Chapter 2 – Naruto's Team & the Third Dragoon
"Damn it, I want to know who those masked men were that stole it! You have to know something Hokage!" Rose shouted at the Sandaime after rushing to his office with Naruto. It was only ten minutes after the theft and she was furious, pointing blame at the Hokage for allowing such insolence.
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened patiently to all of Rose's accusations and took her anger in stride. As she yelled at him, the elderly Hokage looked to Naruto and frowned at what he saw. The young blonde was traumatized. He knew how important these Dragoon Spirits were, and with one being stolen like this, there was no telling if they were ever going to get it back! Hiruzen Sarutobi could tell that Naruto was giving into despair, and couldn't let it go on any longer.
"Naruto-kun, look at me." Seeing his grandson figure look into his face, Hiruzen smiled softly at him. Rose had thankfully gone quiet at this point, so he could focus on what he wanted to say. "We'll get it back. I don't know how long it will take, but we'll get it back. In the meantime, I want you to cheer up and focus on your training. If you want to win the Dragoon Spirit back, you should try to become stronger and stronger."
Seeing the boy nod, the old man looked into Rose's eyes and frowned. "As for the men that stole the Dragoon Spirit, I have the suspicion that they are a member of Danzo's ROOT. The group was supposed to have been disbanded, but it's hard to trust him to do as I say. Danzo has never truly agreed with the way I've done things, and he's not exactly the 'peaceful' type. Based on your description of the assailants, that's my best guess. Unfortunately, nothing can be done without solid proof of his involvement."
Shaking his head at this, the Hokage rested his chin atop his hands and sighed heavily. "If we went accusing him now, there's no telling what could happen. The Dragoon Spirit could be lost to us forever if we aren't careful. I will look into this matter and continue to do so no matter how long it takes. If I can get even a small amount of evidence that he's involved in this, then we can do something. In the meantime, I want you to focus on Naruto's training. Continue to search for clues as to what you were revived for Rose, and do what you can to find the new Dragoons. It's more imperative than ever that we find them. It's evident that the Dragoon Spirits are not safe until they are in the hands of their true wielders."
Rose wanted to protest, but she knew the Hokage was right. Sitting in one of the chairs across from the Hokage, she put a hand to her face and shuddered just slightly. "You are right Hokage. You are right." Shaking her head, the beautiful dark blue-eyed woman looked over at Naruto. "Naruto, all we can do now is trust in your 'Jiji' as you call him. This situation is currently out of our control, and we really have nothing to go on at this moment in time. We will continue your training and I will continue searching for clues and the others. Unfortunately, I'm not entirely sure how long it will take to find our fellow Dragoons." Sighing to herself, Rose leaned back in the chair and looked at the ceiling. "How dare someone steal Zieg's Spirit? This really wasn't supposed to happen."
The Sandaime Hokage nodded and gave Naruto's new guardian an understanding look. "It's the last thing you have to remember him by. I lost my wife ten years ago during the Kyuubi attack. I can understand the feeling of loss, and I truly sympathize with you. Why don't the two of you return home and get some rest? I will post some ANBU around your house to watch over you and the Dragoon Spirits. They will continue to stand guard every day, I promise you that. After all, those Dragoon Spirits are far too important to let this happen again."
Rose looked into the Hokage's eyes and saw that he was serious. Nodding her head in response, she smiled softly at Naruto. "Thank you Hokage. I truly appreciate that. Naruto, let's go home and get some rest. If you're still upset about losing the Red-Eyed Dragoon Spirit, we can sleep in the same bed tonight. I do not mind, so long as it doesn't happen too often."
Naruto smiled at her offer and nodded his head slowly. "Thank you Rose-chan. I'll accept your offer. As Jiji said, all we can do is focus on my training and looking for whatever the heck requires us Dragoons to exist in this world."
Rose looked to the Sandaime Hokage and nodded. "Thank you again. Naruto and I will be going now. Please do as you said and post guards at our residence. I do not want this kind of situation to happen ever again." Seeing him nod and smiling at her, the Dark Dragoon took Naruto's hand and left the Hokage's office, deciding that it would be fine to walk back to their home.
Four years later
For the past four years, despite having entered the ninja academy, Naruto had continued his harsh training with his various senseis. He had made incredible progress, and as such was at the top of his graduating class, easily passing the final exams to become a genin. Unfortunately, this is where the good news ends.
For the past four years, they had been unable to find any information on the missing Dragoon Spirit. Also, despite all of their efforts, Rose and Naruto had yet to find out any information on what their purpose was in this world! Finally, they hadn't found any of the other Dragoons. All-in-all, it was a highly depressing situation, and they couldn't help but start to feel somewhat discouraged as time went by.
However, despite all that, Naruto had grown to become a fine Dragoon and a skilled ninja…well, almost-ninja. Thankfully, the blonde had been allowed to learn the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique), among numerous other jutsu that would help him on his way to becoming a fine shinobi. In fact, there was a very good chance that, without the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, Naruto would not have become the top student in his graduating class.
Naruto was fourteen now and was in the same class as numerous other students from important clans and generally smart and/or skilled male and female ninja hopefuls. Some of these students were: Shikamaru Nara, a genius, but he was incredibly lazy. Ino Yamanaka, the daughter of Inoichi Yamanaka and skilled in her family's jutsu. Unfortunately, Ino was practically obsessed with the student known as Sasuke Uchiha, whose clan had been massacred some years ago. He was an arrogant bastard, but he was skilled. Still, he had never bested Naruto in a spar, and was always behind him in everything.
Next was Sakura Haruno, who seemed to be interested in Sasuke as well, though she appeared to have her eyes on the young Uzumaki. It was incredibly weird to him, and he never accepted her advances, but he always tried to be nice to her. At best, she was a friend that he didn't mind having conversations with, but he didn't want anything more than that. There was also Hinata Hyuga, heiress to the Hyuga clan and incredibly timid. She was close friends with Shino Aburame, heir to the Aburame clan. Naruto had often wondered what Shino really looked like underneath his heavy coat and sunglasses. However, he also wondered just what had Hinata feeling so inferior. She clearly lacked confidence and he worried if she would survive as a ninja.
Kiba Inuzuka was the heir to the Inuzuka clan and a bit of a hothead. He was always challenging Naruto and Sasuke, but he always lost, no matter which of the two he sparred against. If he would only use his brain a bit more, he would be a true force to be reckoned with. Finally, there was Choji Akimichi. No matter how many times Naruto saw the Akimichi, he always had some kind of snack on hand and was almost always eating! He was best friends with Shikamaru, and Naruto could oftentimes find the two of them hanging out and talking together. The blonde teenager knew that Choji was a powerhouse, but he wasn't anything all that special yet. Naruto figured that, with time and a little more training, Choji could become a fine ninja.
Glancing around the room he now sat in, Naruto spotted the graduating class and smiled as he wondered who his teammates would be. The blonde's mind also drifted to various other things, including the man known as Iruka, his sensei during his time in the academy. Sure, things had started out rocky and it appeared as if the man truly had it out for poor Naruto, but they became close and were now like brothers. In fact, Iruka oftentimes treated Naruto to Ichiraku Ramen, Naruto's favorite place to eat!
The other things on Naruto's mind revolved around his goals as a ninja. More than anything, the teenage boy knew that he needed to keep an eye out whilst on missions that took him outside of the village. It was important that he look for potential Dragoon candidates, and, perhaps more importantly, why the Dragoons were needed! After all, Rose and Naruto still hadn't a clue as to what led to Rose's awakening, nor why he had been 'reborn', so to speak, as a Dragoon!
Naruto's thoughts were cut short as he heard the classroom door open. Glancing down, the blonde watched as his dear brother figure entered the room. Naruto couldn't help but smirk as he noticed Mizuki wasn't with him. Thinking back to the event of three nights ago, Naruto couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself.
Flashback
Rose and Naruto had heard that Mizuki had managed to make off with the Fuin no Sho (Scroll of Seals). They had quickly transformed and flown off in different directions in their search of the traitor. When Naruto found him some time later, he saw that his second school sensei had hidden himself in the forest outside the village. He appeared to be trying to catch his breath and hide out for a time until it was safe to move once again.
Swooping down, Naruto landed quietly behind Mizuki and watched the traitor for a moment. Sadly, it appeared that the jerk had noticed him, and the blonde was quickly forced to dodge a fuma shuriken, as well as numerous other projectile weapons. When Mizuki attempted to flee, Naruto used his superior speed to get in front of him and slammed his lance against the white-haired man's face, knocking him out of the trees and into the ground below.
Naruto quickly dropped to the ground and continued his assault, making sure to keep his opponent on guard. Thankfully, Mizuki wasn't really that skilled, and he had ZERO experience fighting a Dragoon, especially not one that had been trained as hard as he had been the past four years. It didn't take long for Naruto to best Mizuki and retrieve the Fuin no Sho.
Shortly after Mizuki's defeat at the hands of the teenage Naruto, Iruka, Rose, the Sandaime, and numerous others arrived and thanked Naruto for his service to the village. The Jade Dragoon was just thankful that all of his training over the past years had paid off. In fact, he now felt more than ready for whatever lay in store for him down the road.
Present time
Naruto had returned his thoughts to the present right as Team 7 was being announced. "…Naruto Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara, and Sasuke Uchiha. Your sensei is to be Kakashi Hatake. Apparently, you are meant to be a strike team according to these notes. It seems you'll be trained in capturing and detaining enemies, learning how to deal with powerful opponents, and more. Heh, I wish you three the best of luck, especially because you've got Kakashi for a sensei."
The blonde looked to his fellow teammates before staring at the ceiling and smirking. Kakashi-sensei huh? This should be fun. At least it's somebody I know after all!
"Team 8 is to be Hinata Hyuga, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka. Your sensei is Kurenai Yuhi. According to the notes given to me, you're to be trained as a tracking team. You'll learn more about what this entails from your sensei, so pay attention to what she says. Understand?" Hearing a chorus of 'Hai sensei!" from the three members of Team 8, Iruka then read off the members of Team 10.
"Team 10 consists of Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, and Sakura Haruno. Your sensei is Asuma Sarutobi. Yes, he is Hokage-sama's son, just in case you were planning to ask that question. Apparently, you're to be trained as a support team. However, don't expect Asuma to take it easy on you just because of that. Apparently you're going to be trained pretty seriously to enhance your combat capabilities as well. That is important after all."
With a shrug of his shoulders, Iruka looked around the room. "I wish you all the best of luck, and I'm very thankful to have had the chance to teach all of you. I'm sure you'll make fine shinobi and kunoichi, so do me proud and do your absolute best!"
Soon the senseis began to pick up their teams and left with them, only leaving Teams 7, 8, and 10. What really, really surprised Iruka was the fact that all three senseis arrived together just ten minutes after all the other teams had been retrieved. Staring at Kakashi as if he was seeing things, Naruto's brother figure glanced over at him only to see the boy smirking down at him. I'm not even going to ask why he's actually on time for a change.
Upon seeing Kakashi, Naruto rose from his seat and walked down to him. Reaching out, Naruto lightly punched Kakashi in the ribs and chuckled. "Good to see you Kakashi-sensei. Sooo, did you pick the three of us yourself, or was this Jiji's doing?"
Kakashi rubbed the back of his head and eye smiled at his longtime student. "We discussed it, and it was recommended by Hokage-sama. I expected Asuma to get the Ino-Shika-Cho trio that were graduating this year, but he wanted to try something a little different, especially considering your, erm…'unique' situation."
Naruto nodded at this and then glanced over at the other two senseis. They seemed kind of shocked that Kakashi was actually on time, but they hadn't really said anything yet. Looking back up at his sensei, Naruto grinned up at him. "Sooo, did Rose-chan have to threaten you again, or are you still being a 'good boy'?"
The silver-haired jonin shuddered at that and shook his head. "Believe me, I learned my lesson after being late to our first training session. I am never going to be late again. That is one scary woman you have living with you Naruto-kun. I swear, she's only truly nice to you."
Chuckling at that, Naruto was about to respond when the others came down and joined them. Teams 8 and 10 soon left, leaving Kakashi standing there with his genin team. Naruto grinned up at Kakashi and nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. But we can talk about all that later. I think we're supposed to do something now?"
The silver-haired man shrugged his shoulders and nodded in response. "Yeah. You three, meet me on the roof. Don't keep me waiting." Eye smiling at the three of them, the jonin friend of Naruto soon vanished in a shunshin, leaving the three genin standing there in the classroom.
Shikamaru soon turned to Naruto and frowned at him. "Do you know our jonin sensei, Naruto? Sure seems like you do, based on how friendly the two of you were acting with each other."
Naruto was about to respond when Sasuke shoved past him and began walking down the hallway towards the stairs. "What the heck does it matter if he knows him or not? It's not like it'll count for anything in the long run."
Shikamaru sighed at that and looked to Naruto. "C'mon Naruto, let's just get going. That jerk's not going to wait for us, and we can always talk about this later." Seeing Naruto nod in agreement, the two of them set off after their teammate.
Rooftop of the Academy
Upon stepping out onto the roof, the three fresh genin sat down across from their jonin sensei. Naruto couldn't help but spot one of the books that Rose had forbidden Kakashi from reading when the jonin tried to slip it away quickly. Oh, if only Rose-chan were here, you would be in soooo much trouble Kakashi-sensei. You got lucky this time. Snickering to himself, the blonde began to imagine the things his best friend would do to his new jonin sensei.
Seeing this, Kakashi began to get a cold sweat running down his back. "N-Naruto-kun? I know what you're thinking. Please, I beg of you, DON'T TELL HER!"
While the rest of their team didn't understand just what the hell was going on, Naruto simply broke out into a fit of laughter. This, of course, made poor Kakashi Hatake even more nervous and he began to feel that he may need to get on his hands and knees and beg the boy not to tell her!
After some time, Naruto finally calmed down and wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh Kakashi-sensei, you worry too much. I wouldn't tell her. Well…probably wouldn't tell her. Maybe." This didn't exactly allay the silver-haired jonin's fears, but he figured this was the best he could do. If Naruto did choose to tell Rose about his book, Kakashi would just have to take his punishment like a man…or he'd be forced to run. Probably the latter now that he thought on it.
Seeing the confusion on their teammates' faces, Naruto and Kakashi chuckled nervously, both of them rubbing the backs of their heads and apologizing for wasting their time. Shikamaru couldn't help but sweat drop at this as he noticed the similarities between Naruto and their sensei. Do they realize just how creepy that is?
"Alright, we need to get this started. Why don't we start by introducing ourselves? I'll start." Kakashi coughed into his hand and composed himself before he continued. "My name is Kakashi Hatake. My likes are the Icha Icha series, Naruto-kun, and a number of other things. My dislikes are, hmm…how the heck should I put this? Well, I don't get along with that woman Rose. Let's just put it that way. I happen to dislike other things, but you don't need to know about all of that. I have a few hobbies, but they aren't important enough to discuss. My dreams...I'm not really sure if I should tell you." Seeing the looks on his students' faces, Kakashi chuckled and shook his head. "Well, you at least get the gist of what you're supposed to do. Okay Mr. Grumpy, you're up next."
Sasuke grumbled at the nickname before he spoke up. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. My likes are training and getting stronger. My dislikes are Naruto, my damned fan girls, and other unimportant things not worth discussing. My hobbies? Tch, that should be obvious. I train. I train every day in order to achieve my ambition. That's right, I don't have any dreams, I have an ambition that I'll make happen. I'll kill the one that took my clan away. After that, I'll restore my clan. Simple as that."
Kakashi shrugged at that and made a simple comment, nothing that really acknowledged what Sasuke said or dismissed it, just something simple. Afterwards, he turned to Shikamaru and eye smiled. "Alright Pineapple, your turn."
Sighing and muttering his usual remark of "Troublesome." Shikamaru began his turn. "My name is Shikamaru Nara." At this point, he yawned and glanced around at his teammates. "Likes are next, huh? Well, I like cloud watching and my friends. I dislike arrogant people and having to work too hard. As I said before, you can count cloud watching as one of my hobbies. There are a few other things I like to do, but…meh. Finally, I guess you can count a dream of mine as becoming head of my clan? I dunno." Shikamaru's teammates all sweat dropped at this, but they decided to just stay quiet about it.
When Kakashi said it was Naruto's turn, the blonde grinned and nodded. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I have a lot of likes! I like Rose-chan a lot, you Kakashi-sensei, Guy-sensei (even though he's still really odd), Yugao-onee-chan, Jiji, the Ichiraku's, ramen, and more! I dislike a lot of the villagers, especially after how they've treated me. I also dislike how long it takes to prepare ramen. I get hungry and want to eat, why do I need to wait?" Laughing to himself, the blonde soon continued. "Hobbies? I guess my big hobby is training. I've been training a lot over the past four years, sooo…yep." With a simple shrug of his shoulders, Naruto decided to finish up. "My dreams are next, right? Welll…that's actually kind of hard. While I'd like to become the Hokage, I also want to stay with Rose-chan and help her with everything. We've got a lot to do, but we don't really know much of anything about what it is we need to do."
As Naruto sighed quietly, the others looked at him with curious looks. However, none of them said anything, deciding to just leave it alone. Kakashi couldn't help but frown behind his mask however. I wish I knew more about what's been going on with you Naruto-kun. You and Rose-san have only told me so much. I wish you would just let me in and trust in me a bit more.
Rising from where he sat, Kakashi patted himself off and eye smiled at his genin once more. "Your test begins tomorrow morning at 9 AM at the Third Training Ground. Don't be late, and, if you know what's good for you, don't eat breakfast. After all, you'll just throw it up once your test has begun." Smirking beneath his mask at his team, Kakashi figured that Naruto and Shikamaru would likely figure it all out, but he wasn't sure about Sasuke. With a shrug of his shoulders, Kakashi disappeared in a Konoha-Shunshin no Jutsu (Leaf Body Flicker Technique).
Before Sasuke could leave, Naruto gripped his shoulder tight and stared him hard in the eyes. "Eat. Breakfast. Do you understand me?"
"Already trying to disobey your superior dobe? That's typical." Sasuke responded, scorn in his voice as he glared hard at Naruto.
Shikamaru sighed and shook his head. "This is our first test Sasuke. Just eat breakfast so you're ready for whatever he has in store for us tomorrow. It won't be our fault if you fail to use your damn head."
Sasuke shook his head in disbelief at his teammates. "You two are idiots. Go ahead and do whatever you want, I'm following orders." And with that, he forced Naruto's hand off of his shoulder and walked off, leaving the two, clearly smarter genin on the roof.
Turning to Shikamaru, Naruto shrugged his shoulders and let out a frustrated sigh. "And already we're failing in the teamwork aspect. You and I should be fine in that regard, but unless we can make the teme cooperate with us, the team's going to be in trouble."
Shikamaru nodded at that and glanced over at the door Sasuke had disappeared through. "It's to be expected though. Sasuke's always been this arrogant jerk for as long as we've known him. Whether we like it or not, he's going to continue to think of us as inferior to him. After all, who could be better than the 'great Uchiha'?" Shaking his head at that, the Nara boy looked into his friend's eyes. "Whatever the test is tomorrow, you and I are going to have to pick up the slack and, hopefully, set that idiot straight. Get plenty of rest tonight Naruto-san, and eat a healthy breakfast tomorrow morning. This is so damn troublesome."
Naruto chuckled at that and folded his hands behind his head. "Yeah, you're tellin' me. You make sure to rest well and eat well too Shikamaru-san. I'm sure we'll be just fine tomorrow, but it's good to be prepared for absolutely anything. Knowing Kakashi-sensei as I do, the test is going to be anything but easy."
Seeing the Nara nod and walk off, waving good-bye to the blonde, Naruto soon found himself grinning. Soon he was in the sky, clad in his Dragoon armor and flying through the sky on his way back home. He planned to eat a healthy dinner, train with Rose for a while, and then hit the hay. After all, tomorrow was a big day, the day he truly became a genin!
The next day – the Third Training Ground
The three genin had been waiting for at least half an hour by now for their sensei to appear. Naruto knew this was unusual, but he had a damn good idea as to what was going on. The reason? He had decided to play a bit of a prank on poor Kakashi-sensei and had told Rose about the book. He might have twisted the truth a bit, but he felt it would be funny to see Kakashi running for his life from the person the blonde lived with.
After another fifteen minutes, Kakashi finally rushed into the training ground and leaped into one of the trees, doing his best to hide. It didn't work, as Rose soon appeared behind him and pressed her rapier against his neck. "Hand over the book. I'll burn it like I did the rest."
The silver-haired jonin could feel tears stinging at his eyes as he slowly withdrew the book from his pouch and handed it over. If he didn't do so, he knew that Rose would rip his balls off. Besides, Kakashi Hatake had a whole slew of these very books hidden at home. He had grown so used to Rose destroying his books that he had stocked up over the years just so he would never be without his precious Icha Icha series.
Rose smirked as she looked down at the jonin. "Good boy. If you know what's good for you, you'll refrain from flashing anymore of these books in front of Naruto." Raising the book to eye level with Kakashi, the Dark Dragoon engulfed it in dark flame and let it burn to ash before the jonin's eyes. As tears streamed down his face at the destruction of what he viewed as a true masterpiece, Rose smirked and pressed her rapier against his stomach. "Now, go give the test to your genin team. I'll be watching. If you slack off even once, you're going to regret it."
Kakashi sweat dropped at this and nodded quickly. "Yes ma'am! Just please relax and let me do this my way, alright? We've trained Naruto hard, but the other two are unknowns, at least for the most part. I know what I've been told, but we don't know the full extent of their abilities. What this means is I can't go quite as hard on them as we have on Naruto. Well, at least not yet. So, relax, stay here, and watch. Okay?"
Rose sighed and nodded her head slowly. "As you wish Pervert. It would be best if the genin on your team could at least support yourself and Naruto. He may be highly trained as a Dragoon, and skilled in the ninja arts, but he is still learning. Should anything happen to him on one of your missions out of the village, I will hold you personally accountable. Is that understood Pervert?"
Kakashi sighed and nodded his head slowly. "Yes, yes." Then, under his breath, he muttered, "I really wish you'd stop calling me that though."
Rose smirked at that and pressed her rapier against his neck again. "What was that?"
Kakashi's eye bulged slightly as he looked into Rose's face. The look on her face had him feeling terrified. "N-Nothing ma'am! I'll do my best to make the others ready as well. But, they need to pass the test first. Shikamaru and Naruto should be just fine; it's Sasuke I'm concerned about. I saw how he interacted with the others on the team yesterday and what I saw bothered me. Unless they can get Sasuke to work with them…they're going to fail."
Rose frowned at this before she looked down at Sasuke. Before Kakashi could stop her, the Dark Dragoon dropped from the tree and approached the Uchiha. Upon reaching him, she didn't even let the brat speak before she lifted him by his neck. "Listen here Brat. If you know what's good for you, you'll learn to be a team player. Fuck it up and you'll be answering to me. I assure you that you do not want that. Is that understood?"
Sasuke glared hard at Rose and scoffed. "Who are you to give me orders woman? I am an elite and you are just a no name nobody! Now, if you know what's good for you, you'll release me this instant before I make you regret laying your hands upon me."
Kakashi was at Naruto's side at this point and the two of them couldn't help but facepalm. Shikamaru didn't quite understand, but based on their reactions, he knew that things were about to get bad. Naruto and his sensei looked into each other's eyes and shook their heads. "Well, he just screwed himself." Seeing Kakashi nod, they both turned to see what Rose would do after being disrespected by the Uchiha.
Rose began to laugh lowly at first before it took on a sinister tone. When she had finished, the Dark Dragoon pressed her rapier against Sasuke's crotch until he screamed out. "Brat, you don't disrespect me. The only reason I don't crush you right now is because I need Naruto to pass this 'test' you're about to undergo. But you won't continue to get away with this. Cross me again and I'll ensure you never get to 'rebuild your clan'. Is that understood?"
Sasuke, ever the idiot, simply chose to snarl at the woman until she actually managed to puncture his precious man parts. Screaming out again, he quickly nodded his head and actually apologized until the Dragoon released him. Collapsing to the ground, the Uchiha's hands shot to his crotch and clutched it tight as tears slowly formed and began to stream down his face. Needless to say, this was both terrifying and slightly amusing for the others to see. It was also quite shocking to see the Uchiha behaving in such a way.
As Rose began to walk away to a spot where she could watch the test without getting in the way, she couldn't help but hear a threat Sasuke happened to make. Glancing over her shoulder, Rose smirked at the boy. "Threatening to inform the Council? Feel free to. I'm afraid you will be very, very disappointed with the result however. So there's no point in you doing so. Be a good Brat, do as you're told, cooperate with your teammates, and pass this test if you know what's good for you Brat." Reaching a good spot in the shade, Rose closed her eyes and waited for the test to both start and finish so she could take Naruto and continue training him in the way of the Dragoon.
Kakashi looked down at Sasuke and shook his head. "Sasuke, I'm going to give you this one piece of advice: stop trying to piss her off. Actually, let me give you another piece of advice: don't make threats, especially not ones to take her before the Council. Like she said, the result would just disappoint you. Now stand up, stop clutching at your privates, and let's begin the test. It's already been delayed long enough due to, erm…'unexpected' circumstances."
Sighing, the jonin sensei took a few steps away, turned back to face his genin team, and pulled out a couple of bells. "The test is simple. You are meant to take these bells from me. Those who get the bells will pass while the one left without will go without lunch and will be sent back to the academy. Is that understood?"
Naruto and Shikamaru both instantly understood what the test was really about, while Sasuke glared at Naruto before turning his gaze to the bells. "If that's the case, I'm going to get the bells and keep these losers from progressing. They don't deserve to be ninja in the first place."
His teammates all sighed and shook their heads. It seemed that there really was no helping the idiot. After all, his arrogance really didn't seem to know any bounds. Deciding they would try and get Sasuke to cooperate during the test, Shikamaru and Naruto quickly began to formulate plans with one another while Kakashi took his place and told them they could begin. Of course, at this point, Sasuke began his assault.
With a sigh, Naruto and Shikamaru hid close to one another and continued discussing their plans, all the while letting Sasuke fail miserably in his assault. "Kakashi-sensei won't fall to a frontal assault. He's really skilled, and he's got some powerful ninjutsu at his disposal, but I doubt he'll use too much of that against us. Kakashi-sensei is also skilled in genjutsu, so be extra careful. If you feel like you've been trapped in a genjutsu, you already know how to dispel it." Sighing to himself, Naruto glanced over and saw Sasuke get thrown away before Kakashi disappeared from view. "And as Sasuke just found out, Kaka-sensei is skilled in taijutsu as well. He's a tough opponent, and I know I've never beaten him in a spar."
Shikamaru nodded at that and closed his eyes, letting himself think. "It's as we thought then. The purpose of this test is to test our teamwork capabilities. And with Sasuke being the way he is, we're all going to fail this test. So, unless we can convince Sasuke to work with us, we're practically doomed. Even if we were to back him up and snatch the bells in the process, we would still fail."
They released a sigh at the same time before glancing upwards. "Heya Kaka-sensei. We've figured out your test, buuut….yeah. Sasuke-teme didn't listen to Rose-chan. We'll figure something out." Seeing Kakashi Hatake nod his head, both Naruto and Shikamaru were soon forced to dodge in separate directions as he unleashed a water jutsu upon them.
Now separated from Shikamaru, Naruto shook his head and glanced in the direction he had last seen Sasuke. The Uchiha had moved by this point, but the blonde figured that the best course of action would be to find Sasuke and do his best to convince him to cooperate with him for once. At the same time, Naruto figured that Shikamaru would have already formed the same plan of action and would probably be devising some way to convince Sasuke to cooperate. So, with plan in mind, Naruto set off to find Sasuke.
Seven minutes later
Upon finding Sasuke, Naruto and Shikamaru, who had arrived just seconds after Naruto arrived, began to try and convince their idiot teammate to behave and cooperate with them. Unfortunately, the Uchiha just wasn't having any of it and still refused to play along.
Grumbling angrily, Naruto chose to slug Sasuke and watched as he fell to the ground rubbing his now injured cheek. "Pull that fucking stick out of your ass and cooperate already. Do you WANT Rose-chan to chop your precious parts off?! Because she will, I guarantee it."
Sasuke snarled and was about to retort until he saw Rose smirking in their direction from where she was resting. Eyebrow twitching to the point it became almost dangerous for the Uchiha, Sasuke turned to Naruto and Shikamaru and reluctantly agreed to work with them. "Fine damn it! I'd rather not have some psycho-bitch tear 'em off. I assume you dobes have some kind of plan?"
Naruto couldn't help but facepalm when he heard what Sasuke called Rose. "Sasuke, don't ever call Rose-chan that again. If she doesn't end up killing you for it, I'll kick your damn ass for it. Understand teme?" When the Uchiha looked like he was about to retort, Naruto punched him hard in the stomach and gripped his hair tight. "Don't speak unless you're going to say you understand and will do as I say. From now on, you're going to be a team player. If you dare step out of line even once, I'll do much worse than a simple punch to your stomach. Is that understood loser?"
Sasuke was practically snarling at this point, but when he nodded, Shikamaru decided it was best to go over their plans. So for a time, Shikamaru discussed the plan he had come up with with the two. As they talked, only very minor adjustments were made to the plan, but overall, it was a sound strategy in their opinion and they decided to go with it. Now they just had to find where Kakashi was and win the bells from him.
Three Minutes Later – Clearing
Naruto and Shikamaru weren't at all surprised to see Kakashi waiting for them in the clearing where the test had began. Stepping out to stand a short distance away from his jonin sensei, Naruto twirled his lance around a moment before smirking at his sensei. "I hope you're ready for this Kaka-sensei. Here I come!"
Dashing forward, the blonde Uzumaki began unleashing a flurry of attacks with his lance, though Kakashi managed to either dodge or block each strike with a couple of kunai. "You've thought something up already, haven't you Naruto-kun? Tell me, was it you or Shikamaru that thought up the plan? I know you wouldn't attack me like this unless something was going on."
Naruto smirked and nodded his head. "Yeah, you're right. But you know I'm not going to tell you which of us thought up the plan. After all, we kinda have to keep you guessing if we want any chance at snatching those bells." At this point, Naruto attempted to perform an Addition, but Kakashi managed to counter him and sent Naruto flying back some feet before falling on his back.
Wincing in pain, the blonde pushed himself up off the ground and nodded. "Yeah, I didn't think that'd work. Ah well, it was worth a shot." Slipping his lance away, letting it rest nicely on his back, Naruto quickly went through a series of hand seals before bringing his hand up to his mouth and breathing in quickly. Releasing his breath, Naruto unleashed a large fireball towards his sensei that he was forced to block with a water jutsu. After all, it wouldn't be good to let the trees catch on fire, so he had to do something.
As a direct result of this, the area was blanketed by steam. This severely hindered the vision of everyone in the vicinity. Tch, so that was part of your plan. Too bad it won't work Naruto-kun. Reaching a hand down, Kakashi was about to pat the bells when he felt his body freeze. Seeing a figure appear a short distance off in the fog, the jonin chuckled to himself. "The Kagemane no Jutsu (Shadow Imitation Technique), eh? Clever, but not quite good enough. You won't be able to hold me long enough to snatch the bells Shikamaru."
At this, Shikamaru had Kakashi reach down and pat the spot where the bells were supposed to be. Stepping closer, thus making his sensei approach him as well, the Nara could be seen smirking. "Naruto was merely a distraction. Sasuke and I were simply waiting for our moment to strike. We figured that since you and Naruto are so familiar with each other that he would naturally be the best person to keep you occupied until it was our time to strike. As soon as you began preparing your jutsu to counter Naruto's Katon (Fire Release) jutsu, Sasuke took that moment to snatch the bells. However, we couldn't risk you catching on, so I proceeded to trap you in my Kagemane no Jutsu until Sasuke had shared the other bell with Naruto."
Kakashi watched as Naruto and Sasuke appeared as soon as the fog had started to clear. The two of them were showing off the bells they had stolen from the jonin. Sasuke had his usual arrogant smirk on his face while Naruto was simply smiling brightly at his sensei. When he was released, Kakashi eye smiled and decided to voice a question to Shikamaru. "Why didn't you plan to take a bell for yourself Shikamaru-kun? The thought has to have crossed your mind?"
The Nara boy shook his head and yawned shortly before throwing his arms behind his head and looking skyward. "Not really. Sasuke didn't eat breakfast, just like we suspected he wouldn't. And Naruto has a bottomless pit of a stomach. Sure, he ate breakfast, but he's bound to be hungry again soon enough. I'm sure you, as one of Naruto-san's friends, know this very well by now?"
Kakashi Hatake chuckled and nodded slowly. "Yes, that is very true. But you still haven't answered my question Shikamaru-kun."
Sighing, the brown-haired young man shook his head. "Yeah, yeah. I'll admit, the thought did cross my mind of requesting that Sasuke give the other bell to me, but I didn't need it. As you said, the loser has to go without lunch. I can handle that, but is that really the point? The point of the test was teamwork. You already know we figured that out pretty early on. Sasuke was the only one being stubborn about it. At least until Naruto managed to convince him to cooperate. So y'see Kakashi-sensei, we worked together and conquered your little test. At this point in time, I'll admit that our teamwork isn't the greatest, but that's where the beauty of training comes in. We can hone our skills as a team, develop stronger bonds, and even grow stronger through your training as individuals."
The silver-haired jonin chuckled and nodded in response before motioning towards the posts. "You're right. The three of you did pass the test, and nobody will be tied to a post. Go ahead and eat your lunches and then head on home or do whatever else you had planned for today. Meet back here tomorrow morning at 8:00 for training exercises and information on the kinds of missions we'll be taking until I deem you ready for the bigger missions. Understood?"
Seeing each of his genin nod and head off to eat their lunches by the posts, the jonin sensei walked to Rose and stood at her side. "Sooo, are you planning to let Sasuke get away with what he said about you?"
Rose smirked and shook her head. "I figured you were watching them. I'm not sure if they noticed you or not, but it doesn't really matter now, does it? I do know you let them win. You could have very easily kept the bells without them ever laying a single finger on them. You're too soft Pervert." Turning her head just slightly so she could peer at Kakashi with one of her eyes, the Dark Dragoon donned a dark grin. "In response to your question: no. Brat isn't getting away with calling me a psycho-bitch. I do believe I'll be paying him a little 'visit' later. After all, he needs to learn something called respect."
Kakashi sighed and nodded his head. "I'll be sure to inform Hokage-sama that he should be expecting screaming tonight. He can at least inform the ANBU not to get involved." With a shrug of his shoulders, the one-eyed man turned to watch his genin. "I thought you didn't really care if you were called that by anyone though?"
Rose shrugged her shoulders before responding. "I don't. I just don't like Brat."
Kakashi nodded and decided it was best to just remain quiet for a time before he finally disappeared in a Konoha-Shunshin to go and report to the Hokage.
Three weeks later – Hokage Office
True to Rose's word and Kakashi's fears, the night of the genin test, horrible screams could be heard throughout the entirety of Konoha. Many people had a hard time getting to sleep, but there was one individual who got very, very little sleep that night: Sasuke Uchiha. When he arrived at the training field the next day, Sasuke looked terrible, and yet he didn't have any injuries on his body. When asked about what happened to him, the Uchiha looked around at his teammates and shuddered, quickly hugging himself tight. "Horrible genjutsu…..such a horrible genjutsu…..I couldn't break it….." Needless to say, the others left it alone and didn't bother to question him on it any longer. It was obvious that none of them were planning to ask Rose either about what she did to Sasuke.
For most of the month thus far after passing the genin test, Team 7 worked on teamwork exercises, chakra control, jutsu theory, and more. There were also practice sessions where Kakashi would bring in a chunin or low-ranking jonin to assist him in teaching his team about what their duties as a strike team would entail. Of course, they hadn't been fully prepared for absolutely everything, but they were at least beginning to act as a cohesive unit.
One thing that frustrated each of them, Kakashi included, was the absurd number of D-rank missions they had to undertake. None of these really mattered to any of them, as they didn't really coincide with their team's purpose. However, they hadn't really had any choice but to undertake these missions until their sensei felt they were truly ready for the kinds of missions they would be attempting outside of the village.
Now in the present, Team 7 stood before the Sandaime Hokage after returning Tora once again to its owner. Sasuke, who had had absolutely ENOUGH of catching that damn cat and dealing with all the other D-rank missions, finally spoke up. "Hokage-sama, I think we're more than ready for a better mission by now. Give us something that will truly test our skills. Don't you think we've earned that?"
Naruto sighed and glanced to Shikamaru, who nodded and stepped forward. "It's troublesome, but I agree with Sasuke. We're ready to undertake our first real mission Hokage-sama. We won't get any real experience in our role as a strike force going on as we have been. There's no better way to test our capabilities than giving us a C-rank or better mission."
Naruto Uzumaki nodded at this point and stepped forward. "We understand that we'll have a variety of missions that we'll have to work on in the future, ranging from escort missions to assassinations. Heck, we know there's a lot we have to expect due to the role of our team. But I really do think we're ready. It's time to give us a real test Jiji."
The silver-haired jonin sensei of the group sighed heavily before eye smiling at the Hokage and rubbing the back of his head. "I agree with my team Hokage-sama. They're ready for a C-rank mission. It's a good idea, and I hope you'll at least consider it."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slowly as he thought over everything they had said and what Kakashi's reports had indicated about the team. After a few moments, the Sandaime requested that someone go and fetch someone named Tazuna.
Moments later, when Tazuna entered the room, the three genin couldn't help but cringe at the foul odor emanating from the man. He didn't stink in the way that a person who hasn't taken a shower in a while would smell. No, he reeked of alcohol, and strong alcohol at that! When the man looked at them, the genin each frowned at the scowl this man had on his face.
Turning to the Hokage, the man known as Tazuna kept the scowl on his face. "What's this? Have you finally found a team to help me out? If so, I don't really see much here. I see a Cyclops, a shrimp, a lazy-looking bum of a kid, and some overconfident brat. Surely you can do better than this?"
The Hokage frowned at the attitude Tazuna had, but looked to Team 7 and smiled politely. "I assure you that Team 7 is a skilled team that is more than capable of protecting you Tazuna-san. Trust in my decision and believe in their abilities. They will keep you safe."
Tazuna sighed and nodded slowly. "If you say so. I have to leave soon. Can you guys meet me at the gate in a couple of hours? It's important that I get back as soon as possible. I don't like to leave my family alone for too long."
At this point, the Hokage decided to chime in once again. "Tazuna-san has requested a team to escort him back to the Land of Waves and to protect him while he finishes building a bridge to connect his land to the mainland. This would increase trade with the Land of Waves, which would help them greatly. At the worst, you can expect bandits, but that's about it. From what we have been told, it's not too dangerous a mission, but you should be careful nonetheless. It may be only a C-rank mission, but anything can happen outside of the village."
Kakashi nodded and instructed his genin to collect everything they would need for the mission before dismissing them from the room. Soon after, Tazuna left to head to the gate and wait for Team 7's arrival.
Now alone in the room with the Sandaime, the silver-haired jonin turned to the Hokage and frowned beneath his mask. "I get the feeling Tazuna-san isn't telling us everything. What do you think Hokage-sama?"
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded and rested his chin atop his hands as he often did. "Without solid proof, there's not much that can be said or done. For now, proceed with the mission as you normally would. Send a report back to me should anything happen that is not within the mission parameters. Is that understood Hatake-san?" Seeing Kakashi nod, the Sandaime dismissed him and watched the jonin leave. As soon as he was gone, the Hokage giggled perversely and reached into his desk drawer, withdrawing one of his Icha Icha books to enjoy for a time.
Uzumaki-Namikaze Estate
Naruto sat with Rose on one of the couches in the living room area. The bag of Dragoon Spirits rested on the table before them, and the two were lost in conversation. "Naruto, do you realize what you're asking? Do you even recognize the risks of this plan of yours?"
The young Uzumaki frowned, but nodded his head regardless. "I know it's dangerous and very risky, but you said it yourself the other day: we haven't had any luck finding any information in the village, nor have we found any of the other Dragoons. I think the best thing we can do now is to let me carry the Dragoon Spirits with me on missions that lead me out of the village. There's a good chance that some, maybe all of them if we're really unlucky, are to be found outside of our village. Can't you please just trust in me this time Rose-chan?"
His fellow Dragoon leaned back and released a frustrated sigh. "You're absolutely sure about this?" Looking down at her companion, Rose saw Naruto nod, a strangely confident look on his face. Sighing again, she leaned forward and grabbed the bag before dropping it gently in Naruto's lap. "Don't lose it, and don't let another one of the Dragoon Spirits get stolen. We can't have another incident like the last time happen ever again. Do you understand me?"
Naruto nodded and quickly threw his arms around Rose, hugging her tight. "I promise that nothing will happen. I'll take good care of these Rose-chan! You'll see, I'll be back in one piece with all Dragoon Spirits still with me. Though, I kinda hope I manage to find another one of the Dragoons so we don't have to search too hard for too many of them." Chuckling to himself, Naruto released Rose and rubbed the back of his head. "I, uhh…I gotta go now Rose-chan. I'll be back when my mission is done. Not sure when that'll be, buuut…you know, don't wait for me." Shrugging, the blonde gave Rose another hug before dashing out the door.
Rose sighed and put a hand to her forehead. "I'm really going soft on this kid. If he wasn't the Jade Dragoon, I probably wouldn't have paid him any attention or even stuck around him for this long." Rising from the couch, the Dark Dragoon went upstairs to her room and began looking around for some casual clothes. "The best thing I can do right now is continue my search for clues in the village. Maybe if I dress more like one of the villagers I could get some more information? Tch." With a shrug of her shoulders, the Dark Dragoon picked out an outfit that most resembled something she had seen one of the villagers wearing just a week earlier. "If I don't find any information soon, I might just kill something."
Later, road to the Land of Waves
So far the mission had been rather uneventful. Kakashi had talked with Tazuna about what they could expect while the genin kept an eye on their surroundings. This was their first time out of the village and they felt it was important that they do a good job and not screw this up. Naruto had tucked the bag of Dragoon Spirits inside of one of his vest pockets.
Yes, Naruto wasn't wearing the orange outfit one would expect him to wear normally. Instead, Rose had practically beaten that obsession out of him. She had declared that wearing such a bright color as a ninja in this world would only get him killed, and she wouldn't tolerate it. So, she had picked out dark green and black colors for his new outfit that would provide him with a bit more stealth when hiding.
His pants were black with dark orange and green stripes running up and down the legs. The pants had deep pockets, making it easy to carry a number of things inside. On his feet, he wore pretty basic ninja sandals. They weren't anything special or flashy, or anything similar. For his top, the blonde ninja wore a black short-sleeved shirt with a dark green protective vest hanging over that. It didn't restrict his movements and actually provided a strange sort of comfort as he walked. But more importantly to Naruto was the fact that the Dragoon Spirits could be safely hidden within one of the vest's inner pockets and sealed within by a blood seal so nobody could steal them.
It took some time, but as they neared a puddle, the members of Team 7 all picked it out as odd and prepared themselves for an ambush. Passing it by, they quickly reacted as soon as two chunin-ranked ninja leaped out and attempted to attack Kakashi. They didn't get very far however as they soon found themselves unable to move. Shikamaru had been prepared and had caught the Demon Brothers with his Kagemane no Jutsu, all to allow his teammates to take action. Without their mobility being available to them, Naruto and Sasuke were able to make short work of the chunin and tied the two of them up against a tree after stripping them of their equipment.
Needless to say, but this particular circumstance proved to be a bit outside of the mission parameters. Team 7 proceeded to question Tazuna about the attack, and soon managed to coerce the old man into spilling the beans. Once the truth had been revealed to them, Kakashi looked to his genin and decided to leave it up to them to decide on their next course of action. Should they leave Tazuna to his own devices and return to the village? Or should Team 7 continue with the mission and protect the bridge builder regardless of the increased risk involved? Once everyone had agreed to continue with the mission, each for different reasons, Kakashi sent a letter back to the Sandaime to inform him of the problem encountered and where they could find the Demon Brothers. Afterwards, Team 7 continued on their way with the old man Tazuna.
A short time after entering the Land of Waves
While their first opponents weren't anything special, this new one was a danger and Kakashi knew it. In fact, upon being attacked by Zabuza Momochi, Demon of the Hidden Mist, the jonin had ordered his genin team to take a particular formation and protect Tazuna no matter what. However, that plan fell to pieces as soon as Zabuza had used his Kirigakure no Jutsu (Hiding in Mist Jutsu) and blanketed the entire area in a heavy mist that none of them could see through. Needless to say, this caused the entire situation to really turn to shit, as Naruto had so elegantly put it after Zabuza had disappeared.
Moments later, when Zabuza appeared in the middle of the genin, ready to cut down the bridge builder, Naruto reacted quickly and blocked the Kubikiribocho (Decapitating Carving Knife) with his lance. With a good bit of effort, the blonde managed to force Zabuza to jump back and away before brandishing his lance in a new stance and preparing to actually fight the Demon of the Hidden Mist if he truly had to. Therefore, Naruto was actually quite thankful when Kakashi managed to disperse the mist and do battle with Zabuza on even ground.
At least, that's how it seemed until Kakashi got caught in that damned Suirō no Jutsu (Water Prison Technique)! As soon as Kakashi was caught, the genin released simultaneous sighs and grumbles before preparing to take on Zabuza to free their sensei. Of course, in order to do so, they first had to get past Zabuza's Mizu Bunshin (Water Clone).
Thinking something up on the spot, Naruto quickly pulled out a few fuma shuriken and tossed them both to Sasuke. "Sasuke, use these!"
Upon catching them, Sasuke could instantly tell what it was Naruto had planned and smirked as he drew a few shuriken of his own to add into the mix. So, while Naruto and Shikamaru kept the Mizu Bunshin busy, Sasuke threw the shuriken at the real Zabuza. Most he dodged, but one of the fuma shuriken he had caught.
As their opponent prepared to throw it right back at Sasuke, the fuma shuriken that he had dodged exploded in a puff of smoke. Shocked at this, Zabuza turned his head just in time to see an armor-clad Naruto swooping towards him, preparing to use a Dragoon Addition to free Kakashi. Cursing at his luck, the Demon of the Hidden Mist released Kakashi and leaped back to avoid being taken out by the Jade Dragoon.
Now free, Kakashi glanced over at the fallen Mizu Bunshin that Sasuke and Shikamaru had defeated before turning his gaze to the Dragoon standing next to him. "So that's what you look like when you transform. You told me about this before, but I haven't seen it until now. You look good like that Naruto-kun." Eye smiling at his genin, the jonin sensei patted Naruto on his head. "You can return to protecting Tazuna now Naruto-kun. I can handle Zabuza."
And handle Zabuza Kakashi did. The battle had quickly turned in Kakashi's favor, but right as he was about to deal the killing blow, a hunter nin from Kirigakure used senbon to finish the Demon of the Hidden Mist off and disappeared with the body. Thankful to be rid of Zabuza either way, the group prepared to continue on to Tazuna's house before Kakashi suddenly collapsed to the ground. Sighing at this, Naruto and Sasuke moved to Kakashi's side and began to half carry, half drag their sensei all the way to Tazuna's house.
A short time later – Tazuna's House
Upon arriving at Tazuna's home, the team met both Tsunami (Tazuna's daughter) and Inari (Tsunami's son and Tazuna's grandson). While Tsunami was a kind woman and very thankful to the team, Inari was disrespectful, rude, and insisted that they shouldn't even bother. Team 7 decided to ignore the little brat for the time being as Naruto asked Tsunami if there was a room that Kakashi Hatake could rest in.
Sasuke and Shikamaru watched as Tazuna and Naruto carried Kakashi off upstairs. Turning back to Tsunami, they began making small talk with her, curious to know the extent of the situation in Wave. They had also proceeded to explain just what had happened and what kinds of threats her dear father was facing in his quest to build the great bridge.
Meanwhile, upstairs in Kakashi's room, Naruto sat watching over him. Tazuna had returned downstairs to help his daughter with the cooking, even though she insisted he should just sit and rest. Now alone in the room with his sensei, Naruto was considering trying something out that Rose had explained to him some time ago.
Flashback – 2 years ago
"Naruto, I'm going to teach you about the White-Silver Dragoon Spirit now." Rose explained as she withdrew it from the bag. "Before you ask, yes, it's important for you to understand at least this particular Dragoon Spirit. This Dragoon Spirit possesses the power of healing. While we cannot directly access its power, should we hold our Dragoon Spirit close and then focus our will on both Spirits, we can use the White-Silver Dragoon Spirit in conjunction with our own to heal both body and spirit. I'll show you what I mean."
Seeing as Naruto had been injured earlier whilst training with Yugao, Rose held out both the Dark Dragoon Spirit and the White-Silver Dragoon Spirit and focused until both Spirits began to glow brightly. It didn't take long after that for Naruto's wounds to heal.
When it was all over, Naruto's eyes were bright and he couldn't help but shout out after that. "That was awesome, dattebayo! I can't wait to try that out!"
Rose chuckled softly before slipping both Dragoon Spirits away. "Don't be so eager to try that Naruto. I don't want you accidentally injuring yourself to the point where you really need to use it."
Naruto quirked a brow at that and crossed his arms over his chest. "Who says I'd be the one so badly injured that I'd need to use it on myself? Are you implying something Rose-chan?"
The Dark Dragoon chuckled again and shook her head. "I was just using you as an example Naruto. Now go shower and get some sleep. You're training with Yugao and that highly disturbing taijutsu master tomorrow, and I do believe you'll want to be well rested for that."
Present Time – Kakashi's Room
Chuckling at that memory, Naruto soon went to rummage around in the bag, only for his sensei to awaken. Looking at him, the blonde grinned and raised a finger. "Just relax for now Kakashi-sensei. You wore yourself out, and I think I know why. You overused that Sharingan of yours, didn't you? Well not to worry, I've got just the thing to help you recover!"
Seeing Kakashi's confusion, Naruto began digging around in the bag of Dragoon Spirits, only for one of them to begin glowing brightly. Curious, Naruto pulled the glowing Dragoon Spirit from the bag and watched it glow even brighter than it had been just seconds ago. "Well that's new." Then, upon looking at his sensei, Naruto decided to try something. "Hey Kaka-sensei, hold this for a moment."
Kakashi Hatake blinked a few times before reaching out and taking the glowing Dragoon Spirit in hand. What happened next shocked the hell out of the jonin as he was suddenly transformed, violet-colored Dragoon armor covering his body from head to toe. Glancing behind him, the jonin sensei couldn't help but notice the wings that were attached. When he was finished checking himself over, Kakashi looked down at the Dragoon Spirit before looking back into Naruto's eyes. "Naruto, what the heck just happened? What does this mean?"
Naruto felt like facepalming at the moment. All this time and they hadn't ever thought to check Naruto's senseis to see if one of them might be a Dragoon! Laughing almost hysterically at the irony of it all, the blonde shook his head and smiled brightly at his sensei. "Kakashi-sensei, it looks like you're the Violet Dragoon, the Dragoon of Thunder. Congratulations!"
A/N: Okay, most of you who read my fics already know that my health is pretty crappy. Well, here's the thing: from before I even started this chapter to the very end and even up to now while I'm writing this Author's Note for you all, I've been feeling so incredibly tired. I've been feeling just awful, and I kept taking breaks to get some more sleep. I hoped that after some more rest, I would be feeling a bit better upon waking, but that was never the case. So I pushed myself to just fight through the way I've been feeling and just write. It's a miracle this chapter ended up being as long as it did, but at the same time...I do apologize if the chapter isn't as good as you would've liked. It was hard, but I wanted to give everybody another chapter.
Anyways, feel free to review/comment, send a PM, whatever you'd like. Chapter 7 of Mercy of the Shinigami is up next. Hope you're looking forward to it.