Chapter 16

The words of the day

"It's not the words of the dead man's words that matter, but the meaning behind them."- Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage

Shikamaru sighed again. He was really getting tired of this code. It's been 8 days and still the cipher unit had no idea how to break it, even with all their research. Shiho, the young yet promising member of the Leaf Cryptology Team, even asked the one man she would never dare ask for help or even suspect to have trouble with deciphering the code- Ganju. None of the two could break it, even though they were the best in the whole village. The woman, being out of any other ideas, suggested to ask everyone in the village associated to Jiraiya about the code, as it could be, or rather must have been, addressed to someone specific.

So, Shikamaru asked Lady Tsunade first, since the two were teammates. Unluckily, she had no idea. That or was too drunk when he asked to think clearly.

Then he asked every member of the Enforcers, but none had an idea.

Then he asked Kakashi. The silver haired jonin seemed to be up to something, but apparently it was nothing. Kakashi feared for his life should he tell Jiraiya's guessing on Tsunade's breast size. But, the jonin suggested he visit Naruto. Shikamaru intended to do so anyway, but guessed Kakashi wanted him to try and cheer him up. However, when he approached the building, he did not expect to find Anko trying to sneak in... only to be sent flying into the sky.

Shikamaru shook off the sweat drop and made his way to Naruto's apartment. He was hesitant for a minute. He heard Naruto hardly left his place ever since the news. And refused to let in anyone. What's more, Kiba seemed pissed at one point and barged in, wanting to beat some sense into him, much to Tsunade's disapproval. The result, Kiba was sent not only flying but also in the hospital for three days, having suffered a skull fraction, shattered arm bone and three ribs broken along with minor internal injury. The chunin hoped he wouldn't end the same way.

He knocked the door and waited for an agonizing minute. Not out of fear, but nothingness. There wasn't even a reply. But finally, the door slightly opened, revealing the home resident. The blonde's appearance changed slightly, though. He sported a small beard, messy hair, hardly bathed, judging by the smell, hardly slept... he looked a bit like a wreck. Shikamaru was never surprised like this. At least since Shizune and Kuromaru married four years back.

"Oh, Shikamaru..." Naruto said, with a solemn voice. No, it sounded more like that of a dead man.

"Sorry, Naruto." Shikamaru started. "You mind if I come in?"

Few minutes passed, and still nothing. Shikamaru kept looking at Naruto, who was just staring at the photo with lifeless expression. "Well, anything?" he asked. The blond did not react. "Hey!" the Nara shouted. Naruto looked up to him, and seemed ready to say something. Shikamaru actually smiled...

Only to receive the photo back. "Help yourself out." Naruto said, making his way to the kitchen.

Shikamaru was now irritated. It was such a drag to see Naruto like this. He got up and called. "Naruto!" he caught the blonde's attention. "Come with me for a minute." He asked.

And a few minutes later, they were in front of the Leaf's hospital. Naruto had no idea why the lazy ass brought him all the way here. He was about to leave, when he got sight of Kurenai. And to his surprise, she was different. She was with a four-year old child holding to her hand- a boy.

"You don't have to come and see us every day, Shikamaru." Kurenai said.

The young chunin smiled. "Actually, I have to."

"Shikamaru!" the boy cheered, dashing at the man. "I'm happy to see you." He cheered, before noticing Naruto. "Umm, who this?" he pointed at the blond.

"That's Naruto." Shikamaru introduced. The blond kneeled to look in the kid's eyes. Shikamaru had a strange feeling. Naruto seemed tense. Very tense. And was quiet. There was only one moment when one stood like this- when ready to attack.

And so it happened. Naruto threw his hands at the boy. Shikamaru had a face of horror seeing this. Naruto had got mad. He attacked the kid. Asuma and Kurenai's kid at that. If Asuma were alive, the jonin would kill him. But Kurenai... oh, there was no concept for what an angered woman would do to him. The Nara already paled, hearing the cries of pain. The yells of rage. The... laughter?

He turned to find Naruto throwing Kurenai's kid up and catching him in a very playful manner. Shikamaru couldn't believe what he was seeing. Naruto was very playful with children. After Kurenai coughed, Naruto seemed to suddenly return to reality. "Umm.. sorry." He apologized, scratching the back of his head. Kurenai chuckled.

"Don't worry, Naruto." She said, taking her son back from him. "I'm actually surprised. I didn't think you had a thing for children."

"Just don't spread it, will ya?" he asked, throwing a death promising glare at Shikamaru, so he would know to also keep it to himself. Not that he would talk about it. It was a drag. Then Kurenai made her way home.

"That kid's gonna be my pupil someday." Shikamaru said, getting Naruto confused. "Asuma left him in my care. I know about Lord Jiraiya."

Naruto growled dangerously. Shikamaru had to be careful with his next choice of words. He was on thin ice. "I lost my teacher too, y'know. So I am familiar with what you're going through. Nothing's gonna happen if you keep hesitating. It's about time you left that place behind."

"What are you talking about?" Naruto asked from his teeth, trembling with anger, feeling Menma's presence.

"My teacher taught me a tons of things. Some of them invaluable and some completely useless. And so did yours, right? And we're on our way there as well."

"On our way... to where?" Naruto was surprised.

"To their side. The one that leaves behind instead of inherits. It's such a drag, but this is how the world works. Before you know it, you'll be treating some kid ramen. And he'll call you Naruto-sensei. We can't stay kids forever. Not if we wanna be kickass shinobi, like Asuma-sensei and Lord Jiraiya." He turned to face Naruto, who had his face in shock and deep thought. Then he saw him trying to fight his emotions. He seemed ready to cry... but it was actually laughter.

"Kickass shinobi, eh?" Naruto laughed. "I'm more of a kickass shinobi then you for some time now, you lazy-ass." He said.

"Glad to see you put yourself together, Naruto." Shikamaru smiled full-heartily. "Now, you've got a job to do."

Few minutes later...

Boredom. It's been about twenty minutes and Naruto was just standing there, looking at the photo. Shikamaru usually was patient and all, but now he was actually losing it. What a drag.

"C'mon, Naruto. If ya got any idea, then just say it." Shikamaru finally broke the silence.

"What Shikamaru says is true." Shiho added, readjusting her thick glasses. "The key might be unorthodox, since only you might know what the numbers refer to. If you got any idea at all, even a weird one, then feel free to say it."

Naruto glanced at her, then back at the photo. "Well..." he started, hesitantly.

"Yes...?" Ganju, Shikamaru and Shiho got curious.

"Why did the Pervy-sage put a katakana and left the rest as a number?"

That got the two confused. Really, what was he talking about? "A katakana?" Shiho asked under her breath.

"W-where do you see it?" The Nara asked, looking at the photo again.

"Are you kidding me, Shikamaru?" Naruto asked, as if he was being mocked. "I may not be a genius, but even I know this is a katakana. Not a number '9'." Naruto pointed at the letter.

"Naruto. That's... a number '9', isn't it?" Ganju questioned.

"No, definitely not. When Pervy-sage was training me, he had me read his scripts every now and then. I mean, he was a writer. And it was always hard, because he would always write katakana 'ta' like '9'." The jinchuriki explained.

"I see. So it was his writing habit." Shiho explained.

"Damn, Naruto! Why didn't ya say anythin' earlier?" Shikamaru snapped.

"Because we only know there's a katakana in the code. That's still far from actually cracking the code." The blond male explained. Shikamaru wanted to argue, but couldn't ignore that Naruto had a point. But, it was still a clue.

"You said Lord Jiraiya was a writer. Maybe the answer is in the book. Maybe the katakana points out the book to look into?" Shikamaru figured.

"That might work." Ganju agreed. "Naruto? How many books did Lord Jiraiya write?"

"Let me think. Um... I think he was working on his fifth before I left... maybe six by today." Naruto guessed.

Shikamaru actually smiled. "Good. That's not too many. All we need to do is find the one starting with 'ta'."

"You mean this one?" a voice called. All four turned to the window, to find a certain silver haired jonin, showing them 'Icha Icha Tactics'. "I heard your talking and thought I'd show this to you."

"Um, Kakashi-sensei? How come you have that book with you so conveniently?" Shikamaru asked with suspicion.

"Well, I always keep the Icha Icha collection with me." He explained. "Anyway, from what I know, this is the only book starting with 'ta'. So this must be the one."

"Alright then. What now?" Naruto asked.

"Well..." the Ganju thought for a minute. "The numbers may refer to the page numbers. Please open the book on page 31st." she instructed the jonin. Then... "Now, in this case, we start with the first line on the page. Master Kakashi, if you'd be so kind and read out loud." Ganju requested.

That's when everyone got confused. The jonin with gravity defying hair seemed shocked at the sound of the request. Normally, he wasn't ashamed to read the book in public, yet to read it out loud around them... His vision became blurry.

"Eh hehe. No... I couldn't..." he blushed.

"Well, what's the hold up? If there's the key, then just read it already." Naruto growled. "Kakashi was now even more troubled. Now the blond lost his patience and activated his genetic ability, staring the jonin in the eye. "C'MON! SPIT IT OUT ALREADY! OUT WITH IT! NOW!" he demanded.

Kakashi felt he had no choice but to cooperate.

"...T-t-t-tru...ly I... Love you..." Kakashi finally read it.

After a few minutes, which felt like hours for some, all the lines were written down. Kakashi was even more red than a tomato. He felt so embarrassed he could never look at the book the same way again.

"Alright. All is written down." Ganju reported.

"Good." Shiho cheered. "Now, we start with the first words in the lines." She stated, circling the words.

'The"

'Real'

'One'

'Is'

'Not'

'There'

...

"What?! Is that even Japanese?" Naruto asked in annoyance?

"Naruto. Calm down." Kakashi said. "Your anger is clouding your judgment."

"I don't care! All I want is the guy's head."

"And you will have it." A voice spoke. This surprised everyone present. A second later, a sound erupted outside. When the group looked out, they found Tsunade, Sakura and Fukasaku outside. "Lord Fukasaku said he will give you a special training." Tsunade continued. "Jiraiya may have failed to defeat him, but you might actually pull it, Naruto, and defeat Pain."

"Actually, Tsunade-girl, it ain't me who's gonna train da boy." The elderly toad said.

Tsunade was shocked. "What?! But you said..."

"I said Naruto-boy's gonna need a special trainin' ta fight Pain." Fukasaku said. "But I neva said I was gonna train 'im."

"B-but... then who...?" Tsunade wanted to ask, not understanding what the toad meant, when...

"We will train him." A powerful voice called. And before anyone could look around, there was a powerful puff of smoke in the middle, along with a small lightening.

When the smoke dispersed, what everyone saw, aside for the toad, were shocked. There, before them, stood three figures. Two females dressed in classic kimono, standing about 200 cm tall, with their hair down and yellow eyes looking at them. Then, there was an 8 foot tall, male figure, with his silvery white mane tied in a short pony tail, and long horns, curved like ram ox horns. He was wearing a samue, a bead wrapped around his left arm and, in his right hand, a shakujō. The eyes of the humans widened in shock. And fear.

"Is that...?" Shikamaru whispered.

"Can't... be..." Tsunade followed, as Kakashi got in front of the hokage, read for battle.

"OGRES!" He called. "SOUND THE ALARM!" Kakashi was about to shout again, when he got whacked in the head. Judging by the male ogre's movement, it seemed as if he merely touched him, yet Kakashi fell as if hit with a mountain.

"I suggest you tell your shinobi to keep at bay their lust for fights, Hokage." The male said.

"Brother, please." Akira asked. "There's no need to threaten them."

"I am not threatening them, sister. But I am losing patience with the way mortals are so willing to fight first and ask questions later." He sighed heavily. "Mortals. All that intellect and still, all they can do is fight and kill before thinking. Even insects appear more civilized then them."

"Brother..." the other ogress said.

"Alright, already." He coughed. " Forgive us this unannounced visit. I am Goryō, head of the ogre clan. And these are my sister's: Akira and Mariko. Twins."

No one said anything. In fact, the humans were all glaring at the three, ready for a fight. Why? Well, to answer that question, you must know a different story.

Ogres. The powerful and fearsome beings. One of the strongest amongst the demons. In power, amongst the six strongest beings, sixth after the Demon King. The ogres were best known for their physical powers: strength and durability. They were also the most brutal amongst the demons, mercilessly killing anything in their way- god, mortal or animal. And their presence was sheer fear. True monsters.

That however changed during the Great Exile, the days when a mortal known by the future generations only as The Sage of Six Paths, made his stand and defeated the Demon King, separating The Mortal Realm from the Immortal Kingdom and Demon Plane. The ogres have turned on the demon kin and sided with the gods, promised to finally be given a place for their own. Their leader, Wabisuke, was honored with a place amongst the gods. And centuries later, his son, Raijin, would take his place.

However, the ogres were always looked at with distrust by the mortals. Even now, Tsunade was willing to punch the beast in the face.

"Tsunade-girl. Calm down, please." Fukasaku requested. "I can vouch fer 'im. He's a good friend. And he's goin' ta train Naruto-boy." That caught Tsunade and the other humans off guard.

"Say that again." Kakashi asked.

"Like I said, the ogres are gonna train Naruto-boy. I quarantine, no harm will come ta da boy from them. Ogres have earn the toads trust. 'n' these three are m'old friends."

"Nice to see you still remember us, little Fuka." Mariko chuckled.

Tsunade was still suspicious towards the horned giants, but slowly lowered her arms, a little. "I won't trust them just yet." She said. "But I will trust Lord Fukasaku."

"B-but Lady Tsunade..." Shikamaru wanted to say something.

"Do not fear, young one." Goryō said. "If we were here to hurt you, we would've done so. Although, I am not ignorant of your... concerns." His slight pause did not escape Kakashi's notice.

"W-wait." Naruto spoke. "Y-you want to... train me? W-why?"

"Because your power is the same as ours." Akira smiled.

"Therefore, we know how to train you properly. But be weary, we are not going to be that gentle."

"Enough." Goryō said. Then turned to Tsunade. "Hear this, Tsunade, Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. No harm will come to Naruto as long as he is with us. This I swear."

"You'd better be." Tsunade growled.

"Don't worry, Tsunade-girl." Fukasaku spoke. "I will be there with them. Should anything happen, however..." he paused and build up some chakra. In a puff of smoke, a small toad with goggles appeared. "Call me."

"Alright." Tsunade said, before turning to Naruto. "Brat, you'd better come back from their pit, you hear me?"

"I hear ya, Granny." Naruto replied. "I'll just pack some things."

"Very well. Meet us by the main gate." Goryō nodded, and Naruto bolted towards his apartment.

Several minutes passed. The three ogres and the elderly toad were waiting just outside the gate. The four were strangely stoic, despite the crowd of the Leaf citizens and ninja gathered. The civilians were all fearful of the horned people, while the shinobi were ready to engage them. Only Tsunade held them in place. Soon, Naruto arrived.

"All right. I'm all packed up. Let's go!" he called, moving along the road.

At least, that was the plan. Mariko and Akira caught him by the arms and lifted him. "Hey!" he cried.

"There's no point walking." The twins said simultaneously.

"We will take you our place in a more flashy way." Goryō said, hitting the ground with his staff.

"What do you mean...?" Naruto was asking, when the staff hit the ground. And in the flash of a lightening, the group disappeared, much to the shock of everyone.

Naruto blinked a few times. He looked around to find a... traditional Japanese room. He looked around. It definitely looked that way. He was expecting a cave, fire spitting pits, a desert or something. But never this. He turned to the three ogres, who looked at him with serious expressions, before the unexpected happened.

"Welcome to our home, nephew!" the twins cheered, hugging the blond, before Goryō joined.

To be continued...

A.N.: Well, I finished the first part of my Transformers fic. So, like I promised, I will focus my attention on this fic until May 21. Fair warning, I DO NOT promise to update regularly, but I will try to post at least two chapters on weekends, unless something comes up. Well, 'til next time, friends.

My cast:

Goryo- Kevin Micheal Richardson (voice of Bulkhead from Transformers Prime)

Akira- Sumalee Montano (voice of Katana from Beware the Batman)

Mariko- Megan Hollingshead (voice of Rangiku Matsumoto from Bleach)