Chapter Twenty Eight
Sup. Sorry this took so long. I've been very busy and just had to put my dog down. :( Also go check out Naruto and Rikka by wilczyca117 on deviantart. She's crazy good and did great work. I'll put the links here, there's one for a solo version of Naruto as well.
wilczyca117/art/C-Naruto-redesign-809015021
wilczyca117/art/C-Couple-809449240
I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto does. If I did, I wouldn't have to go to work in thirty minutes.
"Ma'am, I hereby officially request that Team Twelve be rebranded as the new Team Seven. I will be their sensei." Naruto said, the confidence evident in his stature.
The Hokage's jaw dropped. "You… want to make them your genin team?"
"I'm sure I can keep them all safe, and I see potential in these brats." The blond said with a confident smirk. Meanwhile, the children, the clan head, and even Sasuke stared at him in shock. It had also blown away the Hokage as well, the last thing she had expected from Naruto was that he offer to take a genin team. "Furthermore, with the possibility of war looming on the horizon, they should have a sensei that can keep them safe even on the battlefield if need be."
"This would be sufficient in my expectations for the new sensei Lady Hokage." Spoke the clan leader.
"Naruto does have a way with kids. Hn. Maybe I should take a team as well." Sasuke said, surprising the whole room. "I'll have to consider it."
The Hokage quickly got over her shock at the Uchiha's words, and turned her gaze to the blond. "Very well, Team Twelve will be rebranded as Team Seven, and will have jounin Namikaze Naruto as their sensei."
"Awesome!" Yelled Konohamaru.
"Settle Kono." Naruto said in a commanding tone.
"Now, for the record, if war does break out, unless we have a severe shortage of manpower like we did in the third war, genin will not participate in any missions involving the war."
"Yes ma'am, understood." The blond spoke.
"That means you'll be away from your team quite a lot Naruto, and if this goes down, you're going to play an important role." The Hokage said, clarifying how this would be for the blond jounin.
"Yes ma'am, will there be anything else today?"He asked. As much as the man didn't mind his shinobi duties, he still wanted to get home to his fiance.
"No that's all, you may all be dismissed. Hiashi please stay, I'd like a word with you." She finished, motioning for the clan head to take a seat.
With that, Naruto, Sasuke, and the new Team Seven left the Kage's office. The jounin turned to look at each other, and Naruto broke the silence. "See ya around y'know." He said with a smile before holding out his fist to his friend.
"Hn." Replied the mostly stoic Uchiha, bumping his fist off Naruto's before walking away. Naruto watched his friend leave, before he turned to his new team.
"Alright guys, meet me at training ground seven tomorrow alright?"
"Yes sensei." The three replied. At this, the Namikaze smirked at them, before disappearing in a flash of yellow.
Rikka stood in the kitchen humming to herself. She was cooking a meal, and she had heard Naruto had returned from his mission. She had come back from her own mission the day before; a quick document delivery to Sunagakure.
She liked Suna a lot, but would always rather be home in Konohagakure. She was starting to feel lonely without Naruto, but as always he continued to find new ways to surprise her. Only this time his surprise was flashing into existence right in front of her, and shocking her so much that she dropped the stew pot she held.
Her jaw dropped at the sight of her lover, and she stood for a moment with a shocked expression before finally smiling. "You're back." She said, in her standard monotone.
"Looks that way doesn't it?" The blond said with an amused grin. He then motioned to the ground and quipped at his fiance. "You made a mess."
"Only because you decided to scare me. You can clean it up." She retorted with a smirk.
"Awww do I have to?" The blond whined, before pulling off his flak jacket. He always kept multiple sets of clothing and a few replacement flak jackets in a storage scroll on his missions.
"No, have a shadow clone do it you dolt." She said blankly, but with an amused smile while walking over to the kitchen table.
"Ah, Rikkkkkaaaaa. How could you? You wound me so." He said with a fake frown.
"Oh hush, how was your mission?" She said dismissively, before asking about his adventure.
"I brought Kono back, but it didn't really go that well, sadly Ebisu was killed, and I may or may not have gotten hurt a little. Add onto that Sasuke and I had to kill a lot of Iwa nin." Naruto said while trying to skim over the fact he had been injured.
"You were wounded?" She asked with concern, instantly singling out that fact.
"Um… I kind of got exploded." He said while scratching at his cheek. Rikka stared at him, worry showing heavily on her face. He moved with his ridiculous natural speed, and grabbed her by the waist. He leaned her down, as if they had just finished a long dance, and planted his lips on her own. Finally, the blond pulled away and spoke. "I'm fine Rikka really. It wasn't that bad. I just caught the tail end of the blast. Sakura fixed me up to tip top shape at the border."
"You need to be more careful." She said blankly, but she couldn't hide the bright blush that burned her cheeks from the sudden kiss.
"I know, it was entirely my fault. I was too focused on what was in front of me, and I got arrogant. I underestimated the enemy, that's something Jiraiya-Sensei taught me to never do." The blond said looking down.
"Naruto, you're an extremely powerful shinobi, just like your father and your sensei. But you and I both know that even the slightest mistake will get even the best shinobi killed." She said, reaching up and cupping his cheek. "I love you, and you made a promise to return to me. And you're not exactly the type to break a promise, right?"
"Yes ma'am, that's correct." The man replied with a loving smile.
"Good." She said before stepping away into the closet. She came back out seconds later and shoved a mop into his hands. "Now clean up that mess." She said blankly.
After having found out his team had not completed the water walking exercise, he had quickly instructed them to do just that. The team of children got to work, and he explained to them that he wanted it done by the time he got back from the Kage summit. The blond however; did secretly ask Kakashi to watch over them while he was gone, and step in to help them if necessary.
With that, the blond and his raven haired friend departed Konoha with the Fifth Hokage. They soon begin their journey to the Land of Iron. The samurai there had agreed to host it, as it was a neutral country, and the samurai had no interest in fighting in shinobi wars. However; they didn't wish to see another shinobi war break out, hence the summit.
Naruto and Sasuke were well aware of what could happen at this summit. Best case scenario, negotiations would go well and Iwa would pull out of Taki, and the shinobi world could avoid another war. Worst case scenario, a full scale battle between the Kage could break out at the summit. Luckily enough, Naruto and Sasuke were strong enough to compete at that level.
Naruto knew Tsunade was feeling the pressure. She knew the things she said at this meeting, could mean the difference between war and peace. Naruto and Sasuke were well aware of the fact that they hadn't helped the case for peace. They were both responsible for the deaths of over three dozen Iwa shinobi. However; Iwa had killed a Konohagakure jounin, and hunted a genin team. Add to it they forced Naruto and Sasuke to fight them, and were given plenty of opportunity to not engage in combat.
Eventually, Naruto put these thoughts far from his mind. It was time to focus on the task at hand. He knew his duty: protect the Hokage at all costs. He wasn't that worried however; an Uchiha, a Senju, and an Uzumaki who was the son of one of the most legendary Kage to ever live, was nothing to scoff at.
They all entered the room, everyone tense. With the world so on edge, the leaders all sat in difficult positions. They were greeted finally by the leader of the Land of Iron. "Thank you all for coming. I am happy to host this summit as a neutral party. I ask that no hostile actions happen here, anything you can't settle here you can handle in your own lands." Mifune said as he greeted the five Kage. "Now, if you will all please have a seat."
The Kage all got themselves situated, and the room went quiet. Old Ōnoki stared down the blond with anger and contempt in his eyes, and the Raikage looked at him with caution. The redheaded Mizukage sat quietly, watching the tension form in the room. Gaara looked calm and collected as always, clearly waiting for someone else to start. Naruto watched as his own Kage leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table, while folding her hands together and resting her chin in them.
Mifune broke the silence finally. "Lady Hokage, maybe you should start, considering you called this summit."
"Yes thank you Mifune. I'm sure you all already know why I've called you all here. Iwa has invaded our ally Takigakure. In an effort to avoid another war, I've called you here to attempt to negotiate your immediate withdrawal from Waterfall Country." She said, staring down Ōnoki with intensity.
The old man unexpectedly leapt forward in his seat and shoved a finger out at Naruto. "You dare to come to the negotiation table with that man in tow!?"
"Yes I do. Naruto is extremely skilled, and I saw no reason not to bring him along." She said with a glare.
"He and his father have slaughtered my nin! I should kill him here!" The man yelled in anger. Sasuke had to force himself to hold back a snort at the words of the Kage.
"Are you threatening me Ōnoki?" She asked with a serious tone.
"He. Killed. My. Nin." Each word was accented by the man's fist impacting the table.
"And your nin killed one of mine, add to that they hunted a genin team relentlessly through Takigakure. Genin, not chunin or jounin, fresh genin." She said, countering the old man's argument.
"What reason do I have to pull out of Taki?" He said, sitting back and crossing his arms like an angry child.
"Preventing another war. Taki is our ally, and we will back them in any conflict. I simply came here to give you the opportunity to spare the world from another war."
"Is it true that you've invaded Takigakure unprovoked?" Questioned Mifune.
"I too, would like to know if this is true." Spoke up the Mizukage, taking an interest in the situation.
"Taki shinobi had been crossing into our borders repeatedly, and had been skirmishing with our ninja. I simply took action."
"You stomped your way in thinking Konoha didn't have the might to retaliate!" Tsunade said with a raised voice, this man was starting to piss her off.
"I find it hard to believe a minor nation would attempt to anger one of the big five out of nowhere. Can you prove this?" Inquired the other female Kage.
"Other than eye witnesses, I cannot." The elder man replied.
"Kumo is inclined to believe Onoki's claims. I have nin who witnessed this themselves." The Raikage chimed in.
"You." Said Tsunade, turning to the large man. "You're not free of guilt either! Don't think I don't know about your nin snooping around the border of the Land of Hot Water."
The Raikage almost recoiled at this accusation, but managed to hide his surprise. "I assure you I have no idea what you are talking about."
Mifune's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the Raikage. "The Land of Hot Water has always been a neutral country. Not once have they participated in a war."
"I most certainly have not had-."
"I will send a samurai messenger, and ask the leader of the Land of Hot Water herself." Said Mifune, interrupting the large man.
Finally, the Kazekage chose his time to chime in. "I'm not one for accusations, but since we're at it, our ally; The Land of Bears, has informed me of multiple trespassings by Iwagakure."
"Boy! Are you even of an age where you can know what you speak of?" Called out Ōnoki.
"I assure you Gaara might be one of the most capable Kage I have seen in my life." Tsunade interjected.
"Thank you, Lady Hokage." Gaara replied with a smile and a nod.
Mifune interrupted, and put the summit back on track. "This is not what this summit was called for. We are here to discuss the matter of Takigakure, first and foremost. Lord Tsuchikage, what would you require to pull your forces out of Takigakure peacefully?"
"Hmph. Lives for lives maybe? And monetary compensation for the deaths of my shinobi."
Tsunade narrowed her eyes at the old man. "Lives for lives?"
"Sacrifice your shinobi, so I can bring peace to their families, and pay for the expenses the families may encounter now." The man finally made a demand, no matter how outlandish it may be.
"Who are you implying I sacrifice?"
"The Namikaze." At this, a "clink" echoed in the background as Sasuke gripped his sword. Naruto just stood calmly, leaning against the wall. "And the Uchiha." That got the blond's attention, and in response he drew a kunai and began twirling it around his finger by the ring.
"Excuse me?" The Hokage asked. She couldn't believe the nerve of this man. "I would be happy to talk terms with the monetary situation if it could possibly avoid a war, but you're demanding the deaths of two of my most talented shinobi?"
"Indeed I am, they are single handedly responsible for the deaths of my shinobi. No other Konoha nin has made any aggressive acts towards Iwa but these two."
Tsunade had had enough. She stood from her seat, and the entire room went tense. She waved a single hand, and Naruto and Sasuke walked up to her sides. "Ōnoki, remove your forces from Taki, or I will remove them myself. You've come here with an obvious agenda, and I won't stand for the outlandish demands."
"Do you want a war, Tsunade?"
"No, but if I must fight one to keep my allies safe, then I will."
"Now now I'm sure-." Mifune was cut off.
"I'm sorry Lord Mifune, I don't mean to disrespect you like this, but I will be leaving now. We're done here. I thank you for your hospitality." Tsunade spoke.
The Raikage broke the table they sat at in anger, but before he could speak he was interrupted by the blade of Mifune's sword in his face. "There will be no shinobi battle in my country."
"I came here to try to give the world a chance to rest from war a bit longer. Honestly, I should have declared war the minute you invaded Takigakure." She said staring down the Tsuchikage. "I apologize for wasting your time Lord Mifune. Lord Kazekage would you like to come along?" She asked, turning her head to Gaara and his siblings. With a nod, the Kazekage stood, and walked over to the Hokage. Naruto set his hand on Tsunade's shoulder, and Sasuke did the same on the other side. Gaara stood next to Naruto, and the blond put his hand on the Kazekage's shoulder as well. The redhead then did the same to his brother, who mimicked the action with his sister.
"It's quite alright, I'm sorry it had to end this way Tsunade." The leader of Iron country said.
"So am I." She said sadly. "Let's go Naruto." Now, with a simple flex of his chakra to show off to the enemy, the blond flashed all six shinobi out of the room. Onoki's teeth ground together at the sight of the plight of his existence.
"Lord Raikage, I do hope you will join me in this war?"
"Gladly Lord Tsuchikage."
"Keep your war away from my village." Said the Mizukage, before she stood and quickly left the building.
"Thanks for coming Gaara, sorry it was a waste of time." Naruto said, shaking the hand of the redhead.
"I couldn't just ignore a Kage summit." He replied with a smile. "It wasn't a waste of time either, yourself and Sasuke taught me a lot, and I'm always happy to visit the both of you."
"Hn. I guess it's not that bad running into you sometimes." Comment the Sharingan weilder.
"Good to see you too Uchiha." Gaara replied, he'd figured out the hidden meaning to most of Sasuke's comments during their last interaction.
"Hn."
"We must be on our way now. It seems we must prepare our villages for war." The young Kage said solemnly. "It was good to see you, Lady Hokage."
"You as well, Lord Kazekage." The blond woman replied.
With this the six separated, and they began making their way home. The villages would soon be at war, and they had to be prepared. Tsunade almost laughed, thinking about how much the two Nara's in the command structure would go on about the war being a drag.
"Tsunade, I want in on the first force headed to Takigakure." Naruto said calmly.
"You have a genin team now, you're respo-.."
"I know, and I will take care of the children, but for now I want to save as many lives as possible in the opening days of the war." Naruto said stubbornly after interrupting her.
"Fine. Be that way." She huffed.
"Tsunade... will you be coming to the wedding?" He asked looking away and scratching his cheek.
The woman smacked the jounin in the back of the head and laughed loudly. "Of course! I wouldn't miss it in a million years!"
"Thank you." He replied with a smile. He then turned to his best friend and grinned. "You're not gonna chicken out are you best man? I know Sakura and you are coming as a pair." The blond said teasingly. After the death of Ryuko, Sakura and Rikka had become very close. Due to Rikka's time being commonly spent with Naruto, she saw a lot of Sakura, so they hung out a long even when he had left. This resulted in Sakura being the maid of honor.
Sasuke glared at his friend for the teasing, but replied nonetheless. "Of course I won't idiot."
"Good!" The blond was beaming, and very excited. Rikka would soon be his bride, and it filled him with happiness.
"Hey ...Iruka sensei?" Naruto asked almost nervously.
"What's up Naruto? Is something wrong." The teacher asked. He and the blond sat at their favorite ramen shop, and they had been talking for over an hour. The teleporting shinobi had sought out his former instructor as soon as he'd gotten back from his mission to the Kage summit. Rikka was off on a mission of her own, and hadn't been there when he'd arrived home.
"Will you… um well.." The Namikaze managed to spit out. "Damnit! Why can't I ask him something so simple….I-I doubt he'd turn me down...right?" The blond thought to himself.
"Naruto, whatever it is, it's fine to tell me."
Finally Naruto sighed aloud and turned to face one of the people who had shaped who he was today. "Iruka-sensei.. will you attend the ceremony as my father?"
To say the chunin was shocked would be an understatement. "You want me to take that spot?" He asked in disbelief.
"Yes. I'm sure I want it to be you, and I think my dad would approve as well. There's no one else in the world I would want to take his spot in the wedding but you." The blond replied with a light smile.
"Naruto...of course I will. You can count on me."
"Thank you...Iruka."
I'm not gonna write the wedding. I've been to plenty, and as important and symbolic as they are, they're feckin boring.
Naruto was found in the kitchen, cooking himself and his new wife breakfast. He had a wide smile, but on the inside something had him feeling down. With the Fourth Shinobi World War about to kick off, the blond and his bluenette bride would have to postpone their honeymoon until the war was won. This saddened the two as well, due to the fact that no one knew how long this war might be.
He smiled at the thought of his wedding. It wasn't too large of a ceremony, but all of his friends had attended, as did his new genin. The Daimyo and his nephew had also come, the blond now being quite close friends with the Feudal Lord. The blond finished cooking, and made his way toward the bedroom to wake his wife. Along the way, he stopped and glanced over at a photo. He smiled at the grinning faces of his mother and father. His hand reached out, and lifted the photo from its resting place. "Mom, Dad. I found a wonderful woman, and I've made her my wife. I have a family of my own now. I hope you are proud of me. Thank you for giving me this life, I'll protect my family and my village at all costs." The blond felt his heart clench at the absence of his parents, but smiled nonetheless.
The jounin placed the photo back down, and entered his bedroom. There he observed the beautiful sleeping form of Namikaze Rikka. His smile grew wider at the sight of her, and he moved to the bed. He leaned down, and kissed her, stirring the woman from her sleep. "Mmm ...Naruto?" She asked sleepily.
"That's me. Come on now, it's time to wake up. I made breakfast."
With a groan, the beautiful female cracked open an eye to look at her husband. "Okay… I'll be out in a minute." She said while stretching her arms and yawning.
"Alright, don't take too long though or it will get cold." He said. The blond started to walk out of the bedroom, only to be stopped by her words as he reached the doorway.
"I love you Naruto." The bluenette said groggily.
"And I love you Rikka." Came his reply, followed by a light chuckle.
A few minutes later, Naruto was greeted with a wonderful sight. Rikka stepped through the doorway to the kitchen, clad in only her underwear, and one of Naruto's standard Konoha uniform shirts. It was one of his many black shirts. He kept a few blue ones, like that of which his father wore, but most were black. The girl stepped through the doorway rubbing her eyes, and attempting to wake herself up. She sat down at the table with a yawn, and smiled at her lover. "Thank you for the food." She said.
The blond just stood by the counter for a minute, drinking a cup of coffee and watching the wonderful woman he had married. Finally, he too sat down and began eating. "So I'm going to test my genin's skills in full today, would you like to come along?"
She smiled at him, but shook her head in the negative. "I'd like to, but I desperately need to finish painting the room upstairs. I've put it off for much too long after starting it. With the war beginning soon, I probably won't have any time to do so."
"Ah yes, I forgot you started that, I haven't been upstairs in a while, but I suppose I spend most of my time in our bedroom, my study, or the kitchen, and that's all downstairs. What color did you decide on again?" The blond asked, attempting to remember on his own.
"Grey." She said blankly.
"Ah, I remember now! From the one wall you did finish, I remember that it looked pretty good." He replied with a smile.
She grinned back at him before replying. "I like how it turned out, I'm actually quite excited to finish it."
"Well, if I'm back soon enough, I'd love to help dear." The blond offered.
"I would enjoy that." She said, her eyes shining but her voice flat.
"Perfect."
The couple finished their breakfast, and soon, Naruto was at the door with Rikka standing with him. He leaned down and kissed her as he pulled on his jounin vest, and smiled at her as he zipped it up.
She smiled back at him and said, "don't hurt them too badly now."
"I'll be gentle, you have nothing to worry about y'know!" He replied with a thumbs up.
"Good. Now go, they're waiting." She said pushing him out the door. "I love you."
"I love you too." With that he leaned forward and kissed her once more, before disappearing in a flash of yellow.
"All you have to do is take these bells from me." He said with a soft smile.
"That's all?" The Inuzuka boy asked, dumbfounded.
"Yup, I want to see if you're worth it as a team." Naruto snickered inwardly, he knew it wasn't nearly as easy as they thought. This would be the first time the blond man would have a mock battle with them, as he had only friend the group before.
"Alright! Let's do this!" Konohamaru yelled, punching his fist into his palm.
Hanabi nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, let's get this done." She said confidently.
"Seems she's broken out of the shell shock she had… hm, good." Naruto thought to himself smiling. "Alright, let's begin! Come at me with the intent to kill, or you won't stand a chance. The test starts now!" As soon as the jounin finished his sentence, the genin scattered. He smiled to himself, at least they knew not to do something dumb like stand in the middle of the clearing and yell at him or something.
He walked to the tree in the center of the clearing, and leaned against it, crossing his arms. Unbeknownst to the genin observing him, he'd placed his finger against the tree. Being a sensor, and a skilled one at that, Naruto knew exactly where each genin was. He smiled, and pulled out a book. Unlike his own team sensei, Naruto's book was not smut. It was however; one of Jiraiya's books. He held in his hands the full production print of Jiraiya's final book. A book the sage had finished writing only a day before his death. "The Tale Of The Prodigal Son."
"Does he really take us so lightly!?" Thought the genin unanimously. "But…. he did wipe out a ton of enemy shinobi…. Sensei is strong."
Hanabi quickly used her Byakugan to find her teammates. She made her way to Sakumo first and dragged him off to find Konohamaru. Once they had regrouped, they decided they would need to test the waters. All of the genin performed the clone jutsu, sending the clones formed by the academy jutsu to 'attack' Naruto. Naruto smiled at the clones, having known from the chakra levels exactly what they were.
The genin were thrown off guard when Naruto didn't even flinch as all the clones leapt at him, kunai bared. They all dispersed at contact with his body, and the genin were shocked at his unflinching demeanor.
"First test, ninjutsu!" Naruto yelled out. If that was what they wanted, he would provide. "Wind Style: Gale Palm!" Naruto said, announcing his technique to the genin. He pumped just enough chakra into it to rip some of the smaller branches out of the trees in which the genin hid.
"Shit!" The young Sarutobi exclaimed as he and his friends were blasted out of their perch in the trees. The boy fell to the ground, and had all the air knocked out of him when the Hyuga girl landed on his chest. The Inuzuka landed safely, but was filled with pain as his pup landed on his most precious place.
"Kaoru! Watch where you're landing!" Came the pained voice of the feral child.
"Sakumo, Konohamaru, get up!" Hanabi whisper/yelled at them.
"Right."
They had found enough time to plan a strategy, and took up positions around the clearing. Of course the brash Sarutobi lead the charge, bursting from the trees he threw a barrage of kunai at the blond, who simply deflected them with his own. Konohamaru smirked when one kunai dug into the tree behind the Namikaze, causing Naruto to look at him with curiosity.
Of course the jounin had noticed the explosive tag attached to the kunai, but ignored it, intending to see what their plan was. Suddenly, the blast rocked the clearing, and for a moment Konohamaru was worried he had killed his sensei, as the blond had disappeared.
He flickered behind the genin, intent on still giving him a chance. "Usually I'd say, second test: Genjutsu. Unfortunately I'm useless at that, so I'm gonna let you go this time. He grinned at the boy as he turned around, and launched him away with a kick, sending him careening into the Hyuga who had just left the tree line.
"Kono-!" She yelled, but was cut off as the larger boy hit her. It wasn't hard, but definitely enough to send them both tumbling.
"No battle plan survives contact with the enemy." Naruto stated cooly, his voice ringing out over the clearing. "We haven't got all day, but go back in the trees and I will wait. I want to see what you guys can come up with." He wanted to see what they were capable of doing with their minds. He knew that a shinobi could have all the power in the world, but without the proper ability to strategize in the moment, it would be useless. If the team made no progress today, he would have to start from the very basics, instead of where Ebisu may have left off.
After about twenty minutes, the blond noticed their locations shifting. "So it's time." He thought. "Alright let's see what you've got." Naruto was flabbergasted when the ground before him burst away, and the Inuzuka's dog burst from the ground, spinning at a rapid rate. "Hm, I guess I spaced the dog. A four man team then." He easily sidestepped the attack, his natural speed completely outclassing the puppy's.
He turned to catch the dog, but was forced to dodge again, as Sakumo barreled toward him. They'd managed to get him to ignore them for a split second, whether it was intentional or not. He reached out, and stopped the boy mid spin by the leg, which blew the boy's mind. He swung the boy around, intent on hitting Konohamaru who he had noticed made it in close. As the boy impacted his friend, the female of their team came decently close to actually laying a finger on the blond. She made for a palm strike to his calf, but was sent to the ground when he swept her leg out from under her.
By then, their plan actually managed to come into play. Konohamaru managed to let out a cloud of ash as Sakumo grabbed him and jump away. At the same time, the small pup managed to yank away Hanabi. As soon as their teammate was clear, Kono clicked his teeth, and set off the blast cloud. Hanabi, due to her eyes, barely caught a glimpse of the kunai that rocketed out of the cloud as it was set off. Therefore; she managed to warn her team.
They caught sight of the blade stabbing into the wood of a tree, and were surprised at the flash of yellow that Naruto appeared in. They knew he was fast, but seeing it was still impressive. He smiled at them, but was surprised himself when the entire treeline of the clearing lit up with explosive tags. "They had the dog plant them?" Naruto thought in surprise. Sakumo had a smile on his face as Naruto saw the boy's hand come apart after having set off the tags. The blast went off, and Naruto teleported back to the center.
"Wha-!" Came the surprised voice of Sakumo as Naruto appeared beside him.
"Mediocre. Third test: Taijutsu." He said, leaping away from them. "No teleports, nothing funny. Just come at me and show me what you got."
At this the, feral boy leapt into action, his companion meeting him in the air as they barreled forward with their clan's jutsu. Naruto dodged the combo, sliding around the genin with ease. Before he could do anything however Hanabi leapt into the fold, using her gentle fist, and attempting to strike her new teacher.
Naruto, with his ridiculous speed, caught her by the wrist and flipped her off her feet. As soon as he let her go, it was the Third's grandson who came after him. The young boy launched into the air, attempting to come down with a solid right hook. The jounin smiled in return, and sidestepped the strike, smacking the genin in the head as he passed. "I hate to rile them up, but it's time to see how they handle stress." The blond thought to himself with a sigh. He quickly put on his most uncaring tone, and spoke. "You guys are terrible shinobi. You should have never made genin." He said, spewing a blatant lie. Seeing he hadn't struck a chord, he said something that hurt to say, but he had to see how well these kids could handle their emotions. "I would have thought Ebisu would do better as a teacher, seems he didn't teach you squat."
"What!? How dare you! Ebisu-Sensei was an amazing teacher! He gave his life for us! How dare you insult him big brother Naruto! I thought you were better than this." Konohamaru yelled leaping to his feet.
Sakumo and Hanabi soon joined him, yelling their own collection of obscenities and insults at the blond. He looked at them blankly letting them yell. He had expected better from them, but he understood. Either way it would be helpful for them to let any anger relating to their late sensei out on him. Finally, the three stopped yelling, running out of things to say.
"Well!? Don't you have anything to say for yourself?" Konohamaru asked, his anger showing its teeth.
At this, the blond motioned for the three to follow him. They were angry, but they followed the yellow haired jounin nonetheless. He brought the children to a location he would sometimes visit. Kakashi had taught him a lesson here that he would never forget. The young legendary ninja sighed, and finally spoke. "Here...on this stone, we engrave the names of the heroes of Konohagakure."
"Heroes!? I want my name on that stone then too!" Konohamaru said.
"No… you don't. The names on this stone are of shinobi who had all fallen in the line of duty.
"Oh." The young boy said, shutting up.
"Here lie the names of many great shinobi. All of the Hokages', many legendary nin, including my master; Jiraiya of the Sannin. The Fourth Hokage, my dad. The Third Hokage, your grandfather." He said, ending with his eyes solely on Kono. He then turned to Hanabi. "Your uncle's name is here as well, he made a great sacrifice." Hanabi looked at the ground at this, having a basic understanding of the whole incident. Finally he turned to Sakumo. "Many of your clansmen's names rest on this stone, along with their ninken. Even your namesake: Hatake Sakumo." Naruto said. He had asked the boy's parents, and they had told him they did indeed name their boy after the legendary shinobi.
He reached out, running his fingers over the names of his parents. His hand drifted down the stone, and he ran over Ryuko's name. Once again, his hand drifted and finally settled on Ebisu's. "Your previous Sensei's name is here as well. Ebisu made an ultimate sacrifice for you. I lied when I spoke of him. I have the utmost respect for the man, he was a wonderful sensei. He taught you well, and you all have potential to be splendid shinobi."
"Why would you lie to us sensei?"
"I was seeing how well you could handle stress. I know it sucks, but it is extremely important for a shinobi to stay calm and focused. You didn't handle it well, but I also knew you had some very bottled up emotions inside you over the whole incident. As a shinobi, it's important to let these things out. You're going to kill many enemies. You will kill in the name of your village, your country, and your Hokage. But it's important not to blur the line, and become a sick monster. There are ninja out their who kill innocent people whenever they can, and butcher others for their own gain."
"Is this what it means to be a shinobi?" Asked Sakumo, fear creeping into his voice.
Naruto patted the boy on the head, and crouched down to his level. "No. A shinobi, is one who endures." He stood and smiled. "In this world… those who break the rules are trash." The children's eyes widened, but before they could come up with anything to say, the blond spoke again. "But those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash."
The children all stared back at their sensei, stunned by his words. He smiled at them and sat down, unsealing a large lunch. He handed the food out to the kids, and told them to eat. "Congratulations you are now the new Team Seven. Live up to it, alright?"
"Yes sir!" They said cheerfully.
"Now, what I just taught you, it's a lesson you better take to heart." The children smiled and nodded at him while eating. "Alright, eat up quick. We're gonna have another go! You're teamwork is really good, and I want to see what else you can do. I have to know what you've already learned so I know where to start with each of you. I've got a good idea of what you're capable of already, but there's always more to see."
"We're gonna beat you this time Sensei!" Sakumo said.
"Yeah!" Agreed Hanabi.
The Sarutobi boy smiled widely before he spoke. "You're going down boss!"
After a long day of mock battles against their sensei, the children were sent home. Naruto gave them all low rank jutsu scrolls to study, and also started them on the basics teamwork based tactics. He told them all to practice over the next week, and to ask Iruka for help if they needed it. He informed them that he may be gone for a while.
The Namikaze was happy that Konoha didn't need to deploy genin in this war. Well, for now at least. Naruto knew that that fact could change in a day. The jounin had witnessed the massacre of Konohagakure forces when they had been lured into Otogakure after all. The blond man hoped that nothing like that might occur during this war.
In two days time, Konohagakure would go to war with Iwa over the invasion of Takigakure. He would be in the leading forces in the operation to take back Taki. He hoped he wouldn't have to watch any of his comrades die, but he knew the world was a cruel place.
The son of the Fourth was scared. Not fear of battle, or being killed, but scared for the future. He was scared for his country, his village, and his family. He couldn't help but think of his wife, and what the future could hold for them. He would fight for the right for the children of Konohagakure, and the world, to not grow up in war time, like Kakashi-Sensei once had. The blond shinobi laid down with his sleeping wife in bed, and closed his eyes with one final thought. "I'll protect everyone I can. And I will win this war."
Heyo, sorry for the wait. Anyway, I enjoyed writing this chapter, and hope you all enjoy reading it. Let me know what you think! Thank you all for reading, and I hope you'll check in for the next chapter. Darling in the Fox out.