Hey guys. Thanks for the response I got from the previous chapter. I was really surprised at the number of people that have subscribed to the story.
Also, thanks to all of you who reviewed the previous chapter. Call me a narcissist, but I love that you enjoyed the story thus far.
This is about 10 000 on the dot excluding author notes. Let's get to it.
Kiba was pretty rich. That was the impression Naruto got looking at the area Kiba lived in. It was more of an estate if Naruto were being honest.
Naruto had never inquired about Kiba's family and Kiba had done the same. They were pretty good friends, but for all intents and purposes once school was out they went their separate ways. They did spend some time around Saisho with Akamaru occasionally and Naruto may have seen Kiba's sister once from afar and as far as he knew Kiba had never seen Tsunade, Shizune or wasn't worried about his parents being seen by Kiba or anyone for that matter.
They would have to be around for that to actually happen.
Naruto shook himself from the slippery slope of that line of thinking and instead addressed Kiba who had picked out his starter quite easily. Pidove had already been chosen by someone else so Kiba was not able to pick a pokemon he already he had a rapport with. The one he did pick was no less powerful than Pidove though.
"So," said Naruto as they walked through the busy streets of the estate, "Do your parents rob banks for a living? This place is huge. How did you get a pace here?"
"What?" said Kiba his face scrunched in confusion as he turned to Naruto, "We own this place. It's like a...family dwelling or something. You do know the Inuzuka family is pretty rich, right?"
"Sort of," said Naruto as he began to fiddle with the pokeball that Treecko was in. Pokemon were not allowed in public in Saisho unless you were an officially ranked Trainer. Naruto and Kiba were Trainers, but since neither of them has been in a battle yet then they were essentially civilians. The nurse at the pokecenter had been rather vehement in her warning.
"How long have you lived in Saisho?" said Kiba with just a touch of incredulity to his voice, "The Inuzuka family runs the most pokecenters and nurseries in the whole region. How could you not know that? I don't know how you've made it this far."
"I've only lived here for four years," said Naruto his voice raising slightly, "I knew all about the Inuzuka family, but in my defence, I thought your surname was a coincidence. They're all supposed to great doctors and battlers...you're neither of those things."
"Oh yeah," said Kiba as he came to a halt, "Why don't you put your money where your mouth is?"
"What's the bet?" said Naruto confidently as he turned to Kiba, "How about 500 dollars?"
"No ways," said Kiba pointing a finger at Naruto, "That's too easy. I want something with more...pizazz."
"Pizazz?" said Naruto repeating the words back to Kiba with some disbelief in his voice, "What do you want as a forfeit? Break into the Academy? Eat 50 peppers? Be a bit more specific."
"No," said Kiba before he paused for a few seconds, "Yeah, not any of those. I was thinking something along the lines of cooking all the meals from here to Konoha. That sound good?"
"Fine," said Naruto as he held out a hand to Kiba, "When do we battle though? Treecko got given a couple of Super Potions, but I don't think he's up for it yet. How about midway to our first stop? It'll be a push, but I think we can make it to a town that's in Konoha's direction if we leave here at noon."
"Sounds good to me," said Kiba before shaking Naruto's hand, "Come on. I've got to get Akamaru checked out by my sister then you can meet my mom."
Kiba did not mention his father and Naruto decided not to ask. He'd probably get his answers soon enough.
"Hana!" shouted Kiba as he and Naruto came to a stop outside a building that was actually within Kiba's actual residence. The vast yard and house had drawn Naruto's attention for a few moments until they began to walk in the direction of the pokecenter and Hana's current location.
The inside of the building was somewhat similar to a pokecenter, but it had more modern decor and technology. Kiba had said it doubled as both a nursery and pokemon centre. However, unlike those scattered across Sanka, this one costs money to use and was often fully booked if Kiba was to be believed. In truth, all public pokecenters cost money, but this was taken from the stipend that regular trainers received from the League.
"Give me a second!" shouted a woman from somewhere at the back. A few seconds later, a young woman walked out with a white coat that was fully unbuttoned.
"Did you have to shout, dickhead ?" said who Naruto presumed to be Hana as she rubbed at her eyes, "You were louder than an Exploud, you jerk! I'm still sleeping off going through all those starters from-oh! Hello, you must be Kiba's friend. My name is Hana."
Hana had been jolted out of her tired state when she had laid eyes on Naruto. Now that she was closer, he could see that Hana was at the most 20 years old. Her hair was in a ponytail and a sheepish smile split her face as she seemed to remember her earlier words.
"Hi, Hana," said Naruto as he smiled at the woman, "My name is Naruto. The dumbass over here said he wanted you to check up on Akamaru. We passed our exams today and Kiba invited me over for dinner...if that's okay?"
"Well done on passing, guys," said Hana as she reached over to ruffle both of their heads, "Anyways, it's nice to meet you Naruto and I'm sure my mom won't have a problem with you being over. She always makes way too much food."
Suddenly, Hana took off her coat and she began to turn off the lights inside the centre.
"Aren't you going to look at Akamaru?" said Naruto and Hana shook her head.
"Kiba may be a bit of an idiot at times," said Hana which drew a sound of annoyance from her brother," However, I know he takes good care of Akamaru. I won't need to do that heavy of a check-up. Did you guys get your starters yet?"
Instead of answering, both Naruto and Kiba decided to let out all their pokemon. There were three flashes of light before they died down to reveal their pokemon. Treecko almost immediately scrambled up Naruto's leg before settling at the back of his head. There was a sharp bark from below and Naruto turned away from Treecko as he instead turned to Akamaru who was growling at a much shorter pokemon. It had blue streaks across it's back and had some rather sharp claws that it waved threateningly towards Akamaru.
Akamaru growled at the other pokemon, but the rising tension faded immediately after a sharp whistle from Hana. Akamaru bowed almost immediately and the canine looked downright terrified as Hana knelt to the ground. Kiba's starter had also been cowed by Hana and it cowered next to Hana who looked over it with a calm gaze.
"A Drilbur?" said Hana her gaze firmly locked onto Drilbur. She slowly reached out with her hand before rubbing Drilbur's snout. Drilbur leaned into Hana's touch which drew a growl from Akamaru. Hana stopped petting Drilbur and instead glared at Kiba.
"You need to be firmer with Akamaru, Kiba," said Hana as she rose back to her feet, "Rockruff are very rowdy. You need to nip this in the bud because things will only get worse when Akamaru becomes a Lycanroc. They're even worse."
"Yeah, yeah, You and mom have been lecturing me since I began training Akamaru," said Kiba before whistling sharply. Akamaru calmed down immediately and leapt onto Kiba's shoulder. Kiba unzipped his jacket slightly and Akamaru burrowed his way into his jacket.
"Akamaru listens to me when it's important though," said Kiba before stooping over to pick up Drilbur, "Tsūga and Akamaru will get on just fine. "
"Tsūga? That's a good nickname," said Hana before she turned to Naruto and Treecko, "Have you thought of a nickname for your Treecko yet?"
"I haven't yet," said Naruto as he reached up to pet Treecko, "Do you want a nickname?"
A series of clicks and chirps, as well as Treecko tugging on Naruto's hair, gave him his answer. Treecko did not want one or if Naruto was reading it right not yet. It confused Naruto but in the end, he decided to drop the matter. Treecko would probably tell him if he ever wanted one and that was okay.
"He said no for now," said Naruto to Kiba and Hana who didn't seem surprised by his revelation.
"That's what I thought he said," said Kiba as he motioned for Naruto to follow him as Hana locked up behind them, "Inuzuka are rather attuned with pokemon and we can usually understand them quite well. Iruka-sensei was right though. It usually takes at least a few days for you to begin understanding him. Are you sure you're not part pokemon?"
"I mean considering how you smelt after the obstacle course you have to be at least 50% Muk. Your skin isn't purple though so maybe fifty is a bit high."
"You are so going down tomorrow. I'm putting bricks in my bag just to make things harder for you."
Naruto was dead serious in his tone, but he couldn't help but smile when Kiba laughed before bumping his shoulder into Naruto's.
"Way ahead of you."
The inside of Kiba's house was quite simple in design, but at the same time, Naruto could see everything was of high quality. There was a lot of open space which Naruto assumed was to allow the pokemon that stayed inside enough space to roam. The smell of something cooking was in the air and Naruto was suddenly all too aware of how hungry he was.
Kiba directed him to the dining room which had a large table and enough seats for at least 12 people. The cutlery and some food were already out and as soon as they took their seats an older woman walking with a casserole in each hand. The containers were filled to the brim with food and the intoxicating smell tortured Naruto even more.
"Kiba, who is this? Did you finally bring a friend over?"
Naruto bit down on his hunger and instead stood to greet the woman that towered over him. Her hair was untamed in a similar manner to Kiba's and she wore casual pants with a loose shirt. Naruto held out his hand to her and he was surprised when she grabbed onto his hand with a very strong grip.
"Good day, ma'am" began Naruto and he ignored Kiba's snort as he shook her hand, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'm a friend of your son from the Academy. He invited me over for dinner if that's okay with you? Ma'am."
Kiba's smirk and muffled laughs had not done any wonders for Naruto and his introduction was way too formal and stiff. Luckily, Kiba's mom didn't seem to mind as she laughed before slapping him on the shoulder.
"It's good to see my son can actually build a friendship with someone," she said before adding, "It's nice to meet you, Naruto. You can call me aunt Tsume. You don't seem the type to be so formal and neither am I. "
Naruto relaxed after that and suddenly the task of getting through this meal did not seem quite as daunting anymore. He retook his seat and after a quick blessing from Hana they scooped up the food before digging in.
Kiba was rather animated as he regaled Tsume and Hana with what happened during the day. He didn't spare any details as he made sure they knew exactly what had happened at the Academy. Thankfully, Kiba didn't forget he was there and he pulled Naruto into the conversation a couple of times.
"Then Treecko used Aura Sphere and that smug douchebag from Konoha left," said Kiba between a couple of bites of food, "Naruto got super lucky, but I don't care. That Mizuki guy just really ground my gears. You should have seen his face!"
"Hang on," said Hana and her eyes widened, "The Treecko line can't learn Aura Sphere. At all. It's a rare move even amongst Fighting types. How did your Treecko use it? You sure it wasn't Focus Blast?"
"Focus Blast is an even stronger move, you tool," said Kiba and he ignored Hana's glare as he added, "Isn't that only common amongst fully evolved pokemon anyways? It would be like a Caterpie knowing Hyper Beam. I swear they let anyone become a doctor these days..."
"It was Aura Sphere," said Naruto stopping what was a likely argument between the two siblings, "Iruka-sensei himself said so and I'm pretty sure of it too. I don't think it's anything bad, though. I mean that just means Treecko is even more awesome than I thought. If there is something wrong then I'll check with my baa-chan when I see her again. She's a pretty good doctor too."
"Is there anything your grandma can't do?" said Kiba as he turned his fork in his spaghetti, "She's an athlete, Conference winner and a doctor. If I didn't know you better I'd say you're lying."
"I don't like talking about my family," said Naruto sounding only a little annoyed, "'Sides you've never asked me any questions about them."
"So I can ask about them and you'd answer?" said Kiba turning his body towards Naruto and he smiled as Naruto nodded.
"Okay, what's her name?" said Kiba and he ignored the warning look his mother sent him as she took her plate to the kitchen.
"Tsunade Senju," said Naruto calmly and he took a big bite from his food as Kiba seemed to pause.
"Senju? Where have-" began Kiba, but he was cut off by Hana who practically climbed over him.
"Tsunade Senju?" shouted Hana as she turned to Naruto, "Tsunade is your grandmother? She's the best doctor on the planet! "
"Oh she'd love you," said Naruto calmly even as Hana continued her rant.
"She's ranked like fifteenth in the world!" said Hana her voice still loud.
"Hana," said Tsume as she re-entered the room, "Kiba is looking a little blue. Please let him breathe."
That was enough to snap Hana out of her freakout and she looked embarrassed as she realised she had been clenching Kiba's neck the whole time. Kiba pushed her away harshly and took in a few breaths. Hana sat back down in her seat as Tsume sat down on the table.
"Mind telling me what I missed?" said Tsume as she looked at an embarrassed Hana. Kiba didn't let Hana get a word out as he pointed at his sister.
"Hana," said Kiba and his voice was still a bit gruff, "Freaked out when she found out Naruto's grandmother is Tsunade Senju. She's ranked pretty high and is some famous doctor or something."
"Is that so?" said Tsume and Naruto nodded as he put down his cutlery.
"Yeah, she is my baa-chan. Sort of," said Naruto as Tsume nodded in understanding, "My parents are busy so they usually get one of baa-chan or the pervert to look after me when they have the time."
"Hang on," said Hana and she had a rectangular device in her hand, "Tsunade is ranked eleventh, not fifteenth. I haven't checked these since I was still on my journey. Her last battle was about a year ago and she's the second highest-ranked woman in the world. Only behind a Kushina Uzumaki..."
"Uzumaki?" said Kiba as he turned to Naruto who was still reclined on the chair, "Is she like your aunt or something?"
"Stop bothering your friend, Kiba," said Tsume as she glared at her son, "Why don't you go wash up you and your friend's plates? "
Naruto smiled as Kiba begrudgingly rose and took their plates to the kitchen. Hana followed after her little brother and so only Tsume and Naruto were left in the room.
"Come with me," said Tsume and she walked off in a random direction.
Naruto was caught off guard, but he jogged to catch up with Tsume. They walked in silence as they took a turn down a corridor before finally stopping in front of two large wooden doors.
Tsume entered and Naruto followed after a few seconds to find himself in an office. There were a series of photos all across the walls and a large bookshelf that spanned the length and width of one of the walls.
"Don't mind Kuromaru. He's harmless."
It was then and only then that Naruto noticed an absolutely massive Houndoom reclining next to the wooden desk. Kuromaru cracked an eye open and stared at Naruto impressively before returning to his nap.
"What did you want to show me?" said Naruto as Tsume simply stared at the wall in silence. She did not answer at all and Naruto was about to repeat his question when she spoke.
"Look at this photo," said Tsume as she pointed to the wall. Naruto's curiosity was piqued and he walked over next to her to see what the fuss was about.
It was not what he expected.
"You know my parents?" said Naruto as he looked at a photo of his parents on either side of Tsume. The photo must have been taken a really long time ago as Tsume had a Houndour cradled in her arms.
"We all went to Saisho Academy together," said Tsume as her eyes gained a faraway look, "Your father was a transfer from Konoha Academy. He never knew his dad and when his mom died he had to come to live with his guardian in Saisho. I'm pretty sure you know who I'm talking about."
"You know the perv, uh, Jiraiya too?" said Naruto his voice relaying his surprise.
"I've known him since before you were born," said Tsume before she turned to face him, "I know you have some...issues with them and I know you haven't seen them for a while, but please let me speak."
Naruto's jaw tightened as the subject of his parents was brought up, but he nodded anyway to give Tsume permission to speak. It would have been shockingly rude otherwise.
"Your parents are two of the best Trainers and people I know," said Tsume her voice firm and strong, "Kiba's dad passed away around the time you were about to be born and your parents helped me get through that time in my life. I know it killed them and you having to bounce around from town to town for years before settling here in Saisho."
"They haven't been around since you guys moved here and I know it hurts you," said Tsume before resting a hand on Naruto's shoulder, "I just want you to know that the happiest I've ever seen them was when Kushina announced her pregnancy. Their jobs keep them away, but as their friend, I have to let you know that everything they've done, have done and will do is for you. "
"You're their greatest ever achievement and if they were here now I'd bet my life they'd be so proud of you. "
Naruto's head was bowed from the solemnity of Tsume's speech. He shook off the conflicting emotions in his chest and finally looked up to face Tsume.
"Thank you for this," said Naruto his voice just a little shaky, "I should probably get going soon. Jiraiya said he had something for me after the exam."
"He knows you're here," said Tsume her smile widening when Naruto tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"I sent him a message through my Tracer," said Tsume holding up a rectangular device similar to the one Hana had been using and Naruto nodded in understanding, "This is very outdated. It's functions have been incorporated into the newest pokedex like the one Hana has."
"It's expensive, but I wouldn't worry about that if I were you," said Tsume.
"After all, I'm sure Uzumaki Incorporated wouldn't mind having to procure a pokedex for the son of their CEO."
"Come on," said Tsume as she put her Tracer away, "I'm sure Kiba must be wondering where you are."
"Say that again," said Hana to Naruto and Kiba who were seated in the living room with her mother, "You two want to travel all the way to Konoha together?"
"What's so bad about that?" said Kiba as he glared at Hana, "We'll take the safe route there. I strongly doubt there's any pokemon that could stand up to Akamaru, Tsūga and Treecko."
"Plus we both did really well in survival skills. Top two in the class," said Naruto as he pleaded their case, "It's also a lot safer to have another person with you and there are Rangers that patrol the more dangerous areas in case we run into trouble."
"So you two want to leave tomorrow?" asked Tsume and Kiba nodded.
"Yeah," said Kiba, "We want to get going immediately and we want to catch some more pokemon before the Tournament. I think we're in with a good chance of doing well. "
"Have you even planned your route through Sanka yet?" said Hana as she looked at the two boys, "Something tells me you guys won't stay together all that long."
"Well to be honest, " said Naruto after a glance at Kiba," We hadn't planned on travelling with each other after the tournament. "
"Yeah," said Kiba calmly, "It's not that we hate each other or anything, but we both want to strike out on our own. Maybe find some new people to travel with. It is what it is."
"Really?" said Hana her voice full of exasperation.
"Yes," said Kiba seriously, "Two alphas can't be in the same corral. It's a miracle mom and I have lasted this long."
Kiba and Tsume burst into laughter immediately afterwards and Hana did not seem amused. She simply shrugged at Naruto who had a smile on his face. The mother and son were still laughing until Tsume finally regained her composure.
"Okay," said Tsume wiping her eyes, "You guys can travel together. There's not much I could to stop you if I wanted to anyways. You guys should travel together at some stage, though. It's a good bonding experience. "
"Thanks," said Kiba and Naruto before the latter rose to his feet.
"I've gotta get going," said Naruto as he pointed to the clock, "It's getting to 7 something tells me I have a bright and early start to tomorrow. "
Naruto said his goodbyes to everyone and soon he was walking through the streets of Saisho to his home. Kiba's house was a fair distance away from his house and it took him about twenty minutes at the leisurely pace he had set.
Naruto had just stepped into the dark house when a couple of voices startled him.
"Surprise!"
There was a shadowy form nearby and by reflex Naruto punched out at whoever it was. The lights flashed on and Naruto looked down to see Jiraiya down on one knee as he clutched his stomach.
"Why do you hate me so much?" said Jiraiya his voice wheezy, "No more surprise parties. I'm just telling you that now. Stupid brat."
"Good hit!" shouted Tsunade a glass already in her hand, "I knew you would take well to my lessons."
Naruto looked around the room to see Tsunade, Shizune, Kakashi, Rin and most surprising of all–
"Congratulations, Naruto," said Kushina as she walked towards him from the back of the room.
The room was silent as Kushina came to a stop in front of Naruto. Her hand rose to scratch at the back of her neck as she spoke.
"Your father and I are still busy on our quest," said Kushina and she must have seen something in Naruto's eyes as she added, "Could we go talk somewhere private?"
Naruto nodded and he followed after his mother as they made their way to the backyard. It was very spacious and had served as a training ground whenever Tsunade felt the need to run him into the ground.
They finally sat down on a bench with a sizable gap between them. Kushina was quiet for a few moments and Naruto could practically feel her discomfort as she shifted ever so slightly. Finally, she gathered the courage to speak.
"You've grown so tall," said Kushina and she winced when Naruto's response hit her ears.
"That's what happens when you don't see someone for three years. "
The barb had just slipped from Naruto's mouth and despite Tsume's talk with him earlier it was a little too soon for him to just act like everything was okay. It was a little petty and he did feel guilty as he heard his mother's breathing catch just a little.
"I know," said Kushina and her head was looking down to the ground, "I'm sorry too. We've missed your entire time in the academy and there's no excuse for that. It's just–"
"Minato couldn't make it," said Kushina her voice trembling a little, "There's so much going on around Sanka. You may not see it now, but what we did was for the best. Everything we do is for you. That's why Minato stepped down from being Champion and also why I've stepped back a little from Uzu Inc."
"Are you back for good?"
"No," sighed Kushina, "The quest is–"
"Super important, " said Naruto cutting his mother off.
There was an awkward silence for a few seconds and Naruto stared up at the sky. The stars were out and the full moon was shining brightly. Naruto liked to read up on the cultures of old. There was a vast collection of stories from various cultures from the old world that Naruto loved to read through.
The full moon was a symbol of new beginnings in many a culture. Of course, back then they didn't know that it was just orbiting the Earth and would often disappear because of this, but Naruto could appreciate the symbolism.
"It hurt so much," said Naruto as he finally looked at his mother, "I love Tsunade-baa, Jiraiya, Shizune, Kakashi and Rin, but they're not you. It hurt seeing kids with their parents. I made it a point to never go to parties because I didn't want to answer questions about you."
"I prayed for the times when we would bounce from place to place," said Naruto, "I know it wasn't the best lifestyle for a kid, but being with you guys outweighed all the negatives. You guys left me here to go to the Academy and I vowed to myself that I would become as strong a trainer as possible."
"I was going to be better than you and Dad ever had been," said Naruto his finger making grooves on the bench, "I pushed myself to the max. I read countless books. I watched videos of famous trainers past and present. I trained with baa-chan and learned survival skills with Ji-chan until it paid off."
"I was always so tired and so lonely."
Tears had streamed down Kushina's face throughout Naruto's speech and her head hung in shame. So it was a surprise when Naruto pulled her into a hug.
"I can't say I'm not angry at you and dad," said Naruto as Kushina stayed completely still, "But I still do love and trust you. If this quest was important enough for you guys to step down from your posts then it must be because of something really important. There's a lot we need to sort out as a family, Mom."
"That doesn't change the fact that I still love you guys."
Kushina finally snapped out of her daze and she pulled Naruto into a tight hug. Naruto tightened his hold on his mom even as a few sobs began to wrack her body.
"Thank you so much, Naruto," said Kushina as she pulled away from him, "Aw man, I feel bad for everyone inside. They must be half asleep by now. Come on, let's go inside. I hope you still have space for cake. I know how much Tsume-chan likes to cook."
It was almost as of a switch had been flipped and his mother turned into the upbeat person she normally was. Naruto smiled and wiped the tears from his face as his mother began to pull him back towards the house.
He might regret it in the morning, but there was no way he was not eating cake tonight.
Hopefully, it was chocolate flavoured.
"Okay Naruto, " said Rin as she held onto Kakashi's arm, "Why don't you open up our present first?"
The awkward mood that had settled on the party had dispersed when Naruto and his mother had walked back into the house. It was painfully obvious that Naruto and his mother's conversation hadn't been as private as they thought it had been.
The tear stains on Jiraiya's face were a dead giveaway.
In any case, normality had returned and after a few servings of cake, the time had come for Naruto to open the gifts that had been bought for him.
"This wouldn't happen to be a gym badge, would it?" said Naruto as he looked at the couple, "You know I hate double battles and so you got me a gym badge. That's great, but what about the EXP is that retroactive or–"
A throw pillow slammed into Naruto's face and he looked at Kakashi whose hand was still outstretched.
"Laziness will destroy you if you don't destroy it, Naruto," said Kakashi and Naruto rolled his eyes as Rin's smile grew wider.
The wrapping paper was off and Naruto was surprised to see an orange case with a slot on the side and six round indents on the top. There was a logo of what looked like a pokeball with a white line beneath it.
"You got me a TM case?" said Naruto and Rin nodded before handing over a plastic square. Naruto took them and he read the label on each of them.
"Double Team?" said Naruto and Rin nodded.
"Kakashi wanted to get you Flamethrower and Thunderbolt, but we figured you may not even use fire types or electric types so went for something more general."
"Thanks, guys," said Naruto as he pulled out an orange bag that was a holder for the TM case and had a multitude of slots for storing any other Technical Machines he may get in the future.
"I'll come on over to Horomoto City and use this to wipe the floor with you guys," said Naruto and the joke gained a few chuckles until Shizune rose from her seat to give Naruto her and Tsunade's present.
"It's a first-aid kit," said Shizune as Treecko laid in her lap fast asleep, "It's got Super and Hyper Potions, Full Heals and other stuff for whatever may befall your pokemon. I hope you paid attention to your first-aid classes at the Academy and with me or else that'll go to waste."
Naruto hugged Shizune before turning to Tsunade who was drinking sake straight from the bottle. She finally realised everyone was staring at her expectantly.
She rolled her eyes and reached inside her pocket before throwing something at Naruto. The object left a silvery streak of light before Naruto caught it deftly. He opened his hand and he was surprised to see a key in his hand.
"That's the key to the Senju ranch," said Tsunade as she reclined in her seat, "You probably need somewhere to keep the pokemon you catch and I've been looking to settle down a little bit. I guess I can look after your pokemon while I take some time for myself."
"Thanks, baa-chan! You're the best!"
Tsunade rolled her eyes at the nickname, but she didn't say anything further as Jiraiya spoke up.
"That was terrible, princess," said Jiraiya as he walked over with his gift in hand, "Storage space? I bet you forgot your actual present and just threw your spare key to the ranch at him."
Tsunade didn't respond, but the way she evaded Jiraiya's look answered the question sufficiently. Naruto knew that it was a great gift, but it was pretty nice to see Tsunade be the loser of her usual spats with Jiraiya. That was not how it went most of the time.
"My gift shits on all of yours," said Jiraiya as he held up a rectangular object, "I may have had to use my connections in Uzu Inc, but as a 27% shareholder in it I guess it wasn't much at all."
Naruto took the object and he examined the deep orange of the object as well as the red swirl at the top.
"Take in it boy," said Jiraiya as the object suddenly came to life with a soft tune, "That's the newest version of the pokedex. It has the best scanning capabilities of any dex before. A camera for rare sightings. Calling capabilities beyond that of any Tracer and of course in-depth knowledge on pretty much every pokemon on this content. Move pools, egg groups, locations and even sounds. It has a map that updates as our official maps do too. I call it..."
"The Ultradex."
"Can I just call it a pokedex?" said Naruto and Jiraiya pointed a finger at him.
"No!" shouted Jiraiya, "Do you know how much effort was put in that thing? I know S-rank trainers that would kill for that thing. There's only a hundred of them in production. Each of them would cost enough to make an A-rank bankrupt. You shall call it by its proper name."
Ultradex was actually a really good name, but there was no way Naruto would let Jiraiya know that. He would never let Naruto live it down.
"Thank you for your gift, Jii-chan," said Naruto and he smiled when Jiraiya calmed down immediately, "I'll put it to good use."
Finally, Kushina stepped up and Naruto turned to her. The air between them was less awkward then it had been for and while the idea of not seeing his parents again for who knows how long he couldn't find the energy to let that sour his mood.
"I know you already have Treecko and you really should think of a name for him," said Kushina but she shook her head and continued, "I decided to put some money in your trainer account so you can get some clothes and whatever else you may need."
"That isn't our gift though," said Kushina and she hesitated for only a moment, "It's practically tradition in our family to use a Greninja and the same way Minato got Gamakichi from Gamabunta, we thought it would be nice if you got to use the Froakie born from mine and Minato's Greninja."
"He doesn't have a nickname yet. You should think of one," said Kushina as she handed Naruto a pokeball, "I know you want to forge your own path, but it would mean the world to us if you allowed a little deviation from that. Please accept him. He's a–"
"Thank you, mom," said Naruto as he pulled his mother into a hug shocking her into silence, "I'm really grateful for this."
Naruto stepped back and he pulled out his ultradex (the name was growing on him) before letting out the pokemon inside. The Froakie took a look at its surroundings and it seemed frightened by the sheer amount of people until Naruto spoke to it.
"Hey there," said Naruto and the Froakie(which was quite a light shade of blue)turned to Naruto, "I'm starting my journey to be Champion tomorrow and I wanna know if you want to come with. We'd make a really good team."
Froakie nodded immediately and he seemed to calm down as he surveyed the room. Treecko had just woken up and he jumped straight from Shizune's lap to land in front of Froakie.
They seemed to have a conversation with Treecko making loud chirps and clicks while Froakie's croaks were very near to being inaudible.
"You should give them nicknames," said Shizune and she shrunk back a little as everyone looked at her sharply, "Nicknames are known to make pokemon happier and happier pokemon are stronger pokemon."
"That's true, " said Jiraiya, "None of my pokemon are weak and they're all happy."
"I'm pretty sure Gamabunta hates you," retorted Tsunade and as an argument rose up between the two Naruto instead looked back to Treecko and Froakie.
"Do you guys want a nickname?" asked Naruto and they both nodded. Treecko a lot more vigorously than Froakie.
"Okay," said Naruto as he put a hand to his chin, "What about Apollo for you Treecko and Shinobi for Froakie."
Treecko or rather Apollo accepted his nickname immediately and it took Froakie a few more seconds before he nodded.
"Shinobi?" said Kakashi his voice barely audible over Jiraiya and Tsunade's argument, "What a truly unique and awe-inspiring nickname. Such creativity has never before been seen and I doubt it ever will be."
"Didn't you nickname your Dusknoir Cyclops?" said Naruto.
Kakashi was silent for a few seconds before he said one word.
"Touché."
Naruto walked slowly to his room with the gifts he had been given in hand. He put them down on his desk and he was about to lie down when a knock on the door surprised him.
"I see you're pretty much already packed," said Kushina as she stood in the door her arms behind her back.
"What's wrong?" said Naruto as he sat down on his bed. His mother stepped into his room, but she remained standing.
"I have two more gifts for you," said Kushina, "They're not as extravagant as the others so please don't get your hopes up."
Kushina brought her arms in front of her and Naruto was surprised to see what she was holding.
"This scarf was bought by your father for me when we were still on our journey together," said Kushina as she allowed Naruto to take the long red scarf, "It's made from actual Ampharos fur. It keeps you cool in the heat and cosy in the cold. "
"This," said Kushina holding up a white and red bag, "Is what I got him after his first bag tore. It's great quality and lasted until he became Champion. I don't know if you like scarves, but the bag is definitely useful. It once took a Flash Cannon head on and it was still okay. It was from an Aron, though. Still great, but I don't want you to start using it as a shield."
"Thanks, mom," said Naruto as he took the items and put them down on the ground, "Do you know when you'll finish up with the quest?"
Kushina shook her head and Naruto pushed down the kernel of disappointment in his chest. He wasn't about to blow up at his mom. They had ten great years together and three terrible years apart.
This was their first time together in years and he wasn't going to ruin it.
"I understand, " said Naruto, "You guys should stay safe I know how you guys get careless. Just hurry back so I can kick your asses in a battle."
"Language," warned Kushina, but her voice lacked any real heat, "You should keep Apollo and Shinobi in their balls tonight. They're a bit unaccustomed to you so that's for the best."
"I will," said Naruto stifling a yawn before laying down on the bed, "Goodnight Mom."
"Goodnight, Naruto," said Kushina once her son's eyes had closed.
Her voice was cool and collected and so Naruto did not open his eyes. If he had then maybe he would have seen the tears forming in Kushina's eyes before she turned the light off and shut the door halfway.
"Is this really necessary?" said Naruto as Tsunade hovered over him with a stethoscope in hand.
"You know I get paid thousands to do these check-ups and you're getting one scot-free?" said Tsunade before moving the head of the stethoscope, "Okay now breathe in."
They had been at this for over half an hour and Naruto would need to leave soon for some last-minute administration. It was almost as if his mind was read as his mother walked in before dropping a card attached to a lanyard on his lap.
"There's your Trainer ID. Iruka sends his best wishes," said Kushina and she sat down near the two, "Funnily enough, Tsume was at the academy too and we managed to catch up a little bit. I'm going to visit her before I leave."
"Oh," said Kushina as she dug in her pockets before pulling out two pokeballs, "Remember to always have your Trainer ID with you. You can't buy any items or challenge for badges without it."
"Don't forget how to start ranked battles either. You just need to–"
"Have a licensed third party officiate the battle. They're most commonly found near to or at pokecenters," said Naruto as Tsunade finished her check-up.
"Keep to the safer routes. Apollo and Shinobi aren't strong enough to bail you out. Ghost types like Haunter and Gengar lurk in the deeper parts of the Halo Forest. They won't be of much help against them. "
"You don't have to use ghost types to scare me. That doesn't work anymore," said Naruto as he rose from his seat.
Naruto looked at his mother who weirdly enough was not smiling anymore. Instead, her face had a look of horror as she pointed behind him.
"Nice try," said Naruto as he turned around, "I don't–What the hell!"
Naruto tripped back and fell as he looked into the red eye of Cyclops – Kakashi's Dusknoir. The noise attracted a lot of attention and Kakashi ran into the room looking surprised before he returned Dusknoir.
"Sorry about that," said Kakashi as he helped a grumpy Naruto to his feet, "Cyclops is usually really well-behaved. I don't know why he'd sneak up on you like that. How long did it take you to notice him? "
"I didn't notice him," said Naruto as he checked over all of his belongings, "Mom did, but I thought she was pulling my leg. You should really keep an eye...on.. him."
"For the last time, this eye works perfectly, Naruto," said Kakashi as he pointed to the one that had a scar over it, "Hyūga and Uchiha Industries worked together on it. They're good at what they do. Itachi was kind enough to bankroll it too."
"I still can't believe you beat the Champion in a battle," said Naruto as he pulled his dad's bag on. It was a good bag. It had way more space than the one he had been planning to use and the red flames at the bottom were awesome.
The white was going to be a pain to keep clean, though.
"I was 17 and he was 12," said Kakashi idly, "It was way too close. 6-3. I lost then, but I knew he was going to shoot past me eventually. "
"You may see him," said Kushina as she joined the conversation, "Konoha is a very rich city. That's due to the amount of old money based there. The Inuzuka have strong links to it and so do the Uzumaki. "
"Didn't you guys have a class on the current economy of Sanka?" said Kakashi, but Naruto shook his head.
"No," said Naruto, "They really focused a lot more on battling and pokemon than anything. We may have gotten a brief run-through, but that was at least two years ago."
"It's important, "said Kushina, "You need to know these sort of stuff for when you take over the company. "
"I guess you're right," said Naruto before he looked at the clock, "I've got to head out with Kiba. We want to make it to one of the towns en route to Konoha before dark so I gotta head out."
"Let me call everyone, " said Kakashi and he walked out the room leaving Naruto and his mother.
Kushina pulled Naruto into a tight hug and said, "You've got a gift, Naruto. I've heard it from Jiraiya, Tsunade, Kakashi and even Tsume. I have full faith that I'll see you at the Conference. Just know that no matter what you do, Minato and I will always be proud of you."
"I know, Mom," said Naruto as he returned the hug, "I know."
"I thought you were about to bail on me," said Kiba as Naruto walked up to the fountain in front of the Academy.
"You think I'd lose the chance to curb stomp you and make you carry my bag?" said Naruto as he fist-bumped Kiba, "Clearly you don't know me at all."
"Whatever, " said Kiba as he walked past Naruto, "The nearest town is Forest's Edge. If we go that way though we'll have a straight shot through the safer part of Halo Forest and we can catch some pokemon for the tournament."
"I saw that on the map, but there are other routes with more town on the way to Konoha," said Naruto as he followed Kiba. The academy was near the periphery of Saisho which was what made it a good spot to kick off their journey from.
"Yeah," said Kiba, "Those routes barely have any wild pokemon because of those towns. We may have to rough it for a couple of nights, but we can get some really good pokemon. Plus, there's like 3 pokecenters not too far off the route we'll take."
It was a fair argument. Towns and cities did tend to repel wild pokemon away except for those that thrived in urban areas like Rattata and Zigzagoon. Naruto also wanted to catch another pokemon just to round out his team a little.
"That's alright with me," said Naruto and he followed Kiba as they reached the edge of Saisho. Naruto turned back and looked at the bustling town.
It was finally time to begin his journey.
"Oi, Naruto!" shouted Kiba, "We're running out of daylight. Saisho will still be here when we're out there."
Naruto rolled his eyes as he walked towards Kiba. Kiba had stopped walking and once Naruto was next to him he said five words that Naruto couldn't agree with more.
"This is gonna be awesome!"
"This is not awesome," said Kiba as he walked through the woods with Naruto in front of him.
They'd set a harsh pace and had ploughed through the Saisho forest. They had been doing well great even until they had been forced to take a detour. Apparently, some battle had severely damaged the route ahead.
The sign had said it was impassable by foot and due to a lack of any flying pokemon, they had to take a route which was not only steeper but increased their journey by two hours.
"There hasn't even been any pokemon for the past couple of hours," said Kiba as he drank out a water bottle, "Why the hell not?"
Naruto could understand Kiba's frustration. He felt the same way, to be honest. Saisho was a speck in the distance and still, there were no pokemon. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon and Naruto knew they had half an hour before it sat completely.
"That battle must have spooked off a lot of the pokemon," said Naruto, "If it was as bad as they said then it must have been between two crazy strong people."
"That's for sure," said Kiba until a caw from the treetops drew their attention. Kiba and Naruto both looked at each other before Kiba shouted, "Dibs!"
Naruto cursed under his breath before shrugging off his back, "Let me see if my dex got that. I set auto-record on so let's see what we're dealing with."
Naruto took out the dex and he was glad to see a notification on the screen.
"Pokemon detected?" said Kiba as he peeked over Naruto's shoulder, "Holy shit. This thing is fancy. Wanna change the details for the bet?"
"No ways."
"You suck," said Kiba before he tapped on the notification. A brown bird with spiky feathers appeared on the screen and Kiba smiled.
"A Spearow?" said Kiba as he took out Akamaru's pokeball, "Don't mind if I do."
The cawing sound emanated again. This time closer to the ground and the two boys looked around until they saw it hopping along on the ground.
"Wish me luck," said Kiba before releasing Akamaru, "Come on Akamaru. Bite."
Akamaru didn't waste a second and as soon as his feet hit the floor he was off in a blur. The Spearow was on alert as soon as Akamaru came out and it was able to brace itself before Akamaru bit into it.
Akamaru flipped back after hitting Spearow and waited for additional orders from Kiba. Spearow, on the other hand, looked upset and instead stood it's ground as it flew a few feet in the air.
Spearow let out a shriek before shooting towards Akamaru. Its body began to spin rapidly. A brown aura wafted off of its body and Naruto raised a brow as he recognised the move being used as Drill Run.
"Sand Trap!"
Akamaru obeyed and began to kick up a large amount of dust. Naruto raised his shirt to cover his mouth as the dust spread towards them and he shook his head as Spearow dove into the cloud.
"Spearow have excellent vision, Kiba," said Naruto, "It won't miss."
"I know," said Kiba and Naruto was about to push for an answer when a howl reached their ears.
Akamaru was sent flying out of the dust cloud, but he had somehow managed to bite onto Spearow. Kiba smiled at the sight before giving his last order.
"Thunder Fang!"
A sparkle of electricity formed around Akamaru's mouth. A second later it bit down harder on Spearow who let out a shriek before it's body began to convulse. Akamaru spat out Spearow who crashed into the ground.
Akamaru landed near Kiba who already had a pokeball out that he threw towards the unconscious form of Spearow. The ball bounced off of Spearow before sucking it in with a red tendril of light. The ball shook only once before letting out a ding.
"That's what I'm talking about," said Kiba as he picked up the pokeball Spearow was in, "I'll call you Yari."
"That was a pretty good move there," said Naruto as he picked up his bag, "The sand distracted Yari and Akamaru was able to latch onto Yari's body. We need to head on out to Forest's Edge. Electricity really messes with the nervous system of birds. "
"Thanks," said Kiba before returning Rockruff, "You're right. I'll change the pokeball's setting to Suspend. It'll only last for four hours, but that should be enough. "
Naruto and Kiba both set off and now that they had something motivating them they were able to set an even higher pace than earlier. Unfortunately, a couple of pokemon had begun to appear some that had been enticing to catch, but in the end, they had let them be.
It was late evening when they finally made it within the vicinity of Forest's Edge and while Kiba handed Yari and Akamaru over, Naruto paid for a two-bed suite.
They were supposed to split the bill, but Naruto's mom had put enough in his account to last him at least a few months. Of course, he still had to buy some more clothes and who knows what else may crop so, in reality, it wouldn't last nearly as long.
It was possible to win money from trainer battles, but both trainers had to agree to the stipulation and the amount beforehand. A lot of naive trainers had been duped back when it had been compulsory to put money on fights and that was a part of the reasoning for the stipend being introduced.
Now trainers had a way of gaining money without having to fight against other trainers. The amount was enough to scrape by but was practically a small fortune the higher your rank was. Naruto had peaked at Tsunade's books the other day and he swore he had never seen so many zeros before.
"We only have one room left," said the attendant as he held up two keys, "It's a three-bed, but I won't charge you extra. You just might have to room with a stranger. Don't worry, though. The third bed is separate from the other two."
The attendant at the desk gave him two keys and Naruto thanked him before walking towards Kiba. He handed the key over to Kiba and they walked in silence as they made their way to their room.
"Thanks for paying for the room," said Kiba as he threw down his bag, "I'll pay you back later. "
"Don't worry about it," said Naruto as he laid down on his bed, "You feeling hungry? "
"Oh yeah."
"Wanna go see what's still open? It's barely past seven. I bet they're still a lot of restaurants open."
"Let's do it."
The two boys climbed off the bed and walked back out to the front. They were about to step outside when Naruto heard the attendant from earlier call out towards them.
"There they are now!" said the attendant waving them over. Kiba looked at Naruto in confusion who just sighed heavily.
"Come on," said Naruto as he motioned for Kiba to follow him, "Let's meet our new roommate."
"Our what? There's no way I'm letting someone crash in our room."
Naruto ignored Kiba's indignation as they walked over to the rental counter. The attendant was speaking to someone who was in the back room with the nurse and Naruto was surprised when a girl around their age walked towards the rental counter.
"These are your roommates for the night," said the attendant, "A lot of people head up to Konoha so we're usually fully booked. Sorry for the inconvenience, guys. "
"It's okay, " said Naruto and the girl at the same time and they looked at each other for a second before Naruto spoke.
"Hello," said Naruto as he took in the girl's white clothing and green hair, "My name's Naruto and this is Kiba."
Naruto held out a hand and the girl shook it as she said, "Nice to meet you. My name's Fū. Were you guys about to head out?"
"Yeah. You should join us," said Kiba as he shook Fū's hand, "The name's Kiba. Kiba Inuzuka. Are you a trainer?"
"I am," said Fū and her voice was rather soft, "Chōmei and Naka are in the back. I caught Chōmei today and he and Naka really did a number on each other."
"Chōmei? Naka?" said Kiba in a confused tone that so fake Naruto rolled his eyes, "Are those new pokemon?"
"No," said Fū as she smiled a little, "Naka is my Chimchar. is the Heracross I caught."
"You caught a Heracross?" said Naruto drawing the attention of the other two, "No wonder Naka's hurt. They're really strong. You must be a pretty good trainer."
It was true. The truth was not all pokemon were equal. There had been an attempt to quantify strength, but it had been abandoned. Strength was something far too complex to accurately measure or force to fit a mathematical system.
During the study, there were many inconsistencies. For instance, a Turtwig would be found to be stronger than a Grotle despite them being the same age and having the same battle experience.
That was only one of many problems they had encountered and while some headway had been made the project had been abandoned. One thing that was certain, though, was that pokemon that did not evolve were said to generally be amongst the strongest.
Evolution was a result of pokemon having to become stronger to survive and there were some pokemon like Heracross that were so strong it never became necessary for them.
"Thank you," said Fū softly and she seemed to hesitate before saying," I'll see you in the room."
"Why don't you come with us?" said Kiba, but Fū shook her head.
"I wish I could, but I wanted to freshen up and then check on my pokemon, " said Fū.
"That's okay," said Naruto as he turned away slightly, "I guess we'll see you later."
"Yeah, later."
Naruto and Kiba walked to the doors leaving behind Fū who made way for the stairs. They walked out into the town and they were relieved to see it still buzzing with activity. It was probably a result of this being a pretty popular stop for Trainers.
"Fū's seems pretty nice," said Kiba as they walked through the streets, "In terms of roommates, we could have done a lot worse."
"She's pretty shy though," said Naruto as they came to a stop in front of an open-air restaurant that thankfully served pokemon too, "I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see or hear her for the rest of the night."
"You're probably right," said Kiba before walking into the restaurant, "Come on, we've got an early day. Unless you're too scared to battle?"
"You wish," said Naruto as he followed the other boy inside, "You're so going down tomorrow and you're paying for the food. "
"I thought you said not to worry about it."
"That was before you called me scared."
"Oh, screw you!"
Kiba had no real heat behind his words and Naruto smiled as the boy shoved past him.
"Go get us a good seat! I'm heading to the bathroom."
Naruto sat down at one of the outside tables and he watched the streets as various people walked through them. There were probably a couple of Trainers here tonight who he would face in a battle someday.
The idea lit a kernel of excitement within Naruto's chest. This was his first time exploring on his own. No teleporting around Sanka with his parents, but actual exploring on foot come wind, rain or snow.
There were millions of other trainers that were gunning to get to the Conference, but that didn't scare him at all. He was going to make the Conference. There was no other option.
"Excuse me," said a voice and Naruto turned to the waitress who had a notepad, "May I take your order?"
Naruto scanned the menu and he smiled as his eyes landed on the bottom of it. Kiba was going to lay an egg when he got the check.
"Could I have the lazy-aged steak with fries and a milkshake?" said Naruto before adding, "Also could I have two pokemon meals to go? Anything that would be okay for a water-type and a grass-type?"
"We've got just the thing! I'll be right back!"
Suddenly, Kiba walked past the waitress and he gave her an order of his own before sitting at the table. He seemed to notice something was off as he looked Naruto.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing," said Naruto as he feigned a yawn, "I'm just feeling a little tired."
"Yeah, today was rough. Anyways, I saw this meal that looked great so I got one. Did you get something good?"
"Yeah," said Naruto barely refraining from smiling, "Wait till you see it. "
"You'll flip. "
Kushina Uzumaki
Rank: #9
Grade: S-rank
Points: 65, 000, 000
Tsunade Senju
Rank: #11
Grade: S-rank
Points: 58, 500, 500
Kakashi Hatake
Rank: # 13
Grade: S-rank
Points: 53, 000, 000
Rin Nohara
Rank: #211
Grade: A-rank
Points: 4, 200, 000
Naruto's team:
Apollo, a male Treecko.
Shinobi, a male Froakie[Shiny]
Kiba's team
Akamaru, a male Rockruff
Tsūga, a male Drilbur
Yari, a female Spearow
Fū's team
Naka, a female Chimchar
Chōmei, a male Heracross
Others:
Kuromaru, Tsume's Houndoom
Gamabunta, Jiraiya's Greninja.
Cyclops, Kakashi's Dusknoir
Author Notes:
There's the second chapter of Herald. This was a lot harder to write than the first chapter, but I think I made it work.
Naruto meets the Inuzukas. Has a heart-to-heart with Kushina, gets a Froakie and meets Fū.
I'm gonna be honest with y'all.
Is a Froakie cheesy for Naruto? Yes. Do a lot of people do it? Yes. Am I gonna stop that? Hell no.
If there is one pokemon that fits Naruto Uzumaki then it is definitely a Greninja. I mean seriously. A ninja frog that can make clones of itself and launch a giant shuriken as an attack.
If that's not derivative, I don't know what is.
Anyways, thanks for reading and feel free to drop reviews. I love hearing from you guys. This is also being cross-posted on AO3 if that's more your jam.
P.S. I am making a map of Sanka that I'll make available for you guys. I can't draw what Naruto or anyone else is wearing. Sorry, but these hands are not artistic.