Book 3
Chapter One: Rebirth
Naruto and Jiraiya were looking at Tsunade fidgeting a little as her left eyebrow was twitching.
"You know you two are like two peas in a pod, right?" Tsunade asked this while Naruto was pointing to his master while Jiraiya was pointing back to his apprentice. On the floor was the gateway seal to Takamagahara that Naruto had shown after carefully placing the room in silencing seals and closed the curtains and glass of the windows so that not even a bird could eavesdrop on.
Two peas in a pod alright, Tsunade was shaking her head and held the bridge of her nose. "Look here, you two. I have been doing my work diligently for the past three years, in between that, I do hospital work as a consultant and watch Sakura try to revive a dead fish while at it. I have been buried neck deep in paperwork. I expected you two to keep a low profile, keep quiet and not have to worry about you two while I deal with things here and not only face threats from the outside but on the inside as well. So tell me, how is it that you two manage not only find yourself in a heap of trouble, but you also gave me not one, not two, but three possibly world ending news in a span of two years?"
"In my defense I was only planning on training the kid and trouble seemed to find him wherever we went. I usually have no problem when I'm on my own."
Tsunade glared at the man heatedly and Naruto did the same as Tsunade replied, "YOU, Jiraiya, have no room to talk seeing as YOU almost married off Naruto, a village asset, to ANOTHER VILLAGE YOU GODDAMN IDIOT!"
Jiraiya promptly shut up.
Naruto was enjoying this, seeing his perverted master have a dressing down by Tsunade was a sight to behold. Sure he had thrown Jiraiya to the wolves, but his sensei had it coming. It wasn't a stretch that he may have caused headaches to Tsunade too, but at least he didn't inadvertently put the village at a disadvantage.
As another round of rants came from the Hokage, Naruto had raised his hand up and pointed to his scroll.
"Granny, I know you want to smash Ero-sennin's face in one way or another, but I have to- No, I need to show you this!"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow, Jiraiya was waving his arms telling him to stop.
Naruto didn't want to.
"Well, I needed to show you this personally. It's a pretty big deal. Besides, I think you'll like it."
Naruto activated the seal on Takamagahara and Tsunade looked on a small ripple in space began to tear and open and saw the other side.
"This better not be a stupid prank, Naruto. I've got enough problems courtesy of your master here."
Tsunade gripped Jiraiya by the collar and began shaking him like a ragdoll.
"Trust me, you'll love it."
An hour later, the three went out of the portal as Naruto gave Tsunade the same impromptu detour that he had given to Jiraiya.
Once they got out of the portal, it was Naruto's turn to be shaken like a ragdoll.
"Why do you always have to have the most variable luck in the world!? Do you know what this means? Do you have any idea of what would happen if word goes out, considering where we're at in the current times!?"
Jiraiya was laughing his butt off when Tsunade glared at him stopping him from his amusement as Naruto adjusted his bearings.
Tsunade gave a sigh as she went to her desk and flicked a switch underneath, revealing a secret compartment by the desk and grabbed a large jar of Sake.
"Fuck it, this whole thing has been a major pain on my ass. I'm cancelling all appointments today and drinking. You want a share, Jiraiya?"
Jiraiya watched as Tsunade took a big swig straight from the jar and shrugged.
"Sure, I'm game. Just after dropping off a seal draft down by R and D and have them look up what Naruto and I are coming up with."
"You have better make sure that thing works! This would be OUR secret weapon, you hear!?"
Jiraiya then guided his student out of the room with him and replied, "Yeah, yeah, it's just not fair how my apprentice gets away with it but you can't just let me catch a break."
"Hah! Your apprentice may be a rude and obnoxious brat but at least he got me a nice present with that thing in tow! Now get the hell out and come back after you're done before I finish all fifteen jars here!"
Tsunade shooed away the two as he took another big swig, obviously being stressed out of the job and having to relax.
"You know I don't appreciate the fact that you just left me to get eaten alive by Tsunade." Jiraiya gave a humph as Naruto laughed out loud as he remembered Jiraiya shaking like a leaf at Tsunade and sweating bullets.
"Serves you right, Ero-Sennin. That's payback!"
"Little hellion."
"Whatever, Ero-Sennin, let's just go over to wherever we are supposed to go so that I can go to Ichiraku's it's been three years without Ramen and hearing my teammates going there earlier made me crave it more."
Once they got to the R and D department, Jiraiya parted ways with the blonde as he made his way to Ichiraku's, the promise of Ramen awaited.
As he made his way around town, the blonde had run in with some people he knew and waved at them excitedly as he tried to catch up with them. It was near six in the evening as well and it was right about that time that some people started dinner. Naruto would be one of them. The blonde stopped when he saw team eight were discussing among themselves and Naruto hurriedly rushed to them with a smile on his face.
"Hey guys, I'm back!"
Team Eight looked at the blonde as he waved at them. Hinata was the first to act and was immediately running towards the blonde and embraced him with a smile on her face.
"Woah, Hinata! How have you been?" Naruto asked with a smile, she looked down at the girl and noted how much she had grown since he last saw her. It was only a year but he could tell that Hinata had changed quite a bit, she was now wearing a shortened Kimono with loose sleeves but not loose enough that it could hinder the movements of her hands, the Kimono color was light blue and white with gentle floral designs and the hem just reaching above her knees as she wore a pair of leggings beneath with the Kimono being tied around her waist with a purple obi. He could tell she was wearing light armor beneath her dress as she continued to hug him.
A gentle smile escaped his lips as he returned the hug.
"Since when did you get back?" Hinata asked him and Naruto grinned at her with a reply, "Just this afternoon. I had to make a report and it took us a few hours just to finish but I'm glad to be back. How have you been?"
"I'm doing great! We just finished a team meeting and we were discussing of doing something before we go home."
"Naruto! Wow, you look good as hell, what's with the goggles on your head?"
Kiba replied as he tried to beat down his annoyance on the fact that his blonde friend had a girlfriend.
"Oh this? Just to help me see when I move fast, the wind gets in your eyes and it hurts sometimes that I can't see whenever I practice my jutsu. You should totally see it whenever you guys can! I have a lot of things to tell you!"
Sans all of the S-class secrets that he had to keep but he wasn't worried he was going to blurt them out now.
"Naruto, we're happy that you finally came back." Shino replied in monotone as Naruto gave a big smile to Shino.
"Glad to be back, Shino. But it would help if you could show you're happy seeing me back a little."
"I am smiling."
"I couldn't tell because of the collar and the shades." Naruto squinted and he just couldn't tell if Shino was being serious or not. Even after all these years, Shino remained a bit too stoic when it came to talking to them.
Kiba smirked and pointed to Shino with his thumb, "He's working on it. He has Fuu to help him with that part."
"Who the hell is Fuu?" Naruto asked and before Shino could answer, Kiba answered for him, "You weren't here when it happened but Fuu is Shino's girlfriend."
Naruto blinked once then twice and then looked at Hinata in his arms and asked her, "Is it true?"
Hinata answered amusedly, "You weren't here when Fuu arrived, Shino likes to deny it but yes."
"Alright, Shino! Congra…"
"Fuu is not my girlfriend."
Kiba had to laugh hard at that and said, "Yeah, that's what he says but pretty much everyone knows what's going on."
Shino promptly adjusted his glasses with his middle finger.
Naruto looked at the boy with a little smirk and then turned to Kiba, "Since when did he give snide gestures like that?"
Kiba smirked back, "Since when did you notice people subtly throwing profanities like that?"
"Touché, Kiba."
"Anyway we were thinking of going out to eat ramen before we go home, care to join with…" Kiba was going to invite Naruto when Shino held him by the shoulder.
"I just changed my mind, I'm thinking of going for some Takoyaki. Fuu said she'd like to try some so I think we'd better meet here there. Hinata, are you okay with us leaving you with Naruto?"
Hinata nodded to Shino as Kiba answered, "Right. Well, we'd better get going, I heard Maru's gets a line at this time of the night and they usually sell out!"
With that, Kiba and Shino left Hinata with Naruto.
"You okay with Ramen? I promise when we're done there we'll make a detour at that place you buy your cinnamon rolls before I walk you home."
Hinata was overjoyed, "Yes, let's."
With that, the two were walking towards Ichiraku's as they held hands.
"I know I was supposed to say this, but I forgot, Hinata, you look absolutely beautiful when I saw you."
Naruto complimented Hinata who blushed as she turned her face away from the blonde in embarrassment.
"T-Thank you, Naruto-kun. You look more handsome today since I last saw you."
Naruto scratched the back of his head with smile and said, "Aw shucks, HInata, you're making me blush."
"Hey, if it isn't Naruto. How have you been?"
A voice interrupted them as Naruto and Hinata turned to Shikamaru and what looked like the Gaara's sister from Suna.
"Shikamaru!" Naruto looked at his friend, who seemed to have grown taller.
"Shikamaru-san." Hinata bowed as Shikamaru did the same. The girl with the giant fan behind Shikamaru raised an eyebrow for a second before recognizing the blonde. It had been a while since she last saw him. But she noticed how tall he was now compared to the shrimp he saw back then. The face had gotten a little sharper but it was more like Naruto was having a more defined jawline than anything else.
"Ah, Naruto. Shikamaru was telling me how you were apprenticed by Jiraiya and left for a trip. I take it you already finished?"
"Yeah, I just got back from Myobokuzan a few hours ago. I had to make a report to the Hokage before I met with Hinata and we decided to go to Ichiraku."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, "What a coincidence, we were thinking of going there too."
Naruto looked at the two before him suspiciously before he asked Shikamaru with a grin, "So what's with you and Temari, Shikamaru? You two on a date too?"
Shikamaru merely looked annoyed and said, "Don't be ridiculous, we were discussing things about the last Chuunin exam and I was asked by the Hokage to show Temari where she was staying currently."
Naruto didn't look convinced. Temari and her brothers were confined to Konoha for a few months since the invasion and they had plenty of time to explore the village after they were pardoned by Konoha and set free to Suna.
By the looks Temari was showing who was looking away at Shikamaru with a blush on her face, she looked like she was keeping quiet as well.
"Gaara sent me here as an ambassador so don't get any ideas about me and him."
Naruto merely gave a sly grin but not before Hinata pinched his cheeks softly.
"I think we better leave it as it is, Naruto-kun."
Naruto was surprised that shy Hinata would reprimand him like that, but Naruto could only grin at her and said, "Yeah, I better not look into it. The ramen awaits us."
Naruto then turned mischievous as he whispered to Hinata's ear, "I think we should just go to our double date."
Hinata hid her mouth, trying her hardest to contain her chuckle as she said, "Yes, we should."
With that, the quartet made their way to Ichiraku's. During their walk, Naruto had received news of Gaara becoming Kazekage. Naruto grinned at that and told Temari to send his congratulations. He was happy for Gaara to have changed his ways and now the once fierce enemy of his has become a wise and beloved leader.
To Naruto, Gaara wasn't just a friend, but a glimmer of hope for a jinchuuriki like him. Which was why Naruto was happy that Gaara was recognized as worthy of being Kazekage.
The quartet arrived at the Ramen Stand and inside, the familiar faces of Teuchi and Ayame greeted them as Teuchi looked on disbelievingly at the blonde.
"Naruto, is that you? How have you been, son!? I almost thought you've disappeared from the face of the planet! And you brought Hinata-san along too!? That's great!"
"Hinata-san! It's good to see you! You look as pretty as ever! Will you be having the regular?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow at this and Teuchi grinned at him, "Hinata-san has been eating here with her team as regulars for three years! I always see them on a weekly basis since you left, Naruto! She and your friends have been keeping business afloat without you around."
Ayame nodded, "That's right, she's quite a customer too! In fact, she's beaten your record!"
Naruto looked at Hinata and smiled, "Well, she is the girl who's after my own heart."
"I-I didn't want you to know about that." Hinata blushed as she held her face with her hands as she tried to hide her embarrassment.
"Don't be, HInata! We all have our own quirks, it's just that your quirk is more endearing to me than weird!" Naruto replied as the two cooks behind the counter nodded at the same time with sagely wisdom.
"Ugh, please gag me with some chopsticks." Temari replied, she had never seen a couple acting so sweet to each other this close. The two were blinding her with the way they shined.
"You and I are in agreement there." Shikamaru replied as he looked at the two with a flat tone.
Ayame looked at the other two customers and gave a sly grin, "Oh, don't worry, it's not the first time couples get all lovey-dovey in our restaurant. Dad told me once that the Fourth Hokage and his wife used to visit this place when they were young."
At that mention of his parents, Naruto's face lit up and asked, "Wow, really? First time I ever heard of that! How were they?"
Hinata was quick to notice this as Naruto's smile became genuine.
"I'm going to tell those stories when you're eating a bowl so you won't interrupt me. I've got a lot of things to tell you about those two." Teuchi grinned as he began to prepare a bowl for his customers.
When they began eating, Teuchi began his stories as Naruto paid full attention and Hinata watched as Naruto listened attentively at the old man. She had never seen him be this happy before. As she finished her bowl, Naruto would slow down in his eating and listened to Teuchi about his stories of the Fourth Hokage and his wife and she would join in with her own questions as well.
Soon, their meals were finished, Naruto eating eight bowls of Ramen while Hinata had thirteen. Shikamaru and Temari were looking at Hinata and Naruto to their utter shock and surprise as they were just finishing one bowl.
'These two are vacuums!' Shikamaru thought while Temari was having questions of her own.
'Where does she put all of that?' Temari's eyes wandered to Hinata's chest and shook her head.
It would be rude to insinuate such things. She may be ruthless with her words sometimes, but she knew she had more tact than most people.
"Well, as promised we're going to buy those cinnamon rolls!" Naruto said with a grin, not even bothered at the fact that he was beaten by his girlfriend by a significant lead.
Shikamaru and Temari were looking incredulous again as Temari asked, "You guys aren't done after eating all that?"
Naruto grinned while Hinata hid her face to Naruto's chest out of embarrassment again.
"Yep! I promised Hinata we're eating cinnamon rolls after and we will!" Naruto said this as he paid Teuchi and Ayame a large sum of cash for their troubles.
It seemed that Naruto had been making good money while he was away.
The two cooks waved at the two as they walked away and Ayame counted the bills.
"Hey, wait a minute, he just paid for the other two as well." Ayame said this and Shikamaru and Temari looked at each other and they chuckled.
"He must have been in a good mood." Shikamaru replied, silently thanking the blonde for the free meal.
Naruto and Hinata walked around town as they were making their way towards the Hyuuga compound after they made their stop at the bakeshop Hinata frequented.
As they walked hand in hand, Hinata watched as Naruto was grinning ear to ear.
"You're in a good mood, Naruto-kun."
Naruto somehow looked embarrassed and nodded, "Ah, you noticed."
Naruto grinned once more and said, "Being back home feels great, I missed Konoha in the amount of time I was gone. I missed all of my friends and I missed you."
Hinata smiled at Naruto and Naruto noticed the radiant beauty of the girl he was with currently.
"I have a feeling that isn't all."
Naruto nodded looking thoughtful for a moment before he spoke to her again, "Hinata, I never did tell you about my parents, did I?"
Hinata looked curious at this and said, "I was under the assumption that you didn't know. I didn't want to ask anything that could be a sore subject to you."
Hinata looked down as she recalled Naruto's life when they were younger. Naruto was an orphan, a child with no parents. And she noticed back in the academy that every time he saw a parent with their child, there was a sense of deep longing within him that Hinata could understand. But that longing didn't appear long enough for him to think about and instead Naruto would bury it deep within his thoughts and resorted to pranks back then. So she never minded whatever it was that Naruto kept within him. She never asked him about it even within the short time she had spent with him before going to his trip. She had assumed it was a sore subject for him.
"I understand and I never did try to bring it up. But before my training, I discovered who they were and I was happy knowing that they did everything they can before they had me."
Hinata noted Naruto's sincere expression as he looked up at the faces of the Hokage monument.
"Who were they?"
Naruto smiled, he had noticed that fewer and fewer people were now walking the streets as they were getting closer and closer to Hinata's home.
Naruto then answered, "They were Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina."
Hinata stopped for a second as she recalled the name Namikaze Minato. She looked up at the Hokage Monument and she followed Naruto's gaze.
'The name of the Fourth Hokage… Naruto is the Hokage's son.' Hinata thought and suddenly, it all made sense to her.
The epiphany of Naruto's status as the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Youko and then the son of Namikaze Minato. She understood now why Naruto was the one to hold the Kyuubi within him.
"Now I get why it had to be you." Hinata said this as she changed from holding Naruto's hand to embracing his arm as she rested her head on her shoulders.
"Now I understand why you had to be the one to carry your burden." Hinata continued, as she continued with her thoughts. The Hokage couldn't ask someone else to do that sacrifice for the village. As the village leader, the Yondaime had set an example to lay down his life for the village and to lay his family's life before others. And she thought that other people had spat on that sacrifice, the ultimate cost of the Yondaime Hokage's family just for the village to remain standing.
'I wish this world wasn't so cruel.' Hinata thought as she held on tighter.
"Hinata?" Naruto looked at Hinata worriedly who only looked at him with a smile.
"Naruto-kun, when Teuchi-san and Ayame-san were talking about the Yondaime and his wife, that made you happier than coming back home, huh?"
Naruto nodded silently as they walked through the night.
"I got to know a side of my parents that I never knew. Who knew my mom was the one who loved Ramen? I guess it runs in the family."
He laughed at that last sentence and Hinata seemed to laugh as well.
"I bet they would have loved to meet you."
Hinata looked at Naruto and smiled, "I would wager that my mother would have loved to meet you as well."
"Yes, that would be the case."
A voice had interrupted their talk as Naruto and Hinata were met outside the gates of the Hyuuga compound by none other than Hyuuga Hiashi.
"F-Father?"
Naruto suddenly trembled and mimicked Hinata in surprise, "F-Father!?"
Hiashi looked at Naruto for a moment and inwardly, he was satisfied at instilling fear on to the boy.
"It's Hiashi-sama or Hiashi-san to you, boy. I don't ever recall giving you permission to call me that. In fact, I don't ever recall giving permission of you laying your hands on my daughter."
Naruto shivered as he told Hinata to let go of him while Hinata apologized as both of them blushed and looked away while now at a marginal distance compared to before.
"I see that you two are comfortable enough about being this close. I hope that nothing else has gotten closer while I didn't know my daughter was going out with you."
Naruto vehemently shook his head, "No, sir! Nothing else has gotten close! I haven't touched your daughter inappropriately, sir!"
Seeing as there were no lies in his voice and his actions seemed to agree with Naruto, Hiashi gave a nod.
"Good. Now I know that you have finished your team meeting earlier, Hinata. I'm sure you are tired. You may go to your room and rest while I talk things out with Naruto."
Hinata wanted to know what they were going to talk about but when she noticed Hiashi's look of assurance, she bowed and went inside but not before giving Naruto a hug and a smile.
When she was finally out of view, Naruto was already sweating bullets.
He was prepared for the moment that Hiashi was going to reprimand him and tell him to stay away from Hinata. But he was not prepared to see the man bow before him in gratitude.
"I thank you, Uzumaki Naruto, for helping my daughter live past her own shell. I was informed that you were with her during her trip to her mother's home village. For that I can't thank you enough. You have inspired my daughter to become better for herself."
Naruto was silent for a few seconds and then shook his head, "Don't thank me, Hiashi-san. Hinata is strong. What she needed wasn't me. I'm nothing compared to your daughter. You should see for yourself how much she has changed over the years. What she went through and what she had to do was all her."
Hiashi was silent at this, try as Naruto might say about his daughter's improvement. Hiashi could still see how Naruto was instrumental in bringing his daughter out of her shell. But Naruto didn't want to take credit for what Hinata worked hard for.
Hiashi respected that in the boy.
The man then smiled as he looked at the boy, "Be that as it may, you still have my gratitude. I am quite happy to know that you are looking out for her well-being."
Naruto seeing the man approve of him relaxed a little and said, "I just wanted to let everyone know how strong she is, how she's willing to go the distance and run with it. I know about what happened to her and I want push her to keep fighting as long as she wants to. Whatever she does, I'll always support her decisions. And if she stumbles and asks for help, I'll gladly give it to her."
Hiashi looked at the blonde and for the first time, noticed the Fourth Hokage's visage in front of him.
A knowing smile escaped his lips. Minato was an inspiration in their generation. The man who had conquered armies and the only shinobi to get a flee on sight order reminded him of how strong someone can be and how he can pull others to reach their potential.
Minato was their ideal. A model worth following.
It was then that Hiashi had finally accepted this boy.
"Naruto."
The blonde then looked at Hiashi questioningly as the man continued, "I approve of you going out with my daughter. You have my permission."
Naruto smiled again and grinned, "I won't disappoint you."
Hiashi returned the smile, "See that you won't."
Naruto looked quite puzzled at the head of the Hyuuga clan, from what he could gather about the stories about the man, Hiashi was a strict and no non-sense person. The stories that came around him described as cold and unrelenting when it came to his decisions. Decisions that ultimately affected Hinata and Neji.
"I'm quite surprised, Hiashi-san. I never expected you to be much more open than what I was led to believe."
Hiashi raised an eyebrow at this, "And what was the impression that you had of me?"
Naruto's smile vanished as it turned into a frown, "That you were cold and unforgiving. Especially on your own daughters. You expect them to do well even if it means forcing them. It worked well enough for Hanabi, who from what I can see, can shrug off anything you throw at her. But not someone like Hinata who can take your words to heart. Three years ago, I found it quite angering that nobody seems to know what to do with Hinata, even though she always had the resolve. No one seemed to look at her like she was worth the effort. It frustrated me that someone like her had to face something like that. But she didn't seem like someone who would hold it against them. No, she even forgave Neji, who almost killed her out of her own sense of kindness. I asked myself one day how could anyone do that to her? Why is it happening to her? Why did no one stop? It took me three years to realize that if no one wants to do what needs to be done for her, then I'll do it. Not out of obligation, but because I'm willing to put everything on the line for her."
Hiashi sighed as he looked out towards his home then back at Naruto. Many of the boy's assessments ringed true in the past. He himself was not exempted to Naruto's judgement concerning how he treated his family and how his family seemed to look at his daughters out of either spite, disgust or disappointment.
These days, the other members of the Hyuuga were looking at them with more curiosity and less hostility especially after his eldest had brought home vital information concerning their mother's now extinct clan. The marriage that he and his wife had been constructed as both a political gesture to increase the influence of his clan as well as a measure to assimilate an already dying clan to the Hyuuga and consolidate whatever it was that remained of the Iwagami. A ruthless endeavor, Hiashi thought. But he could not exactly fault the elders for their thinking back then to make it as calculated as possible. The Iwagami, a minor clan that did not live within the walls of the village, had been known to be record keepers throughout the shinobi world, they were an ancient and well known clan whose works were more concerned about keeping accounts of the history of the Shinobi world throughout their eyes. To the Hyuuga, who valued strength above all, the Iwagami were nothing special. But whatever information they held would certainly be valuable and the fact that the Iwagami was known for keeping information certainly made them sought after by many clans within the continent. It was only because of Senju Hashirama and Senju Tobirama that they could prolong their already dwindling existence. And as fate would have it, the Iwagami had died out. There was no generation that came after his wife and the clan eventually ceased to exist. A silent death and nothing remained.
"It is as you say, Uzumaki-san. I have no intention of denying what has happened to Hinata and Neji and the clan as a whole. And I am remorseful for what I have done and what has happened. But we can't take back the things that we've done, only to move forward. I have been an awful father. And now, now that I see what she was able to accomplish, I feel nothing but regret and thought about things that I could have done, like trying harder for her or repairing the damages that I should have noticed between the main and branch families. But we have passed that point long ago. All I can do is make amends."
Naruto watched as Hiashi bowed once more and the blonde began to walk away but not before replying, "I understand. Maybe one day, you can forgive yourself as much as Hinata has already forgiven you."
Hiashi watched as the young man gave a wave and set on his way home. Leaving behind Hiashi who, for the first time in his life since the day of his wife's death, saw a glimmer of hope from within himself.
Early morning:
Naruto's sleep was interrupted when a loud knocking on the door forced him out of his bed.
"Alright, alright hold your horses, I'm coming!" Naruto shouted as he yawned, still in a pair of Pajama pants and not much else.
When he opened the door, he was met with Sakura now in full gear as she said, "Naruto, Hokage-sama wants us at her office."
Behind her, Naruto noticed Sasuke wearing a modified version of the ANBU armor. Sasuke was now wearing a silver chest plate over a padded black and red short sleeved shirt with his hands covered by a black pair of gloves and a pair of white armguards made of sturdy lightweight material. His pants were of the same color as the shirt and was supported by a pair of white shin guards made of the same material as the arm guards and a pair of black sandals. His equipment pouch and sword were neatly strapped to his back. Sasuke did not wear his mask today.
"What's this about?"
"An evaluation." Sasuke answered and the two were gone from his sights immediately.
Naruto nodded and went inside his bathroom to clean himself up and took a cold shower.
A few minutes later, Naruto had arrived, still a bit sleepy but was alert enough to see Tsunade gripping her head, probably due to a hangover and said, "Good, you three seem well rested. I was going to announce this yesterday but due to unfortunate circumstances…"
Tsunade glared at Naruto.
"I decided to lay it off until today. Sai has been recalled, if you haven't noticed, he'll probably join another team since Naruto is back on active duty. But before we let you take on missions again, you three will be evaluated for your teamwork and individual skills. Naruto, this is especially true for you seeing as you have been gone for three years and no one can vouch for your abilities other than your sensei, unfortunately, that skews his judgement for a bit. So now, you will be evaluated by a third party."
Shikaku then walks in on them and nodded, "I'll be the one to evaluate your team. Jiraiya-sama and Kakashi have assured me of what you can do, but I'll need to see it for myself."
Naruto nodded as he asked the Hokage, "So how are we doing this?"
Tsunade was about to speak when Kakashi walked in to the room by the window. His new book glued to his face as he spoke.
"A good question. You'll be taking me on along with Sasuke and Sakura."
Naruto turned back to his sensei, a grin forming on his face as he replied, "Taking us on all by yourself, Kakashi-sensei?"
Kakashi looked up from his novel and smiled beneath his mask, showing his amusement at Naruto's question.
"No, this time, I think I'll have some help."
Kakashi then closed his novel and pocketed it before he continued, "Training ground seven. I think you know the drill."
Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto all looked at each other and nodded to their sensei.
Tsunade nodded at this and thanked his subordinates for explaining things for her in the midst of her hangover.
"Now that it's settled, I'll be heading out and see for myself if the hype about you three is real or not. There have been rumors going about you three that has the entire shinobi force excited."
Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke all looked at each other again as if asking one another what it was about, but all of them couldn't come up with an answer. The three of them simply shrugged. Shikaku had been scratching his head why these three didn't know they were being compared to the previous Densetsu no Sannin.
"I'm surprised you three don't know what the hell is going on around you. No matter, you'll understand it once you pick up those rumors."
The three, instead of going to the training ground in haste, were stopped when Naruto began talking to them as they went outside the building.
"I know this isn't like me, but I think we should begin planning before engaging Kakashi-sensei."
Sasuke raised an eyebrow at this and Sakura was the one who voiced her confusion, "Look, I know how much you changed since we last faced Kakashi-sensei together, Naruto. But you talking about a plan is still a little disconcerting sometimes."
"Sakura is right. But how sure are you that we can come out of this without a hitch? No plan survives first contact."
Naruto simply waved it off, "Nah, it's just simple outlay of objectives we have to do. We already know how Kakashi-sensei works. What we need to do is to lock down his skills or outlast him since stamina seems to be sensei's weakness."
Sasuke raised another eyebrow at this, "Okay, shoot, what do you have in mind?"
Naruto was the one who asked the obvious question first, "Can we list the elemental releases that Kakashi-sensei can do?"
Sakura was thinking about this as she looked up and began counting with her hands, "Raiton, Suiton, Doton… If we can believe his moniker, then we can add Fuuton and Katon."
Naruto groaned at the fact that his sensei essentially had good coverage of all five elements, and given that Kakashi is a pretty lethal shinobi with the skill to back it up, he must also have a good mind to go along with that arsenal of his.
"Well, there goes controlling that option."
Sasuke was incredulous at this, "You expected Kakashi-sensei to be hampered down by countering him with Ninjutsu? Are you- No, no, never mind, that was a stupid question."
Of course, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Sasuke had thought that Naruto's initial plan was idiotic and crazy.
"Because that's the problem! Kakashi-sensei is as good as he gets when in his element! He has Taijutsu ability that could rival even Gai-sensei, can track his opponents with his nose even if his sight is limited and of course his Ninjutsu list has to be scary. If we can just lock down his ability to use Ninjutsu, his biggest advantage, aside from the sharingan mind you, we'd be dealing with just a really good hand to hand specialist." Naruto argued crossing his arms and began to think of more avenues to attack.
"You forget he's pretty good with Bukijutsu too." Sakura reminded and Naruto looked at Sakura questioningly and the girl pointed to her back which contained her two short double edged swords.
"Right, right. I forgot that he taught you two how to use a sword. Speaking of which, I probably should ask him for pointers about that." Naruto thought as he flinched before continuing.
"There has to be a way of keeping Kakashi-sensei at bay. We can probably outlast sensei, but I doubt he doesn't know that it's a viable option to get him too tired to move. My guess is he has a timer on how long we are allowed to fight him. Unless we put the pressure on him earlier on and have him do jutsu after jutsu, but that's a gamble since he knows a lot of jutsu and we don't know how we'll fight that."
Sasuke then proceeded as he remembered Kakashi having enough knowledge in fuinjutsu if it was any indicator during the chuunin exam, "Aside from that, he knows a bit about fuinjutsu."
Naruto raised an eyebrow at this, "He has skill in there too? So what kind of seal does he know?"
Sasuke recalled that day after he beat someone up in Taijutsu, he couldn't recall the name, the man didn't even have a face to recognize, but he distinctly remembered hammering down on his enemy with his Shishi Rendan. And the aftermath of that match involved Kakashi applying a seal around the cursed seal too.
"If I recall, he calls it Fuja Hoin (Evil sealing method)"
Naruto cursed and did a spit take at that, "Son of a bitch!"
Sakura looked at Naruto as to why the blonde would curse like that.
"What's the matter?"
Naruto replied, "The Fuja Hoin is an intermediate to high level class sealing method. It takes great skill in pulling it off and requires meticulous attention to detail in applying. The fact that Kakashi-sensei can do that means he's no slouch in Fuinjutsu methods too. Fucking great!"
As Naruto kept swearing like a sailor, Sasuke and Sakura were looking at the blonde and found themselves in astonishment that Naruto has intimate knowledge on the subject. Well, they found it hard to believe during the stories that they heard about him but seeing as it came from his mouth this time, they could accept it a little more now.
"So what does that leave us?"
Naruto sighed and slouched forward, "I guess we'll just have to wing it."
Sasuke scoffed, "How long did it take you to come up with that conclusion?"
Naruto looked annoyed and replied, "Screw you, Sasuke! I'm the one who has a bigger stake here!"
Naruto growled, and in this case, he had to prepare now as they approached training ground seven. When they saw Kakashi, they were surprised that he was conversing with Gai and the man's team just behind them.
"I got a bad feeling about this." Sakura muttered and Sasuke remained quiet as he looked on at the two while Naruto was already cursing up a storm again. It would intensify later when Kakashi turned to them and gave an eye smile as Gai was now grinning at them ear to ear.
"Ah, you're here, good. We can get this started. You have three hours to defeat me and Gai. No holds barred, come at us with the intent to kill. You win if we get knocked out or give up." Kakashi said a little too jovially for their taste as he then continued, "I hope whatever it is you have planned works. Because I can't seem to shake the feeling that WE have to go all out."
Kakashi then revealed his sharingan eye and the trio smirked if a bit nervous. For Kakashi to draw out the sharingan against them means that he was acknowledging their progress. A few weeks ago, he had stated to Sasuke and Sakura that he was proud of them. The way they showed their excellence was a testament of their hard work. Kakashi seemed genuinely happy that his students were excelling.
But with Naruto now, things were getting more interesting. From what Jiraiya had reported, Naruto had a good and solid basics down pat during their journey, the boy started creating his own jutsus, his own seal formulations (a feat that he had never thought that Naruto could excel in), and his own style in Taijutsu. It seemed whatever it is that Jiraiya taught his student, it seemed like Jiraiya only explained the concepts and did not taught Naruto much to the letter. And if it was any indication, whatever it is that Naruto was about to pull out in his bag of tricks, anticipation won't be enough to keep up with the blonde. He looked to his side and saw Gai going into stance for the goken.
To the sides, Neji, Tenten, Lee and another girl were all watching in trepidation.
All was silent on the battlefield. One could hear a pin dropping due to the tension. The wind began picking up as Kakashi and Gai prepared themselves. Gai blinked for a second.
It was here that team seven chose to attack.
Sasuke led the charge, his sword drawn as he let the edge touch the ground and carving it before he vanished in a blur and then appearing just beside Kakashi. Kakashi was about to counter attack and instead, whipped out a kunai in his holster and swung on the opposite side, a loud clash of screeching metal was heard as Kakashi deflected Sasuke's sword strike. Three Sharingan spinning madly, Kakashi then proceeded to hold the kunai in his right hand in a reverse grip as Sasuke countered with his sword and the high pitched sound of metal screeching against metal was heard again. Sasuke was about to strike again when Gai had managed to get within close range as soon as he could, surprising Sasuke by the man's speed and he was forced to use Shunshin again, vanishing in mid-air with Gai kicking but only hitting his after image.
It was then that Sakura began to work, with a strong and in quick succession, Sakura was already slashing away with her swords. Kakashi then grabbed another Kunai and met with Sakura's blades with his knives. Another clash escaped as Kakashi parried the bloiws and sent a knee upwards to Sakura's exposed chin. It would not connect, though, as Naruto had appeared from above and stepping on Kakashi's knee with both his feet before Naruto performed an all too familiar Jutsu.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone technique)" Five clones of the blonde became real as all of them went to engage Gai who did not even stop once Naruto managed to lock him down. The real one jumped once again and began to perform a set of hand seals with him as he jumped.
Kakashi wasn't done though, and with his sharingan still spinning, began to perform seals of his own, Kakashi landed on the ground and inhaled deeply.
"Katon: Goukakyo no Jutsu (Fire release: Grand Fireball Technique)!"
Naruto then was smothered in flames only to be replaced by a log.
Gai was already free from his batch of clones.
The two of them watched closely as all three members were gone from their sights.
"I see they are already going at it." Gai remarked as Kakashi nodded, "Be careful, this is when they are at their most dangerous. They can basically attack at any angle all at once."
With Naruto's Kage Bunshin that can provide both cover and ambushing opportunities, Sasuke and Sakura can hide well under Naruto's jutsu and the blonde can coordinate attacks as well in that time.
It was not long when a surge of electricity came running on the ground and then several dozens of Naruto's clones began rushing at them from all sides. Then, the earth shook as the ground became displaced and started cracking. The two jounin jumped into the air to avoid whatever it is the earth was going to do to them as Kakashi remained in composure.
"Cover me, Gai." Kakashi said, nerves of steel and experience had stopped him from panicking as Gai quickly did as he was told and began bombarding the clones left and right with his fists. It was then that Kakashi began performing several hand seals and lightning began crackling in his hand the Raikiri roared to life with its otherworldly screech before the area around him became heated and the color of his lightning changed to purple and had effortlessly cut through the surging lightning that came for them.
A brief pause escapes them as then Kakashi's three students all appeared at once, surrounding them and began performing hand seals of their own and ending at the same time in varying sequences.
"Fuuton…"
"Katon…"
"Raiton…"
Naruto pointed one finger at Kakashi, while Sakura began to inhale and Sasuke's hands started crackling.
"Shinkuu Ho (Vacuum Canon)!"
"Karyuudan (Fire Dragon Bullet)!"
"Jibashi (Electromagnetic Murder)!"
A loud burst of winds escaped from Naruto's finger tips as Naruto was blasted back by the recoil while Sakura breathed forth projectiles of flames that were looking like they were launched from canons with Sasuke's technique surging towards the two.
Kakashi had then performed Naruto's favorite Jutsu as Gai made the option to jump once more and entered the first gate.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone technique)"
Two clones of Kakashi appeared beside him as they all began to perform their own techniques.
"Katon…"
"Suiton…"
"Futon…"
The first clone inhaled, the second began spitting out water as the third gathered the winds around him and circulated from behind the real one.
"Goukakyou no Jutsu! (Grand Fireball Technique)"
"Suishoha! (Water colliding wave)"
"Daitoppa! (Great Breakthrough)"
Elements clashed and cancelled each other out, Naruto's jutsu was eaten alive by the flames of the fireball, while Sakura's was snuffed out by the water and Sasuke's lightning was dispersed by the wind. Kakashi was a little winded at that, the Kage Bunshin was a jutsu that was taxing on his reserves. Unknown to his students, he too had taken on some form of training to mitigate this weakness of his as well, but Kage Bunshin was still taxing on his reserves.
It was then that Gai had managed to make his presence known and his momentum somewhat changed as he became a rocket towards his target.
Which turned out to be Naruto.
"Dynamic Entry!"
Naruto, with his quick reflexes, braced for the impact and blocked Gai's attack but was sent skidding back with Gai opening his gates as a force multiplier, sending the blonde away from Gai. Naruto stopped to one knee and grimaced at just how much force Gai could deliver to him.
Gai wasn't finished as his speed had dramatically increased. Naruto was suddenly alarmed when Gai had seemingly vanished only for him to appear just a second later, already in a stance as he was about to deliver a punch. Once more, Naruto was quick to move out of the way just as Gai had let his punch fly. Naruto could hear the leaves rustle behind him and a tree cracking as well. Gai was powerful enough to deliver a punch with a shockwave.
And in true Naruto fashion, Naruto performed the Kage Bunshin once more and let it deal with Gai as Naruto leapt away.
Gai was going to follow up until Kakashi shouted, "Gai! Don't!"
It was too late.
As soon as Gai got close enough, Naruto's clone suddenly destabilized in chakra and suddenly blew up.
BOOM!
Naruto watched his handiwork with a grin only to look disappointed, when Gai had appeared standing.
Unhurt, at that.
"Well now, that's just not fair."
"Having an expendable and versatile army isn't fair either, Naruto."
Kakashi had appeared beside him, surprising Naruto as he noted Kakashi was letting off steam around him in the same effect as Gai, sharingan flaring.
"What the hell! You know how to open the gates too!?"
Kakashi shrugged, "I'm the copy ninja for a reason."
Naruto then leaned back as he fell down from the tree and grabbed the board on his back, Kakashi went in pursuit of him as Naruto rolled in mid-air and stuck the board on his feet.
The effect was immediate. The blonde's feet stuck to the board like super glue and the seals on the board glow. A high pitched sound escaped as the winds howled beneath Naruto's feet and the boy was now zooming across the air and rising up further and further into the skies.
Beside the battlefield, Shikaku was surprised when Naruto had attained flight. He looked beside him, Tsunade was as shocked at this and another voice had entered the field.
"Well, he's gone and done it now."
Tsunade looked beside her and saw Jiraiya, a bit sickly looking with his disheveled hair and watched as Naruto began spinning in mid-flight to halt his incredible velocity and changed course back towards the gound.
"What the hell is that jutsu!?" Tsunade asked and Jiraiya shrugged at that. Tsunade growled and looked at Jiraiya, there was never any report about this from his letters!
"It's a combination of Fuinjutsu and Fuuton Jutsu. Naruto, with that whacky head of his, created a jutsu from scratch by creating a new sealing matrix from trial and error and a mean core that converted his chakra to wind and exponentially multiplying that, creating a force strong enough that it could take him to the skies. He calls it Fuujin no Odori (Dance of the Wind God)." Jiraiya said with pride as he looked at his apprentice that circled the air, zigzagging, looping and diving as he went straight to Kakashi.
Neji watched in rapt attention as he saw Naruto seemingly looking like the jutsu indeed made him dance across the skies. He was amazed that he had never seen a jutsu of this kind before. And Lee was watching excitedly as he saw Naruto fly through the air and began bombarding Kakashi with kunai and shuriken. The Jounin had no time to admire his student's ingenuity for jutsu as he had jumped to every which way he could to avoid Naruto raining sharp steel down on him.
"An apt name…" Shikaku commented as his mind was racing at the potential of this jutsu.
Down on the ground, Sasuke and Sakura watched in wonder as Naruto was emitting gale force winds from beneath his feet as he then straightened his fingers out into a chopping motion and gathered chakra into his hands.
Kakashi watched as his sharingan had noticed the build-up of chakra at the boy's hands and dived once more at him. Kakashi, not willing to know what it does, rolled on the ground as Naruto's attacked safely sailed by him and only a few strands of hair were caught. The hair caught was cut cleanly cut down and Kakashi noticed that the tree behind him fell down as it was cleanly cut as well.
Tsunade watched in complete attention as another list of things for Naruto surprising her.
"And that jutsu?" She asked to her teammate and Jiraiya grinned.
"It's his own jutsu again, he created a technique that creates an invisible blade of wind so thin that it can cut through almost anything. He doesn't know how far the technique can go, but my guess is five to ten meters around him that says a lot about his improved chakra control. The blade is so sharp that it looks like he's cutting the space itself, that's why he calls it Kuukanzangeki (Space Cutting Strike)"
"That damn kid." Tsunade watched in pride for Naruto as he once more applied himself with his ingenuity. These three years were not a waste of his talents.
Back on the battlefield, Sasuke and Sakura's attention turned back to themselves. The two looked at each other seriously and nodded.
"We can't let the idiot outshine us." Sasuke replied with a grin and electricity crackles in his right hand before turning orange and raging wildly before finally turning into a pair of glowing eight pointed shuriken.
Sakura replied with a grin of her own, "I'm with you there."
Sakura then raised her leg slightly and applied chakra to the soles of her feet and stomped the ground so hard that the earth trembled.
"Doton: Ippo Jisshin (Earth Release: Single Quaking Step)!"
Kakashi and Gai could feel the earth tremble once more and the ground began cracking as fissures of earth and stone rose up and cracked.
"Y-You taught that kid of yours your super strength?" Jiraiya watched and trembled seeing Sakura destroy the land with a single stomp. Tsunade grins from ear to ear, clearly her hangover was disappearing.
"Why wouldn't I? Seeing as she's MY apprentice."
Jiraiya shuddered at that. Shikaku only watched as the two of the legendary Sannin show off their work and living vicariously in their students. The Jounin commander couldn't help but sigh.
Back on the battlefield, Gai and Kakashi were now back to back but was again separated when another quake had happened.
Gai was suddenly surprised when he saw Sakura now with six arms holding six swords each charging at him and slashing at him in different ways. Gai was about to grab something from his pouch but Sakura would not let him set up. She then goes to slash away at Gai with six arcs of chakra heading towards him. Gai made the conscious effort to jump but something had crashed into him in midair.
Gai turned up and noticed Naruto, who had just rammed him with his board, surrounded by winds as he accelerated to the ground. But Before he could do so, Naruto stopped at the last minute and sharply turned up as Gai crashed to the forest floor.
Kakashi was then ambushed by a mirage of Sasuke's after images. He was suddenly surprised when he saw two eight pointed stars escaping from one of the after images with Kakashi dodging effortlessly. Kakashi knew what came next, seeing his student perform this jutsu once and instead of standing around after that dodge, went after Sasuke with his own shunshin. The eight pointed stars exploded behind him. Kakashi paid no heed to that and kept following Sasuke, who now surrounded himself with electricity and his after images began to look a little distorted. But from what Kakashi could tell, they had some chakra in them. Chakra that was already converted to lightning.
'So this is his creation, Shinkiro Raiko (Mirage Lightning).' Sasuke's after images attacked him once again and Kakashi was prepared this time, he applied electricity to his kunai and purple lightning escaped from them, negating Sasuke's raiton technique.
The technique not only enhanced Sasuke's speed, it was also intended to hurt. He suddenly remembered that he couldn't afford to stop as immediately, several high pressure waves of wind crashed down on to him in multiple directions. Kakashi had narrowly avoided by substituting just in time, but he the hits almost connected. To him, that was not a good sign for him.
Now, not even the cover of the forests was safe for them. Naruto had drastically increased their range and unhampered by any obstacles in his path.
And from his attacks, he can locate people and guide his teammates to where to strike with signals or if or any subtle form of communication.
There were very few people in the world who can boast about having areal superiority in a fight. So few in fact, Kakashi could probably count them with just one hand.
Beneath his mask, he smiled. He had never realized how much his students had learned and he was happy knowing that these three turned out fine the way they did, despite all that's happened to them.
Naruto watched from above as Gai and Kakashi regrouped. Probably thinking of another way to approach them now that Naruto debuted with his new technique. He went down with Sasuke and Sakura as they began to discuss another tactic amongst themselves.
On the sidelines, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Shikaku and members of Gai's team were watching very closely as Shikaku began thinking while Jiraiya and Tsunade began discussing things.
"That Uchiha brat, Kakashi enrolled him in ANBU?" Jiraiya asked and Tsunade nodded,
"That kid changed much when he got into ANBU's training program. Falcon removed any sense of entitlement from him and acts more or less professional around people. Perhaps what Kakashi did was the right thing for helping that kid have direction."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at this, "Even if it's revenge?"
Tsunade looked at Jiraiya for a second and then replied, "Stop that already, Sasuke is dead set on his path. No one can change his mind on it. But what we can do is give that direction. He was close to breaking, Jiraiya, you know that. There were previous reports of him wandering alone sometimes and avoiding people entirely. What the ANBU did to him wasn't psychological torture. They had to give Sasuke some meaning aside from his view of revenge. But he has every right to claim retribution from his brother, selfish or not. I don't like it any more than you do but if he was left alone, he would have deserted."
Jiraiya sighed, "I get that. Sage knows how many there are people like him out there that was twisted by some tragedy or another. But using his emotions for our benefit sometimes makes me wonder about our motives. Then again, our goal is for our home to stay in one piece."
"And peace it shall be for us, Jiraiya. We can't always get what we want. For what we control and what we can't we just have to accept the cards we've been dealt with and try to find a better solution. Kakashi has already gotten through to Sasuke, Sakura has showed me her reports and Sasuke is improving. Jiraiya, Sasuke needs people around him and Konoha needs him. We don't want the last member of the Uchiha clan to be wandering the world committing crimes. Itachi and Madara were enough."
Jiraiya nodded at this, he perfectly understood Sasuke's motivations. He didn't like it, but it was better than a mad Uchiha running around the world committing irredeemable acts of cruelty.
On to their side, Shikaku watched the battle intently, trying to keep up with his evaluation and so far it has been promising. Shikaku had to take in the subtle ques the three were doing. Naruto would occasionally take command and from what he could tell, often takes the initiative as well. But it was not out of brashness anymore, but rather out of the three, the boy knew that he had the most chances to survive first contact. Sasuke was the one at the wing to support his teammate, keeping up with whatever plan Naruto was going to do and communicates with them what roles they could play in his working strategy while Sakura made sure the both of them were fine as being the medic. The ability to come up with something on the fly was nothing to sneeze at. And along with Kage Bunshin that can give Naruto the perfect way to transfer information without risking himself, Naruto can organize in his own chaotic way to whittle down opponents. He had seen the blonde's ability to lead during those exams and so far, it hasn't waned yet. The blonde was still sharp and cunning.
He was the perfect opposite of Shikaku's son, who would organize plans and force enemies to let them do what he wants them to do which required gathering the necessary information that can pile up.
If ever Naruto and Shikamaru teamed up during their drills, then it would spell a nightmare to the opposing team. Naruto's brand of chaos with Shikamaru's organization can almost guarantee a landslide win.
Shikaku smiled, that was something he would pay to see.
He then noticed it, he watched as Kakashi's students suddenly now move with purpose. The blonde in question had then, for the first time, grabbed the sword at his side and noticed that the fuuda was burning off, turning into ashes.
The rope had untangled itself and Naruto drew the wakizashi. Jiraiya's eyes grew as Tsunade was looking like she was about to hurl boulders.
"He's using it!? HE'S USING IT!?" Shikaku could hear Tsunade's voice all around as the remaining bystanders not Jiraiya or Shikaku were wondering what it was that would drive the Godaime Hokage in a fit of rage.
They would get their answers a few seconds later as Naruto planted the sword on the ground and multiple sealing lines crawled to the ground and made their way to the two Jounin.
With Naruto and his team, they had discussed that in order to win, they had to make an underhanded tactic. With that in mind, they needed something to bind the two Jounin down. Unfortunately for the three of them, they didn't have any jutsu to hold down Kakashi and Gai. It would have been nice if at least one of them could learn the Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu (Double suicide earth decapitation) but they didn't now so they would have to rectify that. Naruto began to think and then finally gave in to the idea.
He was going to use Minamoto no Banbutsu (Gathering of All Creation).
Naruto knew that using the sword lightly would be the wrong thing to do now with all the dangers that he could possibly get into. But Kakashi had given them permission to use everything in their arsenal. And Naruto was intent on doing that.
When he gripped the Minamoto no Banbutsu, Naruto's head was filled with thoughts of a binding seal that could immobilize people. And true enough, the wakizashi responded.
The sword sorted through its own records and returned back to Naruto just in time with Kakashi and Gai now lined in their sites.
'Fuinjutsu: Kanashibari (Sealing Arts: Body Binding)'
Long lines of sealing matrices escaped from the sword as Naruto stabbed the earth with it. The seals moved in a subtle but quick manner as Kakashi and Gai were caught within its grasp and the sealing matrices crawled all the way to their heads. Kakashi began to think of something, but his chakra seemed to be disrupted! This sealing technique was preventing him to do ninjutsu as well!
"Finally caught them!" Naruto shouted as he raised a fist in the air with a grin. Of course, now knowing the ins and outs of the seal, he immediately turned to the two.
"Alright I suck at genjutsu, so let me handle Kakashi-sensei. This binding seal only holds out for ten minutes so I know just what to do in order to make Kakashi give up. You two can make Gai-sensei give up."
The two were looking confusedly at Naruto as the blonde went to his sensei and they began to talk.
In a matter of seconds, Kakashi shouted something about asking for mercy and then promptly giving up while Sasuke and Sakura watched. Did Naruto learn how to interrogate people as well?
The two looked at each other and they knew would have to ask the blonde while Sasuke and Sakura approached Gai-sensei.
"Sensei, it would really be nice if you could give up, you know."
Gai was still apparently struggling.
"NO! YOUTH DOES NOT GIVE UP! YOUTH BURNS BRIGHTLY AND GIVES HOPE! MAITO GAI WILL NEVER GIVE UP!"
Sasuke sighed and had stared at Gai for a few seconds with his sharingan and said to Gai, "Give up or you will tell your students the most embarrassing thing you've done that you would shame yourself again if you ever spoke of it."
Gai was unaffected because the man just closed his eyes from Sasuke, "Nice try, Sasuke-kun! I would have been caught if I didn't know your eyes would cause hypnosis!"
Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other, they were running out of options fast.
It was then that Naruto arrived with a grin on his face as Kakashi was now unsealed and the look of horror plastered on the man's only visible eye was obvious to see.
"Hey guys, is Gai-sensei still not surrendering?" Naruto asked and the two nodded.
Naruto began to think of something and whispered to Kakashi's ear. The man shivered slightly and then began singing like a canary to the blonde and the boy gave a devilish shit eating grin.
"Gai-sensei, if you don't give up now, we'll tell your students that you once paraded around town in nothing but your apron and had to recite a whole chapter of Icha Icha in the market."
Gai, looking like he had seen a ghost, shouted at the blonde, "YOU WOULDN'T!"
Naruto's grin still plastered on his face, told him he would.
"I-If it's come down to that, then I give up!"
Naruto and Sakura high fived each other and cheered as they had finally won against a pair of really competent Jounin. On the sidelines, Team Gai, Tsunade, Jiraiya and Shikaku watched wordlessly as two of their best Jounin were defeated by mind games by the trio.
"Jiraiya, you keep withholding information from me. Did you teach Naruto how to interrogate people?"
Jiraiya shook his head, "No, I didn't. But I would wager it comes naturally at the blonde when he's pretty observant. He must have noticed something that would drive Kakashi mad and used that to blackmail him into surrendering."
"But what kind of blackmail material would it be that Kakashi would just give up like that?"
Jiraiya thought about it for a second and remembered his interaction with Kakashi yesterday, "By my guess is that Naruto was about to spoil the ending of his favorite book."
Tsunade looked incredulous at this, "What? That's it?"
Jiraiya shrugged, "It's just a hunch. But I bet Naruto was using it as leverage."
Tsunade clicked her tongue at this. Her elite Jounin were a bunch of crazy people. Shikaku seemed to get a kick out of that and had to withhold his laughter. He was so going to rig the next wartime drills and pair Shikamaru with Naruto after this showing.
All joking aside, Naruto was going to be good Jounin material, Sakura seemed close to it as well. He was sure the evaluation of this group was going to be good.
When Naruto's team, Kakashi and Gai were in earshot, Shikaku approached the members of Team Seven and nodded.
"That was a fine display, you three, I now understand why the rumors are substantiated."
The three looked confused at this as Sakura was the first to respond.
"Okay, now I have to know what these rumors are! Is it so bombastic that we have to be kept in the dark about it?"
Tsunade replied, "Well, being compared as the next Densetsu no Sannin, I would say yeah, it is pretty bombastic."
Naruto whistled as Sasuke's smug was slightly showing while Sakura's jaw dropped.
She looked at his teammates from Sasuke and then at Naruto who seemed to be taking this well.
"Aren't you two being smug?"
Sasuke merely shrugged, Sakura turns to Naruto who replied, "What? That's awesome!"
"You know it, kid!" Jiraiya shouted and a haughty laugh escaped between both of them. Tsunade palmed her face for the antics of these two. These two were indeed two peas in a pod.
To be continued…
Original Jutsu List:
風遁:真空砲 Fuuton: Shinkuu Ho (Wind Release Vacuum canon)- C rank- a blast of a wind stream in a straight line. It has a powerful recoil the more chakra is put in it, and can adjust the power of the technique depending on the user's choice. A versatile mid to long range attack
封印術: 風神の踊り Fuinjutsu: Fuujin no Odori (Sealing Arts: Dance of the Wind God)- A rank- A complex sealing jutsu that absorbs Naruto's chakra and turning it into wind and multiplying that several fold and forcing out in powerful Jetstream that can make him air born. The complexity of this sealing art makes it A rank alone with the sealing matrix designed for this specific seal only. Currently, it is on pace to be the fastest jutsu that is made for airborne travel and combat that has the potential to go into subsonic flight. The speed of this jutsu is so fast that it requires Naruto to wear goggles as the wind turbulence bothers his vision.
風遁: 空間残撃 Fuuton: Kuukanzangeki
蜃気楼雷光 Shinkiro Raiko (Mirage Lightning)- A rank- A jutsu that improves upon Shisui's Shunshin no Jutsu in that the after images that Sasuke leaves behind contain lightning meant to hurt his enemies twice, once with the strike of the afterimage, then another with a burst of lightning. The difficulty of this jutsu comes from Sasuke's control where he has to leave behind enough chakra that the afterimage does not waver and enough that it can hurt his enemies twice over. Though not as fast as the instantaneous ability of the Hiraishin, the jutsu is fast enough that it can keep up with Neji's Denko Sekka
土遁: 一歩地震 Doton: Ippo Jishin (Earth Release: Single Quakiing Step)- B Rank- A jutsu that creates vibrations on the ground enough to cause an earthquake in a small area. The stronger the impact of the foot hitting the ground, the more powerful and more devastating it becomes.
