Author's Note: Come on guys shoot me some names for NaruIno's kids. I have two so far, and if you think of more please feel free to tell me, just because I'm only picking out one boys name and one girls name doesn't mean you only have to suggest one of each. Something I feel like I should mention; Yes Fuu is related to Inoichi, and yes he would have recognized the name of a relative, I'm using Fuu as an assigned name (whether it's his real name or not.) Very glad I'm averaging ten reviews per chapter now, thanks to all of you. (followers and reviewers)
To Guest- Yes I haven't gotten to that part yet, but what I put in the description will come to pass, Ino just hasn't had any major male interactions yet. As for lemons...I'm not sure yet, I have given it thought, but still haven't decided. If I do include such I will probably ask for a fan to write it, and do some editing to it (not censoring) as I'm not skilled at writing lemons.
To LordHero- Yeah I realize I haven't deviated much from canon yet, but it will be a chain reaction when it does, obviously a lot of things change just from Naruto not being in the village during the Chunin exams.
To jayley- Thank you, that's definitely what I was going for! Like I said I would have been surprised if anyone would have guessed, though I suppose I could have given a better description or something. Having her alive and as a teacher was what actually sparked the entire idea for this fic, though originally I was going to make it NaruHina (Obviously I changed it, and in my opinion, for the better.)
OoO
Koga walked the dark streets of Tanzaku Town with his hound, Kuro, a large white dog with wolfish features. One of the trails they had found ended here, and it was the one they deemed most likely, not because it ended in a town, but because it ended at a bath house. Once they cleaned themselves of the scent masker, they would have smelled the same as everyone who used the complimentary soaps. He would have followed all of those trails, but by now their scents would have faded. They needed some new clue or reference scent, so he and Kuro were charged with finding it. Hishin was charged with inspecting the entire town with his Byakugan; while it was unlikely, they needed to be certain that their targets weren't here. Since Torune's bugs weren't specialized for tracking, he was standing by in the woods making sure they weren't being followed themselves.
"Grr Koga, I found something." Said Kuro, sniffing at a dumpster. "It smells like the scent masker."
"Alright good job, Kuro, man." Said Koga as he flipped the dumpster lid open and started digging around till he found the source of the scent. Two sets of clothes, clearly belonging to their targets, were among the trash. He pulled them out and examined them. It wasn't possible to follow them though the scent masker anymore but perhaps there was something else they could use. "I think I got something." Said Koga as he turned the boys coat pockets inside out. Inside one of the pockets was a coupon for a ramen stand.
Kuro came up and sniffed it. "Ah yeah, it's got his scent on it. Seal it so it doesn't weaken."
Koga did just that, sealing their clue inside a scroll. While it wasn't a trail, it was certainly a reference point, as a persons natural scent changed very little without the aid of perfumes, maskers, and the like. Unfortunately that was they only thing they found. "Go tell Torune, I'll meet up with Hishin."
"Got it." and with that Kuro vanished in the direction of the woods.
OoO
The morning sun shown through the forest on the horizon, giving the trees long shadows. Eika was already waiting as Naruto and Ino approached, both looking eager. She smiled at their enthusiasm and waved.
"So what are you going to teach us Eika-sensei." Asked Naruto nearly jumping up and down.
"Well now that you have a better grasp on controlling chakra, I was going to check your chakra affinities, and that will open the door to learning more jutsus. Do you both know what I'm talking about?" Ino was nodding, but Naruto looked clueless. "Ok Minato, there are five basic chakra affinities; Fire, water, earth, lightening, and wind. Generally you wouldn't be taught nature manipulation until you were closer to Chunin rank, but I feel you both can handle it. Kurenai, you have very good chakra control and Minato, you have a vast amount of chakra, so I don't think we have to worry about you accidentally exhausting all your chakra." Both listened eagerly as she continued. "Normally you'd have specialized paper to focus chakra into, that would tell you what your strongest affinity is, but I'm a sensor type. I can tell what your affinities by placing my hand on your heads."
She motioned for both of them to step forward, and as they did so she placed a hand on both of their heads. A shocked look came across her face as she sensed their chakra. She had sensed Naruto's chakra the first time she had seen him in the woods, so she knew that he already outstripped most Jounin in the amount of chakra he possessed, but with this, it felt like she was looking down a pitch black well, not knowing how deep it went. The strangest thing was that it felt like there were eyes staring back at her from that deep darkness. While that was the main reason she was shocked, she was also shocked that their affinities matched her own; Naruto had a wind nature chakra and Ino had a water nature chakra. 'This is seeming less and less like a coincidence. Maybe we really were fated to meet.' She thought to herself as she removed her hands from their heads.
Ino tensed as she saw the look on Eika's face. 'Can she tell we're using transformations, or maybe she knows who we are?' She spared a glance at Naruto who also seemed to notice.
Eika could sense their suspicion, and smiled. "I'm sorry, I was just a little shocked is all. It seems your chakra affinities are the same as my own. I couldn't have asked for more compatible students." They seemed to relax a little. "Minato, yours is wind, and Kurenai, yours is water."
"So you have both? Is that possible?" Asked Naruto, a little confused.
"Yes and it is, but not everyone has more than one affinity. For example: While Kurenai has a strong affinity for water, she also has a weak affinity for earth. You on the other hand, only have an affinity for wind. Some ninja even have three or more affinities, though you shouldn't use this as a measure of strength." She finished.
"Ah, okay." said Naruto, nodding while not fully understanding. "So will you be teaching us new jutsu?" he asked hopefully.
"Well it's not that simple, first you need to get used to nature manipulation in your chakra, then I'll be able to teach you what I know. What's more is once you know how to do this, you can come up with your own unique jutsu." Eika replied. That elicited an excited look from the younger shinobi. "So today we'll practice some nature manipulation." Eika plucked a leaf from a bush and handed it to Naruto. "For your training, Minato, I want you to use your chakra to cut this leaf." She picked one for herself and gave him a demonstration by placing the whole leaf between both palms for a moment then removing her top hand to reveal a leaf cut in half. "It helps if you can imagine channeling the chakra in your hands in opposite directions against each other." He didn't look like he understood at all, but placed the leaf between his palms and began attempting to cut the leaf with his chakra.
"What about me sensei." asked Ino. She was pretty sure that this kind of training wouldn't work with her affinity.
"For you, Kurenai, we'll need to go down to the river. Will you be okay here, Minato?" Naruto nodded continuing to concentrate on the leaf in his hands. "I'll come back to check on you shortly."
Ino again was a little cautious as she followed Eika out of the forest and towards the river. Instead of remaining silent, she decided to get some information on their teacher. "So, I was wondering, what did you mean when you said you used to be a ninja?"
Eika didn't turn to look at her as she answered. "I left my village when I was just a little older than you are now." She decided it was best to just tell her to foster some trust. "It's better if you don't know where I'm from, but I left because my village decided that member of my clan and other such clans were a nuisance and started exterminating us."
"Why would they do something like that?" Ino asked. She couldn't understand why a village would eliminate it's own shinobi.
"My clan has a kekkei genkai. Suffice it to say there are just as many people who fear and hate those with such power as there are those who covet them."
Ino understood a little better, but it still seemed like an extreme reaction. Kekkei genkai's were powerful in the shinobi world, and she guessed, a sensitive subject to Eika, so she decided to drop it for the time being.
They walked in silence for a while until Eika spoke. "Now do you mind if I ask you something?" she asked, this time looking behind her, waiting as Ino responded with a nod. "Is it alright with you if I use your real names?" She asked looking apologetic as Ino seemed to panic. "I'm sorry, I actually overheard the two of you talking the day before yesterday. Your names are Ino and Naruto, right?"
'Well at least I know she isn't one of the ones after us, or she would have tried something by now.' Ino thought as she calmed down. "Yes, that's fine. Sorry we lied to you." Ino replied giving a nervous smile.
Eika shook her head, "It's alright, you were just being careful, that's understandable. I want you both to trust me if you're going to be my students." She replied, giving a genuine smile.
Ino nodded, also smiling. "Yes Eika-sensei."
They arrived at the river shortly after their conversation and stopped at the bank. "Okay, for your training I want you to place your hands a few inches above the surface of the water," Eika did what she was describing. "and use your chakra to draw the water to your hands." As she said this, some water from the river flowed up to her palms and then engulfed both her hands. "The training I've assigned you both allows you to get a feel for what your chakra nature feels like so that you can draw upon it, even when, in your case, there is no water around. Water style jutsu are far easier to use and require less chakra if you have water around to manipulate." The water around her hands pooled together into a ball between her palms. As she stared at it, a vivid flashback to when Haku first revealed his abilities to her, flashed through her mind and the water splashed back into the river.
"Eika-sensei?" asked Ino concerned, as she saw a pained expression pass over Eika's face.
"Sorry it's nothing. Anyway," she turned to Ino, smiling. "seeing as you don't have nearly the amount of chakra that Naruto has, it's best if you not use water style jutsu away from a body of water until you've built up a larger reserve of chakra."
"How do I do that?" asked Ino, curious. 'I wonder if it just cause Naruto has the Nine-tails, that he has so much chakra.' Ino thought to herself. 'Maybe if he'd had someone to give him one on one time, like a parent, then maybe he'd have been stronger at the academy. He's come so far just under Kakashi, it's hard to imagine how strong he'd be if someone had paid more attention to him sooner.'
"The best way for you to increase the amount of chakra you have is physical training and working on your stamina with the water walking technique. It's not easy, but it's worth it. For now though focus on this training, and we'll work on your chakra reserves later. Also I noticed you have the capacity to be a sensor like me, if you'd like, I can train you in that as well." Ino nodded at her offer. "Okay, first though try manipulating the water."
Ino took a knee at the edge of the water and tried focusing chakra into her palms as Eika had done and attempted to draw the water to her hands. She was surprised when a slight rise in the water appeared, but didn't reach her hands.
"That's good. Keep practicing while I go check on Naruto." Said Eika as she left Ino to her training.
OoO
Naruto stood in the clearing, focusing chakra to his hands, trying to cut the leaf. So far he'd been completely unsuccessful. "Damn this is hard." Eika's explanation didn't make much sense to him, but he figured so long as he kept at it, he'd get it eventually. He'd tried varying amounts of chakra, focusing his chakra in bursts, and even trying to focus chakra into the leaf.
After about half an hour of trying to cut the leaf with his chakra and having no visible affect on it, he remembered what Kakashi had said about using his shadow clones in his training. If he couldn't get it by himself, perhaps between a hundred of him, they could figure it out together. He made the sign with his hand, "Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu." and then there were a hundred of the boy in the clearing. They each grabbed a leaf and began trying to cut it with their chakra.
Eika was amazed when she entered the clearing. There were Naruto's everywhere, too many for her to count at a glance. 'These aren't regular clones, they're solid, like water clones!' Each one seemed to be trying to cut a leaf. 'If these clones pass knowledge to the user...he may not have skill, but his potential is near limitless.' "That's a very powerful jutsu you have there."
One of the Naruto clones turned towards her and smiled. "Yeah, it's kind of my specialty."
"I believe it." she replied. 'He's a one man army, and likely one of few shinobi in the world that has enough chakra to use this technique.' She walked to a few of the clones and examined their leaf, so far he'd made no progress, which didn't surprise her, Naruto lacked the precision in chakra control that this exercise would give him. And as long as he used his clones, the time it would take him to learn it should shorten greatly, as would be true with any technique he wanted to learn.
After about fifteen minutes of helping, she was about to go check on Ino, when one of the Naruto's shouted. "Hey, I got something!" the clone rushed to Eika and showed her his leaf, with a small nick in it.
"Yes, very good. Don't worry you'll have this down in no time I'm sure." she praised the beaming Naruto in front of her. 'A wind chakra nature and a water chakra nature...I wonder...maybe I'll see if it's possible.' she thought to herself.
OoO
Ino and Naruto began walking back towards town when the sun had set. Eika had told them both to get some rest, both were making very good progress, though neither had completed the exercise yet. "So she already knew our names?" Naruto asked, as they discussed their new teacher.
"Yeah, but that means we can trust her, at least for now." replied Ino.
Naruto nodded in agreement. "Well, I'm going to head to the bathhouse." said Naruto wanting a relaxing bath after his arduous training.
"Okay. I think I'll just use the shower at the inn." replied Ino. They went separate ways once they entered town, Naruto towards the bathhouse and Ino towards the inn. Just like the past few nights they'd spent here, the town was still teeming with business and traders. Ino went out of her way to avoid alleys or being alone on a street, but with as many people as were still walking around, it wasn't hard to do. Though she didn't want to admit it, she was giving men wide berths when she could.
She was about half way to the inn when she heard a voice call out to her. "Hey! Hey cutie!" She turned and approaching her were two boy about two or three years older than her. She wanted to turn and keep walking but didn't. "We saw you by the barbeque place down the street. I'm Terumaru, and this is my best friend Kaiza. We're heading to a party and we were thinking you might like to come with us. What's your name?" Said the boy named Terumaru. Both boys were wearing rather expensive looking clothes and had on some cheap smelling cologne.
"Kurenai, and I'm sorry but I'm in a hurry." She tried to say as sweetly and apologetically as possible. 'Please just leave me alone.' She thought to herself.
"Aww come on, I'm sure you'll have a good time." said the one named Kaiza as he moved to cut her off in the direction she had been heading.
"Really, I'm busy. Sorry." she replied as she went to step around Kaiza but he moved in front of her again.
"Just come to the party for a while, and if you don't like it we can always bail." said Terumaru as he grabbed her shoulder.
At this contact Ino froze. She couldn't find her voice, her knees felt weak, and she started shaking lightly. The boy behind her turned her around, and they both began leading her despite her best effort to get her body to resist. She could see their lips moving animatedly, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. It felt like her heart was going to pound right out of her chest. 'Why is this happening? I'm a ninja! I'm not supposed to be weak!' she thought desperately.
"Hey leave her alone!" shouted a voice. Ino looked up and saw Sasuke, until the tears that she hadn't realized were there, cleared and running towards them was Naruto in his transformation.
Naruto punched the guys standing on either side of Ino, grabbed her hand and started running with her to the inn. Ino could hear shouting following after them, but it eventually died out before they reached the street their inn was on where they finally slowed down.
Ino regained some composure and let go of Naruto's hand as they started walking. "Thanks for that. Weren't you going to the bathhouse though?" Ino asked, glad that he didn't.
"I forgot I don't have any money on me." he replied smiling sheepishly. By the time they got back to their room, Ino seemed fine again. Naruto grabbed some money and stopped at the door. "You going to be alright Ino?"
Ino gave the best smile she could as she replied. "Yeah, thanks again Naruto." He nodded and left. She waited a few moments, when she was sure he was gone, she collapsed on her bed and cried into her pillow.
OoO
So this chapter comes in the same week as Dragon Age Inquisition and the Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire remakes so hope you're happy to be getting a chapter. (Sorry it's so short.) I've also been playing a lot of Dangan Ronpa 1 & 2. (Anyone for a Killing Konoha Life fic? I already have the cast list I'd use, but I need to flesh out more details before I start writing anything, plus still won't post it till I'm closer to the end of this fic.) As always reviews are appreciated and be sure to put forth your ideas for NaruIno's kids' names.
