people walking the streets, however there was no one. Naruto turned to look at the dock and noticed everyone was crowded around the dock. Naruto looked out to sea and noticed a rather large boat; however, this boat was not like any boat they had ever seen. It was made entirely of metal, and it had no sails, however, it was slowly moving towards them. Naruto noticed that there were cylindrical shaped objects coming out of the top of the boat, and they had smoke coming out of them. Jiraiya nodded at them and they charged to the docks. Once they were there, Jiraiya bellowed at the people.
"Everyone, return to your jobs immediately. That boat is coming to pick us up, however the people on the boat do not speak Japanese. We cannot afford to have you people here, as they are expecting us and only us. Please leave. Now."
Everyone begrudgingly started walking back up the docks to return to their jobs. When the boat was several miles out, it slowed down and eventually stopped. Most people didn't notice what they stopped for, but Naruto and Yukiko used their improved eyesight to notice that a smaller boat was being lowered over the side and it had people in it. The boat was not made of metal, however it was not made of wood. The boat touched the water and Naruto and Yukiko could hear the whine of an engine and the smell of burnt oil. The boat was approaching at incredible speeds, how it managed that, they didn't know. However, after a few minutes, the boat pulled into the dock and everyone turned to face the occupants. There were two burly humanoids in full armour and they had a single red glowing eye. However, Naruto did not smell a living human presence inside the armour, nor did he smell a dead one. It was somewhere in between. They noticed the other occupant, who was obviously the person in charge of the boat. She was a tall woman, who wore tight fitting metal armour that hugged her figure. She also wore a white cape with red lining. She had blonde hair and red eyes. She bowed and greeted them in English.
"Greetings. I assume you are the ones we asked for 50 years ago?"
Jiraiya bowed and nodded.
"We are. I am Jiraiya of the legendary three Sannin. To my left is Uzumaki Naruto, only son of Uzumaki Arashi, the strongest man to ever live in the east. To his left is Yakushi Yukiko. She is one of the two sole survivors of the most well known medic clan, the Yakushis. To her left is Saito Sora. To her left is Gaara of the Desert. He is the current Kazekage of the Sand. To his left is Yamamoto Hotaru. All of these people, regardless of their rank and social status have either one of the legendary nine demon lords of the east sealed inside of them, or in the case of Naruto and Yukiko, have merged with their demons."
Naruto, Yukiko, Gaara, Sora and Hotaru were only able to follow parts of this and gathered it was some sort of introduction. They confirmed this when the woman's eye widened. She introduced herself.
"My name is Ranke. I am the commander of the northern branch of our armies. Please come with me."
Following Jiraiya's notion, they stepped into the boat, and Ranke nodded to the guard who was in charge of the motor. He pulled a string and the motor once again roared to life. The boat shot forward, making a wide arc before heading back towards the ship the boat had come from. On the way back, Jiraiya turned to Ranke.
"In the east, our ships consist of wood and canvas sails. How exactly does your ship manage to stay afloat and move?"
Ranke smiled.
"Technically, any mass when placed onto the water can float, providing it gives a suitable amount of displacement compared to it's weight. We achieved this by creating a hollow hull with the lower part sealed off which contains something. I was never told what the objects were, however, I know that they are what keeps the boat aflot. As for how it moves, we have furnaces below deck, which are kept burning when the ship is in motion. The furnaces have vents which blow smoke out into an object called a turbine, which when the smoke hits, turns. This provides a lot of friction, directly giving us power. The smoke you see coming out of the smoke stacks come from the furnaces after passing over the turbine. I'm not a mechanic or an engineer, so I cannot give you a full description of the inner workings of the ship, as I specialise in military command."
Jiraiya nodded.
"The explination gave me more than enough of an idea of the basics of the ship, thank you."
Ranke nodded. They were now almost level with the ship. Renke turned back to Jiraiya.
"Do your friends talk?"
Jiraiya nodded.
"Unfortunately, they have not completely mastered the english language, although they are learning fast."
"I see. Excuse me for a moment, I have to give directions to get us back on board."
Jiraiya nodded and turned back to the others.
"Did you catch any of that?"
They nodded. Naruto spoke up.
"I caught about 40 or so percent of that."
Everyone had apparently caught about as much as Naruto had, give or take five percent. They turned back to Ranke who was bellowing out orders. Just then, a pair of chains dropped over the side of the boat and splashed into the water either side of them. The guards with them in the boat picked the chains up and attached the hook on the ends of the chain to small rings on either side of the boat. Once this had been completed, Renke gave a hand signal and the boat was lifted out of the water. Once they reached deck level, Renke hopped out of the boat motioning them to follow. They got out and were escorted by Renke to what was the bridge of the ship. Once they got to the cabin door, Renke knocked.
"Sir! I have brought the diplomats."
"Bring them in."
"Yes sir!"
Renke opened the door and stepped inside, while Jiraiya and the others followed her. Once they were inside, Renke looked at her superior officer for further orders. The man finally turned around and smiled at them.
"Greetings. I am the supreme commander of the western armies, Haido. Please, have a seat."
Jiraiya nodded and took a seat, which the others followed. Then, Haido turned back to Renke.
"Commander Renke, please go and make preparations to return to the west."
Renke saluted and walked out the door. Haido turned back to his guests and smiled (He's not screwed up in the head like in the movie in my story. Here, he's a decent guy) They took in every feature of him. He wore a strange hat which they later found out was a bishops hat. He wore a monacle over his left eye. He had brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a mainly beige robe with blue linings. Taking his seat he smiled at Jiraiya.
"Being the oldest, would I be correct in assuming you are their guardian?"
Jiraiya thought over his answer before he responded.
"In some senses, I am. However, they are as much in charge of our group as I am."
Haido nodded.
"May I ask your names?"
"I am Jiraiya of the ledgendary three Sannin. To my left is Uzumaki Naruto, only son of Uzumaki Arashi, the strongest man to ever live in the east. To his left is Yakushi Yukiko. She is one of the two sole suvivors of the most well known medic clan, the Yakushis. To her left is Saito Sora. To her left is Gara of the Desert. He is the current Kazekage of the Sand. To his left is Yamamoto Hotaru. All of these people, reguardless of their rank and social status have either one of the legendary nine demon lords of the east sealed inside of them, or in the case of Naruto and Yukiko, have merged with their demons."
Naruto and the others now realised that this was a reheased introduction that would most likely be used when meeting everyone of high station. Haido raised an eyebrow.
"Demons?"
Jiraiya nodded.
"About 14 years ago, the nine demon lords roamed the east. The king of the demons, Kyubi no Kitsune, was the most violent. He had nine tails. When he swung one, the tail could cleave a mountain in two or cause a tidal wave."
Haido was now very interested.
"And you say that these demons now reside within these five? How could something so massive fit inside?"
Jiraiya smiled.
"In the east, we use many techniques to aid us in battle. We are aware that some westeners have the ability to use Genjutsu, or illusionary techniques. In the east, we have another type of technique called a ninjutsu, or ninja technique. A specialised branch of ninjutsu is called fuuinjutsu, or sealing techniques. We use seals every day, in the form of exploding tags, summoning scrolls and others. One man was known to be a master of seals. His name was Uzumaki Arashi. He created entirely new seals the likes of which no one had ever seen. His most well known one was Shikifuujin, or in english, dead demon seal. The shikifuujin was unusual in that it was not just a seal but also a summoning technique. It was considered a forbidden technique, because of the cost of the technique."
Haido was wrapped. He must know more about this.
"The cost?"
"The cost was heavy. The seal user made a pact with the god of death. To use the seal, the god of death require two things. The soul of the sealed, and the soul of the sealer. Should the technique be successful, the two souls are destined to battle for all eternity in the stomach of the death god."
Haido nodded solemnly.
"That is indeed a grave price. And so would I be correct in assuming that the souls of the people who used the technique and the souls of the demons are stuck in your bodies?"
Naruto nodded.
"That is correct. However, as Jiraiya said, Yukiko and myself have absorbed our demons not too long ago. We seem to be slowly gaining the demon's powers. I can give you an example if you wish."
Haido nodded.
"Please do."
Naruto nodded and closed his eyes. His finger nails lengthened, as did his cainines. His wisker marks darkened and widened, and Naruto opened his eyes to reveal that his pupils were now blood red. Haido looked at Naruto in shock. Naruto smiled and let his features return to normal.
"Although what I showed you is a partial demon..."
Naruto wasn't sure of the next word, and turned to Jiraiya.
"Transformation."
Naruto nodded his thanks.
"Transformation, if I was to undergo a full one, I'm afraid your subordinates would feel as if they were under attack."
Haido nodded.
"That was certainly suprising to say the least."
Just then, the intercom on Haido's desk crackled to life.
"Sir! We're ready to leave at your word!"
"Very well. Set sail for home."
"Yes sir!"
With that, the intercom stopped crackling and they felt the ship lurch. Haido smiled at them.
"I would like to know more about yourselves and the east if possible. It seems like a facinating place."
Jiraiya smiled sadly.
"It is indeed a facinating place, however, it is also rife with war."
Hiado looked saddened.
"It seems that humans cannot escape the need for war, no matter which part of the world they hail from.."
Jiraiya nodded.
"However, there are those who seek the ideal of protecting those people who are considered precious to them, even at the cost of their life. The five with me are such people, who would no doubt protect each other with their lives."
Haido nodded smiling.
"A very honourable goal. We are seeking such people to end the war back home. The war has been raging on and off for almost a century."
Their eyes buldged.
"A war that lasts for 100 years? Who could pose such a threat to your army that necessitates a hundred year war?"
Haido sighed.
"There are many people who would rather war and chaos to peace and prosperity. Tey have unfortunately banded together and formed a milita that specialised in underhanded tactics which they use to slowly whittle down our forces. Car bombs, suicide bombers, you name it, they've tried it. This greatly angers me that they try and stop our efforts to bring protection to the people of the west. All we try and do is help people rebuild their lives after these fools destroy them, and they attack us for it. I will never understand them..."
Jiraiya shook his head.
"There are many groups like the one you speak of in the east, however, they prefer working alone instead of being united under one banner, meaning it is easier to stop them."
Haido nodded.
"As it would. I seem to remember you addressing Gaara as the Kazekage. Please tell me what exactly a 'Kazekage' is."
"A Kazekage or any of the other four kages are the leaders of their village. They did not get to that rank purely because of strength. One of the defining criteria for becoming a Kage is that you have to be willing to put your life on the line to protect everyone of your village, no matter what it costs you. A lesser prerequisite is that a potential Kage must know at least 1000 ninjutsu, although this is not always the case. Gaara here knows less than 1000, yet he is still the Kazekage."
Haido smiled.
"So a Kage is essentilly the guardian of the village?"
"Yes. His or her job is to protect everyone in that village, and also decide how the village is run, meaning they make all the executive decisions of the village."
Haido looked out into space for a moment, pondering over the information so far. He turned back and smiled.
"I'm sure that you would like to hear about the west as well?"
Jiraiya nodded.
"It would be very intersting."
Haido nodded and began to recount the history of the west up to the present day. By the time he had finished, it was already dusk. He noticed the darkness outside.
"Oh! My most humble appologies, I did not notice the time! You must be bored senseless listening to me ramble."
The others, he noticed were still paying him their complete and undivided attention. Jiraiay smiled.
"On the contrary, that was a very interesting history lesson, which I think we all agree with."
On queue, they nodded. Haido laughed good naturedly.
"I see. Well, I think I will retire for the night. You may walk above deck or visit the first two decks below, but please go no further than that. For now, I will ask Renke to show you to your cabins."
Jiraiya nodded.
"Thank you for your time. I will be retiring to bed."
Naruto nodded in agreement.
"As will I."
Haido nodded and pushed the intercom.
"Sir?"
"Renke, please show the guests to their rooms."
"Yes sir, I will be there shortly."
The intercom stopped it's crackling noise. Within two minutes, the door opened and Renke walked in.
"If you would please follow me, I will show you to your cabins."
Jiraiya nodded. They walked down the stairs leading to the bridge and along the deck. Jiraiya wanted to know something.
"Pardon me for asking, but how long will the journey to the west take?"
"Depending on the whether, somewhere between a month and two months. One month being perfect sailing weather, while two months means the worst weather possible."
Jiraiya nodded.
"I see. Thank you."
Renke took a final turn and stopped in front of six doors.
"These will be your cabins for the journey. If you need anything, please push the button next to the door to open an intercom to the command centre. I will be there most of the time."
Jiraiya nodded, and then remembered something.
"Forgive the problems, but we will only need five rooms."
Renke arched her eyebrow.
"Five?"
"Yes. Naruto and Yukiko are currently dating, and they use the same room wherever they go."
Renke smiled as Naruto and Yukiko blushed.
"Very well."
Renke watched as they picked rooms for themselves. Jiraiya took the one furthest from the wall. Naruto and Yukiko took the one next to him. Gaara took the one next to that, while Hotaru took the one next to Gaara and Sora took the last one they would be using. When they had all retired to their rooms, Renke walked back to the command centre.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Naruto and Yukiko's Room:
Naruto let Yukiko go through the door first, which Yukiko smiled at. Once they got inside, they took in their surroundings. There was a single bed. The bed had a blue quilt covering it. Covering almost all of the floor was a red carpet with an intricate design weaved into it. There were tapestries hanging off the wall that depicted some sort of shield with intricate designs carved into it. In the far corner of the room was a desk. On the desk was a thick black book. When they inspected it they read the cover. Naruto picked it up and flipped it over in his hands.
"Bible? What's that?" (LOL! You can never escape Christianity!)
Naruto flicked it open and looked at it in confusion. He could tell some of it was written in English, however some of it was not part of the English language he had been studying.
"The? Thou? Thy? What is this thing?"
Taking the book, he went over to the button Renke had told them of. He found it and pressed it. Soon, Renke's voice came over the intercom.
"Is something wrong?"
"What exactly is this bible thing?"
There was silence before they heard laughing on the other end of the intercom. Renke managed to stop laughing enough to speak.
"Please forgive me, but that was the last question I was expecting. The bible is the main religious scripture of the west. It's been around for a very long time. To tell you exactly what it is would require a bit of time. So why don't you meet me tomorrow morning and I'll tell you about it then?"
"Sounds good. Thanks, Renke."
"No problem. Sleep well."
The intercom stopped crackling and clicked, to indicate Renke had cut the channel. Naruto released the button and went and put the bible down where he had found it, before noticing that there was a small bathroom attached to their bedroom. He walked up to Yukiko from behind and put his arms around her waist and whispered into her ear.
"Neh, Yukiko-Chan, I'm going to take a shower. After that, why don't you take one and we'll go to bed, ok?"
Yukiko nodded and turned around to give Naruto a kiss.
"All this formality meant we weren't able to hug or kiss each other, and that was really annoying."
"I have to agree with you there."
They both cuddled for a bit longer before Naruto finally took his hands away and walked to the bathroom. Once there, he closed the door and striped for the shower. After several minutes, Naruto came out with a towel around his waist. Yukiko looked at him and smiled. This caused Naruto to blush. Yukiko walked past him, picking up her shirt and a change of undergarments as she walked into the bathroom and had her shower. Once she had come back out, she noticed Naruto was looking through his father's box again.
"Don't you think you know everything in there off by heart by now?"
Naruto shook his head.
"There's one thing I have to confirm. If I remember rightly, there's a final level to the Ingan. I'm trying to find out more about it."
Yukiko nodded and sat next to him, helping him look through the box. After several minutes of searching. Naruto found it.
"Got it."
Yukiko rested her head on Naruto's shoulder, which unconsciously made him rest his head on top of hers. He opened the scroll and looked straight to the last part of it, labelled:
'Level Four Ingan'
Naruto began reading it. Apparently, only about two Uzumakis had ever mastered the fourth level of the Ingan. This was because it required a rather unusual way of activating it. Naruto read it aloud.
"Like the Mangekyou Sharingan of the Uchihas, the fourth level of the Ingan can only be activated under a very specific set of circumstances. Unlike the Mangekyou Sharingan, however, you do not have to kill your closest friend to activate it."
At this, Naruto stared at the scroll.
"Itachi killed his closest friend to get THAT? I hate him even more now."
Naruto went back to reading.
"The level four Ingan can only be activated by creating your own major seal. Of the two known Uzumakis who have obtained this eye, one of them was Uzumaki Arashi, who created the Shikifuujin to save Konoha from the Kyubi no Kitsune. Doing this allowed him to activate his eye. As for the powers of the eye, it is said that one who masters the fourth level can bend space and time in their own mind to turn three seconds of real time into up to 72 hours in your own mind. This may not have many practical uses, however, it gives you time to create a completely new jutsu on the spot to counter a jutsu being used against you. However, just like the Mangekyou Sharingan, even Uzumaki Arashi could only manage to use the fourth level twice a day, or three times depending on what he did during the 72 hours. The amount of chakra expended and chakra regenerated depends on the amount of time spent in the level four Ingan and what is done during that time. For example, if you were to treat that 72 hours as if it was real time and trained most of the day, sleeping only 4 or so hours every 24, the amount of chakra you had at the end of the time spent would be equal to that of what you would have if you spent 72 hours in the real world doing what you did in your mind, meaning you would be almost exhausted unless you have a lot of chakra regenerating abilities.
Naruto gawked at the possibilities.
"So all I have to do is make my own major seal and I get it? Alright!"
Yukiko sighed.
"Naruto-Kun, do you realise just what that implies?"
Naruto looked at Yukiko strangely.
"Eh? It means I have to make my own seal! How hard can that be?"
Yukiko sighed.
"It means you have to make your own original seal on par with Shikifuujin, Naruto-Kun."
Naruto saw what she was getting at.
"Damn! That sucks. Oh well, I'll think over it tomorrow. I'm going to bed."
With that, Naruto put the box on the desk and put the Ingan scroll next to it. He jumped onto the bed and got under the covers. Yukiko sighed, and got in next to him. They got into the familiar position of Yukiko putting her head to his chest and her arms around Naruto's waist. Naruto had his arms around her upper back and rested his head on top of hers. As per normal, they listened to each other's ever slowing heart beats and breaths until they both fell asleep at practically the same time.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
Next Morning, Naruto and Yukiko's Room:
Naruto woke up to the sound of seagulls crying from overhead. He slowly opened his eyes to see they were practically in the same position they had fell asleep in. Naruto started his usual morning ritual by kissing Yukiko on the forehead.
"Rise and shine, Yukiko-Chan."
This time, however, she did not wake up. Naruto arched an eyebrow. The only time she didn't wake up from that was when she was in a deep sleep having a very plesant dream. He decided to wait and see if she would mumble anything out loud. Sure enough, she did. However, Naruto was not expecting what those words were.
"Naruto-Kun... It feels so good..."
Naruto's eyes widdened in shock. He checked his hands, and noticed they weren't touching any extreme areas. Naruto decided to keep listening. The next few lines she mumbled turned Naruto as red as a tomato. (For my younger readers, I will not put them here) Eventually, Naruuto couldn't take it anymore and quickly shuffled over to the other side of the bed. Yukiko groaned.
"Naruto-Kun... Don't stop... I was so close..."
Naruto turned even redder than before. There was no doubts in his mind as to what she was dreaming about.
'Oh my god! She's dreaming we're having sex!'
'About time you figured it our kit. Hell, go and make her dream reality.'
'NANI?'
The fox sighed.
'For Kami's sake kit, you're too self concious. I garantee that if you take her right now, she'll love it more than her dream.'
'HELL NO! I'm not going to have sex with her until we're older!'
The fox tried to tear his fur out, only to remember that he didn't have any.
'God, Kit, you can be so stubburn sometimes! DO IT!'
'SHUT THE HELL UP YOU STUPID FOX!'
The fox sighed again, this time in resignation.
'You're giving up on what could be your only opportunity. You'll regret this kit.'
'The hell I will. I'm not going to have sex with her until we're both ready, and that's FINAL!'
'Whatever. Suit yourself.'
Naruto smiled inwardly at his victory. He noticed that Yukiko was slowly waking up. He froze to see what Yukiko's reaction would be. When she looked at him, she noticed the mixture of looks on his face and she sighed.
"I spoke parts of my dream, didn't I?"
Naruto slowly nodded. Yukiko looked at him sadly.
"I'm sorry Naruto-Kun. I'll admit that I've been wanting that to be reality for a while now. I can understand if you're not ready for it..."
Naruto put his arms around Yukiko to try and comfort her.
"Please, Yukiko-Chan. Niether of us are ready yet..."
Yukiko nodded.
"You're right, Naruto-Kun..."
He kissed her forehead lightly.
"I promise you, one day we will. Just... Give it some time..."
Yukiko smiled at the prospect. She hugged Naruto for the next several minutes before she let go.
"Let's go see how everyone is, Naruto-Kun."
"Sure."
They both got out of bed and did their usual morning ritual. Shower, hygiene, dress and were about to walk out the door when Naruto remembered what had happened last night.
"That's right! I was going to make a seal and get the fourth level of Ingan. And I was also going to ask Renke about that bible thing..."
Naruto slipped the scroll into his pocket and took Yukiko's hand walking out the door. When they had closed the door, they noticed that everyone was waiting for them. Jiraiya smiled at them.
"Morning you two. We were wondering if you were going to wake up at all."
Jiraiya smiled at them with his perverted smile, which caused Naruto and Yukiko to blush profusely due to the morning's events. Sora of course was left to do the usual punch to the head and muttered everyone's favorite pet name for Jiraiya.
"Hentai..."
Naruto tried to get the attention off him and Yukiko, so he brought up the subject of the bible.
"Ano, did you guys have a book in your room called the bible?"
Everyone nodded.
"Well, I'm going to Renke to get a full explination as to what it is. Want to tag along?"
Everyone apart from Jiraiya really wanted to know what exactly this thing was, so they nodded while Jiraiya turned and walked towards the center of the ship, calling his answer over his shoulder.
"I know what it is, so I'm going to go talk to Haido. Feel free to meet up with me when you want."
They nodded and sighed. Naruto turned to the others.
"At least he isn't going 'information gathering'..."
They nodded their agreements and set off as a group to find someone who could direct them to where Renke was. Eventually, they found what they guessed was a lesser officer and Naruto aproached him.
"Excuse me?"
The officer looked up and smiled.
"What can I do for you, Sir?"
"Could you possibly tell me where Renke is?"
"Commander Renke? She will either be in the command center or on the bridge. I suggest going to the bridge and requesting her from there, because only those of the highest ranking and certain staff are allowed in there. If you want, I can take you there."
"That would be great, thanks."
The officer nodded and beckoned them to follow. He led them through corridors and up a set of stairs and knocked on a familiar door. Haido's muffled respose could be heard.
"Who is it?"
"Captain Kahiko Sir! The Eastern diplomats have requested to talk to Commander Renke."
"Bring them in."
"Yes Sir!"
Kahiko opened the door and led them in before quietly excusing himself. Haido smiled.
"It's nice to see you again. I trust you slept well?"
Naruto nodded.
"We did thank you."
Haido smiled.
"Good to hear. Now, you wanted to talk to Commander Renke, correct?"
Naruto nodded.
"I will call her. Hold on for a moment."
Haido pushed the intercom's button and it spluttered to life.
"Yes Sir?"
"Naruto has requested to talk with you. Would you be able to come up?"
"Yes sir."
The intercom clicked and Haido turned back to them.
"She will be here shortly."
"Thank you Haido."
Haido smiled.
"You're welcome."
Soon enough, Renke knocked on the door and came in. She smiled.
"Ah, so you did come to find out about the bible after all. Well, why don't we go discuss it somewhere else?"
Naruto and the others nodded and followed Renke out and to the front of the ship. Once they were there, she sat down and motioned them to sit with her.
"Ok, this may take a while, but please stop me if there's any words you don't understand."
Naruto nodded and Renke thought about where to start. (I'm not going to give an explination of Christianity here, as I don't want to waste space) Several times, one of them would stop Renke with a question, and she would answer them. Once she finished, she looked at them.
"In the east, they have a god as well right?"
Naruto nodded.
"They may not be exactly the same, but we have a god who we refer to as Kami-Sama."
"Kami-Sama?"
Naruto nodded.
"Kami is his normal name, however, we usually attach a Sama suffix to his name to indicate importance."
"Are there other suffixes you can attach to a name in your language?"
Naruto nodded.
"There are a few, and the use of one depends on who you're refering to and their relation to you."
Renke was now very interested.
"Can you give me some examples?"
Naruto thought about how to put the examples into words.
"Well, if you want to address anyone formally, you would attach a 'San' suffix to their name. The closest I can come up with is calling someone Mister or Miss in English, however, we have another more formal title which directly translates into this."
Renke nodded and Naruto continued.
"Another one is 'Kun'. This is used only when addressing a close male friend. For example, a friend back home by the name of Lee would refer to me as Naruto-Kun."
Renke nodded again, indicating Naruto should continue.
"Another one is 'Chan'. This is almost exclusively reserved for addressing a close female friend. An example would be when I address Yukiko, I would call her Yukiko-Chan.'
Rneked smiled at this and decided to ask her own question.
"You said Chan can be used in other situations. What did you mean by that?"
Everyone suddenly smiled at Naruto at the hole he had dug himself.
"Um... It can technically be used when refering to a male, however, it should only be used in that sense when teasing the boy, or insulting them."
Renke nodded.
"Are there others?"
Naruto nodded.
"There is a few more. One of them is Teme."
Everyone had a visable reaction to this, which Renke found rather amusing.
"Teme?"
"Yeah. Teme is basically a very insulting suffix which translates pretty much into... Bastard."
Renke smirked.
"I'll have to remember that one. What about the others?"
"There's another which translates directly into Mister or Miss and is a lot more formal than San."
"What is it?"
"Dono, however, it's not just refering to someone as Mister or Miss, it's kind of blending a Sir or the female version of that in with it as well."
Renke nodded.
"So generally used for calling someone formally as well as with respect?"
Naruto smiled.
"Exactly. Another one is Sama. Sama is used only for those of the highest ranking or above, and is generally considered rude if you don't attach a Sama to the end when addressing them."
Rneke nodded again.
"Are there any others?"
Naruto nodded.
"There's another one used solely when refering to a teacher. It's the 'Sensei' suffix. It's generally a sign of respect for students to show their teachers. The rest of them are used when refering to siblings or relatives. What you call them depends on their gender and if they're younger or older than you."
Renke smiled.
"Just give me one example."
Naruto looked up at the sky in thought before looking back at Renke.
"One of them is Niisan. This is used when refering to an older brother. Although they're not my blood brothers, I would consider a very close friend back home by the name of Uchiha Sasuke and Gaara here my older brothers."
Gaara looked at Naruto in shock.
"You... Consider me an older brother?"
Naruto nodded.
"As far as I'm concered, you're all my siblings, blood relation or not."
Although Renke hadn't understood the words that were spoken, judging by everyone's reactions, she got the impression that Naruto thought they were all siblings to him, which Renke thought was very cute. She really wanted to know more about their homeland.
"Could you tell me more about your home towns?"
They all stiffened up considerably, making Renke realise she had hit a very raw nerve. Renke appologised for her statement.
"I'm sorry... I didn't think it would be so painful to talk about it..."
Naruto shook his head and answered.
"Because of our demons, and the number of lives lost when fighting them we were scorned and hated by our villages, reguardless of our social status. Our birthdays were the worst day of the year, as it was also the day that the demons were killed, and so they wanted revenge for their lost loved ones. I'm not sure about the others, as it's a pretty touchy subject, but I was mobbed every year. Sometimes, the villagers would go further and attempt to assasinate me, or in the mot extreme case, burn my appartment to the ground."
Renke stared at them in horror. People did that to CHILDREN? Those people were worse than the demons themselves!
"That's... disgusting..."
Gaara nodded.
"I was the focus of assasination attempts reguardless of the date. What was worse was that the assasins were sent by my own father. The last one was my only childhood friend, my uncle."
Renke was staring at them with an odd mixture of rage, anger, sorrow and sympathy.
"What.. Age did they start at?"
Naruto turned his head to the side.
"For me, 4."
Gaara spoke next.
"3."
Yukiko looked down at the deck and muttered her reply.
"5."
Sora looked down at the deck.
"I... Can't remember..."
Renke turned to Hotaru.
"Same as Sora..."
Renke shook her head in disbelief.
"It can't get any worse than that..."
Naruto smiled sadly.
"It does."
Renke whipped her head around.
"WHAT!"
"There is a criminal organisation called Akatsuki who seek us out. They are 9 of the strongest people alive. Their only goal is to find people like us and drain their demons, which will kill the container. We're the only one's left."
"You call that life? That's worse than burning in hell! If I ever go to the east, so help me god, I'll kill every single one of them!"
Naruto looked up at her.
"Don't."
"What?"
"Sure they're bad, but what they do is understandable. In my village, I'm slowly starting to make people respect me. And even before that, there were always people who were kind to me, despite knowing what I was. All of my sensei's knew what I was and still treated me as a human, as did the Hokage and my team mates."
Yukiko nodded.
"There were two people who were kind to me in my original village. The village leader and one of his assistants."
Sora smiled.
"My first and second Sensei's treated me well too."
Hotaru smirked.
"I guess my brother treated me well before he died."
Renke turned to Gaara, who's face remained expressionless.
"For a long time, no one treated me nicely. My uncle was just doing it out of pity, I guess. After he tried to kill me, I went insane. My only reason to exist was to kill everyone besides myself. However, when Naruto fought me, he proved you could only be truly strong when fighting for those people who are important to you and not for yourself. After that, I made friends with my Sensei, my two blood siblings and everyone here. Once I became Kazekage, people started to respect me, and I had more friends."
Renke smiled.
"It's amazing what humans can cope with."
Naruto nodded.
"Yeah."
Renke however still wanted to know about the villages.
"Um sorry for asking... But could you give me a bit of a backgroun on your villages? Leave out anything to do with the demons."
Naruto nodded.
"Well, in the east, the majority of people live in villages. The top five villages have a leader called a Kage. Depending on which village it is, the Kage is called something different. My village's leader is called the Hokage. The sand's leader is called the Kazekage. The mist's village leader is called the Mizukage. The Rock's village leader is called the Tsuchkage, and the Cloud's village leader is called the Raikage. To become a Kage, you need to be well respected and be willing to protect every single person in that village with your life. Also, another part of what makes a village known are things called Bloodline Limits."
"Bloodline Limits?"
"I guess it would be best to show you."
At that, Naruto and Yukiko closed their eyes, reopening it a few seconds later. They had both engaged their Doujutsu.
"What is that?"
"These are a type of Bloodline Limit called a Doujutsu, or eye technique. There a four known Doujutsus in the world, and Konoha is now home to all four of them. The only way to get these is to either have it transplanted from a person with it or be born into the clan it comes from. Three of the known Doujutsu are owned by three people or less for each one. In the case of the Uchiha clan's Sharingan, there are two true owners of it. They are Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Itachi. My sensei, Hataki Kakashi also has one, but his was transplanted. He never told us who he got it from. The Uchiha's used to be the strongest clan in Konoha, but Itachi went on a killing spree and murdered his whole clan except for Sasuke at the age of 17. There are four levels to the Sharingan, the first three can be achived by any person with it. The first three use a mixture of hypnosis, subtle subconcious suggesting and other skills to look like they can immitate the opponent's every move. Kakashi is the most well known Sharingan user, and he has earnt the title of Copy Ninja Kakashi, because he has used the Sharingan to copy over 1000 different techniques from others. However, the fourth level has only been gained by three or so people ever. It's called the Mangekyou Sharingan. The reason why so few people have activated it is that you have to have the right dna to do it, and then you have to kill your closest friend to activate it."
Renke was shaking her head in disbelief.
"The powers of the Mangekyou sharingan are startling. It can use two of the most powerful genjutsu known in the east. One enables the owner of the Mangekyou Sharingan to enter their opponent's mind once they make eye contact and slow time down for them, turning a few seconds of real time into up to 72 hours in their own mind. During that 72 hours, they inflict either massive physical or psychological torture on their opponent, as they can show people the past during this technique. To onlookers, one moment, the opponent is standing there staring them in the eye, and the next, he's on the ground in a crying heap. This requires a massive amount of chakra and can only be used twice a day. The other Doujutsu are less... Tragic. The most well known one is the Hyuga's Byakugan. When they activate it, they gain 359 degree vision, and they see everyone's chakra paths. I guess the closest thing I could relate it to are X-Rays. They have developed a devistating style of fighting called the Juken to work with it. Altough the Juken mainly consists of what appear to be pokes and palming, one little touch is enough to kill you. The Juken style of fighting emits chakra from their hands as well as every other body part, which no one but a Hyuga can do, to inject chakra into the opponent's body. The human body has two circulation systems, the blood and the chakra systems. The chakra system is exactly like the blood system, however, it has no physical..."
Naruto was unsure of the next word, and he looked to Yukiko for an answer. Yukiko thought about it and then answered for him.
"I think the word is substance."
Naruto nodded.
"Yeah. Although it has no physical substance, the chakra system is just as important to the body as the blood system. The juken relies on the theory that if you hit one of the 360 something points in the body known as Tenketsu, which the closest translation I can come up with is pressure points, correctly, you can either stop or increase the opponents chakra flow, therby controling the opponent's chakra flow as you want. Their main attack is a move that seals all of the opponents main chakra holes with 64 consecutive strikes. Against normal people, if the move is succesful, that's the end for them, they're out of the fight. For us though, we can just bring out a demon chakra instead of our normal chakra, making us the Hyuga's worst possible opponents. The last Doujutsu that's native to Konoha is the Uzumaki's Ingan, which you can see I'm using. The Ingan is probably the most varied Doujutsu of Konoha reguaring it's abilities. The Ingan gives the user mastery over seals, both hand and carved. Like the Sharingan there is four stages, each one gives more mastery than the last. The fourth stage is disturbingly like the Mangekyou Sharingan in the way it acts, however, the way to activate it is far less cruel. To activate the fourth level Ingan, an Uzumaki must create their own unique major seal. There are only two known Uzumaki's to activate it. One of them was a distant ancestor, the other was my father, who invented the Shikifuujin to seal the demon lords. The last known Doujutsu is Yukiko's Bloodline Limit. We're not sure what it's called, but it's use is purely for medical reasons, which would make sense since she's from the most respected medical clan of the east. I'll let Yukiko explain what it does."
"Well, my Doujutsu allows me to see inside a person's body and see their internal organs, bones, muscles and Chakra system. When I look at someone, depending on how much chakra I foucs to my eyes, I can see deeper into the body. Since I mainly specialise in medical techniques, I can find out directly what is wrong with a patient and treat it."
Renke nodded, trying to absorb this information.
"Are there any other type of these Bloodline Limits?"
Naruto nodded.
"There are others that are not Doujutsu, but like the Doujutsu, you have to be from the clan that uses it to inherit it. We've encountered one of the other ones, which is a combat technique. It's called the Snow Prison of Hell. It's used to divide a group of people up into separate sections of a dome made of snow. Altough it's made of snow, it's suprisingly strong, and it replaces all of the damaged parts by extracting chakra from the victims. The user of the technique attacks by gathering enough chakra from his or her opponents and then freezing some of the snow down into knives made of ice. These are expelled from the walls and stab the victims from every direction. Although the Sharingan can copy techniques, they cannot copy other Bloodline Limits. I've heard of only two others, one is simmilar to the one I just told you about. It's called Demonic Ice Mirrors. That's all I know about it apart from the fact that the user forms mirrors of ice and teleports between them at high speed. There is another one, which is actually very interesting. Yukiko knows more about it than I do."
Yukiko thought about it.
There is one other known bloodline limit that involves the clan member's bones. Adult humans have about 200 bones, while the members of this clan have an indeterminate amount. Their Bloodline Limit allows them to freely control their bones' growth, density and placement. They can grow bones out through their skin and not feel the slightest pain. I've heard a rumor that they can even remove their spinal cord and use it as a weapon and act as if it was still in place."
Renke was staring at them in horror.
"They can remove their own SPINAL CORD? That's..."
Yukiko nodded.
"I'll admit it wouldn't be pretty, but their bones can be made so hard that users of the Goken, which is the exact opposite of the Juken, can't even break that clan's bones. The Goken focuses on breaking bones and muscles with pure strength."
Renke shook her head.
"This is a lot to take in..."
Naruto smiled.
"I guess it was as much to take in as the history of the west we got yesterday."
Renke looked at them and smiled, before standing up.
"Well, that was certainly an interesting talk. I really enjoyed it. I should probably be getting back to the command center, as I have work to do. I'll see you around. Oh and by the way, lunch will be served to your rooms in about 15 minutes."
They waved at her as she walked off, leaving everyone to talk amongst themselves. Naruto and Yukiko deactivated their Doujutsus. Naruto got up and offered his hand to Yukiko.
"I'm going to go and wait for lunch, because I'm starving. You guys coming with us?"
They all nodded and followed Naruto and Yukiko to their rooms. When Naruto got to their door, he stopped and turned to them.
"Why don't we all have lunch in my room?"
Everyone liked the idea, so they went into Naruto's room. After 10 minutes, they heard someone pushing a trolley towards them. Naruto opened the door, and smiled at the cook.
"We're all in here."
The cook nodded and pushed the trolley into the room. Everyone looked in wonder at the food. It was unlike anything they had ever seen before. There were pieces of bread with fillings in between them cut in half, some kind of pasteries as well as other assorted things. They also noticed that there were no chopsticks, but there were metal impliments that they guessed the westerners ate with. The cook bowed and left the room, leaving them to pick some of the food off the plate. Naruto reached for one of the things that had two pieces of bread with fillings inbetween. He looked at the fillings and noticed ham, tomato, some sort of yellow stuff that smelt slightly savory and a green vegitable. He also noticed that on either piece of bread was some sort of spread. He took a tenative bite and munched a few times.
"Hey! This is really good!"
Yukiko smiled as she watched Naruto chomp down on the rest of the piece of food. Gaara decided to go for one of the pastery things. He touched it and noticed it was very hot. He picked up one of the plates and put it onto the plate, before reaching for two of the impliments he thought would best serve for this situation. He picked up what was obviously a knife, and another one that ended in four prongs. He squewered the pastery with the pronged inpliment and tried cutting it with the knife. He had no idea how to use them, as he'd only used chopsticks before. However, after a few failed attempts of cutting the food, he managed to cut it open to reveal melted yellow stuff that smelt savory and a green vegitable which he identifed as fairly close to a vegitable back home called Bock Choy (forgive me if I spelt it wrong). He cut a piece off and tasted it, before nodding.
"I like it."
Yukiko decided to go next. She reached out and took what looked to be a mixture between Gaara's and Naruto choice of food. It was probably bread, although the two pices had been toasted and pressed together, sealing the sides. She noticed the steam coming off it and got a plate and another pair of the impliments Gaara had used. She cut it open to reveal a mass of the melted yellow stuff as well as some meat which she identified as ham. She also noticed that there were dried shrivled up pieces of a red vegitable that she thought would probably be tomato. She cut a piece off and slowly tasted it. It was greasy to say the least, but it tasted great and was a lot more filling than eastern food. She nodded slowly.
"Different. I like it."
Sora and Hotaru tried some of the other pieces of food, coming up with simmilar conclusions to everyone else. In no time at all they had demolished the tray of food and had drunk all of the water and juice, however unlike usual, they were not hungry. Naruto wondered why this was.
"Neh, Yukiko-Chan. Why is this food so filling?"
Yukiko smiled.
"I'd guess it's because it was full of fat. That savory yellow stuff was almost 80 percent fat. Fat carries a lot of flavor and also fills you up very quickly."
They heard a knock on the door and Naruto went to open it. When he did he found Renke smiling at him.
"How was lunch, Naruto?"
"It was great! Normally, with eastern food, we'd require three of those trollies to give us enough food for lunch, but Yukiko said that that yellow stuff was full of fat, and that's what filled us up."
Renke smiled.
"You mean cheese? Cheese is a staple in the west, much like I guess rice or noodles are in the east from what Jiraiya has told me."
Naruto nodded.
"So, what did you come to visit us for?"
Renke smiled.
"Supreme Commander Haido has requested that you attend dinner tonight at the officer's dining hall. Dinner is at seven, but please come about 15 minutes before that."
Naruto nodded.
"Will there be lots of cheese there?"
Renke laughed.
"Not as much as you had for lunch. Cheese is mainly used for lunch, although it is also used for dinner as well."
Gaara interrupted.
"For dinner, will we have to use these?"
Gaara held up the knife and the pronged impliment. Renke raised an eyebrow.
"Knife and Fork? Yes you will. I'm guessing in the east you use different impliments?"
Gaara nodded.
"In the east, we use two pieces of long thin wood called chopsticks. They are used with the first two fingers of the right hand and the thumb. We have never encountered these knives and... Forks before."
Renke smirked.
"Well, I guess we had better teach you how to use them correctly, as using them incorrectly is conisdered bad manners. Come with me, I'll teach you how to use them properly."
They follwed Renke to the kitchen to get some knives and forks, and she began coaching them for the next few hours in how to use them properly.
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A/N: OMG, long chapter! For those of you who didn't like the second Naruto movie, do you think that so far, my story's ok? There's really not much to put down here, so until next time, my avid readers!
Ja ne,
Specula.