Author's note:
Wow, I'm overwhelmed at the response so far. 125 follows and 77 favorites! I'm happy so many of you are enjoying the story. If you're reading on a computer, I added some story art! I hope you enjoy it. I used Canva once I came up with the idea and I'm pleased with how it came out. I'm certainly not an artist by any means, but hey work with what you got? Right?
Shout out to the following for leaving reviews!
SugamDewan
tarunsharmakavipurapu
DarkVoid
Manzuli
thtadthtshldntb
Anoyak111
Bankai777
FRANKEN5TEIN
executvchair
I wanted to address a couple of questions/points of feedback that I received. First, regarding character appearances they are all older. Honestly, it's probably easiest to imagine them just slightly taller, more mature versions of their Shippuden selves verses The Last. I didn't like Naruto's appearance in that movie, so for him he looks like his imaginative shinobi when he reads Tale of the Gutsy Ninja. I'll do a description of a new outfit later, but for now he's in his shippuden outfit.
Next, I was reminded that Naruto and Sai didn't get truly close until after Danzo's death. Whoops! I edited chapter 2 to remove Sai from Naruto's thoughts of having someone help him move.
Finally, this will not be a harem story. Just want to clarify that, and yes the focus will be mainly on Naruto and Ino. I've figured out some secondary pairings and plot lines but for the most part it'll be Naruto centric.
With that, enjoy Chapter 3!
Chapter Three: Foreboding
A musty smell hung in the air, and dark rocks and moss lined the edge of this dark cavern. The cave lit only by torches, and the sound of footsteps echoed softly. A man with brown spiky hair stood alone, waiting. He wore a dark black robe with a high collar around his neck, red clouds accenting the garment. His face was obstructed by an orange mask with a spiraling shape etched on it, the glow of a singular red eye visible. Suddenly, another figure appeared to grow out of the floor wearing the same clothes. This figure in its plant-like glory, had a head reminiscent of a venus flytrap.
"Report, Zetsu." The masked man ordered.
"The eight and nine tails are still roaming free. It's confirmed that Sasuke failed, and the Hachibi will be harder to capture now that he is wary of us." Zetsu replied in a strangely smooth voice. "I don't know the whereabouts of the Hachibi, and the Kyuubi should still be in Konoha. What are your orders, Obito?"
"We will need to find a way to lure out the Hachibi and Kyuubi. Konoha and Kumo will not be eager to leave their assets unguarded, especially after both Pein and Sasuke failed us." Obito took a moment to think. "We need to entice the Hokage and Raikage to use their greatest weapons."
"Indeed, another attack? Perhaps Sasuke and you attack Konoha together?" Zetsu offered, following Obtio's train of thought.
"Perhaps in due time, but I think this calls for a more delicate approach. Is Sasuke feeling the drain on his Sharinghan yet?" Obito asked.
"Yes, he seems to be losing his sight rather quickly. He was emboldened by his new power and seems to have overdone it." Zetsu answered, having kept a close eye on Sasuke and the movements of his group.
"Excellent, he will need Itachi's eyes soon. Having his spare eyes will be valuable for my plan." Obito let out a soft but ominous chuckle. "I think it's time I met with an old relic. He'll surely provide the spark I need to draw out the jinchuriki."
A flash of lightning and the crack of thunder lit the office of the Raikage, A. The office was similar to that of the Hokage's with a large desk as the main furniture, but this office had large elegant windows lining the wall behind the Raikage. Seated at the desk was A, a large broad shouldered man with dark skin and blond hair. His goatee and mustache frowning as he read a letter his aid put on his desk moments ago. Suddenly, his muscular arm covered by a brace smashed a small table next to his desk.
"That stupid immature bastard!" A growled in anger. "B gets attacked, and uses this as a chance to get some R & R? I'm going to castrate my idiot brother when I find him. Who does he think he is running off to the Land of Hot Springs like this?"
On A's desk sat the letter in question, while it was not long it was completely written in rhyme.
Bro,
How's it hangin'? I want some time off, ya know. Take some time and travelin'. The Hot Springs are calling my name! I'm gonna kick back and get some rest. Coming home now would be so lame. Don't you know the women here are the best? See you in a bit. Don't get all pissy. Drink some sake and get a lit. Meanwhile, maybe I'll get busy.
Killer B and Eight-O
The sun was shining bright in the leaf village on this beautiful morning. Birds were chirping, people were out and about. The village seemed to be getting back on its feat. The leaf's hero was walking around in search of his silver haired sensei. He wanted to ask him about his new training, and also share with him what he learned about his father. Naruto walked around the village, checking multiple shops and stands looking for the man but alas could not find him. Finally, he began to search the fields and parks and eventually spotted a gravity defying mop of silver hair. As he got closer, Naruto noticed that Kakashi had taken up to playing some sort of board game with his laziest friend, Shikamaru.
"Yo, Kakashi-sensei. Shikamaru. Whatcha playin?"
"Shogi." Shikamaru replied shortly, deep in thought.
"Shikamaru here is a great challenge. I've been meaning to challenge him to a game ever since our mission to eliminate Kakuzu." Kakashi replied with an eye smile, his mask hiding most of his facial features.
"It's troublesome, but Kakashi mentioned something about needing my help with strategy training." Shikamaru mentioned with a sigh, before reaching out and moving one of the pieces.
Naruto looked on with confusion, his eyes twitching slightly.
"How the hell is that board game a form of training?" Come on Kakashi, Ba-chan told you about my new assignment right?" Naruto asked anxiously.
"Calm down, Naruto. Yes she did. Shogi with Shikamaru here is going to be part of your training." Kakashi calmly informed the blonde while moving a piece with delicate care.
"What? You're joking! I have to play board games?" Naruto exclaimed.
"I'm teaching Naruto about shogi? This is going to be too damn troublesome." Shikamaru rested his head in his hands and rubbed his temples. "Look Naruto, shogi is a way to practice battle strategies. You have to strategize and counter your opponent in order to win, and most importantly" Shikamaru paused for emphasis before continuing, "you need to use your head."
Naruto reflected on what Shikamaru said. When he was younger, Naruto would run into all of his battles head on and use his creativity to improvise. He had no real plan, he just did what came naturally. He fought using his instincts and it had worked up to a point. After discovering the uses of his kage bunshins and his experience developing the rasenshuriken, he started to use them as a way to gauge his opponents. 'I do need to learn to think things through more if I am going to take on solo missions. I won't have Kakashi or something like Shikamaru to order me around.'
"Okay, I get it. What else do you have planned for me, Kakashi-sensei?"
Shikamaru decided to interject before the silver haired jonin could respond. "Why are you suddenly interested in strategy, Naruto? It's troublesome to ask, but it's not really your style, no?" Shikamaru questioned.
"Naruto wants to be trained in the ways of the ANBU." Kakashi moved another piece on the board before continuing, "He asked Tsunade-sama if I would train him and prepare him for more difficult missions, though I don't know why he is so adamant about it." Kakashi finished. The final words were phrased as a statement, but Naruto knew he was asking him what changed.
"Well, I was going to tell you both anyway so I might as well get it out of the way…" Naruto hesitated, unsure how to begin.
"If it's about the nine tails, I already know that. It was a drag, but I figured it out already. Kakuzu and that Pein guy were interested in you, and then not to mention your birthday is the same day the Kyuubi attacked. Once I felt like thinking about it, it was easy to figure out." Shikamaru said nonchalantly.
"Wait, you…you knew? You don't care?" Naruto's eyes widened, his body froze.
"What? No. You've been a good friend, you've saved our asses plenty. Only a fool would think you're the actual fox."
'I knew we were pretty close, but to think he didn't care at all and knew.' Naruto thought to himself, releasing a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
'Your friends will accept you. It's about time you realized that.' Kakashi smirked under his mask, before frowning as Shikamaru cornered him in the game. 'Now if I could only figure out how to counter Shikamaru's shogi strategies…'
"Thank you…really, it means a lot, Shika. But there is more… when Pein killed Hinata, I lost control of the fox…and, well, I met my dad." Naruto trailed off, unsure how to explain this part.
Kakashi's lone eye shot up and looked at the young blonde. "You met him? How? In the seal?" Kakashi's mind whirled with questions, how could Naruto have met Minato?
Naruto smiled softly, "Yeah, he left some chakra in there for me. He fixed the seal and told me about what happened when I was born. He was your teacher, right Kakashi-sensei? Did you know…he was my dad?"
Kakashi looked down at the shogi board, unable to meet Naruto's questioning gaze. "I did. We were sworn to secrecy by Sarutobi-sama. I'm…I'm sorry, Naruto."
"It's okay. Ero-sennin explained about dad's enemies so I get it now." Naruto shrugged before Shikamaru interjected.
"Okay, this is troublesome. Naruto, your dad was the Yondaime? How did Jiraiya-sama tell you anything if he died before you lost control?" Shikamaru asked calmly, he had of course been shocked initially having pieced together the missing details of Naruto and Kakashi's conversation but shook it off and waited for Naruto's explanation.
"Oh yeah, so Fukasaku-jiji told me he had something for me at Myoboku. Turns out, Ero-sennin wrote me a letter explaining everything before…his mission to Ame." Naruto stopped himself from tearing up, he had cried enough over his fallen mentor. "If that wasn't enough, Ero-sennin had been holding onto a letter from my dad for me. They both entrusted the safety of the village to me."
Kakashi nodded in understanding, thinking back to how he felt a similar calling after the tragedies of the third war.
Shikamaru decided to comment with a smirk, "That's awfully mature of you. What happened to that numbskull I knew from the academy?"
"Hey, shut it you lazy ass!" Naruto joked back, feeling relieved having shared what he'd learned recently. "So, one more favor to ask of you two since you're already going to help me out training wise. I sorta inherited my dad's old house which wasn't totally ruined by Pein. Wanna help me move?"
Naruto rubbed the back of his head and gave his sensei and friend a sheepish grin, knowing exactly what was coming next.
"You're so troublesome."
A week later, a small battalion of Naruto's littered his new home. Some were in the underground study that Naruto now inhabited unpacking and reading through different books. Some were practicing their rasengans outside on some unsuspecting trees, working to improve upon their ability to create the jutsu in one hand and the speed in which it took to generate the attack. Finally, two more Narutos were playing shogi with Kakashi and Shikamaru. The original against Kakashi, the clone against Shikamaru.
"Remember Naruto, you have to plan ahead. Lure your opponent into your traps and use their moves against them." Kakashi chided him with an eye smile as Naruto lost yet again to the former ANBU captain.
"Ugh, this game is hard. Not to mention I'm playing against two fucking geniuses!" Naruto yelled in frustration before resigning himself to setting up the board again. His clone stayed silent, but didn't appear to be faring much better. Naruto thought back to the previous week of training. He had focused on improving his speed after reading his father's scrolls. Fortunately, he was able to streamline the process after one of his clones found a scroll his mother wrote about resistance seals and their superiority to traditional weight training.
Flashback
Naruto sat cross legged in his study, ink splattered on the floor and currently drawing an intricate seal on his clone's back. This was his fourth attempt at getting the seal to work, and it had not been going well. His first two attempts caused his clones to combust instantly in a plume of black smoke. The third attempt simply caused a smolder but the seal didn't have the desired effect. That attempt made Naruto realize he had miswrote a part of the formula that triggered the resistance. Without that mechanism, the seal just acted as a gathering place for chakra. Naruto completed the current attempt and looked at it with hope in his eyes.
"Alright, I think this one works. Channel chakra to your back to see if you feel heavier."
"Yes boss!" The clone said before closing his eyes to channel his chakra. All of a sudden the clone fell to the ground flat, unable to move.
"…it works boss." The clone said with a groan unable to move. "Used too much chakra though…"
"Great! Can you pull the chakra out of the seal? That's how it's supposed to get lighter."
"Uh…no…"
Naruto looked at the seal closely before yelling in frustration that he forgot the last portion of the sealing formula that allowed the user to cut the resistance or lighten the resistance.
Flashback End
Naruto's fifth attempt at the formula worked perfectly and then he had a clone apply it to the original. Naruto had been using the seal daily while only turning off the resistance while sleeping. He was pleasantly surprised when he was able to add more resistance to the seal daily, due to his tenant's ability to repair his muscles while he slept. Naruto's speed had improved dramatically in just one week, and Kakashi commented he was faster than the jonin.
'After lunch, I should probably have my clones start working on the shunshin no jutsu with Kakashi-sensei.' The blonde thought to himself, pleased with his progress so far. In addition to his speed increases, Naruto had begun training with Kakashi in the Forest of Death. Kakashi wanted Naruto to practice his stealth by hunting the more dangerous beasts of the forest. While they were not particularly dangerous to Naruto, they did provide a challenge due to their instincts and ability to sense his presence if he was careless in his approach.
"Better luck next time." Shikamaru declared, winning the game against the clone.
"Why don't we break for lunch?" Kakashi suggested, "I'm sure you could use some ramen eh, Naruto?"
"You're damn right!" Naruto shouted with joy before dispelling his clones all at once. The sensation of memories and experiences rushing into his psyche overwhelmed him, causing the young man to fall onto his back. "Damn, that's one killer headache. I forgot to dispel them in waves."
One specific memory stuck out to the blonde. One of his clones was reading through his father's notes and came across a page about Minato's sensory abilities.
Jimen Sensa No Yubi No Jutsu
By focusing my chakra into the ground, I am able to use the magnetic frequencies of the earth to sense chakra signatures around me. By practicing and learning the feedback sensation, one can determine the relative strength of an enemy's chakra in addition to their distance and direction from the user.
To start, focus sensory chakra into the tips of your fingers and shoot the chakra into the ground in a pulse. The chakra will travel outward from the epicenter and ping external chakra signatures. This pingning will call the chakra back to you, giving you the feedback. The flaw of this technique is that someone can suppress their chakra, making it harder to sense their presence.
'Finger to the Ground Sensory Jutsu? What kind of lame name is that, dad?' Naruto chuckled to himself. 'I wonder if I could do something similar while using senjutsu?' Naruto filed that thought for another time, he had a date with Ichiraku's!
"I have to head home to help my old man with the deer. Something about their antlers needing to be harvested." Shikamaru grumbled, clearly not looking forward to the task.
"Okay Shikamaru, thanks for the help!"
"Don't mention it, Naruto. You're getting a lot better. You lasted a lot longer today in our games." Shikamaru praised, still shocked that Naruto was capable of thinking with his brain. The blonde hyperactive ninja never seemed to stop surprising the Nara heir.
"I agree, you can probably start playing against your clones to give you more experiences." Kakashi agreed, "Let's head out. I'll treat you today."
"Praise and free ramen? Today's looking better and better!" Naruto laughed before they all left the Namikaze grounds.
The other loyal member of the original Team 7 sat in a chair waiting for her childhood friend to arrive. Her pink hair swayed in the light breeze, her red top and pink skirt fluttering as well. Sakura's green eyes narrowed as she waited for Ino, not liking to be kept waiting. Two cups of hot tea and sweets sat untouched, begging to be consumed.
'Come on Ino-pig, I'm gonna eat all of this without you if you don't hurry up.'
As if Ino could hear her thoughts, the blond turned the street corner and waved to Sakura. Ino was wearing her usual purple crop top, shorts, and mesh guards on her elbows and knees. Sakura raised an eyebrow when she noticed Ino's hair. Her platinum blonde hair was shorter, her ponytail starting at the top of her head but ending at the shoulder blades. Her single bang was thinner, allowing both of her light blue eyes to be seen.
"Did you cut your hair, Ino-pig?" Sakura questioned, knowing that Ino was always one to focus on her appearance.
"Yeah what of it, Forehead? Got a problem?" Ino challenged her, their friendship and rivalry dictated all social calls start this way. Friendly verbal jabs at first, before settling in and gossiping.
"Just curious, you haven't had your hair that short since the first chunin exams."
"Yeah, well…" Ino hesitated, her eyes showing a flash of regret.
"What is it? You okay?" Sakura asked, worried she had struck a nerve.
"Yeah, it's just during the invasion…I was there when Shizune was killed. I tried to fight and save her, but I wasn't strong enough. To make it worse, I got knocked out because the bastard jumped me from my blind spot." Ino confessed, ashamed her hair had gotten in the way.
"Ino, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had to watch Shizune-senpai's death. That must have been hard."
"It was. Luckily your idiot teammate saved us all. Now I don't have to live with that regret forever." Ino said, the appreciation evident in her voice. "Speaking of Naruto, I haven't seen him in a while. Has your team had a lot of missions?"
"No, I've been working in the hospital. Even though the dead were revived, there were plenty of wounded shinobi. Tsunade-sama needed me to work doubles almost every day to keep up with the demand, not to mention the stray construction accidents. Tazuna had to come in because some genin dropped a cinderblock on his foot. He bitched about it the entire time I healed him." Sakura said with a chuckle. "I haven't seen Naruto much either. Now that I think about it, I haven't seen him since he returned from confronting Pein."
Sakura thought back, remembering the relief she felt when Naruto returned safely. She couldn't imagine losing her best friend, Naruto had supported her throughout their time on Team 7 and she was scared he wouldn't come home that day. Her concern reached its boiling point when he finally came back, earning him a quick punch and then a relieved hug.
"Really? I saw him last week when I was visiting Asuma-sensei. Naruto was at the memorial stone." Ino said before taking a sip of her tea. "I never realized he was so close to Jiraiya-sama. Like I knew Naruto trained under him, but until I talked to him about it I didn't realize Jiraiya-sama was like a father to him."
"Yeah, Naruto has…had it rough," Sakura said sadly, "he's been so strong all this time. Jiraiya-sama taking him out of the village for a few years really made an impact on Naruto."
"He mentioned that. I didn't realize he felt so alone before. It broke my heart listening to him and seeing him cry." Ino's eyes glistened, tears threatening to fall as she remembered how vulnerable Naruto was that day. "He wanted Jiraiya-sama to see him become Hokage."
Sakura felt a similar ache in her chest, her mind imagined how she'd feel if Tsunade-sama was killed. How upset she would be if her beloved sensei didn't witness her complete the diamond shaped Sozo Saisei seal.
"I need to check on him soon, I knew he was mourning but I didn't realize he was still this torn up." Sakura took a sip of her tea, before deciding to change the topic. "So, Ino-pig, when did you get so close to the baka?" Sakura teased with a wink.
"What? We just happened to be at the cemetery grounds at the same time." Ino replied in a slight fluster not expecting the conversation to be spun around on her.
"Well, you've just never shown an interest in him before that's all." Sakura said with a playful grin.
"He's certainly grown up. He's not the same shrimp from the academy anymore. Hell, he might be the strongest shinobi in the village now." Ino praised, before deciding to return fire on her pink haired rival. "You jealous that he opened up to me?"
"What? No. He's like a brother to me. He's been one of my best friends for a while now. I've known that he's gotten stronger since our genin days." Sakura retorted before taking a moment to admire his growth. "He has grown up. Between his battle with Kakuzu and Pein, he truly has surpassed us. Just when I thought I was catching up too."
"I know, I miss being able to kick his ass in a fight." Ino laughed, "Those days are long gone now."
"Still, I didn't know you cared so much about Naruto, Ino-pig. Your heart broke for him?" Sakura questioned, curious at her friend's choice of words.
"He's a friend Sakura, this is Naruto we're talking about. Besides, he's a baka who is clueless when it comes to women."
"I'm just saying, that's a strong way of putting how bad you felt for your dear Naruto." Sakura teased, wanting to get a rise out of the young mindwalker.
Ino fought back a blush as she remembered her words when Naruto returned from his battle with Pein. "I could almost fall for him." She was shocked to say the least when she realized she had said it out loud, but didn't give Choji or Shikamaru any response when they pressed her on it.
"Hmm, well if he ever asked I'd probably go on a date and see what happened. But, again, this is Naruto we're talking about. I doubt he's got eyes for anyone but you, or maybe Hinata." Ino said before changing the subject, "Anyways, I saw Shizune and Kakashi chatting it up in the Hokage Tower the other day…"
Iwa was a barren village, similar to Suna except instead of being surrounded by a desert it was surrounded by towering rock faces and cliffs. The village sat nestled between the cliffs, causing strong winds to often whip through the village like a wind tunnel. The Tsuchikage sat in his office alone, having dismissed his guards outside of the office. Onoki was an old short man, with a large nose and bald head. His snow colored beard hung as he reviewed intelligence reports that were filed this morning.
'That group of rogues known as the Akatsuki have gotten more bold. An attack on Konoha? It says their leader was disposed of during the attack.' Onoki read to himself, wondering about the details of the event. "Konoha must have fought a great battle if the leader was involved." Onoki muttered to no one.
"Yes, the leaf is currently being rebuilt and suffered heavy damages." A deep voice said, appearing out of a swirling vortex. "A pleasure, Onoki-dono."
Onoki leveled his eyes, sizing up the man in the black cloak and spiraled mask. "An Akatsuki? What do I owe the…pleasure?" The old kage spat with venom. "Come to gloat over taking our Roshi?"
"Nothing of the sort, rather to simply elaborate on that report you were reading. Konoha's entire village was destroyed in the attack. They're currently saddled with rebuilding the village and are quite vulnerable."
"So you say, and your name?" Onoki inquired, his tone leveling into a calculating timbre after learning his hated rivals could be open to attack.
"You may call me Tobi. The rest of the world knows me as Madara." The man said, "It helps with intimidation but I know I can't fool you."
"I fought the man, I'd have known you were lying if you tried it. A wise decision, Tobi-san." Onoki rubbed his chin in thought. "Why are you giving me this information?"
"I want to align with you. I am the true leader of the Akatsuki and my last attempt at destroying the leaf did not go as planned." Tobi walked to the elder man's desk and sat on it. "I believe we could be of service to each other. I can offer you four S rank shinobi to aid you in a war against the leaf in their vulnerable state. All you have to do is declare war. I just want to kill their jinchuriki."
"An interesting proposition, however you had Deidara in your rank not too long ago. How can I ensure this isn't a ploy to lure me into a war I can't win?" Onoki paused, weighing the pros and cons.
'If he's right, I can finally conquer Konoha and those tree hugging bastards. Kami knows I haven't forgotten what that bastard flash of theirs did to our military might in the last war. This could be just what we need to turn the balance of power in our favor.' Onoki thought with glee.
"Why us and not Kumo? They have grudges against Konoha as well." Onoki questioned, knowing Kumo's military might was formidable as well.
"Let's just say Raikage-dono does not like me at the moment. I believe he would be amicable to an alliance should you be the one to initiate it." Tobi stated. "If you don't believe me, send a scout team that you trust. They'll confirm my information. Once you decide, I'll know." Tobi said before vanishing in the same spiraling vortex.
Onoki pondered in his office alone. 'I can't let this information be to waste, if it's true it's my duty to exact my revenge against Konoha.'
With his decision made, Onoki summoned his nearest guard. A masked shinobi appeared wearing an all black jumpsuit and maroon scarf around his neck. His mask depicted a bear, with black markings.
"Fu, this is a mission of utmost importance. Take a team with you and infiltrate the Land of Fire. I want to know the military strength of Konoha and if they're vulnerable." Onoki ordered.
"Hai, Tsuchikage-sama."
Author's Note:
And that's chapter three! I'm excited that I've pretty much finalized the plot's outline and storyboard. As I write the chapters, some small tweaks will be made of course but writing these will be easier with notes for each update.
Please please please leave a review with your thoughts, and all favorites and follows are incredibly appreciated. It's an instant shot of motivation to continue working on this as I see the following increase. I was thrilled the other day when this hit 100, let alone 125 at the time of finishing the chapter.
Also, feel free to let me know your favorite Naruto X Ino stories. They're my favorite pairing, followed by Naruto X Sakura, and then Temari.
Lastly, if you recognize the Iwa Shinobi name from Boruto, I'm just borrowing names! They won't be the same characters.
Until next time,
No Trace