Chapter 10
Training & Planning
5 Days Later
Land of Water
Yuki Clan Compound
Training Ground
Naruto panted as he dodged more of Haku's senbon, the older boy was relentless in his training and Naruto was both appreciative of it and also hated him for doing it.
They were both in an underground training ground in the Yuki Clan compound, the floor was made of hard-packed red clay and the walls were stone it was lit by a giant brazier above their heads, it was also the only other place apart from the secret room where they could train in secret with no spies or interruptions.
"Hyoton: Tsubame Fubuki!" Naruto called out finishing his Hand Sign sequence, opened his mouth and unleashed a cluster of sharp ice needles shaped like swallows that shot at Haku.
Haku however just dodged the oncoming deadly ice and returned fire with more Senbon.
"Come on!" Naruto complained as he jumped backwards.
"You cannot just act Naruto, you must be thinking at least 5 steps ahead of your enemy." Haku scolded as he manoeuvred right through the battlefield getting up close to Naruto.
"Tch." He let out an unhappy noise as they engaged in Taijutsu combat.
"You are good at Taijutsu, in fact, your complete lack of form helps you as your opponent will never truly know what you will do next." Haku complimented him.
"But! If you are facing someone far above your level then they will be able to after but a few moments of fighting." Haku suddenly lashed out and grabbed Naruto's arm then swept his leg out from underneath him.
"OOOF!" Naruto crashed to the ground in pain.
"You're getting better." Haku said offering the fallen boy a hand.
"Thanks, but every time I use the Hyoton it feels like my body is freezing and being stabbed a thousand times." Naruto complained as he was brought back to his feet.
"I can sense Grandfather's Chakra within your own, it seems like it has not fully merged yet." Haku said noting something Naruto could never have noticed.
"Wow! You're a Sensor on top of everything else huh." Naruto said impressed.
"Yes but I am surprised that your body actually could take foreign Chakra and make it your own without destroying your own Chakra or body." Haku admitted.
"Trust me it only feels that way, on the inside though it feels like that." Naruto said as he sat down on the floor cross-legged.
"So what did I do wrong this time?" Naruto asked exasperated.
This had been their pattern for the last week or so, they would spar and Haku would teach Naruto basic Hyoton Ninjutsu and then Haku would go over Naruto's performance and correct where he went wrong, as it happened this was also a good method to become good friends as well since they got a feel for the personality of the other.
"You had a strong start however once you started using the Hyoton you noticeably slowed down and you also stopped thinking about how best to beat me and shifted into just beating me no matter what. I don't know your original Sensei Naruto but willpower can only go so far." Haku explained calm and patient as always.
"I know, as soon as I'm adjusted to the Hyoton that'll stop happening but what can I do about the other stuff." Naruto complained hitting the clay floor.
"Honestly Naruto, Your Chakra has increased by a magnitude no doubt from absorbing my grandfathers own so you will probably never have problems with running out but your control is loose and there is a lot of wasted Chakra that could be saved so for that I recommend more Chakra control exercises." Haku explained and Naruto nodded along to these suggestions.
"As for the other things, well to put it simply you need to think more." Haku began to speak again.
"Buh!" Naruto attempted to interrupt but was stopped by Haku holding up a hand.
"It's not that 'You're too stupid to think' but rather that what you should be thinking about." Haku cut Naruto off before he could give the same excuse he would give to Arashi whenever he would say the same thing.
"When you fight you should be paying attention to not only your opponent and how they move the area around you, fighting here is bad training for this since there are no obstacles and no other fighters. The environment is just as important as predicting your opponent." Haku explained calmly.
"For example if you were fighting a Taijutsu specialist on water what would you do?" Haku asked Naruto.
"Erh, I guess I would just pelt him with Ninjutsu and retreat whenever he got close." Naruto gave a simple, practical answer but it was also predictable.
"That's a basic tactic but do you know what I would do?" Haku nodded his head at Naruto.
"No." Naruto said tilting his head.
"I would freeze the water beneath his feet and make him unable to move then finish him off." Haku said to Naruto's surprise.
"Oh! Yeah! That makes a lot of sense and it's easier." Naruto clapped his hands together as the idea came together in his head.
"Exactly your goal should not be a long drawn out battle but a quick one where you conserve stamina and Chakra." Haku said with a smile.
"I see." Naruto said looking thoughtfully at the ground.
"I don't think you will ever have to worry about your Chakra running out if you fight like that." Haku added in as he stretched an arm above his head.
"All right!" Naruto suddenly shot up back to his feet taking the older teenager off guard.
"Round 3!" Naruto grinned at Haku who sighed in response.
"This is the last spar for today." Haku told Naruto who nodded in acceptance.
"Fine, I think I know what you mean know." Naruto said brightly.
Haku jumped backwards and created a fair distance between the two of them and then on a silent signal known only to the two of them they began the fight in earnest once again.
Naruto launched a barrage of kunai and shuriken at Haku and this time the blonde did not charge at Haku instead he went sideways and ran parallel to Haku's position as the black-haired boy dodged right.
"Hyoken no Jutsu!" Naruto called out as a sword made of ice formed in his right hand and this time he went in at Haku who raised an eyebrow at his choice of Jutsu.
Naruto's ability and knowledge of swordsmanship amounted to stick them with the pointy end even Haku who preferred hit and run tactics with small accurate weapons like Senbon knew more about Kenjutsu than Naruto.
But even so, Haku had two Senbon in either hand and met Naruto clashing the thing metal spikes against his cold sword.
"I told you your physical abilities drop when you use the Hyoton." Haku scolded as they were near face to face but Naruto grinned audaciously at him and that sent Haku on high alert, he spared a short glance behind him and realised a second ice sword was rocketing towards him.
"Grgh!" Naruto grunted loudly as he knocked Haku off balance in an attempt to get him impaled by the sword.
Haku let out a breath and he moved like water, one moment he was knocked on his back and then he whirled out of the way making Naruto face his own sword.
"You!" Naruto wanted to shout more but instead, he was stopped short by because of deflecting his own Jutsu.
"Close, but don't brag until after your plan works." Haku advised as he threw more Senbon at Naruto.
Naruto rolled out of the way and threw his ice sword like it was a javelin straight at Haku and he ran right behind it.
"Allow me to show you our Hijutsu Naruto." Haku said with a smile that edged into bloodthirsty.
"Hijutsu: Makyo Hyosho." Haku intoned as an ice mirror formed in front of him which not only blocked but shattered the ice sword that Naruto had thrown at him.
"Woah!" Naruto said as his senses went haywire and he jumped to the right out of the way of the mirror.
"Good instincts." Haku praised him from behind the ice mirror.
"But what if there was more than one?" Haku asked as Naruto realised he was now stuck in a dome of said ice mirrors as they formed all around him.
"This!" Naruto shouted and he threw a smoke bomb on the ground.
Haku stepped inside his mirror and he was reflected on all the others as well, this was an extremely powerful Jutsu of the Yuki Clan and really should not have been used in a spar but Haku wanted to show Naruto two things, the first being the difference in strength and what it meant to fight a stronger Ninja and the second to show him the versatility of the Hyoton beyond just firing ice at one's opponent.
"I can detect you the moment you move to my mirrors." Haku said warning him.
And indeed Haku picked up movement on the western side, even with the white smoke in the way he threw a barrage of Senbon at the area.
"Ow!" Naruto called out as the smoke finally dispersed and revealed a pincushion with blonde hair.
"Not good enough to stop me!" Naruto said with a grin and revealed a handful of Explosive Tags.
"You!" That was all Haku managed to say before they went off and Haku backed out of his mirrors and watched as some but not all shattered or broke.
"Doton: Moguragakure." Naruto said as he sprung up from the ground beneath Haku with an uppercut.
Haku just barely dodged the blow as Naruto's fist clipped his chin.
'Thank you Hiruko.' Naruto thought with glee, Hiruko's own Chakra Nature had been Earth and despite his body, he had learned many Doton Ninjutsu and kept records of them.
Naruto's own Nature was Wind which was the opposite of Earth and he had trouble using Doton Ninjutsu but that Jutsu was the one he could use the best because it was so simple, of course now however Naruto had Wind, Water and their combined Nature Ice and he would no doubt get more as he amassed Kekkei Genkai, Hiruko had mentioned that gaining the all Five basic Natures was not only probable but inevitable.
"Nearly." Naruto said and followed up attacking Haku with a series of punches and knees.
By now Naruto had fought Haku a lot and had gotten used to how the other boy moved and preferred to fight, in this situation Haku would either leverage his longer reach and disengage or he would dig in and use Senbon as kunai while also throwing them at vital points.
"Better!" Haku said genuinely pleased with Naruto's trickery and hard push.
Naruto tried to get under Haku's guard by throwing a few high hooks as a distraction but Haku had already predicted that he would do that, which was what Naruto wanted him to do, Naruto was thinking ahead now, the various movements Haku could make were becoming clearer in his mind's eye even as he was staring at Haku's black eyes Naruto could see the outline of where the older boy could go.
Haku moved and it was one of the movements that Naruto predicted so he lashed out with a kick to the ribs and just caught Haku as he moved faster than Naruto thought he could.
"Close." Haku said as he winced from the blow, even without fully connecting it was a powerful hit and Naruto was much stronger than he looked.
"Futon: Reppusho." Naruto used the simplest but most versatile Wind Jutsu he knew which would knock Haku off balance, which it did as the gust knocked the boy onto balancing on one foot.
Naruto then swept his leg out the form under him and pounced on him with a kunai in hand.
"Well done." Haku congratulated him like there wasn't a sharp piece of metal pressed against his throat.
"Thanks." Naruto said as he stood up and offered Haku his hand, a reverse of earlier.
"That was very well executed and you successfully predicted my movements as well." Haku complimented him.
"Yeah! It was amazing, it was like I could see you moving before you actually did." Naruto explained waving his arms.
"That is the usual sensation for it." Haku agreed with his assessment.
"Thanks for this Haku, I never realised how out of depth I was." Naruto said sincerely.
"You helped our Clan a great deal and this is the least I could do for you, though it's not like I didn't get anything from these spars even if you aren't as skilled as Kaguya Kimimaro." Haku said casually.
"Wait! You fought that monster?" Naruto asked shocked.
"Of course how else did you think I got caught, honestly I would say that myself and he are about equal as Ninja." Haku revealed.
"Well, I suppose it's good he's dead now." Naruto said crossing his arms.
"Kimimaro is not dead Naruto, he survived my grandfather's Jutsu though not without injury, some of our Ninja saw him pull himself out of the ice and retreat." Haku revealed to Naruto.
"Shit! I hope that would have killed him, I never want to fight him again." Naruto told Haku honestly.
"I don't blame you, he is unstoppable in a straight fight his offence and defence are excellent and on top of that he is genuinely skilled in all Ninja Arts as well." Haku replied nodding at Naruto's words.
"Well, at least he'll be out of commission for a while?" Naruto said looking at Haku with hope.
"Yes even he is human and has to rest, the injuries you gave him on top of the injuries from grandfather will mean he will be recuperating for a while." Haku reassured Naruto with a pat on the shoulder.
"Come on, I'm hungry we'll get some food." Haku said tapping Naruto on the shoulder.
"Yeah, that sounds good I think I've stayed here too long anyway." Naruto said following him.
"Where are you going next?" Haku asked curiously.
"I was thinking the Land of Lightning." Naruto said casually.
"Why would you not go to the Land of Wind, the rumours place your Father there?" Haku questioned curiously.
"Uh! Oh! Well, that's because I've never actually met my Dad." Naruto revealed sheepishly.
"What!" Haku stated flatly.
"He met my Mom and they got together but he wasn't allowed to stay with her and I was born and they never met again." Naruto revealed something he never thought he would.
"Oh. I see." Haku said sadly, the scenario in the black-haired boys head was that obviously Naruto's Mother was a part of a Clan and Namikaze Minato was famously not having been trained by another famous clanless Ninja Jiraiya The Toad Sage. So obviously Minato would never have been accepted into a Clan especially with a bounty on his head from the Senju Clan so Naruto had been forced to grow up with an alive father but had never met him due to politics.
"I'm sorry to hear that." Haku said sincerely.
"Thanks, But I think I'll meet him one day I mean I'm travelling around the world and he does too so I think we'll meet at some point." Naruto said optimistically.
"I do too." Haku agreed as they made their way to the dining room for some food.
'I completely forgot about him! I was so concentrated on the Chimera Jutsu and getting Kekkei Genkai that I completely forgot about my Dad.' Naruto however was internally freaking out at the thought.
'Would he even love me? I mean we've never even met before and Mom died as well.' Naruto thought melancholic, he never let it show on his face though instead of keeping a smile as he and Haku talked.
'I'll just concentrate on getting Kekkei Genkai for now, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.' Naruto finalised his thoughts on his Father.
Later
Naruto was sat in his room meditating and concentrating on his Chakra, Haku was right there was still some of Byakko's Chakra inside his coils which had not been absorbed so he decided on concentrating on absorbing it properly.
The Chakra itself was cold and strong, he had to be very careful since any damage to his Chakra Coils would cripple him and end his life as a Ninja.
'Remember what Hiruko said, you can't force its only guide.' Naruto concentrated on Hiruko's teachings. The man was a genius in his field and even though he only used the Chimera Jutsu once he had managed to find the faults and fix it after only a single test that crippled him as well but even so Hiruko was an Uzumaki and his life force was still strong and of course, he was also extremely bullheaded.
'Guide and flow. Guide and flow.' Naruto chanted mentally while flowing Byakko's remaining Chakra into his own Coils and letting both of them mingle as they would instead of forcing it.
Naruto meditated for around an hour before all of Byakko's Chakra was absorbed fully into his own though Naruto felt like it had been days.
"Finally!" He exclaimed panting as sweat dripped from his forehead.
"Now map." He said to himself moving over to the small table he had in the room, there was already an open scroll on it displaying a map of the world.
Naruto looked left and right before sensing if anyone was near after he was satisfied that he wasn't being watched anymore he went through a quick sequence of Hand Signs.
"Fuinjutsu: Arawasu Shin." He said very quietly.
The map began to change and more writing appeared on it, in each different land the names of Kekkei Genkai began to appear, like for the Land Of Water it listed: Hyoton, Yoton, Futton and Shikotsumyaku.
The entire scroll was filled with all of Hiruko's information on what Kekkei Genkai existed in each land and what Clan had them, this was Naruto's guide to getting 5 Kekkei Genkai and completing the Chimera Jutsu.
"Where to next?" He asked himself looking over the map, right now he was in the east in the Land of Water, the only other lands he could realistically travel to were obvious. The Land of Fire, Land of Sea, Land of Waves, Land of Lightning, Land of Hot Water and the Land of Frost.
He looked over the minor countries and found them lacking in Kekkei Genkai and he had no desire to return to the Land of Fire again so the only real option was the Land of Lightning which was famously isolated and secretive but it also had a lot of Kekkei Genkai that he could get, the Ranton, Yoton, Koton, Jiton, and the Jinton (Swift).
'That's a lot of options, I think the Land of Lightning is the best option.' Naruto thought looking over the map.
"Yeah, that will be the next one." Naruto decided with a nod.
'I'll get ready to leave tomorrow, I'll enjoy the hospitality of the Yuki for one more night.' Naruto thought very thankful to the Yuki Clan.
His mind was made up he would go to the Land of Lightning and nab a Kekkei Genkai from there he would probably skirt around the Land of Fire and go to the Land of Earth than the Land of Wind, by the end of that journey he should easily have 5 Kekkei Genkai.
Kaguya Clan Compound
There was a gloom over the Kaguya Clan ever since the raid by the Yuki Clan, not only had they retrieved Yuki Haku the heir and strongest your Ninja in the Clan but they had stolen money and the Kiba as well.
Though in one room the strongest of the Clan was being treated for his wounds the most grievous was, of course, the missing skin from the explosions but there was also a lot of tender skin from taking a Hyoton attack head-on.
Kimimaro was sat in a futon sat up straight and his entire upper torso was covered in bandages that were blotted red with blood.
Kimimaro hissed as the medic tried as gently as possible to peel off the bandages.
"Sorry, Kimimaro-Sama." She apologised.
"It's fine just be quick." He commanded her.
Most of the damage from the explosion was fixed by the medic however the worse damage was the burns from the ice, Yuki Byakko had such control over his ice that he made it so cold it burned and stuck to people and that was what happened to him after taking that ice dragon head-on.
Even despite having a full armour of bone underneath his skin that did not mean anything when his skin itself was ripping off a human could not live without skin and he could not like with bone armour activated constantly.
"What happened boy?" An imposing voice questioned.
Kimimaro looked up to see his father standing there with his arms crossed with an ugly scar covering the left side of his face a parting gift from Hozuki Gengetsu when he was alive.
"I was ambushed by Yuki Byakuya who escaped with Yuki Haku after being wounded by myself, in the forest I was ambushed again by a freelance Ninja the Yuki hired called Naruto, he seems
to have a specialisation in the use of Explosive Tags as he used many of them as well as a modified Kekkai Ninjutsu, He used a clone made of blood which delayed me long enough for them to reach Yuki territory when I arrived Yuki Byakko saved his grandsons and nearly killed me." Kimimaro reported robotically like it was no big deal.
"Hm a freelance Ninja did those explosions and Byakko himself appeared on the field." His Father seemed to mull over the report.
"Heal quickly Kimimaro I will require you soon." He said before leaving the room just as quickly as he arrived.
'Arrogant fool, my power is not yours.' Kimimaro thought glaring at the spot where his father used to be.
His thoughts then turned to what happened 5 days ago and just what Naruto had said to him, 'Even an ant can kill a lion'.
'Perhaps he is someone worthy of my attention after all.' Kimimaro thought as his bandages were replaced with clean ones.
'Next time things will not go the same way.' He vowed to himself.
'I will take Yuki Haku's head and that boy.' There was a bright fire burning in his emerald eyes at the thought of that.
AN:
Here you go the big 1-0 we're in double digits now boys and girls. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter even though it is mostly set up but now that the first hurdle is crossed I'm hoping to ramp things up in the new arc set in the Land of Lightning.
Translations:
Hyoton: Tsubame Fubuki=Ice Release: Swallow Snow Storm
From the first and best OG Naruto movie.
Hyoken No Jutsu= Ice Sword Technique
From the Kakashi Hiden novel.
Hijutsu: Makyo Hyosho=Secret Technique: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals
The OG Ice move.
Doton: Moguragakure=Earth Release: Hiding Like A Mole
Used by Deidara to hide, I was thinking about using Kakashi's one but decided this one fit better.
Futon: Reppusho=Wind Release: Gale Palm
The basic Wind Jutsu.
Fuinjutsu: Arawasu Shin: Sealing Technique: Reveal Truth
Basic Fuinjutsu that reveals any hidden information on pre-prepared scrolls.
Hyoton=Ice Release
Yoton=Lava Release
Futton=Boil Release
Shikotsumyaku=Dead Bone Pulse
Ranton=Storm Release
Koton=Steel Release
Jinton=Swift Release
This one shares Jinton with Dust Release so that's going to be fun in the future.