Naruto: Jinchuuriki Chronicles
Author's Note: Alright, last of the introduction arc thank you all for you loyalty with this story also be sure to thank Zero the Leech for letting me take over this story. On a different note has anyone seen the last chapter of Naruto? I think they padded it so that it would be an even 700 chapter. What are your thoughts on that feel free to include them in the review? Now before we start I would like to get a couple guidelines in this story out of the way. First off there will be no Naruto harem of any kind. I don't have anything against harems but for this story the best way to proceed is to present it as singular couples. Naruto will have a love interest in Fu and will only date her. They may not get together till later and they may have a challenger for Fu's or Naruto's affection, but they will be the main pairing. Secondly, for all those wondering in this universe all the Jinchuuriki are alive and have their tailed beast inside of them. Finally, this is not going to be like the Naruto god stories, I have nothing against those stories, but for this story Naruto will have a similar level of power to the show and a similar power growth. Thank you for your patients and without a further a due let's start the next chapter!
Episode 5: Test Results! You Fail!
Halfway across the training grounds, Killer Bee and Gaara were standing on opposite sides of the clearing – Fu laid unconscious on the edge of the forest. The Suna-nin had uncorked his mysterious gourd, releasing the payload of sand it contained. Coming from a place known as the Hidden Sand Village, the idea wasn't that usual.
Clouds of grain circled the unblinking redhead that stared menacingly towards his teacher as they formed a large claw like appendage. Killer Bee was quick to notice the look in his student's eyes the signs of bloodlust were easy to follow. Very cautiously, the rapping Jonin reach his right hand back to take two of the swords on his back between his fingers.
"Bee-Sensei…" Gaara said lowly. "Become part of my existence…..make me feel alive again."
The second his hand touched the hilt of his sword, the claw of sand surrounding Gaara rushed forward with the intent of crushing his prey. Bee swiftly jumped over the appendage and thrust out his leg only for it to be met with a thin layer of sand. The sand started to encase the Kumo-nin's leg. Thinking quickly he took a sword out and sliced at the sand holding him down and jumped away from harm.
"Your efforts are futile. If you keep going at this pace, you will achieve nothing." Gaara murmured as Killer Bee landed safely. "You told Naruto that a ninja can't fall for obvious traps. But a ninja also can't expect to win using the same tactic over and over."
"Hey now there's no need to hate." Bee rapped. "After all, it worked on your teammates."
"You'll find that I belong to a different world entirely."
Suddenly, a spike of sand thrust through the ground with the intent of impaling the rapping ninja. He defended with two blades cutting the spike in three before hurling them straight towards the eyebrowless young man. Without moving an inch, the sand once again came to his aid, deflecting the first sword to strike the other.
"I can see that didn't go as planned." Killer Bee rapped. "Guess there's more to you and your weird sand."
"My Sand Shield protects me from all harm." Gaara explained. "If there is any chance of danger, the Sand Shield will automatically defend, even against my will. It is my absolute defense."
"I can see you would have most opponents on the defense." Killer Bee said confidently. "But you better watch out 'cause now I'm going on the offense."
"Very well then." Gaara responded dully. "And from your corpse, the bitter crimson tears will flow and mingle with the endless sand and I will learn to live once more."
If Naruto was judging the time right (And he most likely wasn't) then it had been about forty-five minutes since the test had started, thirty-seven of which he'd spent hung upside down like a piñata.
"Fourteen! He set fourteen rope traps!" Naruto yelled to no one in particular.
It was bad enough that Naruto had been completely made a fool of but now everything he saw was tinted red most likely due to the head rush from being upside down for so long.
"Who even carries fourteen of the same trap anyway?!"
Many would call Naruto slow or not bright. That may be true, but never let it be said that he tries the same strategy twice. It was clear to him that Bee was far more skilled than the string of teachers and shinobi that had tried to capture him for his many pranks, granted all of them underestimated him greatly, but that wasn't the point. The point was that Naruto was not the greatest in a lot of thing, but when it came to being unpredictable no one was better than Naruto. So it was only natural that coming up with a unique way to grab the bells from had been was consuming his every thought.
"Eh? What's that?" Naruto thought out loud. Much to his joy, he spotted to bento box sitting unguarded in the stone's shadow. "Ah! There's lunch on that rock!" A wide, cunning grin crossed his face. "Who's gonna look like a sap now Bee-sensei?"
Gaara calmly did some math in his head, gauging what he knows about his sensei's speed, strength, and skill. From the beginning, Gaara detected that Bee was a lightning affinity user, which allowed him to increase his speed to near inhuman level. Couple that along with the fact that he took on all of Naruto's attacks without so much as a bruise and you can see he also has substantial defense. In his fight with Fu, he showed his pure strength by taking out Fu in one strike. Factoring all that together, Gaara judged that Killer Bee was close to the same level as Baki, the Kazekage's advisor, and a difficult opponent, but not impossible to beat, especially with his own power.
"You're different from the other two I'll give you that, but when you're on your own it will only end in a splat. But even when it's one-to-three, you just no match for the Killer Bee! OOEEE!"
"Silence." Gaara said simply.
A wave of sand rose up behind him surging forward in an attempt to take down the jonin instructor. Killer Bee jumped over the wave and strike down at Gaara with his sword.
"Fool."
Gaara brought up his sand shield to defend when he felt it pierced. He looked to see that the sword was alit with a sparkling blue color.
"What?!"
Realizing what the rapping shinobi was doing, Gaara quickly commanded the sand shield to slice his sensei in half. The sand formed a blade and attempted to strike the Kumo-nin from the side. Bee drew his sword from the shield and destroyed the blade. Once Bee withdrew his sword Gaara threw his sand shield away from him pushing goateed Ninja a good distance back.
"Interesting" Gaara said recalling his sand to him. "You channel your chakra through the blades, increasing the vibration frequency to increase its cutting ability. That matched with your admittedly impressive strength, those swords could pierce a mountain."
"Looks like we're gonna be late." Killer Bee said looking toward the training spot. "Guess I'll use the lucky number eight."
Gaara wondered what he was talking about. He quickly counted his swords, but there were only seven of them. Suddenly Gaara saw Bee's body pulse with red. It was only for a moment, but it was clearly noticeable for a ninja. He then rushed forward at inhuman speed with his right arm out in a hook. Gaara couldn't react in time, but his shield automatically defended him. The Kumo-nin's arm impacted against the shield. It held for a moment but was broken though allowing Bee's arm to ram against his student's chest sending him flying into the tree behind him slitting it in half. Luckily the broken tree didn't land on the Suna-nin. The red head slumped against the ground unconscious.
"I know I softened my hit, but I think I might have overdone it." Killer Bee hummed.
The Kumo Jonin moved to his defeated student's side, touching his neck for a pulse. The jonin couldn't resist smiling when 'Gaara' dissolved to a clump of sand.
"Now that kid knows how to play cause it looks like he got away." Killer Bee said, stroking his goatee in thought. "That's two brats down and one to go. Better go check on Naruto."
Naruto was smirking like a fool sitting on top of a strange looking stone staring down at the two bento lunches in front of him. He had thought it odd that a strange rock was out here in the middle of a training ground. What was even stranger was that a multitude of names were carved into it. It was hard to focus on that though because Naruto's stomach had taken his brain hostage.
"It's the perfect plan. If I eat the lunch then I won't need to get the bells. Bee-sensei will never think of this." Naruto said, licking his lips.
"You wanna bet?" Bee's voice spoke from above Naruto, causing him to sweat drop.
"Heh… I was just kidding, Bee-sensei."
"Nice try."
Fu woke up; her head swimming. She shook it to gain her bearings. The last thing she remembered was Bee knocking her for a loop.
Meanwhile Gaara was rising from the ground; a frown on his face, his previous battle still fresh in his mind. Even when examining Naruto and Fu's fights, he was still surprised of Killer Bee's skill. In Suna, he was untouchable, but the ninja from home couldn't even compare to Bee. It was then that he realized the purpose of the Fourth Kazekage sending him here; he wanted him to meet someone strong enough to kill him. He would give him the satisfaction; no matter who he faced, he would not disappear. He rose from his hiding spot in the ground once he sensed Bee was out of range.
Fu looked around groggily from she spotted Gaara, or more specially, Gaara's head. Being a rational young girl, Fu's reaction to this was fairly standard. She screamed.
"AHH! SEVERED HEAD!"
Fu stood up as fast a she could in an attempt to get as far away as possible from the decapitated head of her teammate. However, that only ended up with her running straight into a tree in her haste. She fell down; her eyes spinning in a delirious state.
"Moron" Gaara said as he finished rising from the ground. "Get up. You're making more of a fool of yourself than you already are."
"Oh, you're still alive." Fu commented, blinking away the dizziness. "But your eyebrows are still missing."
"Again with this conversation." Gaara sighed irritably. "I don't have time for your idiotic comments. I've already suffered enough from that fool we call a Sensei." His hand clenched into the fabric of his sleeve. "But now I understand better. I've so close to defeating Bee-Sensei, but I underestimated his abilities. This time, I won't make the same mistake."
"He almost beat that baka!" Fu mentally exclaimed. "I haven't even come close to damaging that perverted teme. At this rate I'll…" But taking note that her teammate had come closer than the rest of them, a plan began to form. "Hey, Gaara, how about you and I team-up and…"
"Never." Gaara answered rather quickly. "I have no use for anyone. I've learned from experience that the only person you can depend on is yourself. And only yourself."
"What are you…?" Fu asked slowly.
"My name is Gaara – A self-loving carnage." Gaara stated monotonously. "I am alone – I've always been alone. I won't believe in anyone, or love anyone. I will fight only for myself. I will love only myself." His eyes narrowed at the fresh wave of memories crossing his mind. "I will not allow my existence to be erased."
"Gaara…" Fu thought wistfully. "He's just like…me."
Fu felt a sudden kinship with the socially inept teen. It felt like they had similar situations. At first, Fu thought Gaara was just a weirdo who didn't know how to relax, but now that she thought about it she had no idea why he was like that. It sounded like he had been through a lot. True, she didn't have the easiest time either, but from the way he is seemed to be worse off than her. She felt the need to reach and comfort him, whether it was for her or him she didn't know.
Before she got the chance she heard a high pitched ringing from the training ground. Her stomach dropped.
Time was up.
Gaara and Fu had walked together to the training ground. Fu stole glances at Gaara, too afraid to speak up. Once they arrived, they found Naruto tied to the middle stump and they knew better than to try and untie him with Bee around.
They stood on either side of Naruto, each with their own emotional conflict. Gaara for the first time in his life had felt vulnerable with his shield being penetrated. Naruto was complaining about his harsh treatment. And Fu was facing the fact that she might have to go back to her village only a couple days after her departure.
"Stomachs growlin', eh?" Killer Bee snickered. "But it looks like trainin' is done and the losers goin' back are none."
"You mean...we're not being sent back?" Naruto asked hopefully; Killer Bee nodded. "I knew it! I knew I was too cool to be held back!"
"That's it?" Fu blinked surprisingly. "But I was knocked out for most of the time. Was that all it took?"
"Something's not right." Gaara thought suspiciously.
"Let me say that it's been fun." Killer Bee said. "But your lives as ninjas are now done."
For Naruto and Fu, the world seemed to have stopped. Their lifted spirits had crashed down to earth. This didn't apply to Gaara, who didn't buy Bee's statement until he looked at Bee's stature. Usually when someone bluffed, they had a tell. That's how Gaara had been able to avoid all of his assassination attempts. Bee was a still as a rock; not a hint of misdirection in his stance.
'He's serious.' Gaara thought with alarm.
"Our ninja lives are done?" Naruto shouted in outrage. "What are you talking about? We couldn't get the bells, but that doesn't mean we should quit!"
"You three didn't think it'd be easy, did ya?" Killer Bee rapped, holding an unnaturally serious expression. "You three don't have what it takes to be ninja. Ya guys are nothin' but fools. Ya couldn't figure out the basic ninja rule."
"Basic ninja rule?" Fu repeated curiously.
"Think about it very carefully." Killer broke his musical tone; he was really serious. "Why do ya think they put Shinobi from different nations into groups of three? If ya knew the answer, then maybe ya could have passed this test."
"Skill trading" Fu suggested.
"Information exchange" Gaara stated.
"Pooling resources" Naruto said remembering the term being thrown around by the Hokage.
"Teamwork" Killer Bee said simply.
The three genin looked confused before Fu and Gaara thought back to the earlier fights and their weakness. Naruto ability to distract the Killer Bee coupled with the fact that Fu could attack from close range while Gaara kept the pressure on from long range and they might've stood a better chance at taking a bell. Naruto, however, remained in the dark.
"Wait? Teamwork?" Naruto asked. "How would that have helped?"
"Each of you have certain strengths. Heck, you three have more potential as a team than most. But you failed to help the others grab a bell."
"Wait!" Fu realized. "The bells! There were only two! That meant that one of us wouldn't get one and be sent back. That was so that we would turn on each other and be uncooperative."
"That's right, little brat." Bee said while Fu pouted at the name. "All the teams have to go through similar tasks to test their teamwork. However, no one's been able past the bell test. Sorry, but you drew the short straw."
"But… but that means…" Naruto said, his heart pounding like crazy.
"That every team passed their test but you three and I can see why."
"But!"
"Naruto!" Killer Bee shouted cause said genin to flinch. "You were so preoccupied with what you wanted that you didn't even consider what your teammates needed."
He then looked over to Fu.
"Brat! You were so obsessed with grabbing a bell that you even willing to sacrifice you teammates to do it."
Finally he turned to Gaara.
"And Gaara! You didn't allow yourself to trust you teammates and refused to accept their strength."
The mint and blonde haired students hung their heads in shame while Gaara's face remained impassive, refusing to allow his frustration to show. If Killer Bee were to be honest, he didn't expect them to pass. Heck, he was surprised they hadn't ended up fighting each like some teams do. This test played on the fears and insecurities of genin, forcing them to choose between victory or people they barely knew. He even protested that these three receive this specific test after studying their personality profiles. However, Kakashi knew that if this team was to have any chance of working together, then they were going to have to pass this test.
Despite this, he had hoped they would be able to relate to each other. Jinchuuriki always have it hard no matter what village they're in. He wished that they could've found some common ground despite not know what the others were. He sighed it was very unlikely that they would pass the final part.
"Missions are done in groups." Killer Bee continued. "It's true that ninjas need well-developed individual abilities, but it's teamwork that's much more important. An individual action that disrupts teamwork will result in danger or even death for the teammates."
"What is the point of teamwork?" Gaara questioned, surprising his comrades" We're not from the same village, we're barely allies. And as I recall, Kumo and Konoha are still enemy nations. Why should we risk our live when we may one day be enemies?"
"That's a problem that every team in this program has to face." Bee said rather sullen. "I can't give you a definitive answer, but sometimes your friends are more important than logic." The rapping Jonin turned his back to the Genin, facing the strange stone Naruto encountered earlier. "Naruto, do you know what this stone is?"
"Um…well." Naruto stammered clueless.
"This stone is carved with the names of those who were praised as heroes in Konoha." Killer Bee answered. "It is a sacred monument."
"Really!" Naruto exclaimed excitedly. "In that case, I'm gonna have my named carve in that stone! Then everyone will know I'm a hero!"
"These people are…special." Killer Bee stated grimly.
"Oh, what kinda heroes are they?" Naruto asked eagerly.
"They are ninja…" Killer Bee responded slowly. "Who gave their lives for their sake of their friends."
Naruto's smile slowly slid off his face replaced by a look of grief. He bowed his head, suddenly feeling quite meek. These were the true heroes of Konoha the men and women who died protecting their homes and their families from those who sort to destroy them. Naruto ideally wondered if his parents were on there. He was told they died in the Nine-tails attack, but he didn't know if they were shinobi.
Fu stared at the monument. They didn't have anything like that in Taki. People didn't like to dwell on the past. Fu often wondered if that was for the best or not.
Gaara glanced at the monument for a moment before looking away. He wondered if they had something like this in Suna and if they did how many names he caused. For the first time in a long time, he felt something in his heart. It wasn't much, but felt like a small pinch. He remembered what his uncle said before forcing that memory out of his head.
"I had a friend from Konoha." Killer Bee announced; the Genin snapped out of their stupor. "Her name was Kushina. Konoha and Kumo were enemies during the Third Shinobi World War, but Kushina was different. She was loud and violet, sure. But Kushina was the kindest person I had ever met. She saved the life of someone I cared about when I couldn't and I will always be grateful for that." He gently rested his hand against the memorial surface, brushing his finger over one particular name. "Her name was added to this memorial twelve years ago – I never did get the chance to thank her."
"Bee-Sensei…" Fu murmured sadly.
"You know what, I'll give ya one last chance." Killer Bee smiled, doing a complete 180 physically and mentally. "But the move I'll be doin' are much more advanced. Better eat up 'cause we start in twenty, but Naruto doesn't get any."
"Say what!" Naruto exclaimed.
"This is punishment for breakin' the rules." Killer Bee taunted. "It's not my fault you're a fool. But…" Killer Bee loomed menacingly over his students with a vicious expression. "If anyone helps Naruto on any scale, then that person will immediately fail!"
"But…what about teamwork?" Fu asked shakily.
"I'm the one who makes the rules." Killer Bee said lowly. "Remember that, fool."
The Kumo jonin had left twenty minutes ago, leaving the team. The bentos Bee left wasn't much, but it was enough to get them through the day.
Fu and Gaara sat on either side of Naruto, setting down their canister and gourd down next to them. The three were silent for five minutes before they tried thinking up a strategy to take down their sensei. But they couldn't talk for more than a minute before Naruto's stomach growled in hunger, causing Naruto to blush and apologize. But what could you expect? He was woken up at an ungodly hour with no breakfast, waited three hours, fought a jonin on his own, and was stabbed in the put… okay that last one had nothing to do with hunger, but he felt he should add it to the list of complaints, damn it!
The last thing he wanted to do was be a burden to his team, so he put up a cheery façade.
"Ah, this is nothing." Naruto laughed weakly. "I could go for days without food." His stomach argued otherwise. "So hungry."
Gaara closed his eyes in what seemed to be annoyance before taking his bento off of his lap and holding it out for Naruto. Naruto's eyes widened to the size of saucers while Fu wondered if hell had suddenly froze over. Gaara of the Desert, the cold, isolated, eyebrow-less Suna-nin was giving away his food to his less fortunate teammate. Fu had to resist looking up to check for pigs.
"Gaara!" Fu said in alarm. "Bee told us to…"
"I don't sense him nearby." Gaara responded monotonously. "Don't misunderstand my intentions. All three of us need to work together if we are to have a remote chance of facing Bee-Sensei. But we can't do a thing if one of our members is too weak to fight." He pushed his lunch again. "Hurry up and eat, before he comes back."
"I'd like to, but…" Naruto said hesitantly. "My hands are tied up. I can't move."
"Geez…" Fu said exasperatedly as she stood up. Picking out a piece of rice from her lunch, the mint-haired girl held it close for Naruto to eat, the boy's eyes were bugging out at this point. "What? You don't like it?"
"B-but you're…" Naruto stammered. "You're…feeding me."
"Don't get ahead of yourself." Fu teased; she winked to reassure him. "Like Gaara said, we can't have you screwing everything up if you're hungry. Now eat up quickly before Bee-Sensei gets back."
Naruto was in shock. He'd never gotten along with people his own age, and now two people he barely knew were willing to sacrifice their careers as shinobi to give him a chance. Maybe… these two… he could one day call his friends. Naruto would have thanked them but they were on the clock. He opened his mouth and Fu placed the rice inside.
As soon Naruto swallowed all Hell broke loose.
The ground exploded and clumps of dirt and grass were scattered everywhere; their poor lunch was now wasted. But that was the least of their concerns as Killer Bee emerged from the wreckage with a pissed off expression.
"You!" He shouted before making several hand signs. "You broke the rules! You know what happens to those who break the rules!"
Naruto looked like he was about piss his pants, Fu had fallen back in shock, and Gaara's eyes narrowed, getting ready for whatever their sensei might pull.
"You got anything to say for yourselves!" Bee said pulling his fist back; immense pressure being felt throughout the area.
Naruto felt immense fear from his sensei, but then he looked towards his teammates. Fu was on the ground, eyes wide with fear. Gaara looked calm, but Naruto noticed the slight quiver in his hands. He thought of how the both of them were willing to feed him even though they knew this could happen. That gave him the courage to speak up.
"I-I'm t-the one w-who was h-hungry, I'm t-the o-only one that n-needs t-to be p-punished." Naruto spoke, his voice shaking.
Fu stared at her teammate. He was loud, obnoxious, and rude, but he was willing to taking the bullet for his two teammates who abandoned him when he needed them. She strengthened her resolve and stood up, eyes defiant.
"Like hell! I was the one who fed him! I should take the blame!" Fu said loudly.
Gaara looked at his teammates, stunned. No one but his uncle had ever helped him, and even he had betrayed him. Why should this be different? How did he know they wouldn't turn on him like he did? He looked at them again. His chest suddenly felt warm.
'But… still…'
"They're wrong." Gaara said calmly while standing up. "It was my idea to fed Naruto. If you're gonna punish anyone, you're going to have to try and punish me."
"So" Bee snarled "That's your defense!"
The three looked at each other, coming to a silent agreement. None of them were getting left behind!
"That's right!" Fu yelled. "We're a team!"
"Well, then I only have one thing to say to you!" Bee threw his fist forward before doing something completely unexpected. His fist stopped right in front of them before putting his thumb up. "You pass." He stated calmly.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"What?" Naruto said unsure if this was real or not.
"You pass." Bee repeated.
"But! But! But!" Fu stuttered, her brain having to reboot. "What do you mean we passed, teme?"
"You broke the rules, which not many people would do." Bee stated.
"You told us that in order to pass we had to follow the rules." Gaara said
"Yes, but a ninja can't fall for obvious trap. The rules I stated contradicted what I told you before. A team needs to stick together. Every ninja team before all followed the rules and failed. You three listened to your hearts and stood up for your friends."
"Friends?" Gaara whispered. "They're my…friends?"
"It's like Kakashi's always sayin'." Killer Bee said. "Those who break the rules are scum. But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum." He kneeled down close to his student's level. "And now that we're a team, I promise to protect you with these two arms. Because we're more than just a team. We're friends."
"He's…actually kinda cool." Fu smiled kindly. "For a baka."
"Training has ended, you all pass." Killer Bee said, pumping his fist in the air. "Now let's get out there and kick some ass!"
"Yes, Bee-Sensei!" Naruto shouted happily.
Naruto wanted to jump up in the air and scream. He had done it! He had finally become a ninja; all the years of training had finally paid off.
Fu smiled widely. She was a ninja. She would prove her worth finally. She wondered if her dad was watching her.
Gaara remained stoic. While he wasn't happy, he was certainly relived. He looked at his smiling teammates and his heart felt a little lighter.
The three of them left, Killer Bee saying he would treat them to dinner. It was only after they left that Naruto realized they had forgotten about him.
"I knew it was gonna end like this!" Naruto screamed shrilly, kicking his legs like a madman. "Someone come back here and untie me!"
Unfortunately, no one would come to untie him until Fu pointed out they had forgotten something after Bee had paid the check for dinner.
Naruto walked home and slammed the door to his apartment behind him.
"I can't believe they left me out dry!" Naruto said, kicking his sandals off and walking to his bedroom. He jumped on the bed, lying face down. "Some friends they are!" Naruto turned onto his back looking at the ceiling for a few moments before realizing what he had said. "Friends huh?"
He smiled as he fell asleep.
Fu made her way to her apartment. It was a three room apartment with a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, shower, and sink. She took her canister off her back and set it near the door. She walked to her bedroom and opened the window. She took a photo off her night stand and sat on the windowsill.
"My first day as a ninja." She said staring at the picture. "Kinda strange, but it ended well." She looked toward the village. "I made some friends today. Bee-sensei is crappy rapper; Naruto's loud especially when he's angry – still feel bad about that – and Gaara still won't tell me what happened to his eyebrows. But other than that I think we make a pretty good team."
She looked out the window and saw the village filled with lights. It reminded her of when she climbed to the top of the Spirit Tree during summer and saw the fireflies. She sighed.
"Well, goodnight, mom."
She gave the photo a kiss and climbed under the covers.
Gaara, with no reason to go to his apartment, walked the streets aimlessly, replaying the events of today over and over again in his head.
"They're…my friends?"
'Don't be a fool!'
"…"
'You know this won't end well!'
"I don't … know that!"
'Yes, you do!'
"…"
'You'll be betrayed, like before!'
"…"
'The only one you can trust is yourself! The only one you love is yourself!'
"I know"
The streets were filled with people, but to Gaara, he was walking his path alone.
Unbeknownst the newly instated Genin, someone had been watching the events unfold from within the forest. And I literally mean within the forest.
At the conclusion of the training, something started expanding and growing shoulders, a neck, a head, eyes, a nose, and hair. By the end of the transformation, a woman's upper-body was exposed to the open while her lower-body was still merged to the tree. Her skin was a ghostly, pale-white with burning-red eyes and a curtain of shoulder-length vibrant-orange hair. The majority of her attire was still concealed in the tree, but the exposed portions showed a black cloak with a distinguishing red cloud. The forehead protector of Kusagakure was tied around her throat, but with a lengthy scar cutting across the steel.
The unusually-pigmented woman hummed to herself in thought.
"Four Jinchuriki in one group." The woman said softly. "This could be troublesome. Suigai-Shishou will want to hear this."
Next Time on Naruto: Jinchuuriki Chronicles
"I want to do more exciting missions! Find something else!"
"S-Rank?"
"Ya don't kill the guy you escort."
"The Whirlpool has been gone for a while."
Next time: The Journey Begins! A Vow Made In Blood!
"I'm going to be Hokage! Believe it!"
Closing Author's Note: Alright so I updated a little quicker than last time (Hashtag humble brag/ stealing mattpatts joke) I have to thank everyone who reviewed last chapter and I have to apologize for its late delay. I would also like to thank the guest middlechild274 who has given me many reminders to update. Hopefully all updates from now on will all updates will come this fast. As always all reviews are welcome.