Chapter 7 – New techniques and new challenges
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat in his office, chewing worriedly on his pipe. While his eyes were trained on the mountains of paperwork on the desk in front of him, his thoughts were elsewhere.
'Today, the Academy Students will learn their first technique, the Henge. But I am still worried about Naruto. Who knows what he will do now, or how it may harm him?' the aged Hokage thought to himself, eyes flittering to where the Academy lay.
´I'll just have to trust him, I suppose.' Hiruzen thought with a sigh, as he closed his eyes and leaned back into his chair.
´Good luck, Naruto.'
"GOOD LUCK, NARUTO-SENPAI!"
"Thanks Lee, you too!"
Two children were bouncing in their seats, yelling at the top of their lungs, even as they were sitting right next to each other. One was rather short, with sun-yellow hair sitting on his head in an unruly mop, and with three whisker marks on either cheek. The boy next to him had long, shiny black hair, fastened into a long braid, and impossibly round eyes and large eyebrows.
These were Uzumaki Naruto and Rock Lee, respectively, loud-mouths of the Academy, and since Naruto's spar with Neji, fast friends. Both shared a similar work ethic and an indomitable spirit; both respected each other's dream, even when everybody else thought it would always be just that, a dream.
While this on its own might have led to the strong friendship both boys shared, it was certainly helped when Naruto took Lee to meet his sensei for the last year; Might Guy, taijutsu-expert extraordinaire, and he meant that in every sense of the way.
Guy and Lee took one look at each other, and a lifelong bond was forged with the flames of Youth.
Or so they claimed.
Naruto privately thought that their eyebrows had recognized each other as kin, and made their wearers bond because of it.
While Guy was now no longer Naruto's teacher, which meant that he was away far more often from the village for high-ranking missions he hadn't been able to do because of his obligations to the blonde, he still left both eager children with tips and advice, even helping them plan out a training regime to keep to when he was gone.
So the citizens of Konoha were quickly forced to get used to two boys, tearing down their streets in what appeared to be a training exercise. Of course, while Naruto loved training, he also had the attention span of a hyperactive gerbil fed copious amounts of caffeine and sugar. So those exercise runs quickly turned into desperate runs for freedom from pursuing squads of ANBU as Naruto started to prank them again.
It had been difficult to get Lee in on the pranks, as he found them dishonorable, and did not wish to antagonize comrades from his own village. However, when Naruto mentioned that there were no ways to increase his flames of Youth and those of his comrades better than by keeping the ANBU on their toes and trying to evade them with all their skill, an unholy fire lit itself in the young boy's unnaturally round eyes.
"YOSH! IN THAT CASE, LET ME ALLOW MY FLAMES OF YOUTH TO FAN THEIRS INTO AN INFERNO AS THEY CHASE US IN YOUTHFUL SPIRIT!"
And with those words, Lee had slipped inside an ANBU storage facility Naruto had found, bottle of itching-powder in hand. Turns out, having virtually no chakra at all made you almost invisible to the chakra sensing abilities of most ninja. Even the sensors, ninja whose skills focused solely around that area of expertise, simply felt something small brush their senses and dismissed it as another one of the copious amounts of rats that infested the many underground systems of Konoha.
While the boys quickly figured out that Lee had a greatly easier time sneaking into places he wasn't allowed to be than Naruto did, both boys wouldn't really grasp the full potential of Lee's small chakra reserves until several years later.
The irate (not to mention, itchy) ANBU however, cottoned on immediately, and grudgingly prepared a spot amongst their numbers for the chakra-less shinobi. Hell, if the kid didn't cut it at the Academy, which seemed likely, then the ANBU could think of several uses for an undetectable ninja, even if he couldn't do jutsu.
After all, whether you got burned to crisp by a fireball, or simply received a kunai to the throat, you were still just as dead either way.
And ANBU were all about results.
For now however, both ANBU and potential assassination missions were far from either boys mind, as they were bouncing in their seats. Because today, they would set their first step on the long road to their ultimate goal, the first step in achieving their lifelong dream.
Today, they would learn their very first technique.
The teachers had guided everyone through unlocking their chakra, even though Naruto had already unlocked his, something only a few other clan children had accomplished as well, Neji Hyuuga being among them, to the Uzumaki's ire.
Those that failed to unlock their chakra, either due to lack of skill or due lack of required chakra, were not so subtly turned towards other branches of Konoha's military, that didn't require chakra to fulfill. This only left those with a large enough pool of chakra for it to be useful and large enough skill to make use of it, Lee a noticeable exception, only his record-breaking scores in taijutsu and a personal request from Guy keeping him from being sent away from the Academy.
Those that were left were all giddy with excitement, even the stoic Neji, eager to learn their first real shinobi skill. Sure, they had had weapon training before, and taijutsu as well, both essential parts of any ninja's arsenal. But that wasn't something exclusive to their special brand of mercenaries; any civilian with the proper motivation could do the same.
Hell, with his chakra reserves as low as they were, Rock Lee could be considered just that!
But ninjutsu, that was the stuff of every boy's dream; to tame the very elements themselves, to do the impossible but with a mere flick of one's hand, to preform feats no non-shinobi could ever hope to match.
As a result, both boys were positively vibrating in their seats.
Yes, one had far too much chakra for any Academy level technique to work properly, and yes, the other had too little, BUT that just made things more interesting for the two Geniuses of Hard and Intelligent Work.
Their sensei cleared his throat, and all of the unruly children, but especially Lee and Naruto, settled down. Nobody wanted to miss this.
"Today we will start you on your first technique. While all of the Academy Three find regular use amongst even Jounin level shinobi, they are also rather simple to teach, as they require relatively little amounts of chakra to use.
Be advised, however, that this also means that they are easily countered by enemy shinobi, as they are all known and well versed throughout the Elemental Countries, be it with slight local variations.
It's the reason why we don't simply use a Henge and walk through another Hidden Village's front Gate; they would spot it immediately, and the resulting onslaught of weaponry and jutsu would turn you into a mix between a pincushion and a roast-spit."
Several girls looked rather green at that remark, though if the instructor noticed, he didn't comment on it, instead continuing with the lecture in a sharp voice.
"Don't bother trying to use the Kawirami as anything other than a quick escape; the only person on record to have been capable of using it as a combat tactic is a prodigious Uchiha, with a powerful Dōjutsu, even by their standards.
Don't look at me like that Hyuuga, your eyes are powerful, yes, but until any of you can perceive time at a rate of 1 to 20, don't even think about it. You'd just get turned into a roast-spit for your troubles."
Several girls had turned white now, though still the instructor did not relent.
"Bunshin are easily seen through, if you know where to look; they have no shadow, they leave no imprint, their clothes and hair are unruffled by any wind. For the observant eye, it becomes immediately clear they are nothing more than mere illusions, not worthy of attention.
Think you can hide yourself amidst several clones as you make your attack, confident your opponent will not be able to tell which one is the real you? Once again, a skilled opponent will simply not even bother with the clones, thank you politely for bringing yourself within his range without any effort on his part and turn you into a roast spit."
The instructor let out an evil smirk, letting his eyes roam across the class of terrified children.
"You'll find that the more skilled ninja have a… habit, for turning people into roast-spits. Not healthy, but to each his own, I suppose.
NOW!-" the teacher said, slamming his hand down onto the desk with a large clap, making several girls (and a few boys) shriek in terror.
"- does that mean that what you will learn here is completely useless for you against enemy shinobi? Quite frankly, yes."
At that a hushed silence fell across the class, every child confused at the statement, but all of them too terrified to ask for an explanation. Again, the teacher's gaze swept around the room, though this time his stern voice was more solemn.
"Shinobi you may be if you graduate this Academy, but seasoned warriors, you are not. Each one of you has the potential to become one, however. All of you possess a chance to be truly great. But you will not become that here. Instead, in teams of three, you will be paired with a teacher and teammates best suited in your interest, who can help you the most in fully realizing your potential.
It is why a mission is B-Ranked whenever possible contact with enemy shinobi is within the mission parameters. It is also the reason why a Rookie Genin will never, ever, ever go on a B Mission of any kind. It is simply too dangerous, even if the enemy are mere Genin as well.
This does not, however, mean that you will not run into danger along the way. Bandits, criminals, yakuza, hell, maybe even a ronin, these are all foes you are likely to face, and these are all foes that will not hesitate to cut you down.
Which is where the Academy Three come in. A shinobi will easily counter them, but a civilian, even a trained one? You might just stand a chance. Use Bunshin to show confusion and avoid being targeted; in the heat of battle, it's unlikely they'll notice absent shadows or footprints.
Use a Henge to either impersonate their fellows, or if possible, an innocent bystander. If you find yourself being hunted down, use the Henge to throw off your pursuers.
Still managed to get yourself into a tight spot? Kawirami the fuck away, and hightail it out of there and towards your sensei. He's still alive, because if he isn't, you wouldn't be either."
The instructor let his heavy gaze slowly roam around the class once more, taking in each face.
There were the blubbering messes, of course, mostly civilian children that so far thought that weapon training and learning how to fight were more like some outlandish game that true shinobi preparation.
A shame, since if they managed to get here, that meant that they still had the potential for a viable chakra pool. No matter; if they didn't make it, then Konoha still had use for them, in any number of ways.
A nice shinobi Village it may be, it was still a shinobi Village and no resource went wasted.
Next were those with quiet, determined expressions on their young faces. Children of clans, mostly, who had heard this message hundreds of times before from various family members, or simply watched some come home who hadn't heeded it themselves.
The stoic Hyuuga was a good example, face a carefully blank mask, even as pupil less eyes shone with an iron will.
Even some civilian children had managed to show some spine, and did not appear to be daunted by his speech.
That girl, TenTen, for instance, who even now was showing an almost unnatural proficiency with ranged weapons of any kind… and even turning some melee weapons into ranged ones.
The double-bladed battle-ax stuck in a poor, defenseless training dummy had been particularly interesting.
And then there were… the odd ones.
During his tale, and with each horrific warning, two faces simply lit up in joy and determination.
One was nodding along with every caution he gave, every tip he provided, while the other sat furiously scribbling away in a little notebook, jotting down each and every word as if it were gospel.
Uzumaki Naruto and Rock Lee, troublemakers extraordinaire and with more guts than most Chunin.
'This is gonna be interesting.'
Another month had passed as the class was working on their first technique. Each year in the Academy focused on one technique, and after three years, you had to preform them all adequately enough in order to graduate and claim your headband.
It took a year for a single technique due to the face that the Academy was supposed to provide aspiring ninja with a basis in everything.
Not only did this mean the classic combination of taijutsu, weapon handling and ninjutsu on top of it, it also had to concern itself with more esoteric, but no less useful, shinobi aspects of life, such as code-breaking or poisons.
On top of that, since the Academy left no time for a regular pre-school, it also had to fulfill mundane duties, such as teaching them reading and writing, mathematics and history.
An illiterate ninja was a useless ninja.
So Naruto understood why they were taking a whole year just for a single technique. Really, he did. It was just…
… too damned slow!
Training under a year under Gai, while monotonous at times, due to being focused almost solely on conditioning his body, had rather spoiled Naruto when it came to education. Sure, Guy had forced to keep up with his letters and numbers, but other than that it had been non-stop training day in and day out.
Something that Lee, once told about it, had almost salivated over.
And while he and his new best friend tried to hurry things along as fast as they could by sparring and training almost every waking hour, it still didn't feel fast enough for the hyperactive blonde.
Further fueling Naruto's sense of urgency, was Neji's success with the Henge.
Well… success might be exaggerating it a little bit.
Sometimes, certain aspects of the Henge would be hazy, or even transparent. Other times, and rather often at that, Neji's perspective as a child would mess up his proportions and size whenever he tried to do an adult.
Something Naruto took savage glee in in pointing out.
Only to be shot down by Neji's cool: "At least I managed to produce something resembling the human form, and not simply swirls of chakra that flow around without function or purpose."
Which was true.
While Lee struggled to draw out any chakra at all to cover himself with for the technique, Naruto struggled with drawing out too much.
Way, way, waayy too much.
Instead of a film, placed over his body in the form he wanted his Henge to be, Naruto unfailingly produced a thick sheen of chakra, sometimes (usually when he was frustrated) almost a foot thick.
While it had awed some of the other children with its sheer display of power, it only pissed Naruto off, which in turn made his control slip only further.
Which is why one day, standing with the other children on the field, Neji's mocking eyes boring into his back and his scary sensei looming over him, that Naruto gave in and snap.
'Kami damn it all, why won't this just work!'
'Kit, if you don't stop your yammering, I will… well, I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but rest assured, the results won't be pretty.' The great and feared Kyuubi no Kitsune replied, sounding for all the world as if he were just woken from his nap.
Which he probably was. In the year that Naruto had met the fox, he had found that the great demon slept a lot, though he always gave shifty half-truths and avoiding answers whenever Naruto asked about it. The best he could piece together was that he was leeching power of the fox, and the trauma of being sealed, as well as the energy required to actually talk to Naruto, meant that the fox was almost always tired, which was why it laid down almost all the time, even during the rare times Naruto visited him, something that piqued the interest of the Hokage (and that of several other shinobi).
Now however, it was definitely not sleeping, sounding pissed off at Naruto for being the cause of that.
´I can't help it! I keep taking too much chakra for the technique and I keep messing it up! I can't control it enough to take the little I need!'
'Then why settle for a little?'
'… What?'
A great rumbling sigh, which gave Naruto the feeling as if his brain was rattling around in his head.
'You have an ocean's worth of chakra and you're trying to cram it down a tiny faucet. Instead, remove the faucet and simply work with the ocean you have.'
'Okay… Okay, I'll try.'
'Try is going to get you killed. You need to do it.'
'Right! I'm gonna do it!'
With that, Naruto furrowed his brow and reached for the chakra within him once again. This time, instead of drawing out a little to create a film over his body, he instead went straight to the source of his power and brought it to the surface of his skin.
He felt his chakra fill his body, even as his skin started to be enveloped in a slight blue glow. Not wanting to create a repeat of his previous attempts, he immediately went through the hand-signs for the Henge, a small part of him distractedly noting the flash of irritation when he noticed that it didn't go nearly as smooth and fast as Neji did it.
It was quickly shoved to the back of his mind as he stopped on the final sign, and called out the technique, while trying to envision the person he was Henging into down to the smallest detail.
"Henge!"
A thick cloud of smoke enveloped his form with a small 'poof!', obscuring him from view. His sensei, impatient to see the result of his most troublesome student (several Nara sneezed) he quickly blew away the smoke with a minor Fuuton technique.
Only to reveal the Hokage, staring down at him, lit pipe clenched between his teeth.
"Hokage-sama?! What are you doing here?!" the instructor blurted out in surprise.
He knew he had overstepped his bounds when the Hokage narrowed his eyes at him.
"Are you telling me I cannot be wherever I wish to be within my own Village, Chunin?" the aged leader asked dangerously.
"N-No, of course not, honored Hokage! I was simply surprised, you see, because-"
He was interrupted by the Hokage suddenly bursting out in great gales of laughter, stunning everyone there. Yes, their Hokage was an amiable and friendly man, especially to new recruits, but this? Several people started to get worried when their leader started slapping his knee and wiping tears out of his eyes.
"Aaaaahhhh, sensei, you should've seen your face!" the aged leader laughed.
"… Wait, what?" the instructor asked baffled, before a lightbulb sprang into existence over his head.
"Uzumaki… is that you?"
Before the surrounding people could laugh derisively at that (one Hyuuga in particular), the Hokage gave the teacher a thumbs-up and a grin.
"Got it in one, sensei, dattebayo!"
That more than anything, cleared the doubt from everybody's mind; only one person alive used that phrase, and they all knew who.
"I must say, Uzumaki, I'm impressed. The detail is incredible. You must spend a lot of time with Hokage-sama to get them all so spot-on." The instructor said, going over his student's Henge with a critical eye.
Everything was as realistic as could possibly be. The folds in the cloth, the line in the Hokage's face, even the liver-spots that covered it, why, even the shadow and the gentle flapping of the clothes in the wind-
"Uzumaki."
The word came out strained, as if the speaker was using a not inconsiderable amount of willpower to keep himself from shouting in hysteria.
"Yeah, sensei?", the pseudo-Hokage asked, tilting his head a little, making the hat slide askew onto his face.
"Lift up your hand, palm facing me."
"Sure."
The leader of Konoha did as was asked, staring at the instructor with anticipation written on his face. The teacher approached him slowly, cautiously, and raised his hand, bringing it closer to Henged Naruto's one, and gave the most gentle high-five in the history of high-fives.
"You're solid. You're actually… solid."
Naruto undid his Henge with an enormous grin gracing his face, sending Neji a smug look. It was quickly whipped off is face when he saw his sensei's shocked expression. A sense of foreboding overcame him, even as he could see Lee give him a thumbs-up from the corner of his eye.
"Uzumaki Naruto, come with me please."
Yep, this wasn't going to end well.
Hiruzen sat at his desk, elbows leaning on the smooth surface and hands folded in front of his face. His gaze shifted from the small boy fidgeting in front of him, to the Academy teacher standing next to child.
Had the situation not been as serious as it was, Hiruzen might've even cracked a smile at the way the teacher almost imitated young Naruto's fidgeting.
The situation was serious though. Not on a level-threatening level, like when Naruto had almost ripped his body apart on accident, but nonetheless important enough to make him worry about the long-lasting consequences.
After listening to Naruto's tale, and asking for several demonstrations, which included the boy turning into various people and even objects, Hiruzen had to sit down in disbelief.
At age 7, Naruto Uzumaki had created a solid transformation, changing his very form to whatever he wished it to be, be it humanoid, animal or even a simple object, with all the physical traits of that object or animal as well.
A quick test had shown that it luckily was only those attributes Naruto took on in his Henge; a quick transformation into Hiruzen had shown that he didn't possess any of his memories or skills and didn't even possess a similar amount, or even feel, of chakra that he did, still brightly projecting his own.
Still though…
'If the other villages manage to make their Jinchuuriki manage a solid transformation as well…'
Not only was it a security risk; while turning into an object, as Naruto had shown, didn't remove the amount of chakra the transformed shinobi naturally emitted. And while a skilled shinobi could suppress this to a bare minimum, Jinchuuriki, with their vast amounts of chakra, would never possess the necessary amounts of control needed to suppress that much chakra.
Even then, simply transforming into a hawk would provide unequalled surveillance options, not to mention it allowed any Jinchuuriki to position itself above an enemy village, release the transformation, plummet down, and proceed to spread mayhem and destruction.
He was jolted out of his dark thought by a soft knock at his door, before it swung open before he could give permission to enter. Another little power-play by Danzo, though the aged ninja didn't show any of his usual smugness.
'Undoubtedly, he is already aware of the situation and it's consequences… even though Naruto's sensei brought him straight here. Which is basically admitting that he has spies at the Academy, and I can already guess why that is. What has taken hold of you, old friend, to act so hastily and openly?' Hiruzen thought to himself, even as he "explained" to Danzo what was going on, for Naruto and his teacher's benefit.
After he had finished getting Danzo up to date with what they both already knew, his rival showed his hand, and while his scarred face showed no emotion, his eyes clearly shone with smugness.
"Hand the child over to me, Hiruzen. If this gets out, no doubt he will become a target, if he isn't already –they both knew he was- and I can keep him safe from that –they both knew he wouldn't- within the anonymity of my organization. On top of that, surely you must see the sheer versatility and power this affords the boy? I can bring that to its full potential-"
"Thank you Danzo, both for your concern and advice, and for your offer. However, I share your concerns and have already taken steps to ensure both Naruto's training and safety, so your gracious offer will no longer be necessary."
Danzo narrowed his single eye at the Hokage, his face inscrutable.
"Oh? And may I ask, my old friend, what these steps might be?"
Hiruzen smiled, but it wasn't a nice one. It was grim and sharp, reminding everybody that beneath his grandfatherly exterior was, above all else, a weathered and seasoned ninja.
"No need, old friend. He's already here."
Precisely at that moment, two heavy knocks resounding from Hiruzen's office door. Waiting for just over a second, the Professor gave Danzo a pointed look, before calling 'Enter!'.
Into his office stepped the large form of Akimichi Chouza, Clan Head of the Akimichi, part of the Ino-Shika-Cho team, and father of Akimichi Choji, who was lined up to be part of the team's second generation.
And he was looking pissed.
"I have received your missive, Hokage-sama." The giant of a man, who almost reached the ceiling of the now suddenly crowded office.
"Thank you, Chouza. I trust you know why I called on you?" Hiruzen said, his voice soft and soothing, though his eyes remained two grey flints of rock-hard granite.
"Yes, Hokage-sama. You want me to take in Uzumaki, and teach him our techniques."
The Clan Head wasn't shouting, and his tone and posture remained as they should be when talking with the Hokage, but his rage over this slight against his Clan was clear to all, even to young Naruto. Not that it was entirely unjustified; Clan's hoarded their secret techniques as ferociously as others guarded bloodlines, and to have an outsider forced on them to teach him those techniques…
Wars had started for less.
Rebellions had started of stuff like this.
Because of this, Hiruzen was quick to soothe the corpulent Akimichi.
"Not at all, my dear Chouza, not at all!" he chuckled, as if the ninja in front of him was a mere child who had come to an amusingly wrong conclusion.
It clearly put Chouza on the wrong foot, blinking in surprise at Hiruzen's tone.
"I'm not asking you to take him in; he'll still stay at his own house, and keep his own name and Clan. As for you teaching him your techniques, why I would never ask that of you! All I ask of the valiant Akimichi is that they assist young Uzumaki here while he tries to create his own!"
There was a short silence, as Chouza turned his leader's soft words over in his head.
"We won't be housing the br- boy, or teaching him our techniques? Just advise him?"
Hiruzen let the Clan Head's verbal slip-up go, for now, though he wouldn't forget. Instead, however, he plastered a smile on his face and nodded.
"Indeed, my dear Chouza. Now, what say you to this order?"
At that last word, the Akimichi tensed, as well he should. It was a subtle reminder, that though Hiruzen was willing to compromise to keep the Clan appeased, such as not demanding secrets passed down from generation to generation, his will would still be done, whether they liked it or not.
Konoha was still, after all, a dictatorship, and Hiruzen its dictator.
"Very well, Hokage-sama." Chouza bit out, giving a sharp and stiff bow.
Straightening he turned his thunderous gaze on Naruto's small form, making the child take a step back out of fear.
"Tomorrow, 6 o'clock sharp. Do not. Be. Late."
With that, the Clan Head stomped out of his leader's office, though due to his weight this was usually the case anyway. Danzo smoothly glided after the irate Akimichi, his single eye giving Hiruzen a long and considering glance, before he too was gone.
Only Naruto and his sensei remained, the latter of which Hiruzen ordered to report to an ANBU mind wiper as soon as possible. While all the children who had witnessed Naruto's feat couldn't be wiped due to the danger to their young and developing mind, they also were too young to fully grasp the consequences of it.
Though a small squad of ANBU would be posted to keep an eye on their parents, should they piece anything together from their children's descriptions, just in case.
Right now, however, Naruto was once again fidgeting in front of his desk, fisting his white shirt between two small fists. Undoubtedly the child was exited at gaining another tutor, but the thinly concealed loathing of Chouza had put a rather large dumper on that enthusiasm.
Not to mention it started to look like Naruto would be forced to leave the Academy for yet another year.
"Naruto. Naruto, please look at me." Hiruzen said encouragingly.
Slowly the child lifted his gaze to look his sort-of grandfather in the eye.
"It's going to be allright, okay, Naruto? I know you're not looking forward to losing another year at the Academy, but what you have discovered today is simply too great and versatile to simply ignore. We must examine the limits of your technique, and see if there are any safety concerns. On top of that, the Akimichi are one of the greatest masters where transformation is concerned, they can help you become a lot stronger Naruto.
Well, the Inuzuka are rather proficient with transformations as well, of course, but they do not make the best, or most patient, instructors."
Naruto perked up a little at the mention of getting stronger, but he was still clearly unsure about everything.
"Can me and Lee still train?"
"Of course, Naruto. Our comrades are our greatest strength, and it does me proud that you think of them before trying to make yourself powerful. But he cannot join you in your special training under the Akimichi."
This immediately brought down the loyal Uzumaki's mood, and it looked as if Naruto was preparing himself to put up a fight against being separated from his new friend.
So Hiruzen decided to sweeten the deal.
"Naruto, the reason why we must be so careful, is because you have done something that no one else has ever done before, not even the other Hokages."
At that, Naruto's head snapped up with an unbelieving grin.
"You, Naruto Uzumaki, have just created your very own, original technique." Hiruzen finished with a smile.
For a second, Naruto's faced slacked in complete bafflement, before his mouth stretched into a huge grin.
"YATTA! I MADE MY OWN TECHNIQUE! I! AM! AWESOME!"
Hiruzen simply laughed at the energetic blond, before raising himself out of his comfortable chair.
"Come, this event must be celebrated. How does Ichiraku's sound to you?"
The following yell of glee could be hear across the village.
Fun Fact: Akimichi Chouza was one of the parents we see early on in the manga who voted for killing Naruto when he was a baby. Maybe not a 'fun' fact, but certainly one that impacted my storytelling once I found out about it.