Ugh, sorry this took so much longer than the other chapters, kinda lost my will to write for a while, family trouble. Also got a new computer and had to get used to it.
Here we are, the finale of the Nami arc and back to Konoha, like I said before, they're gonna be going on one more mission before the Chunin exams. Forgot to mention last chapter, Haku is the same age as Team 7. Someone pointed out in the first chapter I accidentally had Hiruzen call Yasaka, Naruko, so I'm gonna fix that. Also I forgot to mention, since Sasuke hasn't joined Sound yet, he doesn't have the purple rope thing.
Also, if I create a Jutsu, then I'll put it in the bottom of the chapter so you guys know what it does/means. Lastly, people seemed to want FemHaku in the harem, so in she is!
In case I didn't make it too clear last chapter, Kami was testing Naruto to see if he was starting to become like Kaguya. She isn't gonna kill anyone in exchange for his Shikotsumyaku.
Sorry if there's a lot of timeskips, for the life of me I can't find anywhere how long it is between graduation and the Chunin exams... I'm assuming at least a few months, hence the multiple missions to give Team 7 things to do while the rookies are doing D-ranks and starting their careers. I also don't know Japanese cooking, so there's gonna be random food from other cultures sprinkled in.
Now, Team 7's next mission, It's gonna be slightly original. It'll be based on a mission in an old PS2 Naruto game I have, Uzumaki Chronicles specifically, of course I'm gonna tweak it to suit the story.
Speaking of missions, this one is primarily gonna focus on Naruto, with not a lot of focus on the girls, I wanna try and give each character their own missions where they'll have a 'moment' to be a badass and save the day. Or do it One Piece stye where they each have their own villain to beat. Just wanted to let you guys know in case it looks like I'm just pushing the girls to the side to make room for Naruto.
Lastly, not sure if I mentioned this before, but when the members of Team 7 are just hanging out at their places, they're in their comfort clothes mentioned in the first chapter. It's nothing complicated, just no jackets, gloves, or weapons, in the case of those who have them.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other characters or Media that may appear in this story.
Chapter 4: Bad to the Bone... Need to work on that...
Naruto spun his new bone staff around a bit as he and Haku had a stare-down. Truth be told he thought this would be a fair fight, Haku might not be able to hurt him with her senbon, but he wasn't sure he could break her mirrors, "Yasaka, put up a barrier around yourself, you're still weak from those senbon, and this could get pretty hot." He flicked his staff as it slammed onto the ground.
Yasaka sniffled a bit, trying to hold in her tears at seeing him alive, "I don't know what happened to you, but if you lose I'll bring you back to life and kill you again!" Her chains shot out around her, forming a dome. A barrier of chakra formed between them, leaving enough space for Yasaka to see through.
Naruto shot forward, bringing his staff up. Haku quickly flew from the mirror just as Naruto hit it, the mirror had a large crack in it, and Naruto was smirking in victory, "Don't get too cocky." Haku said as the mirror repaired itself, albeit a bit slower than last time. Haku quickly brandished more senbon and quickly started flying between mirrors, bombarding Naruto with a hail of needles. Naruto flinched a bit at the sharp sting from the needles poking him, but was very happy knowing they were only penetrating the surface of his skin.
They seemed to be at a stalemate, and Haku realized this, so after a few minutes she stepped out of the mirror and the dome fell to pieces, "It looks like we'll have to settle this the old fashioned way. We're getting nowhere inside my mirrors."
As the two squared off, Naruto spoke, "So, exactly how did you fall in with Zabuza anyway Haku?
Seeing no harm in the question, Haku indulged him, "Zabuza-sama saved my life. Do you know of the Bloodline Purges in Kiri?" At Naruto's nod, Haku continued, "My mother was descended from the Yuki clan, and I activated the Hyoton Kekkei Genkai. She told me to never use it, but it was too late. My father was a die-hard supporter of the Mizukage, and he killed my mother. He would've killed me had I not done it to him first." Naruto listened in silence, "I was homeless, with nothing to live for until Zabuza-sama found me. He saw my worth and trained me, taking care of me. He always told me I was his tool, his weapon, but he wouldn't give his weapon the last of the food when it meant he wouldn't have any... He saved my life and took care of me when I was weak, so I will do anything to help him." She finished and brandished her senbon.
Naruto settled into his stance, "I see... For what it's worth, I'd rather it didn't have to go this way, Haku-chan." He charged forward, the two clashing staff against senbon. They were evenly matched in speed, but it quickly became obvious that Naruto held an advantage in strength.
Haku created a few water clones and resumed their fight, Naruto deftly deflecting and blocking their attacks. Naruto was never more happy that Kakashi made them all learn the basics of the common weapons... He was distracted from his thoughts as Haku appeared next to him and stabbed a senbon into his neck, then jumped up and kicked it, driving it in further. Naruto grit his teeth as he felt the needle pierce slightly through his bone armor, striking a nerve. He swung his staff around, destroying the clones and forcing Haku to move back.
Haku prepared her attack as Naruto yanked the needle from his neck, "Looks like I can hurt you, what about this, Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu!" A pillar of water shot up from below the bridge and flew toward Naruto, taking the shape of a dragon with glowing yellow eyes.
Naruto quickly went on the defensive, holding his staff against his shoulder, "Doton: Doryuheki!" A wall of earth sprung from the bridge, blocking the dragon. It cracked under the assault, but held firm.
"Suiton: Sensatsu Suisho!" Haku called over the roar of the attack, all the water that had flown over the wall formed into deadly needles. They flew toward Naruto with crashing force, making the horned boy gasp in pain as he felt his bones groan under the assault.
Naruto quickly created a Kage Bunshin and the two went through their own handsigns, "Suiton: Muzurappa!/Raiton: Denpa!" The jet of electrified water destroyed the remains of the earth wall and shot toward Haku.
The Kunoichi ran through her own long chain of sighs, and once the water got close, she threw her hand forward, frost coating it, "Hyoton: Zettaireido!" She flinched at the shock from the lightning, but her jutsu did it's work, as the water froze over near instantly, making a huge ice sculpture out of the attack.
Haku didn't have much time to make her next move as Naruto's clone appeared behind her, grabbing her in a full-nelson hold. She gasped as the real Naruto jumped over the ice, sliding along it, with a hand encased in lightning. Naruto ran toward Haku, gripping his wrist as he did, the lightning carving a trench in the ice as he ran. Once he reached her, he pulled his hand back and thrust forward, "Chidori!" Haku prepared herself for the pain, until the hand stopped just before hitting her, "Shogeki!" The lightning jumped from Naruto's hand to Haku, shocking her, forcing Naruto's clone to dispel, and making her muscles tense up. Once it stopped, Haku's mind was spinning, Naruto's modified Chidori stunning her, "Sorry Haku-chan." Naruto said as he threw his other arm forward, punching Haku in the face and breaking her mask, sending her flying across the bridge.
Kakashi grew very worried at the large surge of Naruto's chakra that had come from the ice dome. Still, his Sharingan was able to see that he was at least alive in there, so hopefully they'd make it out okay. He then dodged to the side as Zabuza emerged from the mist and tried to bisect him, the swordsman smirking at him below the bandages, he'd managed to give a good number of cuts to his opponent. The smirk disappeared however when the dome fell apart.
"Well, looks like your apprentice couldn't handle my brats." Kakashi taunted, even as the sounds of fighting reached their ears.
Zabuza growled, "Don't get to confident Kakashi, I don't know why Haku released the technique, but the results will still be the same." He suddenly appeared directly in front of Kakashi, slashing with his Zanbatou, which Kakashi dodged. He wasn't prepared however, as the Zabuza in front of him turned to water and he felt cold steel against his back. Kakashi dove forward, but wasn't able to avoid getting a large slash on his back, "Come on, Kakashi, this'll be over in no time if you keep getting distracted!"
Kakashi narrowed his eyes and pulled out a small scroll, "Then I guess I'll need to end this quickly..." Kakashi opened the scroll and pricked his finger with a kunai, swiping his blood along a blank section. He then went through a small chain of handsigns before slamming his hand down, "Kuchiyose: Doton: Tsuiga no Jutsu!" A sealing matrix spread from Kakashi's hand as Zabuza retreated back into the mist.
Once the technique ended, it appeared like nothing had been summoned, "Well Kakashi, looks like that didn't really pan out like you wanted, did it?" Zabuza said, his voice seeming to come from everywhere.
The silver haired Jonin carefully looked around, "Actually, it worked just as I planned." Zabuza's eyes widened as he felt something suddenly appear behind him, then they narrowed in pain as a large dog landed on him and bit into his shoulder. It wasn't alone, as more dogs broke through the ground, biting his arms and legs to hold him there. Kakashi walked through the mist to Zabuza, "You may be able to hide your presence, but these guys can sniff you out no matter how good you are at hiding. Especially when you've got my blood on you."
Zabuza growled and was prepared for the worst, but their fight was interrupted by Haku flying toward them and rolling to a stop in between them. Naruto then walked onto the scene, helping Yasaka walk, both Jonin's eyes bugging out of their heads at his new look, "God dammit, I hate being right..." Zabuza lamented.
Hinata and Yuuko then joined them, the latter carrying the Raijin. Naruto blinked as he noticed the legendary sword, "What happened with you two?"
Aoi looked around, wondering who just used him like a springboard. He shook his head, turning back to his opponent, who wasn't even paying attention to him. He charged forward, swinging wildly with the Raijin. Yuuko turned back to him and dodged all his strikes, before grabbing his wrist, smoke billowing from it as she burned Aoi's wrist.
He growled in pain and pulled out a kunai with his other hand, stabbing toward Yuuko and making her let go. Yuuko returned to her stance, "You should give up, the Raijin is the only effective thing you have in your arsenal, and you aren't even good at using it."
Her opponent grit his teeth and pulled out an umbrella. Yuuko raised an eyebrow as he tossed it into the air, then her eyes widened as it opened and started raining senbon down on her. She weaved through them, sending out waves of heated air to knock some of them off course. Once she was done she realized Rokusho was in front of her attempting to stab her, Yuuko was getting a bit annoyed at him, so she decided to end it quickly.
Yuuko moved to the side and chopped Aoi's burned wrist, making him drop the Raijin. She moved to stand in front of him, and placed her fist an inch from his chest. It became wreathed in fire as Yuuko shot it forward, "Hiryuken!" Once her fist made contact, the fire disappeared, and Aoi shot backward like a speeding bullet, a short but powerful jet of fire, like a jet flame shooting from Yuuko's fist. Aoi flew backward so fast he slammed into the metal railing and dented it badly. The missing nin was dead, a hole in his chest where Yuuko had hit him. The Uchiha heiress picked up the Raijin and turned to Hinata.
"Calm down Tazuna-san, you'll be fine." Hinata said to her client as she tossed another thug off the bridge. She only had five left, and upon seeing that Yuuko was done with her opponent, launched into action, no longer needing to focus on protecting her client.
Hinata grabbed the shoulder of the one in front of her, vaulting over him, a palm strike hitting him on the side of his head as she went over. He collapsed as she landed, and two others ran at her from either side, intending to stab her with their swords. Hinata dropped down onto her knees and leaned back, letting the swords go over her, she then grabbed their wrists and pulled them across, making them stab each other. She quickly jumped up and moved in front of the next one, swiftly breaking his knee with a kick and slamming her palm into the underside of his chin on the way down.
She turned to look at the last remaining thug and smiled. He stared for a minute before running like the devil was after him and jumping over the side of the bridge, "Well look at that, one of them has a brain."
Yuuko nodded as she looked over the Raijin, Hinata activated her Byakugan and spent a few seconds looking around, "We'd better meet up with the others, I think the battle is about over with."
"Good, I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry Yuuko-chan."
"We just fought a few nobodies, you look like you've had an interesting time." Yuuko said, sweatdropping as Hinata was instantly by his side, checking him and Yasaka over.
Hinata finished up checking Yasaka, "Alright, Yasaka-chan, you'll be okay after some rest. As for you..." She said while turning to Naruto, her Byakugan roaming all over his body, "I've never seen anything like this... Your bone is all that dark grey color, and it's structure has changed. It looks like it's turned into armor under your skin, guarding your organs and veins like a fortress while still allowing full range of movement..."
"I know what it is." Everyone turned to Zabuza, "I could be persuaded to tell you what I know about it, provided I have your word that Haku won't be harmed."
Yuuko, who was busy restraining Haku, spoke up, "So, your condition was caused by whatever this is activating?"
Naruto nodded, "I guess so... How exactly do you know about this anyway, what proof do we have you're not lying through yur teeth?" He asked Zabuza.
"The Mizugake required everyone to read up on all the Kekkei Genkai in Kiri to prepare for his bloodline purges. So how about it Kakashi, what I know could help him learn to use it a lot quicker. I don't give a damn what you do with me, just let Haku go once this is all over... Please." The demon of the mist said, actually showing a bit of care for someone.
Kakashi coundn't see any deception in Zabuza's eyes, "Alright, you have a deal. Now talk."
Zabuza smirked beneath his bandages, "It's called the Shikotsumyaku, and it belonged to the Kaguya clan. The Kaguya were kinda infamous in Kiri, they attacked the village to prove their strength and ended up getting slaughtered, you could say that's what kicked the purges off. Even to the end those psychos were smiling like bloodthirsty monsters... If I remember right, the Shikotsumyaku is incredibly rare, and the only way to tell if a Kaguya had it was if they had pure white hair."
Everyone was silent for a bit, "Dammit, I find out about my family and it turns out they're a bunch of crazy assholes..." Naruto said to himself, "Also that doesn't tell me how to use it."
Zabuza cackled a bit, "Too bad, you made a deal!"
Kakashi finally spoke up, "Well, as informative as you've been Zabuza, I think it's time to end this." He went through some handsigns and lightning danced across his hand.
Zabuza grinned under his bandages, "Then bring it on, I'm not afraid to die. You just remember our deal or I'll claw my way out of hell and drag you down..."
Before anyone could move, they were all stopped by the sound of clapping. Everyone turned to see Gato walking toward them with an army of thugs behind him, "Well, looks like I can't depend on you for anything, can I Zabuza?" He stopped clapping and stood there, smirking at them, "Now that you're all weakened from your fight, then these men should be more than enough to take you out."
Everyone was silent, "Is he serious?" Yasaka asked.
Zabuza looked back at Kakashi, "Well, looks like we aren't enemies anymore Kakashi, so would you mind?" He asked, indicating the huge dog with his head.
Kakashi sighed, after all the damn dramatics... "Alright then, thank you guys, that'll be enough. I'll get you some stuff as thanks when we get back to Konoha, Kai." The dogs all disappeared, Zabuza groaning as he rolled his shoulder and held up his sword.
Meanwhile, Hinata was untying Haku and using some smelling salts to wake her up. The Hyoton using woman jumped to her feet, looking around. Once she saw Zabuza, she ran over to him, "Zabuza-sama! I'm so sorry! I'll make this right, I promise!"
Zabuza waved her off, "Calm down Haku, Gato betrayed us, so we're working with the Konoha ninja now."
Haku blinked a bit, before turning to see Gato and his army, "Oh..." She gained a frigid smile, "Then I'll make that senbon through the hand seem like child's play..."
Gato's eye twitched a she watched them talk, "Excuse me! How dare you ignore me!? That's it, kill them all, and hell, you can keep the girls of you want them!" He backed up as his army slowly started forward, confident they could kill the Shinobi with sheer numbers.
Yasaka growled as she stood straight, letting go of Naruto. Red chakra started to flow out of her, turning her eyes ruby red with slit pupils, thickening her whisker marks, and lengthening her canines and nails. She drew Yume and glared at Gato, "Alright, he's dead."
Haku's eyes widened as she saw the change in Yasaka, remembering one of Zabuza's lessons, "Is that... Are you a Jinchuriki?" At Yasaka's nod, Haku gulped, "Why didn't you use that on me?"
"Well, I was about to, but then Naruto-kun crashed onto the scene." The blonde said as everyone readied themselves for a fight, "So, think this'll take long?"
Hinata looked at them with her Byakugan, "None of them have chakra levels above an academy student. It'll be simple."
Yuuko activated her Sharingan, steam flowing off her body, "I don't think it'll take very long." She blinked then turned to Kakashi, "By the way Sensei, you might want this. I was going to give it to Naruto-kun, but he has his bone weapons now."
Kakashi caught the Raijin Yuuko tossed to him. He looked it over a bit, before channeling his chakra into it, a glowing blue blade springing to life with more power than Aoi could ever squeeze out of it, "Well, I suppose Nidaime-sama wouldn't mind if I used it just this once..."
The seven Shinobi readied themselves and quickly rushed forward, Zabuza and Kakashi arriving first in front of the army, swinging their swords and taking out multiple opponents with one swing. Zabuza's Kubikiribocho cleaving through multiple opponents and the Raijin sending out large flashes of lightning. They were soon joined by their students, Haku quickly learning to work with Team 7. She was sending out waves of water needles, taking tons of thugs out of commission. The rest of the team was fighting through the army with relative ease. It was soon becoming clear to Gato that his army was being slaughtered, and he made a break for it.
He was stopped however by Naruto standing in front of him. The white headed teen was leaning on his staff, smirking at Gato, between his horns and devilish smirk, he looked like the devil himself, "So, where do we thing we're going? What was that you said about letting your thugs do whatever they want with the girls?"
As Gato tried to beg for his life, the rest of the ninja showed up, having cleared out the rest of the army, "Please, I can give you whatever you want! Money, women, anything, I swear!"
Naruto rolled his eyes and spun his staff, which snapped in half and started crumbling to ash. Naruto raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. Hinata walked over and watched it crumble with him, "Interesting... Looks like if they aren't connected to you like your spikes or horns they turn to ash after a while... We'll have to test that."
Naruto looked at his hand, then he thrust it toward Gato, a spike sprouting from his palm that pierced Gato right through the head, killing him, "Well damn, I can shoot stuff to!"
Tazuna, who'd been on the sidelines of everything, walked over to them, "So... Is it over?"
After that, they heard the marching of more feet, and groaned at what they thought was another army. It was, but it was an army of the villagers of Nami, lead by Inari. They looked around the bridge at the bodies, lingering on Gato, "Did we miss the whole thing?" Inari asked, holding his crossbow.
Hinata chuckled, "It would appear so, Inari-kun."
Naruto slumped his shoulders, "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm exhausted..." He said as he started walking back to Tazuna's house.
Tsunami widened her eyes at his new look, "Um... Are you alright Naruto-san?"
"Yeah, just a growth-spurt..."
Yuuko walked over and poked his horn, "Speaking of, how do you get rid of these horns and spikes? They could be a problem at times..."
"Ya know, I have no idea... I'll figure it out later."
- Nami, three weeks later -
The weeks in Nami had passed in peace, it's people enjoying a happiness that they hadn't felt in a long time. Since all of Gato's thugs went down on the bridge, it left his manor completely open, so the people of Nami were able to redistribute all of Gato's wealth, getting the country and it's people back on their feet. While that was happening, Team 7 and their new guests passed the time guarding the bridge and relaxing.
Yasaka looked confusedly at Naruto, now minus the spikes, horns, and fully dressed, "That's your fifth glass of milk this morning, are you okay?"
Naruto nodded as he downed another glass, "Yup, just trying to make my Shikotsumyaku stronger." At Yasaka's dumbfounded look, he elaborated, "Milk helps build strong bones, so it should be vital for my techniques."
Hinata, who was sitting next to him, took on a thinking pose, "I'm not sure that's how it works..."
"That's stupid, your bones are strengthened by your chakra, milk doesn't do anything!" Yasaka wasn't as nice.
"Since when were you an expert?" Naruto asked his annoyed blonde teammate.
"You know as much about is as we do, even if it's your Kekkei Genkai!"
"Fine, we'll ask the expert! Hey Zabuza, does milk make the Shikotsumyaku stronger!?" Naruto called upstairs.
"How the hell should I know!? Just shut up and let me nap!" The swordsman called from the second floor.
Yasaka shook her head, "Whatever, that's not what I came here to do..." She gave Hinata a pleading look, and the bluenette walked into the kitchen. Yasaka sat down next to Naruto, "I've been thinking over these past couple weeks, and I've realized that there's something I needed to say that's long overdue." She looked at Naruto with a bit of hesitance, "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have sealed your chakra and tried to make you resign. I was just so afraid of living my life without you that I couldn't even think about what you wanted, I was selfish and used your promise to make you do what I wanted, so I'm sorry..." She said with a bowed head.
Naruto was silent for a minute, before he chuckled and patted her head, "I already forgave you, Yasaka-chan." She looked at him in surprise, "I shouldn't have talked about letting myself die. I know that despite your attitude, you really care for me, and I care for you a lot as well, at least now we know that I'll be sticking around for a lot longer!" Naruto said with a grin.
Yasaka turned away with a smile, trying to hide her small blush, "Thank you... I'd better get going, I need to remove the seals before we leave later..."
Naruto watched Yasaka leave with a smile, he felt like this mission was just what they needed. It started off kinda boring, but it quickly evolved into something much more interesting. Add to it, he didn't have to go to the hospital anymore! Score one for team Naru- "Agh! Son of a bitch!" Strike that.
Hinata moved to sit next to Naruto again, a bit of chakra still coating her hand, "Oh don't be a baby, I know that didn't hurt that much."
"I thought you were done poking at me? I spent at least 12 hours in the last week letting you take notes on my body, I refuse to be your science experiment any longer!" Naruto said as he crossed his arms.
"I'm not experimenting, I'm making notes on the changes to you so I can better heal you when you need it. You should be happy it's me doing this and not the hospital back home." She thought for a second as she took out a notebook, writing in it, "Also, I only told you I was done to see if you subconsciously change your skeletal structure when you aren't on guard... You don't by the way."
"Gee, thanks..." Naruto said with an eye twitch. Hinata merely smiled and went back to her notebook, "So, we all ready to head home?"
Hinata nodded, "Yes, once Yasaka-chan is done removing her seals and Tazuna announces the bridge completed, we'll start on our way home. By the way, I don't think I ever asked, how did you get rid of the spikes and horns?"
Naruto shrugged, "I just channeled some chakra into them, then pulled the chakra in, imagining it was taking the bone with them. It seemed to work alright."
They sat and talked for a little whole until Tazuna walked in with Kakashi, Yuuko, Inari, and Yasaka. The old bridge builder was practically bouncing with excitement, "The ceremony is almost ready! We all agreed to break for lunch and meet back there to make it official!"
Tsunami walked out of the kitchen, much happier than the team remembered her being when they first arrived, "Alright! We're almost ready in here, just take a spot at the table and we'll bring it out." She turned back into the kitchen, "Haku-san, would you go grab Zabuza-san for lunch?"
Haku walked out of the kitchen wearing her pink Yukata, "Of course Tsunami-san, I'd be glad to." She walked up the stairs and everyone sat in silence for a minute, until raised voices started to filter down from upstairs.
"I'm not hungry!" The voice of Zabuza drifted down.
"Zabuza-sama, we are guests in their house, and if they ask us down for lunch then it's common courtesy to join them!"
"Too bad, I wanna nap and polish the Kubikiribocho and you can't stop me!"
All was silent for a minute, before a large slam sounded through the floor, along with a loud slapping sound. Soon after, Haku walked downstairs with Zabuza, sporting near opposite expressions. Haku's face was the picture of serenity, she smiled happily as she sat at the table. Zabuza however, looked like he'd gone a few rounds with a biju, he also didn't have his bandages on, showing his sharpened teeth. He sat down and groaned a bit, before Haku turned to him and he straightened right up.
Tsunami brought out the food, everyone digging in with gusto. After a bit, Kakashi turned to Zabuza, "So, have you thought about what you're gonna do now? Isn't there a rebellion going on in Kiri?"
The swordsman nodded, "Yeah, I'll probably just keep wandering. I would go enlist with the rebels, but ninety percent of who I know is there don't trust me worth a damn. A ton of them would be all to happy to just kill me and keep my sword."
Haku nodded, "I'm not too eager to enlist in the war either, besides, where Zabuza-sama goes, I go."
Yuuko looked up from her food, "Wanna come to Konoha with us?" The rest of her team along with the subjects of her question went silent, "If you don't have anywhere else to go then why not? It's not uncommon for rogue Shinobi to fall in with another village."
Naruto nodded and turned to them with a grin, "Plus, we know Hokage-jiji, so we can vouch for you. After all, living on the run must be pretty rough. Hey Yasaka-chan, isn't the apartment next to ours open?"
"When we left it was, not a ton of people wanting to live next to the demon girl." The blonde said with a shrug.
"I'm sure you both will love Konoha! As the heiress of the Hyuga clan, me vouching for you will do wonders."
Haku had a bright smile, but kept her composure, "I would love to! It'll be so nice to have an actual home to live in..."
Zabuza however, was a bit miffed at his apprentice, "Hold on Haku, don't go talking like it's already decided! Even if I were to take your offer, how do I know you'll keep your word? How do I know you aren't trying to trick us?"
Yasaka raised an eyebrow, "Do you usually nap and live around people you don't trust?" The swordsman's eye twitched, "I personally don't care if you come, but Haku-chan has become a friend of ours and we'd love it if she were to be our comrade."
Zabuza couldn't see any tells of a liar, and he could practically feel Haku's eyes burning a hole in the side of his head, "Ugh... Fine, you've convinced me, plus we don't have anywhere else to go, and it would be kinda nice to have an actual place of my own again..." Haku's smile widened as they returned to their meal, everyone being almost finished now.
Tazuna was finding the whole situation a little surreal, less than a month ago, two of these people were out for his blood. Still, he wasn't gonna complain, "Well, looks like we're all done, so let's hurry down to the bridge and open it for business!"
Everyone helped clean up and the group of ten headed down to the bridge. The workers had gone above and beyond to finish it after Gato's defeat, and with the help of the Shinobi and their clones, it got done even faster. Everyone was standing on the Hi no Kuni end of the bridge, the villagers of Nami there to see them off.
Inari grinned brightly at them, "You guys'll come back to visit us sometime, right?"
Naruto gave him a thumbs-up, "Of course! We might not be able to come back quickly, we have work and all, but we'll definitely be back to visit again!"
Yasaka ruffled his hat with a smile, "Look after your Kaa-san and Jiji, alright?"
Kakashi was chatting with Zabuza a bit away from the group, "By my count, it should take us just a couple days to get back to Konoha at Shinobi speed." He watched his students say goodbye to everyone, "In all honesty, we're lucky we got a happy ending like this at all..."
Zabuza nodded with a chuckle, "I doubt they'd be as nice to me if they knew I used to work for Gato. Gotta say though, I never though I'd be willingly going to Konoha, much less in the company of a ragtag bunch of brats like this. Still, I can't help but feel a little happy with how things turned out..." He turned to Kakashi with a glare, "That stays between us, I don't need them knowing I'm happy with this..." Kakashi nodded with a laugh.
With that, Team 7 along with Haku and Zabuza started on their way back to Konoha, waving to their former client. As they walked away, Tazuna realized something, "We need to give the bridge a name! How about, 'Tazuna's awesome bridge of liberation!'"
Tsunami shook her head with a deadpan stare, "I don't think that would work, Tou-san..." She gained a fond smile and watched the ninja leave, "We'd better thank out lucky stars we had them to help us."
Inari thought for a second, then got an idea, walking over to his sulking grandfather, "What about The Seven Star Bridge?" Everyone turned to him in confusion, "Well, the seven of them got rid of Gato and his men, and they're pretty much stars here for what they did."
Tazuna thought for a second, "You know... That's not half-bad Inari-kun. I like it! The Seven Star Bridge it is!" The people of Nami cheered and started to party the night away.
-A Couple Days Later, Konoha -
Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki, the eternal Chunin, were partaking in their least favorite job, watching the main gate. However, they were relieved from their boredom when Naruto slammed into the ground just in front of them. He slid along the ground for a few feet, legs in the air, before he came to a stop. They sat there staring at him before he pulled himself up, "That was dirty!" He yelled as he turned back toward the path.
The rest of his team walked up, the girls sporting smirks, Yasaka walked over and poked his cheek, "No it wasn't, the bet was that the first person through the gate has to buy dinner. You were first through the gate!"
"That's because the second Sensei said it, you all ganged up and threw me!"
Hinata giggled behind her hand, "However it happened, you lost the bet, Naruto-kun!"
"Ramen sounds good." Yuuko chimed in, earning a winning smile from Yasaka.
Kotetsu shook his head at Team 7's antics, "Never a dull day with them around, is it?"
Izumo shook his head with a small smile, "Got that right."
Kakashi walked over to them, "Team 7 reporting home, with two guests."
"Sure thing Kakashi, so who're the... guests..." Kotetsu started to ask, until he noticed the intimidating visage of Zabuza Momochi.
Haku walked over to them, "Don't worry, Zabuza-sama will behave. Right?" She aimed the last word at Zabuza, who sighed and nodded.
"I take it you've got a hell of a story to tell, Kakashi." Izumo said, looking to the silver-haired Jonin.
"Definitely, so we're gonna make a B-line to the Hokage-tower if you don't mind."
Kotetsu nodded, "Yeah, no problem, just... You remember procedure, right?" He asked as a few ANBU dropped down, surrounding Zabuza.
Zabuza tensed and moved closer to Haku, "Stay close to me, Haku."
Naruto walked over, "Don't worry Haku-chan, it's standard procedure for any unexpected foreign Shinobi to get an ANBU escort through the village." She nodded and the group started toward the tower. They garnered quite a few looks, civilians wondering what the fuss was about and Shinobi recognizing Zabuza, then wisely choosing to stay out of the way. Once they arrived at the Hokage tower, more ANBU showed up, watching Zabuza and Haku like hawks as they started up toward Hiruzen's office.
Once they arrived, the secretary stared for a second before sighing, this was far from the most interesting thing she'd seen today, "Hokage-sama, Team 7 here to see you with ANBU escorted guests." She said into an intercom.
"Send them in, Shizuka." Hiruzen's voice said through the speaker. They all moved into his office as he finished up a few more forms. As the seven Shinobi all lined up in front of him, he finished his paperwork, "Alright Team 7, what madness have you wrought upon me today?" He took a second to look over the group, then at Zabuza and Haku, "You're all going to be the death of me..."
So they spent the next hour or two detailing their mission to Nami to the Hokage, everything from the attack of the Demon Brothers to Naruto's Shikotsumyaku. Said bone user letting his horns sprout out of his head and making a small bone spike to prove it. Hiruzen sat patiently through everything that was said and when the story was all finished, he thought for a minute, then reached under his desk, pulled out a bottle of Sake, and downed a few swallows, "Just when I think you three can't surprise me any more... So Zabuza-san, you wish to join Konoha's ranks?"
Zabuza nodded, "I got tired of being a wandering rogue ninja, and the brats said they'd vouch for us. Haku here was never a Shinobi, she's only ever followed me."
Haku bowed, "We'll submit to whatever test you have, we just want to have a home again. I also have a scroll my mother kept of Yuki Clan techniques, so I can teach rebuild them here if I'm allowed."
Hiruzen stared them in the eyes with an intensity not even Zabuza was prepared for. He wasn't called the Kami no Shinobi for nothing, "Very well, you'll have to talk to our T&I division, rest assured you will not be harmed if you comply with them. If they clear you, you'll be on watch for three months, you'll be free to train and wander about the village, however you'll be restricted from ANBU headquarters, along with certain sections of the Hokage Tower. After that period is over, you'll have a six month stretch where you can take on missions and gain access to the previously restricted areas, but you will not be leading missions until it's over. You also will not be trusted with village secrets until I say so. These conditions are non-negotiable, understood?"
Zabuza nodded, "Hai, Hokage-sama."
"Very good, as for miss Haku, you've said you are Zabuza's apprentice, so you'll have to share the same obligations."
Haku bowed again with a smile, simply happy to have a place to live again. Hiruzen turned back to Team 7, "Now to you five... Naruto-kun, you certainly don't do things halfway, do you?"
"What can I say, Jiji? I was just as surprised as you are." Naruto said with a shrug.
The elder Shinobi gave him a fond smile, "Well, you've all had a long mission, take the week off. Also, since you vouched for Zabuza and Haku, you're in charge of getting them somewhere to live." The Genin nodded, "Now, to the things I know you won't like... Naruto-kun, to the hospital with you!"
"What! Oh come on! Hinata-chan poked and prodded at me a shit ton while we were in Nami, can't we just give them her notes?" Naruto whined, slumping his shoulders.
"Reading and seeing are two different things. Still, since Hinata-chan took such good notes you should be out of there fairly fast, now off with you! Hinata-chan, would you make sure he goes straight there?" Hinata nodded with a salute, earning a glare from Naruto, "Now, until Naruto-kun has a handle on his Shikotsumyaku, you all won't be going on any missions, but you'll be receiving on-duty pay to compensate."
Kakashi nodded while his students groaned, "Is there anything else Hokage-sama?"
"As a matter of fact, yes! Since you've awakened a nearly extinct Kekkei Genkai, Naruto-kun, once you become a Chunin you can register you and any family you may have as a Shinobi Clan, entitling you to a seat on the Council. Normally there'd be an investigation and the council would have to deliberate, but that's more in the case of people without Kekkei Genkai wanting to create a clan, but since you have a true Kekkei Genkai, I'm sure they wouldn't object." Hiruzen said, making sure Naruto was paying attention.
"Well, I'm not sure Jiji..." Naruto said nervously, "It sounds like a lot of work... Wait, aren't you doing something like that Yasaka-chan?"
Yasaka nodded, "Yup, I'm in the same boat. The Uzumaki were allies with Konoha, but we never had a council presence here, and now that I'm the last known one, I'm doing the same thing. Well at least we won't be alone now!"
Yuuko looked over to them, "Did you two forget about me and Hinata-chan? We'll be learning the ropes of the council once we become Chunin too. We are the heiresses of our respective clans after all." Thinking of, Yuuko was very grateful Sasuke didn't give a damn about heading the family... It might cause some ugly family drama if he did.
Hiruzen looked over at his clock, "Well I think that's enough exposition for today. You four head home and relax, Kakashi, if you would go with Zabuza and Haku-san to T&I?"
Kakashi nodded before turning to his team, "Alright, take some time to decompress and we'll meet up at Training ground 7 one week from now at 7:00 sharp."
Just before they left, Hiruzen left Naruto with one last thing, "You may want to practice your signature again, Naruto Kaguya." Naruto stopped and thought for a minute. He never had a family name before, he was always just Naruto...
"Naruto Kaguya." He said to himself before smiling to himself, he didn't know why, but it made him kinda happy.
As the Genin left, Kakashi reached into his pack and unsealed the Raijin, getting wide eyes from Hiruzen, "So, what should we do with this?"
- One Month Later -
"Haku-chan, your cooking is the best thing I've ever experienced." Yuuko said as she twirled some spaghetti onto her fork and inhaled it. The Genin of team 7 were currently sitting in Haku and Zabuza's apartment, enjoying the Hyoton user's fine cooking. Their new neighbor's apartment was very similar to theirs, the only difference being the light blue paint on the walls.
"Thank you Yuuko-chan, Zabuza-sama can't cook, so someone had to. It's gotten to the point where he'll starve if I'm not there to make something." Haku said as she turned the stove down before sitting in front of her own plate.
Naruto grinned as he tucked in, "Well we're sure happy you invited us over! None of these girls can even boil water!" He smirked as he was hit with three separate strikes, none of which affected him, "Ha! Shikotsumyaku renders your attacks ineffective!" Speaking of, Naruto had tweaked his clothes just a bit for easier access to his abilities. Instead of his long-sleeved shirt, he was wearing a white, sleeveless zip-up shirt.
Yasaka's eye twitched, "Dammit, smacking him was the one thing that got him to behave..."
Hinata chuckled, "Well I'm sure we can find something to do to him later. By the way Haku-chan, where's Zabuza tonight?"
"He went out for a walk, I think he's found a new drinking buddy other than Kakashi-san. He came back a few nights ago grumbling about a, 'Purple haired snake lady'."
"Sounds like Anko-sensei, I'm not surprised she took an interest in Zabuza. She always liked pointy things, and the Kubikiribocho certainly counts." Yasaka said before taking a drink.
Naruto groaned, "May Kami pity the poor bastard, Anko-sensei is cool, but she's a massive flirt. I've seen the most stoic ninja in Konoha get turned into blushing messes around her."
Yuuko looked over at him with a sly smirk, "You're just mad because she loves messing with you."
It was that moment that Zabuza decided to walk inside, he had since changed his outfit, wearing a standard Konoha Jonin uniform with the sleeves shortened. He was also wearing a Konoha Hitai-ate and had the Kubikiribocho strapped to his back. He took a look around the apartment before his eyes landed on them, "Ugh, don't you brats have your own place?" He asked as he walked over to the kitchen getting himself a plate of food.
Hinata nodded, "Of course we do, but Haku-chan's cooking is too good to resist!"
As they ate, Naruto spoke up, "Gotta say Zabuza, the uniform looks good on you. How's the village been treating you guys?"
Haku beamed, "Everyone has been very nice to me, though a lot of the Shinobi watch me pretty closely. Still, I suppose that's to be expected."
"At least you don't have the same problems as me... I can't go anywhere without ANBU breathing down my neck. Plus other than Kakashi, and to an extent the snake lady, nobody wants anything to do with me." Zabuza said as he took his seat.
Yasaka waved her hand, "Welcome to the club, I'm the president. Right now me, Anko-sensei, and you are the only members. You get used to it." She then looked over to the clock, "Oh, looks like I need to be going soon. I've got some training to do, I'll be at the hot springs for a while."
Yuuko raised an eyebrow, "The old pervert is back in the village?"
"Yeah, and he promised he'd teach me something good the next time he was here." Yasaka said with a grin ad she finished her food and left.
Jiraiya of the Sannin was having an all around good day. He'd gotten back to the village after a number of months away and, after reporting to his sensei, had gone off to partake in his favorite activity. He was scribbling in a notebook as he sat in a tree, looking into the women's side of the hot springs. In all honesty he did have somewhere else to be right now but it could wait, "Ah, it seems Kami-sama is on my side today, there are indeed some prime quality beauties in the springs right now!" He said quietly to himself, "Oh, today is a great day..."
"I agree, it certainly is."
Jiraiya stiffened as he heard the female voice behind him, and started sweating as he realized who the voice belonged to. He slowly turned around to find Yasaka staring at him with an evil smirk. The writer in him couldn't help but compare her to a smug empress, making her prey squirm, "Oh... Hello Yasaka! How are you today?" He asked nervously.
"I'm doing very well Ero-sannin. So tell me, what exactly are you going to teach me today?" The blonde asked with a grin.
"Well... I was going to teach you several quick-seal formulas for use in combat. From what Sarutobi-sensei told me, you've arrived at that level. Which I must say is very impressive, you've reached a level beyond anything I could do at your age!" He said, all too highly.
Yasaka put a finger to her chin in a thinking pose, "That does sound very useful... However, blatant flattery will get you nowhere Ero-sannin, anything else you want to offer?"
Jiraiya's eye twitched, looking between Yasaka and the group of women, all of whom would relish beating him to within an inch of his life if they knew he was there, "I suppose I could be persuaded to teach you the Rasengan..." He said with a small smirk.
That certainly caught Yasaka's attention, "The Yondaime's technique? Interesting... Alright then, I'll meet you at Training ground 7 after you recover!" She said as she quickly started on her way.
"Recover?" Jiraiya said to himself, before a kunai zoomed into the tree right beside his head, he yelped a bit, then started running when the women in the spring realized he was there. He spent the next hour being chased around Konoha, desperately dodging a large amount of pointy things being thrown at a particularly sensitive area.
Yasaka was sitting against a tree filing her nails when Jiraiya showed up, giving her a less than impressed look, "What? I didn't do anything!" She said with a small grin.
"Of course not, you just distracted me so I'd lose focus on staying hidden. You know, when Sarutobi-sensei told me he had a promising Fuinjutsu student for me to teach, if I'd known how much trouble you'd cause me, I would've said no." He was of course lying, he'd never pass up the opportunity to teach his former student's daughter, not that Yasaka knew it.
Said blonde shrugged with a cheeky smile, "But you did agree, and here we are! So without further ado, let's get started Ero-Sannin!" Jiraiya grumbled at the lack of respect before they got to work, "Also, why did you want to teach me the Yondaime's jutsu?"
Jiraiya shrugged, "Well it'd be shame to let it die out with me, and I have a feeling he'd want you to learn it."
Yasaka narrowed her eyes in thought, "The Yondaime would want me to learn it? Small comfort for subjecting me to a life of hell..." She said to herself.
Jiraiya sighed to himself, deciding to move on as he unrolled a large scroll, showing a pair of basic sealing matrices, "Alright, this one is the physical formula." He said, pointing to the matrix with the Kanji for 'Physical' at the center, "It can act as a physical shield from attacks and projectiles. The more chakra you pump into it, the bigger and stronger it gets. Now, when I say physical, I mean non-chakra based attacks that have physical presence, it can however, block punches and kicks that are enhanced by chakra, but techniques like the chidori can still get past it since they are encased in chakra. Explosions can also get past it since they have no physical presence, after you get this down I'll teach you the sheild for them. This is the most basic formula, you can refine it to be more specialized toward whatever you want, I myself have ten versions of this seal. Of course, since they need to be placed on the hands, you can only realistically have two on you at any time, so keep that in mind."
Seeing that she was paying attention, he continued, "This other matrix is basically the same thing, but for chakra based attacks like jutsu. Once you've mastered it you can specialize it for a specific element, which will of course make it less versatile but stronger against that particular element. The Yondaime was even able to use this thing to block a tailed beast's Bijuudama during the Kyuubi attack."
Yasaka made an appreciative hum, "Hold on... What about Doton ninjutsu, they're chakra based but they also have a physical presence? Also Suiton ninjutsu?"
Jiraiya nodded with a smirk, happy she thought of that, "This seal works by effectively expelling the chakra from a technique, when a Suiton jutsu hits it, the chakra will be gone, but the water will continue on at the same speed and power it her, same with a Doton jutsu, so a specialized physical sheild would be better for them. Raiton, Futon, and Katon jutsu are fueled by the chakra inside them, so once it's gone they'll fizzle into nothing just like that. Of course, there are exceptions. Which brings me to our next lesson, the two types of ninjutsu; creative, and controlling." Seeing Yasaka's raised eyebrow, he continued.
"Creative ninjutsu work by making our chakra mimic an element, effectively turning into it. Katon ninjutsu are an excellent example, people obviously can't breathe fire, so our chakra mimics fire for the duration of the jutsu before turning back into chakra and dissipating. That's why there isn't a forest fire every other day from a Shinobi using a Katon ninjutsu, the fire just turns into chakra and goes away." Jiraiya took a deep breath before continuing, wondering when he became captain exposition, "Controlling ninjutsu work by wrapping your chakra around or injecting it into something and forcing it to change and work to our desired end, Doton is a prime example. Let's take the Doryuheki technique, the user pushes their chakra into the ground, breaking a piece of earth loose and pulling it up to the surface to act as a shield. On the other side is the Yomi Numa, where a person's chakra forces the ground to change into that of a quicksand swamp. With me so far?"
Yasaka nodded, clearly very interested.
"Good, there are of course, creative Doton techniques and controling Katon techniques. However they're pretty rare, since there's rarely enough fire just out in the world to justify using a controlling Katon technique, and why would you ever neef to use a creative Doton technique when there's rarely a time you're without earth? Raiton is mostly creative, Futon is mostly controlling, and Suiton is the most balanced between the two. You'll need to be able to tell what kind of jutsu your attacker is using to best decide which shield to use."
Yasaka was silent for a while, digesting all the information, before looking up with determination, "Let's get started then!"
-One week later-
Yasaka stared at the rubber ball in her hand with a feral grin, watching as it popped within seconds of gripping it. Jiraiya meanwhile, was staring at her with unashamed shock, his jaw damn near on the ground, "What the hell!? It took Minato years to make that technique and took me months to even start mastering it! You master the second exercise in a week!?"
Yasaka gained a smug smile as she looked over at Jiraiya, "Well would you look at that, I guess I'm just amazing." She said, examining her nails.
Jiraiya shook off his shock and rolled his eyes, "Whatever brat, now you've got the last step to work on, this time however, don't pop the balloon." He said as he handed her another balloon, this one filled with air, before tossing her a scroll filled with them, "This step is for learning control, when you can hold it inside the balloon without it popping for a solid minute, then you've mastered the Rasengan, got it?"
Yasaka nodded, "I'll be sure to be better with it than the Yondaime ever was," She said as she walked out of the training ground back home.
"I have faith that you will." Jiraiya said with a fond smile.
Naruto Kaguya, he still wasn't used to that, was walking through the streets of Konoha in his full Shinobi gear, ready to take on the world with his new abilities. He was feeling particularly good today, maybe that was why he felt the need to call out to a particular Jonin he'd seen walking toward him, "Hey, what's up Yamato?" Remembering to use the new name Kakashi had told them he'd taken up since becoming a sensei.
"Oh, hello Naruto, I heard you had an interesting mission last month." Yamato said with a smile as they stopped to talk a bit, Yamato's curious team also stopping.
Sakura, being the most curious of the bunch, spoke up, "Um, who's this Sensei?" He was clearly a Shinobi, and about their age.
The wheels in Sasuke's head started turning the minute their sensei started talking to him, they were clearly familiar with each other, and he seemed to be about the same age as them. With their sensei's admission at having worked with them before, this could only be a member of Team 7. With that figured out, Sasuke stepped forward, "You're one of Team 7's members aren't you? I've been wanting to meet you for a while."
Naruto's smile got smaller as he looked over at Sasuke, Naruto wouldn't mince words, he didn't like Sasuke. Specifically for the way he ignored Yuuko, and if it wasn't for his respect for it being a family situation, he would've beat the hell out of Sasuke and made him listen to his sister. Still, that was no reason for him to be antagonistic, "That I am, Naruto Kaguya's the name, how can I help you?"
Sai meanwhile, was content to simply watch this interaction play out. It was clear to him that Naruto harbored some negative opinions of Sasuke by his body language, and Sasuke hadn't exactly been subtle about his desire to test himself against the members of Team 7. Sakura meanwhile, while not as attuned to body language as Sai, could at least sense the bits of tension in the air.
Sasuke gave a small smirk, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha, and I've been wanting to challenge one of you to a spar, Yamato-sensei says you guys are the strongest Genin in the village. I happen to be doubtful about it." He said, challenging Naruto's gaze with his own.
"Well, I'd be happy to spar with you Sasuke-san, but I have a meeting with my team in a bit so I can't afford to dawdle, so I'll have to take a raincheck." Naruto said as he started back on his way to the Hokage Tower, "See you later Yamato."
Sasuke watched him leave with a twitch of the eye, he'd waited weeks to fond someone he could test himself against, "I suppose it's for the best, you'd need time to prepare to fight someone like me anyway. I don't blame you." He remarked, trying to draw Naruto into a fight.
Naruto's footsteps stopped. Now, he wasn't normally one to rise to such an obvious bait, but if what Yuuko was said was true, then Sasuke was a bit arrogant, and needed to be taken down a peg before he got himself killed. Naruto knew that Sasuke was well above the level of a normal Genin, but he wasn't as strong as he thought he was, Naruto couldn't do a full on spar due to his time constraint but... "Alright then Sasuke-san." He turned around and faced Team 11, "How about this, when you can punch me and make me flinch, then I'll give you the spar you want, okay?" He said with a friendly smile.
Of course, this was a surprising stipulation to the three other Genin, and surprisingly simple. Yamato just watched, right now it was simply the start of a small rivalry between them, when and if it got more heated, he would step in.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes, was he being mocked? Did Naruto really think that Sasuke was so weak that a punch from him wouldn't make him flinch in the least? He simply couldn't let that slide, so without hesitation, Sasuke lunged forward and threw the strongest punch he could muster directly into Naruto's face, intent on teaching him a lesson. A small shockwave erupted from the point of connection, catching the attention of the civilians gathered around. Sasuke smirked, until he realized something.
Naruto hadn't moved a single bit. He was standing there like a statue, looking straight at Sasuke, even as he held his fist against Naruto's nose. Sasuke pulled his arm back and watched as Naruto tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, not a single mark on his face, "Not bad Sasuke, that was harder than I thought, but you'll need to be stronger if you wanna scratch me." Naruto turned around and kept walking, waving at them as he left, "Keep practicing and one day you might get that spar!"
Sakura and Sai stood shocked at what they'd just witnessed, Naruto had taken the blow without any hint of being hit at all. None seemed more shocked than Sasuke, he was simply staring after Naruto, seemingly unable to comprehend what had happened, he hit him, he knew he did! Yamato took this moment to speak up, "Alright, I think that's enough excitement, we have a mission to get to, so come along you three."
Sasuke simply stood there as his teammates shook off the event, he grit his teeth and realized that his hand hurt, punching Naruto had actually hurt his hand! The distance between them was far larger than Sasuke thought... He assumed that they'd be about even, maybe Naruto would be a bit stronger, but not by that much. "Sasuke, are you coming?" Sakura asked, after looking back to see Sasuke still standing there. Sasuke took a deep breath and schooled his features. He'd just have to gt stronger then, he stared after Naruto with steel in his eyes, a lot stronger.
Hinata raised an eyebrow as she watched Yasaka stare intently at Yume, "Still having trouble?" They were standing outside the Hokage's office, waiting for the meeting between their Sensei and the Hokage to be done with.
Yasaka turned to her and sighed, "Yes... No matter what I try, meditating with it, going through Katas, Yume won't accept me, I don't get it!" Soon after receiving the Uzumaki Clan scroll from Hiruzen she'd discovered that Yume and it's sister sword Akumu weren't just her mother's swords. They were the ancestral swords of the Uzumaki, and had been worn and used by the Uzumaki clan head or heir since it's founding. They had special hidden abilities that could only be activated once the swords deemed you worthy of using them. Yasaka had immediately started working with Yume to try and unlock it, but no matter what she did Yume wouldn't accept her. "I just don't get it! I've tried to be worthy of the Uzumaki name, I've practiced all the disciplines, I'm learning the techniques, I've tried to live my life like my mother, but nothing!"
Hinata gave her a smile, "Didn't it also say that it took decades for them to accept anyone? You just need to be patient and believe in yourself, you can do it."
Yuuko nodded and placed her arm on Yasaka's shoulder, "Yeah, it's not like you're an anime protagonist with some godlike enemy waiting in the wings about four or so years from now." The ravenette said like she'd just dropped some amazing wisdom
The two other girls sweatdropped at the reassuring, but eerily specific method of cheering Yasaka up. "Um... Thanks Yuuko, you always know just what to say..." Yasaka said with a smile.
Naruto suddenly walked up, "Hey, sorry it took me a few minutes, had a little run-in with Sasuke."
Yuuko looked over to him, a bit surprised, "What happened!?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips and glaring at him.
"Relax! Nothing happened... Well nothing significant..." Naruto said, before recounting his tale to the three girls, "Then I left, that's all."
Yasaka smirked to herself, "Wish I could've seen the look on their faces when it happened." She said, giggling to herself.
"You certainly don't do things halfway, do you Naruto-kun? Always with the flair for the dramatic..." Hinata said, shaking her head.
Yuuko was still staring at Naruto, burning a hole in his head, before sighing, her look changing to a softer one, "Please just don't antagonize him... I want to help him through this, not force him to do what I want."
"I know Yuuko-chan, and I promise that I won't hurt him... Unless he actually gets a spar, then I will." Yuuko smacked Naruto for his response and the four lapsed into a comfortable silence as they waited for Kakashi to get done with his meeting and tell them their mission.
Chapter End!
There we go, finally done! So, we'll start the next mission in the next chapter, then I have something planned for between it and the chunin exams, where the 'Naruto neglected/abandoned' elements I mentioned in the first chapter comes into play, then the exams themselves!
So, a couple things. Firstly, should Kakashi keep the Raijin? I was gonna give it to Naruto, but realized that'd be kinda stupid since he can make his bone weapons and channel his chakra through them. So, should Kakashi keep it, yes or no?
Yasaka finishing the second step to the Rasengan in a week, if anyone has a problem with her doing it so fast, let me point out a couple things... Canon Naruto finished the first step in three to four days, the second in three weeks, and the third in one more week, this was with his still shit chakra control. It seems that if Yasaka's been training for four years, then her chakra control would be significantly better that her canon counterpart, so a week to master the second step isn't too far fetched... Especially since according to some math on the internet, it took canon Naruto just a week to learn the whole damn thing, which I seriously doubt, no matter how much protagonist power he had!
Lastly, Jiraiya's chakra lesson is something I came up with, it just makes sense to me. But don't worry, it's not a big part of the story, just something I threw in as part of Yasaka's Fuinjutsu training training so it's not gonna be mentioned much outside of the context of Yasaka making seals.
So there we go! Let me know what you guys think, and I'll get started on the next chapter when I can!
Jutsu.
Raiton: Denpa (Electric Wave) - C-Rank
- The user charges their hands with electricity, which is then transferred to anything the user touches. It's a support type ninjutsu that is best used in conjunction with water and/or melee strikes.
Hyoton: Zettaireido (Absolute Zero) - B-Rank Kekkei Genkai technique
-Known only to the members of the Yuki Clan, the user instantly freezes any water they come into physical contact with. The larger the body of water, the more chakra is used to freeze it.
Chidori: Shogeki (Shock) - A-Rank
-A special technique developed by Naruto, based on the Chidori. It is meant to stun enemies by shocking them with electricity, as such it isn't as deadly or as powerful as the base Chidori.
Hi no Karada: Hiryuken (Flying Dragon Fist) - C-Rank
-One of Yuuko's taijutsu moves used in conjunction with her Hi no Karada. Yuuko packs her fist with intense fire and launches a one-inch punch at her enemy, the fire shooting forward with incredible intensity in a short range jet, capable of punching holes through it's target.