I DO NOT OWN NARUTO/ NARUTO SHIPPUDEN
Chapter 17
~ Inzuka Household ~
Hana had been waiting for Naruto to arrive. The Chunnin exam had ended the day before, she could fully understand him not being able to come to see her directly afterwards. He would likely be exhausted.
Remembering her own Chunnin exams, the field exam was a daunting task. Her exams were held in the Hidden Sand, though they were for three days, not five. She was by no means worried, she found it amusing to think that someone taking the exams held more power than Naruto.
On the other hand, it was also a frightening thought. For someone to be more powerful, they would have to be from another village, that meant they were a threat.
She was currently seated at her dining table in her house. Being that the veterinary clinic was inside the Inuzuka compound, her break time could be spent at home due to proximity.
In-between looking after the Clinic, Haimaru triplets and herself, she had not found much to do with herself without Naruto around. The dates had become much more common, twice to sometimes three a week.
She found that she loved it, not only was Naruto someone that she cared about, was in a relationship with, but he also seemed to be her best friend. She found that he was more than a boyfriend, he was an excellent set of ears and a shoulder to rest on.
She would often burden him with rants about work, regularly feeling a little bad about dropping everything on him. Luckily that never took up much of the conversation, but Naruto never complained.
Kiba had returned home from the forest but he was currently out at this moment in time with their mother. Kiba and Shino thought it best to train separately, just, so if they were to meet in the finals, they would be playing it as fair as possible.
Returning from work, she placed her Tsukune down on the table. It had been an ordinary day, tick removal and the like. In actual fact the day had been going quite we-
'Thud!'
She was torn from her appreciative thoughts by a brash knock to her door. There was only one person who would knock like that and that fact confused her.
If she was here, why wasn't Naruto? Hana let out an exasperated sigh as she pushed herself away from the table she stood up. As she made her way to the door, the sound of two bickering voices.
Petty arguing was very Anko, that only confirmed her suspicions. She couldn't make out the other voice, it was somewhat muffled. As she got closer, she heard the extra voice yell a 'Hey!', hopefully, it wouldn't descend to much.
The door unlocked, the pair outside froze, the weight of the situation hadn't entirely sunk in until that point.
When Hana opened the door, she was greeted with a more than confusing sight. Anko, the person she knew as her closest friend was currently holding Naruto, her boyfriend in a headlock. Both looked like they had just been caught in the act of theft.
The wide eyes were indeed an intriguing sight.
"What's going on here?" The confusion was evident, but humourous, it was perturbing.
"Um... Well... you see..." Hana raised an eyebrow, what would be so fear-inducing?
Anko recovered from her fear, Naruto, on the other hand, felt like his heart was about to pop. Unsteady breathing, red face, tremors, his body was going into shock.
Why did this have to be so hard?
The purple-haired beauty looked to her side, Naruto was in a real state. Finding her mischievous side, she grinned.
"Hello wife number one, I'm number two!"
Anko felt Naruto go limp in her grip.
~ A Short Time Later ~
Silence.
Nothing made any noise in the Head Inuzuka household. Hana, who was the only resident of the house amongst the trio that currently occupied the place sipped her tea.
She looked up from her steaming drink to look at the pair that sat across from her. Anko shifted awkwardly in her seat, in all truth, it was very comforting, but the feeling the other female was giving off was not.
She hoped that her ice-breaker would have forced Hana into the conversation. That failed spectacularly, Hana was unfortunately unlike her clan. Her preference to not run in head-first set her aside from them, that was why she hadn't spoken a word.
She appeared adamant about waiting until Naruto regained consciousness before the conversation began. Fortunately for both females, they did not have to wake long before the blond tussled.
Fluttering his eye open, he was met with a house he had frequented. Groaning as he sat up, his previous rapid heart-rate had left him with a headache when he woke.
He rubbed his eye and leaned forward. "Uhh... what the hell..." He complained to no one in particular.
"How are you feeling honey?" The voice held no care, it lacked all emotion. Naruto went rigid once more. One could hear his head turn as if it was a rusty gate, the creaks were audible.
Seeing that she needed to press, she decided to be direct.
"How?"
Naruto still didn't answer, not out of fear but he still had no clue himself. Anko saw this as her time to include herself.
"Do you know about me training with Naruto?"
"I do."
Anko mentally face-palmed, this would be a fun conversation.
"Then you know that we've spent years together?" She asked, gaze still firmly stuck to the floorboards.
"I do. But I also know that you haven't exactly been on a talking basis for a while now have you?"
Naruto lifted his head at that. "That would be my fau-"
"No, I did it." Anko interrupted. "Back then, Naruto was clueless about the form of our relationship." She spoke sweetly, but some bitterness seeped through.
"Hey!" Naruto said with puffed cheeks. "Maybe I didn't know, but I was ten, I wasn't really sure about any relationship of mine."
"Like I said, clueless."
"He is, isn't he." Hana agreed. "That still doesn't answer my question."
Anko didn't enjoy the conversation, couldn't everyone just accept it? Hoping that they would read her thoughts, she sent expectant glances to the two others. Receiving a blank and confused stare respectively, she decided to answer.
"During that time we spent together, I had the time of my life. Even before what happened with him, I had never been so happy."
Hana's features softened, even before Orochimaru, Anko had been averse to better times. As a war orphan, she had no family, orphanage life was tough. It was only when she graduated from the academy that she left that place.
Being an adult on the technicality of her being a registered ninja, she was allowed to live on her own. It wasn't until she returned from her 'training trip' that she had befriended the three other females. That had been a long process, Anko was extremely distrusting of everyone for an extended period after returning.
"And when I'd have to go on missions, I noticed that I didn't have that 'spark'. I thought it might just have been the fun of harmlessly torturing some brat."
Her speech was interrupted by murmurings of 'Harmless my ass'. Anko shot him a glare, and he immediately stopped. All three swore they could hear the sound of a whip cracking in the distance.
"But after speaking with Yugao-chan, I lea-"
"Whose Yugao?" Both women turned to look at the boy. Anko stared at him incredulously. "I know I shouldn't say this but, she's the ANBU member who helped train you." Naruto 'Ohh'ed in realisation before allowing her to continue.
"As I was saying, speaking with Yugao-chan showed me it wasn't 'what' I was missing but 'who'. The brat I first met kinda grew on me, luckily he's grown up, but even then he was great to be around."
Hana accepted that she had heard Anko's side, now her boyfriend. Turning her whole body to face the blond, she looked at him expectantly.
"Ah, right... " He said before scratching his chin. "It was a little different for me. I'll admit I hadn't completely understood what I felt, I thought it was like with Saseru-nee-chan, but it did feel different. It was also like what I had with you Hana-chan actually now that I think about it but..."
Naruto trailed off, he wasn't sure what kept him from speaking.
"'But' what?"
"But if I had only known that then. I know this will sound harsh, but, I'm not entirely disappointed with how it happened."
Anko felt her hackles rise at that, how could he say that? Didn't he know that she was distraught at how things ended between the pair. Remembering her own feelings she remembered Hana relaying his to their group, she never once said it was about Anko but the purple-haired beauty knew. After those talk she knew that he too felt horrible, so how could he say that.
"I mean, I might not be here with you Hana-chan. Not that either of you is more important but... I don't know... I just hope that makes sense."
That's how.
Anko internally took on a look of understanding. Matters of how one felt were unpredictable, hell she fell for a ten-year-old! But, they should not be ignored.
"After fighting Orochimaru an-"
Hana's gaze snapped to Naruto. "What was that?"
"O-orchimaru." He replied, crap! Chunnin weren't told about what happened in the forest.
"Orochimaru is in the village?! What happened to the barrier? How didn't we detect hi-" She cut herself off as she looked at Naruto. In a flash, she was standing over him and started bopping him on the head, quite firmly.
"What did you think you were doing fighting a Sanin? I know you're good, but seriously, you didn't stand a chance!"
Anko rushed in and grabbed the Inuzuka's fist. "He knew that I was fighting him, he came out there to help me." Anko wasn't angry at Hana for her reaction, in fact when they were back at the tower, she had given him a similar reprimanding.
Her voice was low and full of guilt. "I see." She wiggled out of Anko's grip and swatted his head once more, though it was much softer this time. "I can let it slide this time because you were protecting a friend of mine." Naruto let out a relieved sigh at that.
"And."
Naruto looked back up at her.
"I'll only accept it as long as I get the same treatment." She said coyly, She knew no matter who said what, Naruto wouldn't stop risking his life for others so she might as well enjoy it while it lasts.
The blond and purple-haired shared looks of astonishment. "Yo-you're okay with this?" Naruto spoke, gesturing to the three of them.
"Honestly?" the two leaned in. "No."
Cue face faults.
"The whole situation is screwed, I'm just unfortunate enough to be a part of it."
Naruto looked stricken, he knew this was unfair to ask of anyone. Hana had promised that she would stick through it, he'd trusted her-
"But," She interrupted the thoughts of the pair. "I'm glad it's you two. Honestly, if you were to chose someone like Haruno-san, there was no chance that I would let it happen."
"Anko-chan you're a great friend and Naruto-kun I love you but." Her gaze turned serious. "You both can be the biggest idiots I know, so as longs as the headaches are kept to a minimum, it'll be fine."
Both Anko and Naruto wore wide grins, Hana had really led them on, but in the end, she had agreed. Anko's frown returned with her furrowed brows.
She was stuck in thought, the snake-mistress wanted to be able to freely express herself with the jinchuuriki, she just wanted to check with Hana. "Do want this to be public?"
Hana put a finger to her chin and stared at the ceiling in thought. "I suppose you would like to go on dates, wouldn't you?"
She could feel Anko's nod.
"And when have you cared about how people think of you?"
"Never!" Anko loudly pronounced. Both listening smiled fondly at her answer, there was no faking Anko Mitarashi.
"Then, who am I to stop you?"
Anko's grin turned feral as she locked eyes with the blond. Naruto grew slightly fearful in anticipation, that face hadn't come out since their training.
Unfortunately, Naruto was still the shortest amongst the three, being four-foot-eleven, he was still more than ten centimetres shorter than Anko and twenty centimetres shorter than Hana!
So, when he was picked up by hands that cupped his cheek, his feet hovered over the ground, dangling around her shins. He was about to protest this action when he found that he couldn't speak. The circumference of his mouth had been entirely covered by Anko's lips, a recent feeling that he was quickly coming to thoroughly enjoy.
Hana wouldn't lie, there was a pang in her chest. She and Naruto had never moved that far, and Anko had already gotten there. But Hana knew that if Anko were to watch, it would likely end up with her feeling the same way. That soothed her thoughts, one would have to care for feelings like that to arise, she could take safety in that fact.
For the moment, she pushed the feelings aside and matched the usual demeanour of her friend. Once the lip-lock had ended, she struck. Barely having enough time for air before Naruto felt soft lips press against his once more.
This time though it was different, it had the same commanding aura to it, he wouldn't win, but it was still different. The tongues fought ferociously, aiming to take dominance in their battle. It took an extended moment before the two broke up. Naruto opened his eyes, then they widened in surprise.
"Ha-hana-chan."
"You bet, now, I could have been doing this for months now. I'm gonna catch up on lost time." She spoke huskily, Naruto could only nod dumbly.
As per her thoughts, the pang in her chest was mirrored in Anko's. All three knew it would be an uphill battle, but at least all of them seemed prepared.
Luckily for Naruto's blood-pressure and innocence, the taking turns of his lips didn't last forever, but they did stay long enough for one exhausted boy to open the front door. This was during Anko's turn.
Kiba looked petrified, it was as if someone had just told him that dogs would be banned in the village.
He refused to make-out the scene. 'That fucking word!' He mentally raged. Right on his family's couch in the living room sat two kunoichi's and a boy, one being his sister, and one of his closest friends. Up until that point could be excused as nothing but it was when he saw that Naruto's tongue was currently boxing the other girl's uvula and Hana didn't even look mildly perturbed.
Much to his horror, the light lip-stick that she wore was smudged, and her lips were slightly swollen, indicating that she'd been kissing too!
The trio was so engrossed in their activities that they hadn't heard the door open, that or hear Hana's over-bearing, younger brother walk in.
Kiba stood deathly still, tired or not, he would kill him.
"Naruto."
The three went rigid, this was a horrific sight for someone like Kiba to see.
"I'm going to kill you."
At that, Hana stopped, "No, you're not Kiba!" It came out with its fair share of force, shocking Kiba into taking a step back.
"What do you mean?!"
"I said you won't kill him, in fact, you won't even try to hurt him. Those two are dating, we are consensual adults, you have no say in this."
"But what about you?!"
"As I said, 'we' are consensual adults. 'They' are dating" Gesturing to the still Naruto and Anko. "And 'we' are dating." She gestured to herself and Naruto.
For once Kiba had nothing, he looked between the three in confusion. Finally taking a breath, he spoke. "I don't get it."
Hana knew that this would always have been the most challenging conversation. "I'll put it in laments terms, 'he'," pointing at Naruto. "Is dating both of 'us'," she finished, flicking her finger between her and the proctor of the second exams.
Kiba stood in shock, then slumped over, massaging his temples with the points of his fingers. "You know what? I am too tired for this, I'm going to take a nap."
And with that, Kiba did as he said he would, up the stairs in the Inuzuka household, he went to lay down. Mentally and physically exhausted.
Hana decided it best to not explain the reasons for another female in the relationship. She couldn't imagine the kind of reaction that would get out of him.
"That went a lot better than expected," Naruto commented.
"I'll say." Hana shook her head in exasperation.
"Is he always like that?" Hana turned her head upwards to meets the questioning Anko, a grim expression on her features.
"Normally worse, he thinks as my brother, he needs to protect me from everything. One thing included in that is my love life."
"Ahh..." Anko responded sagely.
Naruto looked up at the clock hanging on the wall. It read, 12:54, He looked over to the two girls. "I've got to go, Pervy-sage is getting back to the village in six minutes. I wanted to catch him coming in."
Brushing off the encounter with her protective brother, she grinned at the boy. "In that case, we have five more minutes of this." She stated bewitchingly. Anko matched her expression.
Naruto feigned horror as the Inuzuka connected with him once more.
'This is the best torture, ever.'
Five minutes later, Naruto was out the door, off to meet with Jiraiya. That left Hana and Anko in the Inuzuka household.
Hana turned to the Snake Mistress, "Anko, that day when I showed you the clan charter. Is this why you reacted that way?"
"Yeah, why?"
"No reason, but we have to make a deal. This thing with the three of us was a one-time thing. In the future, my intimacy with him will be just him and me okay?"
"Okay?"
"It's just... I want to hold on to any semblance of normalcy between us. If we're continually sucking face, that won't happen."
"I guess, I'm not really into it either, to be honest." Anko's eyes proceeded to glint. "But wouldn't it hilarious to watch him try and deal with his friends after a 'public' display?"
"Anko..." Hana bemoaned. "Sometimes you're too much, I don't want to be some sort of circus performer."
"That's fine, I guess I'm just getting more of him then."
"Don't make this a competition, it won't end well." The Inuzuka spoke tiredly.
"I know, I know, something I want to ask you."
"What is it?"
"When?"
"'When'... What?"
"I get he's an adult now, but he's still twelve. I'm not interested in being known as a paedophile, I've already got too much in common with my sensei."
Hana snorted at that, then realised what she meant. "Anko!"
~ With Naruto ~
The blond boy was speeding towards the main gate, a stupid grin on his features. There was no doubt that was the best feeling he'd ever experienced.
Dodging in between buildings, scrambling across roads, Naruto was intent on seeing his sensei when he'd arrived. Jiraiya had been out of the villages for just over two weeks now.
He'd been abusing his Sanin travelling rights, he would do it every so often. Now was the best time as he wouldn't be able to talk to Naruto for five days anyway. Even though he had no spy networks to maintain, he hadn't stopped being an author, that meant he needed his precious 'research'.
Jiraiya had told him that when he passed, not if, he would spend the month practising toad summoning techniques. That had obviously sparked Naruto's interests, he learnt reasonably quickly that toad summoning was more than just that.
The techniques that accompanied the contract included:
'Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Trap', Summoning the stomach of one of the giant Toads from Mt. Myoboku, trapping themselves and the opponent.
'Summoning Jutsu: Crushing Toad Stomach' Similar to Toad Mouth Trap but instead of summoning the stomach of the Toad, you reverse summon yourself and your opponent to the inside of a Toad in Mt. Myoboku.
'Summoning: Bring Down the House Jutsu' It is a regular summoning Jutsu apart from the fact that the Toad is summoned high in the air with the primary purpose to crush the opponent. Jiraiya told him that Gamahiro and Gamabunta were the best choices for that due to them being larger, even if only marginally, than Gamaken.
'Summoning: Toad Shop Jutsu' A toad reforms itself into a shapes front, then after luring in the victim it would return to a toad, and the person would be stuck in the stomach of the Toad.
'Toad Subjugation: Shadow Manipulation Jutsu' Similar to the Nara Shadow Possession Jutsu but one must make physical contact with their opponent's shadow. Once they do so, they fall into the shadow and can control their movements.
And finally, there was the technique he was instructed that he would most likely be using, 'Barrier: Toad Gourd Prison'. After conversing with Hiruzen and Jiraiya about the maniacal Jinchuuriki walking free around their village, Gaara. This was a Jutsu that captured opponents, Gaara would be extremely hard-pressed to escape.
On top of that, there was collaboration Ninjutsu. Now, he had performed collaboration Ninjutsu with his clones, but he'd never performed it with the Toads.
The first and most common was the 'Toad Oil Bomb'. A sticky oil is spat out by the Toad, this makes it hard for the opponent to move. When a Fire Style Jutsu is added to it, it becomes explosive, more so than if a Fire Jutsu aided by Wind Style.
Naruto knew that he would never be able to master more than two of the techniques. Usually, he'd back himself to finish four, maybe five if he really worked at it.
Right now though he still had his primary project, the Rasenshuriken. He had figured that he could form it with a shadow clone in six seconds, it seemed a waste. Without the clone, it took ten seconds, that meant that in a battle, it was ineffective and dangerous.
He would get it completed for the finals he had to. Still dashing through the streets, he saw the main gates. He stopped just in front of the entrance to see the guards playing flick rugby with a paper triangle.
"Hey, guys!"
Both Kotetsu and Izumo fell out of their chairs at the call. The stack of paper next to them came back up in a cloud of the white sheets.
When Naruto heard no movement, he peered over the edge of their desk to see the guards glaring daggers at him, still covered in papers.
"Hello to you too, Naruto." Izumo ground out. "Great! Now we have to re-order all of these!" Kotetsu added.
"Ah, sorry about that..." Naruto said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I was meaning to ask, has Pervy-sage turned up yet?"
When the angered faces turned to absolute confusion, Naruto sighed. "Has Jiraiya of the Sanin arrived?" Both shook their heads before putting two and two together.
"God Naruto, you've got some brass balls to call Jiraiya-sama that," Kotetsu muttered out amusedly.
"What'cha mean by that?~" He replied in a sing-song tone. "It's a term of endearment."
"Sounds more like a death-wish..." Kotetsu returned.
"Nah, he loves it."
"Loves what kid?"
Naruto whipped his head around to meet the owner of the gruff voice.
"Pervy-sage!"
Jiraiya comically ground his teeth at the nickname. "Don't call me that you brat!" He then proceeded to put the younger ones in a headlock, claiming that he wouldn't release him if he didn't take it back.
"Term of endearment, he loves it, sure thing."
Naruto managed to weasel his way out of the Sanin's grip, "Come on, kiddo, let's go, you can tell how the exams have gone so far."
"You got it! How was the trip?"
"You know, the Land of Grass is as green ever, saw the sights and all that jazz."
Jiraiya took a few steps before realising that his feet were the only pair making noise. He turned around to face his apprentice, who was giving him a blank stare. "You went to perv at the hot springs, didn't you?" He deadpanned.
"Like I said, I saw the sights."
~ Later ~
"So my teammate was in the village?" It was definitely more of a statement than a question, but Naruto nodded anyway. "Well It's a good thing I'm here then isn't it?"
Naruto nodded again.
Jiraiya was already aware of this fact, Hiruzen had sent out a carrier hawk to get the news out to him. Naruto didn't need to know, and unfortunately, even though he encountered the man in the forest, he was still a genin, only Jonin ranked ninja were privy to that knowledge.
"What do you think he wants? He placed that seal on Sasuke, Nii-san sealed that. But... there's got to be more to it than that, doesn't there?"
"Mmm... It's undoubtedly like Orochimaru to go large-scale, so, yes there likely will be more to it."
Naruto didn't respond immediately; instead, he grew slightly fearful. "You... you don't think he'd go after the old man, do you?" He couldn't help but let the familiar name slip with the worry he was currently drowning in.
"Unfortunately, apart from luring the Uchiha away, going after the village and the Old man will likely be his main goals." The sea of worry got deeper, that knot that had formed in Naruto's stomach tightened.
Jiraiya saw the worry growing in the boy, He felt the same way too. More than justa sensei, Hiruzen was a second father to him, he was just better at hiding it is all. "Don't worry," He began, it was a lot easier said than done but the kid needed to remain focused. "Sensei might be getting up there in his old age but by no means is he a weakling. On top of that, now that I know he's here, I'll be sticking around. He'll be fine."
That appeased Naruto if only slightly, trust or not he loved the Old man. If Orochimaru took him away before his time, there would be nowhere on this earth that the snake could hide. It wouldn't be immediate, but Orochimaru would die.
Seeing the thought process running through his apprentice's head, he sighed.
"Look, Naruto. You're going to have to relax, if you're always worried, bad stuff is much more likely to happen. So do as I say and relax, actually... has anything else happened, not ninja related?"
Naruto turned bright red.
"Ooohh... What happened?" He said suggestively, wiggling his eyes and fingers,
"A-Anko-chan and I..."
"I see, so she finally told you."
"Huh? How do you know about that?!"
"Sensei told me," Jiraiya said unflinchingly.
"How does he know?"
"Dunno, maybe Neko-san told him?"
"Great..." Naruto breathed out. "I always seem to be the last one to figure everything out."
"Well... for someone who is so prodigious in Fuinjutsu, you are impressively dense."
"Who are you calling dense?! The only reason I don't hit your head in spars is out of fear of breaking my hands or denting my blade!"
"How am I dense brat?!"
"How long have you 'loved' your teammate?"
Jiraiya gained a faraway look in his eye. "There's a reason for that, her voluptuous mounds are god's gift to us humans, what I would give to..."
Jiraiya once again left his apprentice behind. This time he was too engrossed describing the wonders that were the extremely large chest of Tsunade Senju. Naruto had stopped in his tracks, he knew he had lost his sensei in his ravings.
He was about to go home and train before he remembered something that he needed to attend to. So he decided it best to see the Hokage, he hadn't seen Saseru in some time as well. He wanted to make sure that they hadn't left before he could talk to her.
~ Hokage Tower ~
Luckily it was a straight line from the gate to the tower, meaning that it took no time at all.
Pushing the familiar double-doors open he was met an extremely bored Saseru, chin resting on her desk, staring at the brushing she was tapping on the desk to a monotonous tune.
"Heyya Saseru-nee-chan," Her head didn't move, but her eyes dragged themselves to meet his. After a few seconds on unintentional stare down, she rapidly shook her head.
"Naruto-kun, it's good to see you." Her half-lidded eyes widened then softened warmly. "You too Nee-chan, Is Hokage-sama free?"
"Yup, in-between exams there isn't much to do. Do you need to see him?" Naruto nodded cheerfully. "Do you want to join me?" Seeing her eyes brighten, he decided to tease. "On second thought, you looked to be in the middle of something, I wouldn't want to interrupt." He said offhandedly.
"Very funny," She deadpanned "You know when you're Hokage, you'll be doing the same thing." Naruto puffed out his cheeks childishly, crossed his arms and looked away from her. Saseru pinched his cheeks like a proud mother.
"Let's just go." He spoke exasperatedly; she giggled and nodded. They continued idle chit-chat until they reached the door of the office. They said their partings, she thanked him for the break and made her way back down-stairs.
Naruto knocked on the door, hearing a stifled 'Enter' he pushed the door open. Greeted with an equally as bored, but still cheerful, Third Hokage. "Ah Naruto-kun, how are you? I didn't manage to talk to you after the exam."
"Ah yes, sorry about that, I had some... personal issues to iron out."
"Seeing that massive grin on your face and how she was acting during and after the exam, I'm led to believe something happened between you and Anko, no?"
Naruto sighed deeply.
"Who told you?"
"A little birdie," Hiruzen replied cheekily.
"I think that bird should stay in its' cage." Naruto returned.
"Shouldn't everyone be free?"
"You're right, if it's free, it might get eaten." Hiruzen chuckled at the boy in front him plotting the demise of a non-existent fowl.
"While this banter is amusing, you usually have a reason to see me." It hurt Hiruzen to admit that and Naruto cringed outwardly at that remark. Naruto used to just turn up to the tower and spend time with the old man, sitting on the floor next to him, talking about mundane topics. Naruto and Hiruzen would admit that they missed those times deeply.
Naruto took a gamble, not something he had done it quite some time. He knew with a legendary missing-nin after someone he cared about, it was very likely that, that person's days were numbered. "I'm sorry about that... Gramps."
At that remark, Hiruzen beamed. It had been so long since he'd heard Naruto say that. He hadn't felt this good since the birth of his grandson, Konohamaru. Tears coalesced at the corners of his eyes as they became glassy. "Th-that's fine Naruto, come see me whenever you want, my door will always be open to you."
"Thank you..." Naruto offered softly. "But right now, there is something I need."
"Of course."
"Where are the Hidden Grass Genin staying?"
Hiruzen quirked an eyebrow. "I'm sorry if they didn't tell you it's not my place to either. Staying in the same village or not, safety is the priority. But why do you ask?"
"One is an Uzumaki," Naruto stated firmly. "Her hair is even the exact same as mums was."
Genin's identities entering the village were not raised to the Hokage unless they were a possible threat or of high importance, Kage's relatives and the like.
His eyes widened at the new knowledge, "I-I see." He stuttered out, "But unfortunately, I still can't tell where they are staying." Naruto looked slightly downtrodden; he wouldn't ask anyone to go against the laws of the village, let alone its' leader.
"But, If I was looking to stay in a hotel, I've heard the north side of the village is quite good." Naruto's reaction mimicked that of the aging man, eyes widening in acknowledgement.
"I'll remember that thanks, Old man."
The pair felt slightly lighter after Naruto left Hiruzen's office. It wasn't quite back to how it used to be, but it would return with time. Time that was running out.
Naruto ran off to the northern region of the village. He could remember her signature, flickers of warmth and very sporadic, prone to going off at any moment. It seemed that all Uzumaki's were temperamental beings, Jiraiya had told him about his mother being able to match Tsunade in drawing fear out of enemies as well as her allies.
Her signature seemed directly inverse to the way she acted. She actually came across as quite meek, hiding behind her teammates. Thinking about the matches in the preliminary round and the victors, likely opponents. He had just been snaking through the streets, reaching out to as many sources of chakra as possible.
He shot past the food stalls, questioning whether he should stop in for a bite to eat. It was at that exact point that he felt it, her chakra, the sharp fluctuation likely signalled that she had sensed him too.
'Three blocks away, second floor,' He mentally noted. He also noticed that her reserves were much larger than that of the Genin in his graduating class. He slapped his forehead at that, why didn't he just go down the list of largest chakra reserves? It would have been much quicker.
Leaping a few more time he landed on a balcony before he even knocked, the blinds shifted, and the door rolled open. "I was wondering if you would come past."
"I said I would, didn't I?"
"I guess you wanted to talk about our clan?"
"First, can I come inside? I'm not interested in other people hearing this." Karin's eyes widen, and cheeks redden in embarrassment. She stepped out of the way and muttered a 'Sorry'.
Naruto walked inside, it was a standard hotel room, two rooms, bed and dining table, separate toilet. Nothing special. "I'd offer you something to drink, but I've got nothing." She admitted.
"Oh, that's fine, but yes, I wanted to talk about our clan."
"I'm not going to be much help, the only other Uzumaki I knew was my mum." Naruto heard the tense of 'knew' and 'was', that meant one of two things. One, they were separated, meaning that she likely had no means of contact and two, she was dead.
"I see, well I told you that I would tell you who my mother was, didn't I?"
Karin nodded.
"She came in from the Hidden Whirlpool, just before its' destruction. Her name was Kushina, Kushina Uzumaki."
Karin, who had been half-listening so far, whisked her head around at that. "A-are you sure about that?" It was louder than she expected, but her shock took away the worry.
Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Yeah, why?"
"She's part of the main family!" Karin blurted out, clearly in a rush to get more information out of him.
"I'm not sure about that myself, how do you know that?"
"the 'Shina' in her name was given to full-blooded members of the main-house. From the shortlist of things, my mum talked about the clan with me, this was one of them. Y'know? just in case I met one."
"Lucky I met you too then, what about you? I didn't get many of the 'Uzumaki' traits, you did, what part of the clan are you from?"
"My mum always said she was a branch-house member. She managed to escape before the destruction of Whirlpool. She told me about her mother, my grandmother," The emotions revolving around the conversation were stirred, rising to the surface. Nevertheless, Karin persevered. "I didn't know her but, apparently she served under the current clan leader at the time, Takashina. She loved the clan like no one else, devoted unto death, she was killed during the decimation of our clan. My mum always said that she wished she was as strong as her, but she didn't regret it because she had me."
Karin was past the verge of tears, streams of the liquid flowed down her already sticky cheeks. She pulled her glasses off, then wiped her tears with her sleeve before replacing them on the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry about that... It's..."
"You don't need to continue."
"I do," She firmly states through reddened and puffy eyes. "It's just, to meet someone from our clan, it's the closest I've been to my mother since she passed. And with what my village has done for us, I haven't had time to mourn, not in years."
The acidity of the final statement was not lost on the blond Uzumaki. "If you don't mind, what did they do for you and your mother?"
"Heh," She darkly chuckled. "I inherited an ability from my mum and the clan. The ability to restore chakra and heal even life-threatening injuries by being bitten." She rolled up her left sleeve, much to Naruto's horror, the entire arm was covered in bite marks that seemed to have scarred her. He growled at the insinuation; from the sheer number of bites she must have been just looked at as a walking food pill.
"Like I said, I got this from my mother, while I was young, she would just be stationed in the hospital. She'd just sit there and get bitten." Karin growled. "And eventually it took to much of a toll on her. They brought me in to take her place before she had even gone cold."
The only reason that Naruto had remained calm was because the tiniest portion of his brain that remained cognisant told him not to cause an international incident. He could feel a hatred burning inside of him, not only his pure rage but something much more profound.
After the episode on the bridge in the Land of Wave, he had tried to remain as calm as possible. Kakashi had told him about his actions under the influence of his tenants' chakra, and it was not something he would like to repeat.
He could feel the presences of what he presumed to be Grass Jonin in the building. He knew if he gave in to the raw power of the fox, he would be taken away for slaughter. In the split-second of anger, his eye's flickered red, long enough for the pupils to slit and Karin to see.
She stepped backwards, while she full-heartedly agreed with his anger. Nine-tails Jinchuuriki or not she had levels of hatred beyond that. But even in that knowledge, she still feared him, she had seen in him in battle. Whatever battle you could call it, the immediate dismantling of a team single-handedly in under ten seconds.
Naruto caught a glimpse of this fear, her shuffle backwards, behind the corner of the table. His anger was replaced by sympathy. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, and then seeing my anger here. It wasn't my intention to bring all of this on you."
She shook her head feverously, "It's fine, but... what was that? It was so... so cold." Naruto caught on immediately, 'So she too is a sensor.'
While reasonably sure, he needed to confirm if she was a "Sensor?"
She nodded; eyes scrunched closed.
"So, then there's no point hiding it from you. What you felt, isn't me." Her fear dissipated; confusion reigned.
"Are you sure? it definitely came from you."
"Maybe I could've phrased that better. It was... part of me, but not me, do you know the term Jinchuuriki?"
Karin was sure she hadn't heard that word before, "No." Naruto understood unless you were in close relation to one, heavily invested in the topic, highly unlikely, or needed to be sure of possible threats.
"Jinchuuriki means 'power of human sacrifice,' many people know this. But not many people know why this is the case, the more well-known term for Jinchuuriki is 'container.'"
Karin was still unaware of what he was, Naruto sighed. "These 'containers' are infamous for having Tailed-beasts sealed into them." Karin's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, silently asking the question.
Naruto nodded in response.
"Which one?" She asked softly, not meeting his gaze.
"The fox."
"How?"
"Just like my mother, she contained it before me." He smiled and rubbed the back of his head. "I guess, neither of our mothers got off well, huh?"
She answered him with a nostalgic smile before becoming slightly apprehensive. "Is... the seal-"
"The seal's fine, neither I nor the old man or Pervy-sage have seen one that is stronger." The last of her queries disappeared.
"Good," She breathed out. "But who are the 'Old man' and 'Pervy-sage'?"
"Oh right, there the Hokage and Jiraiya." He stated as if it was the most obvious thing. "How are you allowed to call them that? You should be put to death," She muttered unbelievingly under her breath, Naruto heard it all and just chuckled.
"The Old man is like a grandfather to me, and he talks about me like a grandson, it's just how we are. I actually haven't called him that for a while-'
"-That's probably for the best-"
Naruto didn't mind the interruption, it was the same with everyone else. When he used to just barge into the office screaming at Hiruzen, any Shinobi present would just balk at the delinquent child acting like he owned the place and giving their leader such a casual greeting.
"And Pervy-sage," He shrugged his shoulders. "It's a term of endearment."
"Sure."
"Anyway," He said, gaining her attention once more. "I wanted to ask you about how you are treated back in your village, but I guess you answered that already."
"Why? Why would you be interested in that?"
"I was going to offer you the chance to move here, y'know be part of the clan?"
Seeing her brighten, he raised his hand. "I'm currently the only Uzumaki in the village other than you." Her mood darkened considerably, perhaps he had not worded that the best way.
"I see, while I don't have much if any at all to go back to, I'd like some time to think about that."
"Sure thing, even if you don't, if your ever in any need of help, just ask."
"Thank you," She genuinely remarks. "My team leave in three days, you'll have my answer by then. But how are you going to organise that?"
"It'll take some convincing of the Old man, but I'm sure I can bring him round. Alright?" Naruto insisted. "Just... think about it."
"Will do."
~ Third Training Ground ~
Trudging through the forests, he brushed branches off and pushed aside bushes. Though, that wasn't what had caught his attention. His intention was to meet with Naruto, stop in and talk, but the high-pitched whine caught his ears. He had expected that he would look around for a few minutes, but that drone told him precisely what he needed to know.
So, he followed the increasingly deafening sound.
The sight of hundreds of screaming Naruto clones is what Kakashi Hatake walked in on. It was an amusing sight, the screaming was not out of frustration, anger or anything like that—merely a form of catharsis from the gradually building concentration.
What really took him by surprise was what the clones were doing. He could clearly see that every clone had in its hand a Rasengan. That he could expect, he knew of Naruto's feats, one's that he believed that far outstretched his, though he wouldn't say it. Wouldn't want to give the kid a big head now, would he?
What drew him in was the colour, shape and size of the Rasengan. The usual deep blue had been replaced by a much lighter colour; blades of wind surrounded the ball. By now, the screeching noise was immense.
The multiple Naruto's would, after a few seconds form the light-blue swirling ball of chakra. Then, once the Jutsu had taken shape, wind blades and all, they would launch it. They all moved at incredible speed, seemingly cutting through the air. Once they were over the river, they would expand significantly, the result displaced the water.
The result seemed somewhat... underwhelming.
Kakashi had been lost in his observation. So lost that he didn't notice the figure until it landed on the branch above his head. "Enjoying the view Nii-san?"
The silver-haired Jonin didn't even blink ."I am, though I'm intrigued as to what you're training in." Kakashi spoke.
"Something I actually wanted to talk to you about," Naruto admitted, slipping off the branch, he stood in front of the older man. "It's Rasengan training, I've added wind-natured chakra to it, I've finished the Jutsu itself, but I need to work on forming it quicker, so it's less of a threat in battle."
Kakashi, wide-eyed acknowledges the fact. "You've finished it?"
Prodding a thumb to his chest, he shouts, "You bet!"
"I can't believe it," He murmured good-naturedly. "So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Ah, yes! The Old man told me about your attempts to do a similar thing with the Rasengan. He said you created your own Jutsu."
Kakashi's mood became sullen, his interpretation of the Rasengan was his own Jutsu; the Chidori. Thoughts of that time brought him back to training with Minato, while he had done his best to move on, moments still slipped through the cracks.
That Jutsu, along with his right eye, gave him the reputation that he had now. He admitted that it was a strong technique.
"What you're asking about is the Chidori, my signature Jutsu. While the Rasengan is made to grind, the Chidori is made to penetrate."
Naruto seemed to ignore the temporary change in mood. At the prospect of a new Jutsu, nothing else mattered.
"Could I see it?"
Kakashi shook his head. "I'd prefer not to, not outside of battle. Due to the lightning natured to chakra, it's not as contained." It was a half-truth but a lie nonetheless, Kakashi only felt comfortable seeing that technique in battle, when his history was the furthest thing from his mind.
Naruto seemed upset at, but he understood. He could create and deform the Rasengan endlessly, and no one would be at risk. All the chakra remained in the sphere.
"I see, that's a shame. In that case, what brings you 'round these parts?"
Glad that there was a change in topic, he smiled. "Just wanted to come 'round and see how my favourite little sibling is doing."
Naruto's smile reached his ears, "Well, it's great to see you. I'm guessing you're training Sasuke for the finals?"
"I am, though Sai has joined us as well. Sakura had also said that she'll be joining us after she recovers."
"So it seems like your teams really coming along."
"Yeah, they are. Even if Sai is well... you know, but even still." Kakashi continued to look out to the mass of Naruto's. "I'm proud of them."
The two sit in silence for some time, merely enjoying the others company. That was until Kakashi asks, "The final result of this Jutsu seems lacklustre but you said you finished it, surely you could do more, couldn't you?"
Kakashi was aware of the Nine-tails' monstrous strength and the benefit it gave to Naruto. So to see a Jutsu with such potential seemingly being squandered was disappointing.
"That's where you're wrong Nii-san," The blond moved his arm across Kakashi's face. The outstretched finger told Kakashi that he was pointing at something. Following where the boy was pointing, he was met with a large extension to the third training ground's clearance. That, left him speechless.
It was carnage.
Trees had been torn out of the ground, craters the size of the Hokage tower left blemishes on the earth.
"I threw three just before I started, y'know? as a warm-up," He shrugged off the shock of the older man effortlessly.
'That's a warm-up, god knows when he starts being serious.' Kakashi thought. The Sharingan wielder then felt like Naruto was a perfectly balanced assault shinobi.
The Flying Raijin was a much more subtle Jutsu but still capable of mass destruction. His taijutsu was stunning, he remembered how Gai used to be, this was when they were years older than Naruto was now, and the younger still outstripped them. Finally, his wide-scale Ninjutsu, whatever this Jutsu was, being a massively destructive ranged Jutsu, Naruto almost seemed untouchable.
He needn't even mention the practical army of shadow clones he could conjure up. 'Give the boy a year's experience, and I'll be no match,' the man mentally remarked.
"Wow..." He breathed out. "You said you needed to speed up forming it, how long does it take you?"
"I managed to bring it down to six seconds, though that still isn't good enough."
Though stunned Kakashi's warm smile widened. 'He's just like you Minato-sensei, Kushina-san.' While Minato had been assigned as his Jonin-sensei, he'd been working on the Rasengan. The man was just as meticulous, fretting over every possible detail that could lead to losing a battle, that meant putting people at danger.
Kushina's drive was even larger than Minato's, with her level of effort and Minato's skill; he feared how strong the boy might become.
Minato was like a second father for him, and Kushina was between an older-sister and mother figure too. Knowing that they weren't around to see how their son progressed, he decided to be as proud of him as they would. Not shouldering their burden but making sure that Naruto felt their love.
"You have no idea how much potential you have Naruto-kun. I know they're proud."
Giving him a thankful nod, he responded. "While that's not the only reason I push myself, I want to make them just that, proud."
Kakashi pushed himself off the tree, walking over to a small portion of the training ground that hadn't been covered by Naruto clones.
"How about a spar?"
That's that, another chapter done, setting up setting up. I've had many people tell me to not follow the Indra, Asura fated future stuff and I agree. Sasuke and Naruto might have a bond, we'll see. I prefer sticking to canon laws, it's as 'realistic' as one can be when writing this, but the fatalistic ideals of how Naruto and Sasuke have no ability but to clash removes the value of early stages of the story.