Start Chapter 11 and the Journey to Jounin Arc
Well Naruto's a Chuunin now. I guess he's one step closer to his ultimate goal. I better train harder if I don't want him to surpass me just yet. Granted, he still has a long road ahead of him, but I'm sure in the end his face will be on that mountain one day.
At Naruto's Apartment that Night
The blonde looks at his new Chuunin flak vest in amazement, "I can't believe I got promoted. I mean I faced a tailed-demon, but in all honesty it wasn't that hard considering all I had to do was wake Gaara up." Shrugging his shoulders Naruto files it away for later, "I guess I better hit the hay if I want to get a head start on training tomorrow." Turning out the light on his nightstand Naruto crawls into bed to get some rest for a hard day ahead of him tomorrow.
At the Training Ground the Next Day
Naruto dodges another blow from Iruka as they are locked in combat training. He tries to counter the move, but gets countered out of that. The force of the punch sends him back into the air, but he quickly regains his composure and back flips away. He grabs three shuriken from his hip pouch before throwing them and making hand seals, "Ninja-Art: Shuriken Multiplication Jutsu!" The three shuriken quickly divide into a cloud of them and Iruka is forced to use a replacement jutsu. He makes it in the nick of time and the hail of iron projectiles impales a log. Breathing a sigh of relief in cover he feels cold iron press against his neck and he sighs as Naruto says, "Yield."
Iruka looks up bewildered before saying "I yield." The blade is drawn away from his neck and the two meet in the open, "I guess you are really improving then, huh?"
Naruto smiles before scratching the back of his head, "Yeah, but I still have a long way to go before I can take you down consistently." Iruka smiles at his student's humble attitude and motions for him to come again.
Later that Day at the Waterfall
"Naruto I'm going to have someone else teach you some wind-style ninjutsu since I don't know anything about them beyond the basics." A Jounin comes out into the clearing, "This is Asuma Sarutobi and he will be teaching you some more advanced ninjutsu."
The gruff looking Jounin takes a puff from his cigarette before blowing a cloud of smoke, "The first thing I'm going to teach you is the Wind-Style: Grand Air Bullet Jutsu." Making several hand seal before quickly spinning around an invisible object collides with a tree and for a second nothing happens. Until the tree explodes into a million pieces, "Now this is how it's done…" Asuma takes over for Iruka and Naruto attempts the technique several times before getting it down proficiently, "Well I'm impressed, so I'll teach you one more before I have to go. It's called Wind-Style: Wind Blade Jutsu." Making a couple of hand seals and pressing his hand against a giant tree a small blade sized slit is bored into the tree, "You can imagine how that would feel piercing through you. It can also be used a lot like chakra scalpels as well if you get good enough at it." Once again Asuma goes over the technique, but this time Naruto has a little less success, "Don't worry about it this jutsu is going to take a while to master. I have to go now; it was nice seeing you Iruka." In a swirl of leaves the Jounin exits the area.
Iruka claps his hands and says, "I think that's enough for today. Let's reconvene tomorrow at the same time. Missions start back up two days from now, so we'll go in for one then." Naruto nods and the two leave the area in a collective puff of smoke.
Several Days Later at the Mission Hall
"Naruto and Iruka you will be carrying out an A-ranked search and rescue mission in Wind Country. One of the Fire Country nobles has gone missing there and we suspect it to be the work of some rogue Sand Ninja. This mission will be very difficult and will require at least two weeks to complete. Do you accept it?" Naruto looks at Iruka who nods at the Councilman, "Good, now go and prepare for your mission. Time is of the essence here." Iruka and Naruto bow before taking their leave.
On the Road to Wind Country
Naruto looks over the mission scroll before closing it and saying, "So the last place this noble was seen was near the Cactus Village on the border of Fire and Wind country? I guess we better investigate that and look for clues." Iruka nods in agreement with the plan and the two head towards Cactus Village.
Just Outside of Cactus Village
The blonde Chuunin looks at the wreckage of a caravan that looks like it was that of someone with money, "Alright, I guess this is it. Let's start digging around." Iruka says and the two separate before looking around the crime scene for clues.
Naruto quickly spots a piece of paper that is held to a wagon by a kunai, "Hey I think I found something!" He scans the document and reads, "It says 'If anyone finds this we want 10 million Ryo for the noble. If you want to make an exchange we will be at Scraggy Canyon ten miles southwest of this location. Bring the money and we will return him safely without a scratch." Handing the note to Iruka the blonde says, "I think we should make a plan of how we're going to do this. I figure these guys are pretty strong considering they took out a team of Chuunin. Maybe we should call for back up?"
Iruka nods in agreement, "Yes, I'll send a note to the Council with a courier hawk. If they can get us back up we'll continue, but if they can't we're going to do some reconnaissance and decide from there." Scribbling a note on a small scroll Iruka bites his thumb and pulls out another larger scroll before a hawk appears. Tucking the note on its claw Iruka reseals it and the avian creature disappears in a puff of smoke, "Alright it'll be a few hours before they get back to us. So let's make camp for the night." The two ninja walk to a nearby cave before setting up camp until the courier hawk swoops in, "Well it looks like we've got back-up coming in a day or two. Let's rest here for the next few days and then we'll make a strategy from there."
Several Days Later
A team of four Leaf Chuunin comes into sight and Naruto calls for Iruka. Once they get to the duo they exchange greetings before getting down to business, "Alright, these guys were able to take out a team of Chuunin, so obviously they are skilled. We don't know their numbers yet, so we're going to do some scouting before we come up with a plan of attack. Are you guys ready to travel right now?" The team nods and the brown-haired man says, "Okay then, and let's get moving."
Outside of Scraggy Canyon
The team of six looks over the campsite of the rouge wind ninja and start coming up with a plan, "Alright we could have two of us try to take out the two guards at either entrance quietly. The other two of us will engage the ones on the top of the canyon. Iruka and Naruto we'll need you take out the leader as quickly as possible, so he can't put the noble in harm's way." The Chuunin leader says, "There might be a couple other ones in there that we'll engage after we've taken care of our targets." He continues, "If something goes wrong, just use your microphones. Our code word is 'fan'. However, if everything goes right and you are able to neutralize your target without a hitch the code word is 'flame'. Is everyone clear?" The group nods and they wait for nightfall to start making their move.
Around 3 AM
Naruto and Iruka quietly sneak up on the leader before he turns around drawing a kunai, "I guess we have some Leaf ninja to deal with." Four voices quickly come in saying 'flame' Iruka nods at Naruto and the two go at the leader. Naruto throws three kunai and Iruka waits before phasing out of sight while the missing ninja dodges the projectiles. Iruka brings a kunai down on the enemy's skull and a log replaces the bad guy. Naruto quickly finds him heading towards the noble and responds by throwing five shuriken. Speedily making hand seals the five shuriken become a cloud of them and the missing ninja is blindsided by them. The hail of weapons sinks into his body and he falls like a sack of bricks. Naruto approaches the man cautiously and sees him bleeding out, "You lose leaf scum." Opening his vest he shows his body covered in explosive tags Naruto quickly grabs the noble and body flickers out in the nick of time. The large explosion engulfs the camp.
The ninja regroup at the entrance of the canyon, "Good job team." Iruka says and they begin the long trek home.
At the Mission Hall a Week Later
Naruto and Iruka plus the four Chuunin stand before the councilman after a successful mission, "Well good job, you will not only receive compensation for the mission, but the bounties on the ninja you terminated." Handing out six separate wads of cash, "You are dismissed." The teams say their goodbyes before going their separate ways.
Once Iruka and Naruto are out of the building the Jounin says, "Alright, take the rest of the day off. Tomorrow we resume training."
At Naruto's Apartment
After a nice hot shower and a home-cooked meal Naruto relaxes on his couch reading a book on wind-ninjutsu. A knock at his door pulls him away from his reading and the blonde Chuunin goes to answer the door. Opening it up he sees, "Jiraiya of the Sannin, what brings you here?"
Jiraiya looks confused, "So you know who I am?"
Naruto smiles politely, "Um, yeah you're in a lot of history books and I read a couple of your books on sealing. I liked the advanced sealing theory one the best, it actually was the easiest to read and provided a lot of good tips." Shaking out his fan-side Naruto shifts to his business one, "So enough of that what brings you here? I'm sure a Sannin like you has better things to do than talk to a Chuunin."
The Toad Sage says, "Well I wanted to make you an offer, I want to take you on a training trip while running a mission to get the new Hokage."
Naruto stands there awestruck before ushering him in to sit, "Can I grab you anything? Coffee, water, maybe a snack?" Jiraiya politely declines the offer of hospitality and then Naruto asks, "So does this have anything to do with paying back the Fourth Hokage?"
Jiraiya looks a little shocked at the boy's words and knowledge, "Well, actually a little bit of that and I've heard about you doing so well, so I thought you might want someone to take you to next level."
The blonde Chuunin looks Jiraiya dead in the eye coldly, "No I don't want your training, but I will help you find the next Hokage. You weren't there for me when I needed you most, but I won't decline a mission that is important for the village's continuity. I would request though that Iruka Umino comes with us since he's my teacher."
Lost as to what to say to the boy's harsh words he simply replies, "Alright, I can do that. I'm sorry for not being there for you, but I had my own issues to sort out. Plus I have a purpose in the village that doesn't let me stay here for more than few days." Walking out of the apartment in silence he stops at the door before saying, "If you change your mind and can forgive this old man I will be more than glad to help you. Be at the East Gate tomorrow at five AM sharp." In a puff of smoke the Sannin leaves Naruto to his thoughts.
The Next Day
Naruto, Iruka, and Jiraiya check out of the gate before heading out of the village for the next few weeks, "We're going to Tanzaku Town which is the last place Tsunade was seen. We'll investigate from there and make a plan of action to get her back." They all nod at one another before breaking into a running pace to get there quicker.
In Tanzaku Town after a Day of Searching
Naruto finally gets a lead on the blonde Sannin and meets up with Iruka and Jiraiya, "Apparently she's a regular at a BBQ place I found in the business district every night around 8 PM, so I guess we'll wait an hour or two before going." They nod and head back to the hotel for the time being.
Around 8:00 PM at the BBQ Restaurant
The trio waits in a booth across from an empty table. Several minutes pass by and a blonde-haired woman and brown-haired woman sit across from them, "I'll handle this from here on out." Jiraiya says before joining, "Tsunade and Shizune, it's good to see you again."
Tsunade looks up at her old teammate obviously a little annoyed, "What could possibly bring you here Jiraiya? Is Sarutobi-sensei trying to get me to come back again?"
Jiraiya's face turns sad, "No, he's dead. He died fighting Orochimaru in an invasion on the village. Orochimaru didn't make it out either." Tsunade takes a sip of her tea before letting it sink in that they're the only two of the team left.
The blonde Sannin sighs, "Well thanks for letting me know that, is there a reason you brought those two?" Pointing at Naruto and Iruka Jiraiya sighs.
"Well I was supposed to train the blonde one, but he refused. And he insisted that his teacher be brought with him." Tsunade looks confused at that and Jiraiya continues to talk, "We're also on a mission to find a new Hokage, you're the person we're looking for."
Tsunade laughs before saying, "Well you're wasting your time, and only a fool would take that position. And only a fool would decline training from a Sannin." She says looking over at Naruto with her hazel eyes.
Naruto sighs frustrated, "You're right only a fool would decline training from a Sannin. There's more to it than that, a lot more than you know." Pausing he furrows his brow in anger, "But only a bigger fool would disrespect their sensei who died protecting what's most precious to him! You're not worthy of becoming Hokage, if you can't put the village ahead of your petty issues…" Getting up quickly Naruto says, "Then you're worse than trash because you've turned your back on every one of your comrades!"
Tsunade jumps up and stands over the blonde Chuunin, "I don't know who you think you are kid, but I think you need a lesson in manners!" She points out the door before saying, "You, and me are settling this outside now!" Staring defiantly with his azure eyes the blonde boy follows the Sannin outside ignoring the voice inside telling him this is a bad idea. Once they're outside she says, "If you can put a scratch on me I'll come back and be Hokage. I'll even throw in this necklace." Holding up a small green crystal pendant she says, "It belonged to the First Hokage and is worth a lot of money."
Clicking his teeth the Chuunin says, "Fine, I accept and if I lose we'll never bother you again." Smirking, "You ready to get your ass kicked old lady?" Naruto says trying to get a rise out of the woman and it works judging by the twitching of her eyebrow, "Come!" Tsunade charges Naruto and the blonde slips on both of his special knuckle-buster before channeling wind chakra into them. He waits for her to near and then takes a swipe at the woman purposely missing. However, she quickly backs away from it and feels a scratch form on her face. Touching it she feels warmth coming from it and sighs, "I guess I win our bet."
"I guess you do kid." She undoes the necklace and looks into Naruto's eyes before seeing that look on him as Dan and Nawaki. Seeing that look changes something inside of her and she feels odd. Going over to the blonde her expression softens as she says, "Wear it well kid." Placing the necklace around his neck the Sannin says, "Alright I'll keep my word, I guess I'll have to come back with you guys."
Jiraiya speaks up, "Well it's been a long day, so I guess we'll turn in for the night at our hotel. I expect to see you tomorrow at the gate leading to the Leaf." Tsunade nods and the group part ways. Once Jiraiya is next to Naruto he smacks the kid across the head, "What the hell were you thinking? You could've gotten killed or caused serious damage to the town!"
Naruto smiles, "I know, and usually my emotions don't get the better of me. But what she said about the Old Man and all those who came before him hit something I couldn't help, but react to. I'm sorry for my outburst it won't happen again." The Toad Sannin nods and the trip back to the hotel is laced with a heavy silence.
The Next Day at the Gate to the Leaf Village
The group joins together for the trek back home, "I'm surprised you didn't take off Tsunade." Jiraiya says smartly causing the blonde woman to sigh in annoyance, "But I'm proud of you for doing that." Whispering into her ear he says, "That kid is going to change the world one day. I can tell you know it too." Tsunade nods and a warm breeze blows comforting them in that thought…
End Chapter 11