Naruto: Jinchuuriki Chronicles
Author's note: First off I would like to give a hearty thank you to Zero the Leech who has given me permission to continue this story and give me a free pass to rewrite the story however I please as long as within reason. Also I would like you're input on story ideas and I will run them by Zero the Leech. Please feel free to comment or flame all reviews are welcome.
Episode 3: Survival Test, Sting of the Killer Bee
Naruto was using every ounce of will power he had to stop himself from slamming his head into the desk. He probably would've already done it already if it weren't for the fact that his skull wasn't still sore from the through beating he received from the Taki kunoichi. If it weren't for his substantial endurance, he'd probably be in a coma now. Even with the brain damage, he was still beyond excited to meet his jonin sensei. But over the past hour, his excitement wore down from being over the moon to being, well… headslamingly annoyed.
"He's late!" Naruto yelled; a vein throbbing on his forehead.
"Yes, you've said that forty-seven times in the last hour." Fu said, feeling like she should give the blonde another knock to the head. "Come up with some new material will ya."
"What kind of elite ninja can't even show up when he's supposed to!" Naruto said; his frown turning into a pout. "I know the other teams have gotten their teachers. I saw Sakura-chan with her sensei in the dango shop before I got here!"
"Naruto." Gaara spoke with a killing edge that was only picked up by Fu while Naruto continued to grumble obviously. "Our sensei is a shinobi of the highest caliber and therefore we should show him our respect."
"Huh, you were so quiet, I forgot you were there." Fu stated with a chuckle, but went silent at Gaara's glare.
"But Naruto has a point."
"He does/I do" Fu and Naruto said together.
"Whoever this shinobi is, he should know how unprofessional it is to appear later than the planned meeting time." Gaara's gaze shifted to the door of the room. "It makes you wonder what kind of shinobi he is."
Fu sat on the desk behind her. "Lord Hokage said that our Jonin sensei was a guy named 'Killer Bee' from Kumogakure. I'll bet he's some punk. You know, the kind that is late, likes to read racy novels, and doesn't seem to care about anything."
"You're bumming out my 'tude, little lady."
It was hard to explain how the Kumo nin came suddenly appeared next to Fu. There was no warning, no plume of some, not a single sound - it didn't even look like he had entered through the doors or windows. Just that he had spoken to them was the only thing that would have tipped them off to his presence. Fu's reaction was understandable being as close as she was. That being said, it still hurt like hell when she slammed her head against the floor behind her in surprise.
"Son of a..." Fu schreeched. "Where the hell did you come from?!"
Naruto ignored his teammate's exclamation and shouted: "Awesome! How'd you do that?"
"Impossible… he moved too fast." Gaara spoke softly. "I couldn't even track him."
The Kumo shinobi was massive man with a body built like a tank. His skin was a shade darker than Fu's while his garbs were in Kumo white, a white scarf wrapped around his neck, along with a head band on his forehead. His white vest was strapped over one shoulder and had a red rope tied around the bottom. His pants were black with crisscrossing bandages over the knees that led to two shin guards with three red strips in the front over a pair of brown sandals. On his hands he wore two gloves also with three strips but also a brown circle on the back of each palm. His face was hard to read, his white-blonde hair was slicked back into a mullet, that went well with the his matching goatee. He was also marked under his sun glasses with two blue horns in the same color ink as the Tetsu (iron) symbol on his shoulder. The feature that Gaara was most aware of was the seven swords on his back.
"Seven… why seven swords?" Gaara pondered.
"Sorry, little lady, I didn't mean to give you a start." Killer Bee said, holding out his hand to the young kunoichi. "I assure you my personality's not that dark."
There was a beat of silence...and Fu said "Eh?"
"The Hokage gave me you three to train." Killer Bee said, giving them a thumbs up. "Stick with me and I'll show you how to bring the Pain"
Fu looked befuddled and slightly fearful due to the thought of being stuck with not one, not two, but three complete weirdoes for the rest of her genin career. Gaara, though he didn't show it, was starting to think he should have stayed in Suna. Naruto stared at their instructor like he wanted him to start show off all his secret jutsus, right from the get go.
"I'm afraid this is where we say goodbye." Killer Bee said "But don't worry I'll see you on the roof in five."
With that statement, he burst into a cloud of smoke and disappeared, presumably making his was to the roof. Naruto, Gaara and Fu stared at the spot where their sensei once stood as if expecting something to come from that.
"Well he was-" "Gaar began.
"Awesome!" Naruto interrupted, much to Gaara's ire. "Do you think he can teach me to rap?"
"NO!" Was the immediate response from both the green haired spitfire and the sleepless shinobi. Naruto recoiled at their reaction before sitting down, grumbling under his breath. Fu started walking towards the door before looking back.
"Well we should probably see what our fearless leader wants us to do."
Naruto jumped over his desk and made his way to follow Fu. Gaara trailed slowly behind, seeming to be in no rush. Once they got on the roof they saw their sensei standing around looking completely conspicuous. Naruto ran over to the ledge in the middle of the roof sitting in front of Bee his legs crossed, Fu took the spot a few feet to his right while Gaara stood to his left. The Cloud nin Took a moment to look at his protégés before addressing them.
"Yo, my name's Killer Bee, don't wear it out. Stick with me and you'll be top class, no doubt. Before we begin our strict training regime, tell me about yourself, come on, I don't have all day."
"Shut up!" Fu yelled irritably. "Stop rapping already! Don't you realize how much you suck at it?!"
The platinum blond glared at the mint green Jinchuuriki.
"I don't like you."
"The feeling's mutual."
"Hey, Bee-sensei." Naruto started. "What do you want us to say about ourselves?"
"Bee-sensei...I like that." Killer Bee said rubbing his chin. "Anything personal is great, but make sure it doesn't run too late."
"Why don't you go first, muscles, so we know what to do?" Fu spoke challengingly.
Killer Bee suddenly started a beat; Fu instantly regretted speaking. "Yo, my names Killer Bee, this is what I have to say. I spitting out rhymes for you all day. I don't like people who give me a hassle, but you don't want to face me in any battle. My dream is pretty simple yo, I'm gonna be rap king of the world and put on a show."
Fu stared are her Jonin instructor with horror. "This is gonna be a regular thing, isn't it?"
He pointed his finger to Naruto. "Since you asked, you get to go first. But don't try to rush; you don't want to be the worst."
Naruto smiled widely. "Thanks Bee-sense. I don't know what to say, don't worry it won't last all day. My names Naruto as you can see, don't think fighting me will be a breeze." Naruto would have continued to rap if not the murderous intent being directed at him by his two teammates. Deciding he didn't want to die, he switched to his regular introduction. "I like cup ramen. But I like the ramen at Ichiraku that Iruka-Sensei bought for me even more. I hate the three minutes that I have to wait after I put the hot water. My hobby is to eat and compare cup ramen."
"Well, at least he's consistent." Killer Bee sweat dropped.
"How the hell is he not fat?" Fu thought, sulking in jealousy.
"And finally..." Naruto paused almost unconsciously for dramatic effect. "My dream is to become the greatest Hokage and gain everyone's recognition. Believe it!"
Fu stared in wonderment at Naruto's bold claim. Even Gaara glanced over in interest.
"Well..." Killer Bee thought, smirking. "It looks like he inherited more from his mother than just his name." He glanced over to Fu. "Well, Naruto, it's good you have passion and a lot at that, but I think it's time we move on the disrespectful brat."
"Thanks." Fu said said sarcastically. "My name is Fu Nagare. I like seeing the world, but love my village more. I hate people thinking I'm a boy." She shot Naruto a glare, causing him to shrink back. "My hobby is sweet-gum seed collecting, and my dream is to became a strong ninja so that I can protect my family and show everyone that I'm not that same crybaby Fu anymore."
"Crybaby?" Naruto thought curiously.
"So, wait…" Killer said breaking his rhythm and tapping his chin. "You're girl?"
"Of course I'm a girl, you jackass! What kind of guy wears a skirt?!" Fu screeched. "What gives people the idea that I'm a boy?"
"Your chest is flat." Gaara stated bluntly.
Fu turned her head automatically; her eyes red and her teeth gnashing.
"I'LL MURDER YOU, TEME!"
Fu lunged towards Gaara completely disregarding the fact the he was probably more powerful than her. Naruto scrambled back, eager to avoid the Taki-nin's wrath. Gaara stared at the oncoming threat waiting for his shield to activate, but before it had the chance Bee grabbed Fu around her waist and pulled her back. Killer Bee noticed his gourd had shifted a little.
"Interesting"
"LET ME GO! I'LL RIP THAT STUPID TATTOO RIGHT OFF HIS FACE!"
"Calm down, my bratty student. No one likes to hear you whine. Just one more person and then we'll be fine." Fu struggled a bit before being set down a turning away in a huff. "Now it's just down to you, boy with the tattoo."
"My name is Gaara Sakabu." Gaara spoke softly; his voice barely a whisper. "I like nothing. I hate everything. There is no time for hobbies. A dream would be meaningless."
"Isn't he a ray of sunshine." Naruto sweat-dropped
"It looks like he received the worst of it. He's probably going to need the most work." Bee studied the red head closely.
"I wonder if it has anything to do with his eyebrows." Fu pondered.
"It seems like my students are pretty cool." He glances at Fu pointedly. "Well, except for the one that's as charming as drool."
"Kiss my ass!"
"Since you guy are up to the beat, I think I'll give you a little treat." Bee suddenly stopped rapping becoming serious. "Tomorrow we'll meet at the training grounds and start out first training mission."
"Wait, why do we need to train, we got plenty of that in our villages." Naruto asked
"This is not just any training." Bee said, smirking. "All the teams have to go through this. And a little heads up: out of the eighteen teams deployed today, only three will get to stay."
"What a ridiculous bluff." Gaara thought in disbelief. "If only three teams get to become genin, then what would be the point of the International Selection? Some villages wouldn't be able to take part and that would hardly improve foreign relations. Who would be stupid enough to fall for such a trick?"
"No way am I getting held back again." Naruto mentally screamed, his forehead sweating "I can't lose after I've come so far."
"What? He can't be serious." Fu thought seriously. "I'm going to pass this test even if I have to do it on my own."
Gaara stared at his teammates as they processed the information and resisted the urge to sigh. "Of course"
"Meet me at the training grounds at six thirty sharp." Killer Bee said, grinning. "Also don't eat breakfast. You'll just throw up."
And with that, Killer Bee left his students in a cloud of smoke, leaving them with more questions than answers. And on that night, neither Naruto nor Fu were able to close their eyes and find proper sleep in fear of tomorrow's events. But Gaara, on the other hand, had a more…interesting night.
Gaara's eyes had not blinked once during the enitre night, nor did he show signs of sleep or exhaustion. He was just...awake. Standing at the pinnicple of the of the tallest building in the commercial district, Gaara just watched as shop owner began closing down for the night. As his eyes wanded over the slowly deserting streets, he spied a single man hobbling in the alley way. He was obviously drunk; completely clueless to the world around him; utterly defenseless.
"You could kill him, you know."
"..."
"All it takes is one hand - no, one finger and it would be over. He wouldn't feel a thing."
"..."
"Don't tell me you are still going along with that weak insect you call a Kage."
"..."
"I know you want to do it! You have to do it! This is who you are - who we are!"
Gaara's inner conflict was interrupted when a pigeon land behind him with a flap, tearing his gaze away from the drunk. Without even so much as a twitch, a spike of pure sand appeared above the bird and speared through its back, silencing it forever. That night went the same as it always had since the day he was born. And when the time came for the meeting, he finally moved - he has not slept once.
When Naruto and Fu arrived at the training grounds, they looked substantially worse than their red-headed teammate. Naruto had spent a good thirty minutes stumbling around the barely lit street; his mind too sleepy to remember directions. His hair was even messier than usual along with terrible bags under his eyes.
Fu arrived even later than Naruto - a fact irritated her only slightly less than the fact that their supposed sensei had still yet to arrive. In her rush to leave her new apartment, she had not been able to shower or brush her teeth. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were blood-shot. Naruto stared at her lazily as she arrived.
"What?!" Fu snapped.
Naruto sleepily pointed to his jaw, showing Fu where she had some dried drool. She blushed before hastily rubbing the spit off her face before looking to Naruto for confirmation that she was clean. He gave her a tired thumb's up before returning to his zombie-like state for the next thirty minutes. All of which were completely Killer bee-less. This continued for the next 3 hours by which the three shinobi spent their time imagining ways to castrate their would-be sensei.
"Yo." Killer Bee said when he finally arrived.
"You're late, asshole!"
"Sorry, sorry." Killer Bee chuckled. "I was busy busting out my rhymes. But when I looked up, I lost track of time."
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" The copper toned tomboy screamed. "No one cares about your stupid rhymes.
Bee ignored that comment, walking up to stand in front of the three. He pulled a cooking timer out of his pocket, turned the dial, and set it on the ground.
"Alright, here's you test." Killer Bee instructed. "Better listen up if you want to do your best. As a treat, I brought you all lunch. But only if win by the end of this crunch. Believe me when I say you'll be going through hell, but in the end all you have to do…" He reached into his pocket again, pulling out a pair of minute bells. "-is grab a bell."
Fu and Naruto stared at the bells feeling underwhelmed. Gaara, however noticed a problem. "There are only two."
"That's right, there are only two bells." Killer Bee confirmed. "You have until this timer goes off to grab one and then you're safe. If you fail, you will be tied to these stumps and have to watch the others eat their lunch." At that moment, the three genin's stomachs growled together in hunger. "Sounds bad, doesn't it?"
"So that's why he told us not to eat breakfast." They all thought, sweat dropping.
"Y'all better get ready liked like you're ready to kill. Use shuriken, kunai, and any other skills." Bee said tying the bells to his side. The three genin got determined looks, showing their resolve.
"These guys are not going to beat me. I'm going to win no matter what! Believe it!" Naruto thought, his will unwavering.
"I don't know anything about Gaara but…"Fu looked over to Naruto "I can tell that Naruto won't be able to compete. That makes things easier."
"This mission is pointless." Gaara eye's narrowed. "Failure against this fool is an impossibility."
"Ha! Grab a bell this'll be easy for me, no problem." Naruto said, trying to hide his nervousness
"The weakest links always scream and shout." Killer Bee taunted. "That's why they're called the dead-last dropout."
"You…!" Naruto growled.
Without warning, he rushed at the Kumo Jonin, whipping out a kunai to attack. Before the Genin could even take a step forward, Bee disappeared from view. The next thing Naruto knew he found himself with his arm pulled behind his head and the kunai tip pressed against his neck. Fu and Garaa stepped away, unable to comprehend how their teacher has got behind them so quickly.
"Hold up there, little buddy." Killer Bee chuckled. "I can see you're eager to study."
"So… fast!" Fu thought, mouth agape.
"Hmm…his speed could prove a problem." Gaara analyzed.
"Alright, I've wasted enough time, let's start the show." Killer Bee said, letting go of Naruto. "On your mark, get ready, get set, and go!"
Eleven minutes. That's how long it had been since Bee had started the counter. Leaving the three genin forty-five minutes till the test was over. Gaara had made his hiding place under the ground; using the third eye he created from sand to keep track of the Jonin in safety. Fu had made her stake out place from atop the tree, hiding within their foliage. Not as good as Gaara's hiding spot, but still relatively safe. But both places were useless because Bee had already spotted them within minutes, but chose to let them believe they were working.
"The basic for a ninja is to conceal your presence and hide." Killer Bee thought proudly. "Gaara and the brat seem to be doing all right. But what happened to…?"
"Hey, muscle head!" Killer Bee nearly tripped over himself. He slowly turned, finding Naruto out in the open with his arms crossed confidently. "No more tricks! We're gonna have a match fair and square! And when I win, I'm taking that bell!"
"Baka…" Gaara sighed
"Geez, why is he such an idiot?" Fu grumbled.
"I don't mean to be rude." Killer Bee said oddly. "But you are one dumb dude."
"The only thing that's dumb is your beard!" Naruto yelled.
"Hey, my beard is awesome!" Killer Bee snapped.
Despite scolding the genin his plan was actually the smartest. When facing an enemy, who's tracking skill, is superior to one's stealth skills the best option is to take the opponent head on so to not be caught off guard on their terms. However, Killer Bee knew that despite this, Naruto didn't have any real plan to begin with. Naruto being the ever-loving knuckle-head rushed at Killer Bee before suddenly jumping back once he saw Bee reaching a hand into his weapons pouch. Getting ready for the incoming attack, he stood his ground. However, nothing could prepare him for when pulled out a small notebook.
"What's wrong?" Killer Bee asked, taking a pencil to his notebook. "Didn't think you'd take so long."
"Uhh… what's that?" Naruto said, thoroughly befuddled.
"Just thought of a sweet new rhyme." Killer Bee replied, engrossed in his notebook. "I have to write it down in time. Don't worry, I know what you're gonna say. Just keep going – it's no different anyway."
"Augh!" Naruto growled angrily. "I'm gonna pound you!"
Once again Naruto's brain pleaded with him to think of a plan, but was yet again ignored. Naruto screamed in frustration, getting close enough to the Jonin to let out a barrage of kicks and punches all with the intended target to bring down his sensei. However, each blow was easily blocked by the muscular jonin. Touching back down to the ground, the blond student lowered himself and attempted a windmill kick to the Jonin's shins. Unfortunately, this only resulted in a bruise forming on Naruto's heel. Gaara and Fu watched on in disappointment as their knucklehead comrade jumped around like an idiot, crying pathetically over his injury.
"You would think he'd learn by now." Fu sweat-dropped.
Naruto now beyond pissed off. He threw himself at his opponent, but soon realized that he was rushing at nothing. The second he felt a palm resting on the back of his head and a needle-like sword against his back, his blood turned to ice. Daring to glance back, he saw the Killer Bee himself smirking, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
"One important lesson to keep in mind." Killer Bee said seriously. "Never let your enemy get you from behind."
"B-B-Bee-Sensei." Naruto said shakily. "Isn't this going a little far."
"In the ninja world, you oughta be dead." Killer Bee stated. "Maybe this will get it through your head. Keep your eyes open and don't miss a thing. You're about to face the Killer Bee Sting!"
At that moment, time seemed to slow down for Naruto Uzumaki. Barely able to look over his shoulder, the Konoha Genin stopped and stared at the narrow blade being pulled back before slowly making its descent. And then…pain. Pain unlike anything Naruto had ever felt before. The world started to revolve around him and only Fu's screams punctures the deathly silent grounds.
"NARUTO!"
Next Time on Naruto: Jinchuuriki Chronicles
"He's actually… pretty cool."
"Hee hee! He must have been in a hurry that he dropped a bell."
"Who're ya looking for?"
"Bee-Sensei… become part of my existence…..make me feel alive again."
Next time: Grab the Bell! The Armored Beetle Shattered
"I'm going to be Hokage! Believe it!"
Closing Author's Note: Once again I would like to apologize for taking so long I can't promise that I will update faster but I do promise I will do everything in my power to try harder. Also to Zero the Leech I'm sorry I didn't change the last bit of the chapter much but it was my favorite part of the chapter so I keep it the same. Hope you don't mind. Once again I will try everything possible to work faster even with college now.