Rune Soldier Naruto
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Rune Soldier Louie so let's just leave it at that all right?
Chapter 7
Money or Life
( ): Thoughts/Conversation with the Kyuubi
(( )): Kyuubi's voices
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In the city of Ohfun…
Naruto was in the mood to relax for the time being and was on his way to his favoured bar to grab a bite to eat, for the time being it seemed that Melissa and company were not getting any new missions this time so he had some free time, and as much as he was not a fan of reading all that much, Naruto had hit the books to find out more about possible magical artefacts for him to get back home, he had no doubt that the others back in Konoha were worried sick about him being gone for so long.
He had hoped that Gamakichi and Gamatatsu would be there in Konoha to deliver the news that he was all right but in some new world. He had no doubts in his mind that the others back in the village were going to flip at the news and he was going to be in serious trouble the very second they were able to find SOME way to get here. He could just imagine the shout coming from a certain blonde Sannin right about now...
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In Konoha...
"HE'S WHAT?!"
Tsunade shouted out as she looked at Gamakichi and Gamatatsu as she, Yamato, Sakura, Hinata, and Sai were speaking to the Toad Siblings. They had arrived several hours ago from Mount Myobokuzan and that was a very fair distance to say the very least. It was due to the fact that Naruto carried the Summoning Contract on his back like Jiraiya normally did and since he was the current contract holder, only he could summon the Toads.
She was surprised then they showed up when she was busy in the training field, she had then sent a message to Naruto's group along with Hinata to find out what the Toads were doing here and without Naruto no less. But she also made sure to get snacks for the two brothers since they were undeniably hungry after such a long trip from their home to Konoha. As soon as the others arrived and the Toads had eaten, they gave them Naruto's message.
Needless to say, the others were shocked that Naruto had somehow been dragged into a brand new world and there seemed to be no way they could get there yet. Naruto had told the two siblings to tell the others that in order for them to be summoned where he was, he had to use the Kyuubi's chakra to summon just the two of them and that was not even counting the chakra he had to use to supplement their own to send them back to their home dimension or some sort.
Gamakichi nodded and replied.
"That's where Naruto-san is right now Tsunade-sama, he's trying to find a way out for the time being so he's all right."
Tsunade couldn't help but feel a vein appear on her forehead at this as she managed to calm herself and think on how they were going to get Naruto back, magic was not unheard of in the ninja world, but magic was nearly all but forgotten for the time being ever since the use of Ninjutsu and all the other techniques of the Ninja World were used, the only way was for them to find some way to use magic to get Naruto back home. The blonde Hokage had been worried sick for days when the requests she had sent out to the other villages and countries had turned up nothing, and to now get the news that Naruto was in another world entirely was rather unsettling. She then spoke to Gamakichi.
"So what is he doing now?"
Gamakichi thought about what he heard from Naruto and spoke to the Sannin and the others while smiling a bit at both Sakura and Hinata.
"Before we got sent back, he was roped into working with some females."
This was enough to get Hinata Sakura's attention as they were not liking the implications of that statement. Sakura naturally was the very first to speak.
"Who exactly is he with Gamakichi?"
The Toad friend of Naruto was tempted to tease Sakura, but decided against it as he was already aware how Sakura would react to that kind of teasing and replied.
"There seems to be a blonde priestess with the group, apparently the leader of the bunch, at least she looked like a priestess in that getup, there were three younger girls dressed in what appeared to the same versions of the priestess' uniform though different, a short girl who moves like a thief and was armed like one. And some swordswoman with tanned skin and some odd clothing carrying two swords as well, that's the group that Naruto seems to be stuck with for the time being when he summoned us."
Sakura and Hinata were wondering just what to make of all this and they were hoping that Naruto was going to be all right. Sakura however had a feeling that Naruto was going to make an impression on the new group he was travelling with in this new world, the only thing she had to worry about was what sort of impression it was. In Hinata's case, she hoped that Naruto was all right and would soon find his way back to Konoha and be safe, though she couldn't help but feel some level of worry about how she was going to deal with the fact that Naruto was stuck with other women, Hinata was not always the jealous type, not after admitting the depths of her feelings to Naruto, but she was still a woman and she was worried at how Naruto was dealing being in front of women who he didn't know.
As for Tsunade, she hoped that Naruto was not doing something that was going to make him look like a real piece of work, however she was not going to hold her breath on the matter, as she knew Naruto all too well.
(I just know he's already making an impression, I just don't what kind.)
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Back in Ohfun...
(How IS he doing that?!)
Melissa and Genie were shocked at how easily Naruto was gulping down the meals before him, they were shocked at how quickly Naruto was taking away all the food into his stomach. The blonde Priestess couldn't help but wonder just how was Naruto able to stomach that much food in one go, she couldn't help but feel somewhat disgusted by how easily Naruto was taking away his food and be so calm about the whole thing. Though she had to admit, she was curious just how he was able to eat all that much without any discomfort.
Genie likewise couldn't believe that this guy before him was able to eat this much all in one run and even she, who had a good appetite felt small before Naruto's eating habits. Though she couldn't help but wonder just how he was able to eat that much without having his stomach burst out. Most people in the tavern that they were in were still amazed at how quickly the blonde ninja/mage was able to polish off that much food when it counted but the tavern owner was already familiar with Naruto's appetite so he was all right with that, in fact, Naruto was his finest customer since the blonde paid well.
As he polished off his food, he rubbed his belly and gave a sigh.
"Now that was some good eating!"
"H-How could you eat like that?!"
Naruto turned to look at Melissa who was still in shock at seeing him eat food like a vacuum hose and smiled back as he took out a tooth pick to clean his teeth.
"I eat like this because I am really hungry, it's not like it's a crime to be having a good meal."
"You've got to be kidding?! You ate your food like a tornado! That's just disgusting..."
Naruto thought about that and replied.
"Maybe, but what can I say? I do have a big appetite."
Genie snorted at that and replied.
"Big appetite doesn't cut it Naruto, you ate enough food to feed a squad of foot soldiers for three days, just what sort of stomach do you have in there anyway?"
Naruto smirked and replied in a very happy tone.
"The bottomless kind. Anyway, you guys are wrong in some regard, I'm not the only one who a mammoth appetite where I come from, if you want to see a bottomless stomach, you should meet my old class mate and fellow ninja Chouji."
"Who?"
"Chouji Akimichi of the Akimichi Clan, I've never seen Chouji without some form of food in his hands, he always eats food whenever he gets with meat being top in his list food items of choice, he is one big guy like his father and his mother, but he's a great guy and very friendly when it comes down to some serious things. Plus he's really a strong guy in his own right despite the fact he happens to be....rather large due to his appetite."
"Just how fat is he?"
Naruto snickered and gave Genie a knowing look and replied.
"You're lucky that he's not here when you said that, he doesn't take very kindly to being called that and he will retaliate with great force the very second that word is said to him, he usually would say that he was big boned or pleasantly plump or something around those lines. I recall how many times his buddy Shikamaru and even Ino had to restrain him when that taboo word was uttered."
"However, his size works to his advantage as his clan are known to use the Baika No Jutsu."
Melissa and Genie were confused by that and Melissa spoke.
"What's that Bai...?"
"Baika No Jutsu, in your case it's called Body Enlargement Techniques, it's unique among Chouji's clan as this allows them to enlarge or expand their bodies the way they want, their clan can also turn all those calories they have....or fat into pure chakra to increase their abilities to fight. One example is that Chouji can actually make one of his arms or both to the size of tree trunks and his fists into boulders, in fact, Chouji could even turn his entire body into a massive boulder and after tucking away his arms, head, and legs, he turned into a massive rolling tank that can REALLY pound someone, and if he takes kunai on metal wire and wrap himself in that form with those, he turned into a bladed rolling boulder of death. I even know for a fact that his father Chouza can grow into a massive giant!"
Melissa and Genie's eyes were wide at the implications of that, it took a while for them to react with Melissa speaking first.
"You can't be serious, there's no way such a thing like that can happen!"
Genie nodded a bit and replied.
"I have to agree....all that seems....farfetched to me."
Naruto smiled and replied.
"I kid you two not, that's how Chouji is, and I can bet right now he's busy munching down another round of barbecued beef back home."
Genie and Melissa then decided to take it in stride for the moment and the swordswoman then decided to ask Naruto a question that was on the back of her mind for a while now.
"So I take it there are no female ninja then, it's all men?"
Naruto looked at Genie with incredulous eyes and he began to laugh a bit at that, making Genie slightly angry and Melissa as somewhat confused by the humour that Naruto was displaying before her, what was so funny about genie's question anyway? It was a perfectly legitimate question to ask after all.
Naruto stopped laughing and relaxed himself as he, took a mug of water and drank a good amount to settle his stomach, as soon as he felt his body relax; he spoke to the two of them
"Heh, if you think men are the only one who are ninja in my world, you're wrong, women can be powerful ninja as well, in fact, you should try meeting one female ninja I know who can be a real powerhouse."
Genie raised an eyebrow and looked at Naruto with some level of disbelief in her eyes and she spoke.
"Really, who's that?"
"The one I'm talking about is my adopted mother and the current Hokage of my home village, her name is Tsunade Senju of the Clan Senju and one of the Sannin."
Melissa was surprised at how respectfully Naruto spoke this woman's name and was curious.
"You said she was an adopted mother to you Naruto?"
"Yeah, Tsunade-obasan is like a mother to me after my own mother died, she's one of the strongest and most famous female ninja in my village and also in my homeland, she's also one of the famous Sannin and is considered one of the finest Medic Nin in the ninja world."
"Medic Nin?"
Naruto nodded and replied.
"Not ALL ninja are assassins you know Melissa, Medic Nin are ninja who are skilled in medical techniques, medicine, herbalism, and know medical jutsu to heal others. They can heal wounds, injuries and cure people of poisons. To be a Medic Nin, you have to be of great intelligence and great chakra control. Medic Nin are trained to avoid combat since if they get knocked out or injured, there's no one to heal the others in the group they are assigned with. They use a technique known as the Shosen Jutsu or the Mystical Palm Technique for precision surgery without medical tools or to seal up wounds though Tsunade-obasan is the best at this field. Medic Nin can use the Shosen Jutsu to bring a person to a comatose state if they have to, they can even use it in combat if it becomes too difficult to avoid fighting. You put multiple Medic Nin in the same room, they can heal wounds very well. Medic Nin can also be specialized in other fields, one Medic Nin named Hana Inuzuka, who's the sister of a friend of mine who is also a ninja is a top ranking veterinarian. Chiyo-san from the village of Suna before she died was a top poison expert and she had a rivalry with Tsunade-obasan since Tsunade-obasan could cure any ailment, including Chiyo-san's poisons"
"Anyway, Tsunade-obasan is the finest Medic Nin I know and she is not shy about fighting, she already has super human strength and with her powerful chakra control, she is nasty in a fight."
Genie was intrigued by this as she could tell that Naruto's pride and confidence in speaking of this Tsunade meant that he was telling the truth, she decided to ask once more.
"Just how strong is this Tsunade you speak of?"
Naruto grinned and replied.
"Let me put it this way, she can easily punch a man clear through a building wall and INTO another building and OUT the wall. She can easily crush boulders with either her fists or feet, one kick from her could create craters on the ground and she could even cause an earthquake with a single punch to the ground. And she is fast and quite durable in a fight, she can take wounds that would cripple normal people and recover well enough to keep fighting...plus she can easily crush bones and pulp organs with a punch, in essence, she can kill a man with a single hit....and THAT is without weapons. She can even uproot trees with her bare hands if she wanted to and not sweat in the least. Not to mention the fact that she is definitely a woman who can have men turn their heads a full 180 degrees to look at her with the face and build, though she's a lot older than she looks."
Melissa was shocked and so was Genie as the swordswoman was utterly dumbfounded by what Naruto said about this Tsunade, she was considered very strong in her own right, but this Tsunade seemed to be beyond strong. It was then that Melissa spoke to Naruto.
"You can't possibly be serious Naruto?! No one can be THAT strong!"
"Oh really? It's all true, because long ago when I fought her...."
"YOU fought her?! Why?!"
Naruto sighed and replied.
"It's a long story but I'll tell you about it another time, anyway, when I fought Tsunade-obasan for the first time, she disarmed me without any effort AND with a flick of her finger was able to send me flying back at least a full thirty feet backwards, and THAT is just with a finger. If you don't believe me, here's a picture of Tsunade-obasan."
Naruto reached into his coat pocket and took out a picture of Tsunade after she took back the position of Hokage from Danzo. The two looked at the picture before them and saw a beautiful brown eyed blonde woman who had her blonde hair in two tails, with a strange diamond shaped tattoo on her forehead as well as wearing some sort of green long sleeved coat with some symbol on the back, she wore a strange set of upper clothes and pants as well as sandals. The one thing that got their attention was the fact that she had a very large....bust, larger than Genie's in some level yet suited her frame and appearance. Her build was slender and well formed and unlike Genie she didn't have muscles that were the same as the swordswoman's so it was hard to picture her to be as strong as Naruto said she would be.
As they looked at Naruto who had a grin on his face, they handed back to him the picture, it was then that Naruto noted something odd, he was so caught up in talking about his friends and family back in Konoha that he noted that a certain someone was not around.
"Hey, isn't Merrill supposed to be here with you guys? Normally she would be with you guys or something."
Melissa shook her head and replied.
"She's currently staying in a hotel to count her winnings, she's not going to be around for a while."
Naruto nodded a bit at that and spoke.
"Really? Then I guess I can go there and collect my part of the whole thing."
Genie shook her head and replied.
"You might as well give it up for the time being, Merrill's kind of serious miser when it comes to money."
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Speaking of the young thief…
"YES!!!! FINALLY!!!"
Merrill was in high heaven as she hugged the jar that contained all her earnings from the battle between Conrad and Naruto. Ever since a large number of people had rooted for Conrad to beat Naruto easily without any trouble, they had bet big on the fake Knight, and when Conrad not only lost but was humiliated by the blonde ninja/mage, they had no choice but to pay up to her, and the results were beyond what she hoped for. Finally that guy came through for them, or rather her. She had never seen this much money before and this was going to be something that she was never going to let out of her sight.
The young woman thief was so happy she decided to do something that she had wanted to do, removing the clothes she had on except her under clothes; the thief took a dunk into the jar to literally bathe in her new found wealth. However as she did so, she heard a strange noise coming out from outside her window.
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Back in the inn...
Naruto sighed a bit with contentment as he felt his stomach relax and feel full as he got up and he was joined by both Genie and Melissa as they decided to go out and see just how Merrill was doing, and Naruto had the plan to get his share of funds from the betting pools that Merrill had set up during the fight with Conrad despite Genie and Melissa warning him to forget the idea. Naruto had ways to get his share though he hoped that he wasn't going to use them when the time came for it.
Genie was still eager to see just how Naruto used the sword he had with him, after seeing him fight with Conrad before, she was curious to see just how capable she was against someone like Naruto when it came to crossing swords with one another. For now however she was curious to see that sword up close but decided to wait for a better time. She was also curious about the other ninja who were female in Naruto's world, if what Naruto said was to be believed, then there were no doubt other female ninja as well.
Melissa herself was still doubtful about Naruto words concerning the woman who he considered as a mother who was named Tsunade and his friend Chouji, such people couldn't possibly exist right? Yet she had already seen Naruto accomplish amazing feats that she still had a hard time wrapping her mind around, so there was a chance that maybe there were such people like what Naruto described.
However, the blonde priestess gave a cry of surprise as she ran into Naruto, as soon as she was able to recover from the sudden surprise, she spoke to Naruto.
"What's going on?! Why didn't you...."
She looked and right there before her was a large column of smoke, and she knew that when smoke was seen inside a city like Ohfun, that usually meant only one thing....fire! She gasped as she realized that the city was in danger, but she knew that the people would start working on killing the blaze, however that was when Naruto spoke out.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the fire there in The Sunken Wheel District of Ohfun?"
Genie looked at the road signs and nodded.
"Yes....in fact it's the same area where the inn...."
"The inn that Merrill is staying in!!! By Mylee!!!!"
Naruto quickly climbed up a wall and headed there, the two women wondered just how he was able to do that and then leap across the gaps between houses as if it was like skipping over a simple hole, but they placed that aside as they hurried to find their friend, hoping to the Goddess that their friend was all right.
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Merrill was not happy as she looked at the burning ruin that was the place he had been staying in, somehow a massive fire had broken out in the inn just as she was getting ready to go and get some much needed sleep after keeping an eye on her darling jar. As soon as she was aware of the fire she got out and couldn't help but see the place being consumed by the flames. She also knew that her clothes, tools, weapons were also gone....along with her food, spare clothes....and...
Merrill was shocked completely as she realized that she had left something important behind and that something happened to be a jar.
The people who were trying their best to contain and eventually kill the fire were shocked then the young woman who was wearing only light clothes suddenly grabbed a large container of water and dunked herself with the water despite the fact that doing so when the water was cold and she wore thin clothing was in invitation to getting herself sick.
They were even more shocked when the soaked girl actually RAN back into the burning inn shouting only one phrase.
"DON'T WORRY MY DARLING JAR!!!! I'LL SAVE YOU!!!!"
The people then shouted out to Merrill as she rushed back into the blazing inferno before them all.
"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING?!"
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!"
"WHAT THE HECK IS A DARLING JAR?!"
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As soon as Naruto arrived on the scene, he scanned the area, trying to find any sign of the young thief and turned to some of the people who were doing their best to keep the fire from spreading all throughout the district. He tapped the shoulder of one man and spoke.
"Pardon me, you saw a young woman about this high and with short hair?"
Naruto said as he looked about, just as Genie and Melissa arrived, the two were tired, but were able to keep up though they were still amazed that Naruto didn't seem all that tired. They were not aware of the demanding training that Naruto had as ninja growing up in Konoha, nor did they know of the intense training he got learning the Rasengan, the Rasenshuriken, and his Senjutsu training, along with the retraining that he took for a long while back in his world so doing the things he did even with the Toad Summoning Contract on his back was not new to him.
The man nodded and replied.
"You mean that crazy woman earlier? Yeah she was hear, she had just gotten out of that burning ruin, when all of a sudden she grabbed a large jar of water, doused herself in it, and went back into the flames."
Naruto's eyes widened at that and so did the two member of Melissa's group with Naruto being the one to speak out their thoughts.
"SHE DID WHAT?!"
"Yeah, she just soaked herself and went right back into the blazing inferno, the thing is, she said something about saving her 'darling jar' or something like that."
Naruto looked utterly confused and Melissa spoke.
"We have to find her!"
Another man spoke to them in that moment.
"She already escaped, she climbed on the roof and leaped away with a massive jar in hand, she made it across the other side over there and landed in a water tank so she is fine."
Naruto looked it over and had nod a bit as he thought over at the implications of Merrill's actions.
(Hmmm...give her some time under Iruka-sensei, Ebisu-sensei....and Kakashi-sensei if he was still about, she might not make a bad ninja, though her thief background might be helping.)
Naruto shook his head and wondered just where Merrill was staying in this time.
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In a nearby shack...
Merrill was hugging her jar with all her winnings in it like it was the most precious thing in the world to her, which in her case, it was. She was already bordering deeply into paranoia as she had spent the whole night trying to evade all real and perceived threats to her darling jar. The threats in question included alley cats, mice, falling flower pots and the sounds of people chasing her all over the alley ways, (unaware of the fact that the people chasing her were her friends and Naruto as well) now here she was, she was cold, no doubt getting a cold and had to wrap herself in some tarp while holding her jar in her hands and legs in a vice. She was dead certain that someone was going to steal her darling jar, well...she was going to kill anyone that came within ten feet....
"Merrill, you in...?"
FLICK!
THUNK!
Merrill turned to look and then the cloth blanket was parted and there was none other than Naruto who had one of her throwing knives...between his teeth.
Naruto spat out the knife and was not the least bit happy at the unexpected attack as he walked into the place, he kept his tongue in check considering the look Merrill was giving him at the moment, as much as he wanted to pound her a bit for throwing a knife at his direction, he had learned from prior experience to keep his temper in check.
Naruto was raising his eyebrows at this and both Genie and Melissa were shocked at the way Merrill was dressed at the moment, she looked as if she had not been able to sleep for over several days, she looked sick and more besides. However the woman seemed to be very defensive at the moment while hugging the jar there before them. The two knew their partner well and had a fairly accurate idea as to what was in the jar and why Merrill was holding on to it. Naruto had the same idea, considering how stringy Merrill was when it dealt with money.
However that certainly didn't stop him from commenting to Merrill.
"What's with the tarp?"
After Merrill was calmed down enough to explain herself, the two women and the blonde Chuunin were in her shack and the young thief was debating what to do while Naruto looked on. As he looked at Merrill and recalled how she reacted when they tried to come into the place, he could understand some part of Merrill's actions. Back then when he started out as a Genin and doing missions with his old team he did his absolute best to save money as much as he could from each mission, despite the low pay he got doing them, he had always done his best to save money after each successful mission for a rainy day.
But Merrill's antics in keeping her money and that darling jar out of harm's way was turning into overkill in his mind. He might be thrifty with his money, but he wasn't obsessed with money either as he used his money to buy only the essentials that he needed to get by while only using his money on a spending run if it was in a situation which wasn't going to drown his savings, not to mention the fact that the annual amounts of money he got from Sarutobi when the old man was still alive and Hokage was always stored away in safe places that only he knew about.
The two women were not happy with the news at the moment and wondered just what Merrill had in mind, they were not going to have to wait for too long when the young thief apparently had an idea as she spoke to them.
"I have a way to keep my darling jar from harm!"
"Really?"
"What do you have in mind Merrill?"
Merrill smiled despite her sickness and spoke.
"I'm going to bury my darling jar in a pit and bury it there so no one but me....and you guys will know where it is."
Naruto had a feeling this might not work out the way Merrill wanted, he knew that things rarely turn out the way most people expected no matter how much they want thing to turn out the way they wanted, and that was from his own personal experiences, so he had a feeling this might not work out the way Merrill might hope it would. However, the next suggestion that came out of Merrill's mouth was more than enough to get his attention.
"Then I can ask Naruto here to summon those toads of his guard my darling jar."
Naruto did not like that and before the women could look at him, he replied.
"Out of the question!"
Merrill gave Naruto her best glare of warning and this was enough to raise the tension in the shack as Melissa and Genie looked on and hoped that this was not going to end badly for all involved at this moment.
Naruto shook his head at Merrill's request of his Toad Summons. He couldn't help but look at Merrill and wonder if she had suddenly grown another head, and this one had horns and fire coming from the mouth. He could understand to some degree that Merrill wanted to protect her money as she called it, but asking him to summon the Toad siblings just to guard a jar that could be easily hidden was taking this whole thing a bit too far.
"You want me to call on Gamakichi and Gamatatsu so they can guard that jar of yours? What do you think they are, body guards for hire?"
Merrill looked at Naruto seriously and replied.
"Just summon them and tell them to guard my darling jar until I can find a better hiding spot."
Naruto shook his head at that, he normally summoned the Toad siblings for work that was serious and guarding a jar, even if was full of gold was not serious work in his mind. Besides, it cost him a seriously large amount of chakra to summon them in the first place, not to mention he could wager a guess that both Gamakichi and Gamatatsu were not going to like the idea of being forced to baby sit a jar of all things.
"Let me explain something to you Merrill, my Toad Summons are not your average bunch of animals."
Merrill however was having none of it as her desire to keep her darling jar of money safe overrode her common sense as she spoke out.
"Just do it already!!!"
"No I will not Merrill, they are more than summons to me and they are not going to like it if they get called here just to guard a jar, not to mention the fact that summoning them alone is going to be costly for me in terms of overall power. Besides that, have you ever considered using that money for something?"
Merrill glared and replied.
"Like what could I spend it on?"
Naruto shook his head and replied.
"Oh I don't know....how about some fresh clothes, food, new weapons, tools, or even a new house? I've seen this shack you live in for Kami's sake, that place would be wiped out in the flood in a heartbeat. You could use all that for that you know, and you can benefit as well as pay off the rest of your..."
"No! I'm saving it."
"Come again?"
"You heard me, I am going to save my money."
Naruto couldn't help but wonder what was going on in Merrill's head, this was beginning to remind him of the mission he had taken with Kakashi, Lee, and Sakura to the Kingdom of the Crescent Moon, in that mission, he had to escort the prince and his son to safety and at that time all the body guards hired by the royalty folks quit their jobs because of the treatment they got from the father and son pair. He certainly was not happy and made that sentiment clear more than once in his trip. He recalled the time the young boy, Hikaru bought an entire circus to befriend the white sabre toothed tiger but when the tiger turned away due to not trusting humans since it had bad memories of humans, the young kid Hikaru ignored the circus.
When the convoy went by sea, and the storm came, the kid cared little for the people he and his father had hired, thinking that all that mattered was money and wealth. Naruto was not happy at all and made his sentiment clear to the young kid. He knew he hurt the kid but he didn't mind at all, in his mind, Hikaru deserved the tongue lashing for being such a spoiled brat. However the young boy changed after that and saved the tiger from death.
That changed his opinion of Hikaru and Chamu trusted the young kid afterwards, the rest of the mission was very much different from what he was used to, first they met up with Hikaru's mother and ex-wife of Michiru and then had to meet Michiru's father and Hikaru's grandfather as he spoke to them before dying. They then had to deal with the ninja group hired by the corrupt Prime Minister and afterwards, he and the others along with the circus troop were able to save the father and son, as well as defeat the bad guys.
Afterwards Michiru decided to go on a diet and exercise course to get back into shape and rule wisely as his father once did, to make the people's happiness and prosperity his own, and he also mended his relationship with his wife. The blonde also recalled the vacation time they had there until Kakashi recovered from the use of his Sharingan, and he had to admit that the place had some really wonderful beaches to be in.
But now it seemed that this was going to be a serious deal that he was about to be dragged into as he could see that Merrill was not budging....however, neither was he. He was not going to waste the time, chakra, and energy to summon the two Toad brothers just to guard a jar, it would be a waste of his time, theirs, his chakra, theirs, and it would be demeaning to turn Gamabunta's sons into glorified guard dogs....guard toads if one got technical, he didn't even want to guess how furious the Boss Toad would be if he found out his sons were turned to watchmen for a jar.
Besides, Merrill's idea of saving it sounded a bit odd for him when he thought about it, there was something in the whole conversation that was really making feel that this was a seriously bad idea in all accounts.
Naruto shook his head and mentally spoke to himself and to the Kyuubi.
(Why do I just know this is not going to end well?)
((Simple kit, it won't.))
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Later...
"I can't even begin to imagine WHY I'm doing this."
Naruto said as he was now bare-chested while wearing his pants and sandals, his black shirt was there on the ground, his orange and black jacket along with his long coat on the ground, with his Toad Summoning Contract and sword there on the other side with his pouch. He had tried to find a better solution and even made some fairly good sounding ones like trying to save the money in a bank to make it grow in interest. That was what he did under Sakura, Hinata, and Tsunade's suggestion after he had been paid a huge double bounty for dealing with both Madara and Sasuke when the ninja villages and the countries of his world found out about what he had done for them all. Which was why he had a seriously huge bank account back home in Konoha which he spent on helping the village recover.
Another idea was to use it to pay off their debts to their collectors and therefore would lessen the temptation for others to try and steal from her, allowing her to have a modest nest egg to save up on and draw from when the time came. There were others that came into mind, but Merrill refused the suggestions and decided that if he would not summon his toads, then he should use his magic.
So here he was, digging a hole in the middle of the forest with the light rain beating down on him with him half naked, and around him was a muscled but well formed and undeniably well endowed dark skinned woman with a seriously odd but undeniably eye catching clothing with a sword on her back and another on her hip, then there was a blonde priestess who in his mind had a fairly good rack herself, though her attitude was still in the need for some correction, though she was a good healer, and lastly a young thief who had a seriously unhealthy obsession with money.
If the whole reason for this and the plan that was cooked up that required him to be out here in the rain wasn't so ridiculous and fraught with unforeseen risks, he would have considered it a good way for someone to write a perverted novel. This whole thing had the makings of some...
(All right! Best not to go there...yet. Got to get this hole finished so we can end this mess, though I still know that this might not turn out the Merrill plans, but at least this is going to be interesting and not the least bit boring, I might even come up with some interesting materials later on.)
As he continued to dig he was feeling the slight chill of the weather but ignored it, his endurance and health had improved a lot since he was a kid, and the fact that the Kyuubi healed him well made him immune to most sicknesses, something that he had to admit certainly came in handy as he never got sick before in his life.
Naruto was not aware of the fact that the others were looking at him at the moment, nor did he care as he wanted to get this over and done with.
Genie had to admit that Naruto was not as thin as she had heard sorcerers were known to be, in fact, he was certainly well built as she could see the form he had on. She thought about his life and no doubt being a ninja must really demand a great deal of physical labour and training. He certainly was not a regular mage, that much she could see and she wondered just how good he was with a sword and as soon as she able to do so, she was doing to see just how good he really was.
Melissa had to admit that this was highly odd for her, she had never seen a man like this before and it was different, Naruto was certainly not what she expected of a mage as she had thought that mages didn't have the inclination to keep fit, but Naruto seemed to be different. Then again, she kept in mind that he was a ninja, and despite her still lingering dislike for the fact that he was trained to assassinate people, she couldn't find anything wrong with Naruto's build....compared to Conrad's sickly form....Naruto was...
The blonde priestess blushed bright red at her vivid imaginings and tried to resist those thoughts, it was unbecoming of a Priestess of Mylee to be like this before a man!!! She was not attracted to Naruto! Even if he did have a well toned and muscled body, well toned arms, muscles in all the right places, a hard chest, toned stomach and.
(STOP IT!!!)
Melissa closed her eyes, but not before spotting some sort of tattoo on Naruto's stomach, she wondered briefly what it was and decided to ignore it for now as she was still trying to keep her mind from wandering off to places she wanted it not to go. Naruto was still not the kind of hero she wanted, but at least he was healthy and...
Her thoughts on the matter were cut short as Naruto grunted a bit as he placed aside the shovel and spoke.
"There. That is as deep as I can go without looking like an idiot digging my own grave. Now Merrill, hand me..."
Just as Naruto was reaching for the jar that held Merrill's money, that was moved away by the thief in question as Merrill hissed at Naruto like a cat, or a snake and glared at him. No doubt showing the same level of paranoia that she had shown when she threw the knife at him back in the shack, normally that would have unnerved normal people, Naruto however growled as he had no time for this kind of nonsense as he spoke to Merrill.
"Hey, you asked for a hole for you to hide your darling jar in, you have it, so if you want to keep it safe, hand it over so I can bury it already."
Merrill looked on and slowly began to hand it over.
--------
Naruto couldn't help but shake his head at the way Merrill was cradling and even talking to her darling jar, he might talk to his frog wallet but he didn't take it THIS far as Merrill was doing. He could hear Merrill talking to the jar like it was some sort of baby and he grew all the more annoyed and spoke.
"Merrill, either get out of there so I can bury that jar of yours or stay in there with it. You're REALLY freaking me out here with all that hugging and talking to it."
Melissa turned and spoke to Naruto in a shocked tone.
"Naruto! How could you say that?!"
"Melissa, look, she wanted me to dig a hole so she could hide her jar right? So unless she gets out of there to let me do my job, this is getting us nowhere. Besides, the way she's hugging that jar and treating it like it's alive is seriously creeping me out."
Merrill ignored the comments and spoke to the jar once more.
"Don't worry my darling jar, I'll come back and visit you soon."
Naruto heard that and rolled his eyes once more, and he could feel that the Kyuubi was doing the very same thing, not that he could blame his demonic resident for that at this time. At least Merrill finally got out of the hole and as soon as she was out of there, he began to bury the darn thing, she currently remodelled her tarp outfit and truth be told, the way she looked would have gotten the attention of a lot of perverted young men easily, namely those who had a thing for short women. He quickly squelched down that idea before it took root in his head but decided to shelf that aside for the time being and covered the hole.
After a few minutes, the hole was gone, but although it seemed that this was the end of it, it wasn't, as Naruto was now fully clothed and the rain had stopped, he was happy that the Summoning Contract Scroll was water proof and did the same to the writing in it and his clothes were lightly soaked so it wasn't that bad a deal. As soon as he was fully prepared, he took out what appeared to be a control rod though he showed some level of distrust at it. He knew that this was a bad idea but seeing as Merrill was dead set on this, he decided that she was going to have to see this through, but, a more evil side of his brain had to admit that this was going to be fun to watch to some level at least.
Of course, he was going to try and reason with the stubborn and greedy thief one more time, hoping that she was could see reason at this moment, though hew wasn't going to wager any amount of gold that she was going to change her mind, but at least he tried.
"All right, before we do this, are you SURE you want to do this Merrill?"
Merrill nodded and replied.
"I am, this is the only way for me to hide my darling jar."
"You DO know there ARE other ways right?"
Genie then spoke.
"Look, you agreed to help us Naruto, are you backing out on your promise?"
Melissa nodded at that and replied.
"A true hero keeps his word Naruto."
Naruto snorted a bit and looked at the two women.
"You don't need to tell me that, I said you could trust me when I fought Conrad and I kept my promise didn't I? Not to mention I showed him to be the real fraud and cheat for all to see, remember? Or have you just forgotten what I did before?"
Melissa recalled that and remembered Naruto's promise to her and that told her that Naruto was the kind of person to keep his promises, so she was a bit at fault for questioning Naruto's integrity and his ability to keep his word. The reprimand she got from Head Priestess Jenny about not jumping to conclusions and assumptions came back to her, as well as remembering how Naruto had willingly paid off half their debts to their collectors. He was not a hero in the way she wanted heroes to be, but his heart as in the right place as he said it was. With that in mind, she nodded to Naruto.
"I haven't forgotten, I'm just....surprised that you don't seem to be thrilled with this, Naruto."
"That's because I'm not Melissa, there's a ton of things that might go wrong with this plan and summoning a golem is one of them."
"What do you mean by that?"
"For one thing, the fact that a golem is here in the woods in the middle of nowhere is bound to get attention, seriously, people who encounter a golem will usually think that there's something here of value since a golem isn't exactly as common place as trolls or ogres are, and that is going to get interest from anyone. Then there's the fact that I'm not that good with creating golems, as that is not my specialty."
Genie raised an eyebrow at that and spoke.
"You don't know how to make golems? Kind of odd for a sorcerer to not know how to make golems since it is part of the curriculum of the Academy."
"I didn't say that I don't know anything about making golems, I can make them but not to a very good degree since I had....other priorities, as much as I hate to admit it, the two nut jobs Garret and Hayden were better in that regard, though they were not much of a threat once one figures out how to crush golems. If there was one good thing that came out with me dealing with those lunatics on a daily basis in the Academy is to figure out how to properly destroy golems once you get a good idea on how they are made."
Naruto then looked at Merrill who was impatient to bury the jar and he spoke seriously.
"Okay then Merrill, are you sure about this?"
Merrill nodded and replied seriously.
"Just summon the golem and let me do it!"
"You sure?"
"Yes I am!"
Naruto could tell that there was no way he could convince Merrill about how an idea like this was covered with the potential to go wrong, but he decided that the only way was to show her with action, if she wasn't going to listen to reason then action was going to have to cut the mustard. He smiled mentally as he now knew how hard his various sensei from Iruka, Jiraiya, Ebisu, Yamato, and Kakashi must have worked to teach him things, but unlike Merrill, he was not above asking for help when he needed to learn something and keeping the experience close to him at all times.
He sighed and got to work as he placed the device on the ground.
(Well...I tried.)
As the device was now on the ground, the blonde then decided to get to work as he began to chant as the magical energies began to do their work and soon in a flash of green light, the golem was soon made as the soil around the area came to life.
Naruto was not going to like the result of this at all as the form began to appear.
(This is not going to be good.)
--------
Back in Konoha...
Neji was walking towards the Hyuuga estate with Tenten beside him along with Lee who was still as energetic as ever along with Gai, they had just gotten back from a mission and they were all eager to take a break, Neji decided to ask permission from his uncle Hiashi to allow his team to relax in the Hyuuga estate. Though the Main and Branch families of the Hyuuga clan remained, relations between them had become more cordial and relaxed, something that was attributed to Hiashi's actions to heal the rift between both parts of the clan .
As for the young Jonin, he and Tenten had become very close, enough for them to be going out more often, his uncle Hiashi approved of it, and it was not surprising that they were already something of a couple, much Lee and Gai's approval. Lee also began to see another young woman, and that was none other than Yuhi Kurenai's own former student, the Genjutsu prodigy of the Kurama Clan, and that was Yakumo herself. They had met when Yakumo, after defeating the monster that resided in her for a long time had come to Konoha to beg forgiveness for her actions and ask once more to get the training she wanted to use her powers to defend Konoha.
Kurenai decided to make some level of amends for her own part in Yakumo's life by deciding to train Yakumo in using Genjutsu properly and with compassion so she could be able to resist the chance of another monster taking over. Kurenai was now raising her son who had the same name as her dead lover Asuma well and having been able to see Naruto's victories over Madara and Sasuke as well as taming the Kyuubi now had the knowledge that she could really teach Yakumo to be a ninja who was gifted with Genjutsu abilities...in the same way Gai had inspired Lee to be stronger.
It was there that Lee met Yakumo and was surprised that she was the same as him and he vowed to be her protector, making Yakumo happy that the one who inspired her to be a ninja despite her weaker body was willing to protect her. This began their friendship with one another and it was there that Kurenai noted that Lee was a good influence to Yakumo as she began to show much greater control of her powers with Genjutsu and when they performed together, Yakumo was able to help Lee fill in the gap he had with his inability to use Genjutsu, and he was able to give her the support and protection that she might need if something managed to disrupt her focus.
It was quite a surprise for the others when Lee's relationship with Yakumo was revealed, but seeing Lee and Yakumo happy together was more than enough to convince others that it was for the best and while Yakumo was not going to be able to equal Lee's physical abilities, she had gained enough physical conditioning from Lee to not be hindered all that much.
As they arrived into the estate and headed into the compound's inner courtyard, they spotted Hinata who was training and she appeared to be nearly finished. Neji wondered just how his cousin was handling the disappearance of her boyfriend, when Naruto disappeared days before, Hinata had worried herself sick as she was begging to go out and look for him. Hiashi had naturally refused, even when she requested her body guard Ko Hyuuga to come with her, it was not that he disliked Naruto. In fact, he had been rightly impressed by the young man's achievements and was more than willing to let him and Hinata pursue a relationship though he was apprehensive at first when Sakura got involved in this, but since the two were able to get along well enough with each other with Naruto, it was all right with him as long as Hinata was able to be happy.
Neji walked over to Hinata and spoke to his cousin.
"Any word from the others on where Naruto-kun is?"
Hinata nodded and that was enough to make Neji, Tenten, and Lee smile, but what Hinata said to them about what she had been told by Gamabunta and Gamakichi was more than enough to surprise the ninja team of Gai as they digested what Hinata was telling them. When it was done, they decided to speak with Tenten being the first.
"You're kidding right Hinata-san?"
"No I'm not Tenten-san, it really is true, even though I...I was told this before, I had a hard time believing it too, but Gamakichi-san wasn't lying and neither was his brother when they told us what happened, so I know that it might sound odd, but...N-Naruto-kun is in another world right now."
Gai was surprised a great deal and replied.
"Hmmm....I heard about other worlds when I was Genin but I usually thought those were just stories and fairy tales."
Neji then spoke to Hinata.
"So there is no way for Naruto-san to head back here Hinata-sama?"
Hinata shook her head but replied with a smile of confidence.
"I know that Naruto-kun will find a way home soon! Naruto-kun is not the kind of person to give up no matter the odds."
Lee nodded with a smile as well.
"I agree with Hinata-sama as well, Naruto-san is not the kind of guy to give up without a fight so I have every confidence he will make it back home soon!"
Neji nodded, he too had faith in Naruto, after all, Naruto had accomplished a great deal of things ever since he knew the blonde Chuunin, who was also a Sannin and one of the strongest ninja in the village and was recognized by many in their world as a true hero for all he had personally accomplished over the years as a ninja.
Though he had a feeling that Naruto was going to have a very interesting time finding his way home, but at least Naruto was going to have an interesting time coming home.
--------
Back in the forest...
Naruto sighed a bit as he gazed at his creation and whispered to himself.
"Yep....I still suck at it, thank Kami Ila-chan isn't here to laugh at it, and neither are my other comrades back in Konoha, I can just imagine Hinata-chan and Sakura-chan trying not to laugh right now."
Melissa and the others however were a lot more vocal with their opinions on the golem that Naruto created.
"WHAT IS THIS?"
"YEECH!!!"
"THAT'S DISTURBING!!!"
Naruto couldn't blame them for the reactions as even he had to admit that the golem he cooked up was by far the ugliest he had ever seen in his life.
It was coloured dull yellow no doubt from the mud that formed the lower part along with all the dead vegetation and soil that formed the area that they were in and also it was as big as his old buddy Chouji, just about the same size but had a very dopey expression that made even him feel a bit ill. The thing was like Chouji after a serious eating binge in his favourite barbeque stand, but at least it didn't need to eat at all like Chouji did.
The three girls turned and Merrill replied.
"You call that a golem?! That magic spell is useless!"
Naruto glared a bit and replied.
"If I were to recall rightly, I did say that making golems is not my specialty."
Melissa then replied.
"Maybe so....but you could have made it look a lot more intimidating Naruto....it looks like a complete village idiot."
Merrill grumbled a bit at that and spoke silently
"Maybe like someone I know."
Naruto however was no fool this time around and his enhanced hearing was more than able to pick up Merrill's words and he glared darkly at the young thief and replied.
"Hey, you wanted a golem, you got it, it might not look intimidating but at least it is a golem, besides we're not in a quarry area so I didn't have any solid stone or granite to work with and there's no way a jar hidden in a quarry will escape notice for long, even more so if I had a golem there guarding it since doing that is going to cause quite the mess, not to mention that the place has mud, soil, leaves, branches and other things, this is what you get. Besides since this your idea Merrill, you have to use what you have so take it or leave it."
Merrill glared and decided to just get this over with so her darling jar would have a protector. With that in mind she nodded and replied.
"Fine, I'll take it."
"Good, now give it a command and it will follow it to the letter, though you need to be...."
Merrill however was not in the mood to listen to Naruto and spoke to the Golem, while pointing to the ground where her jar was.
"All right you, make sure that no one touches my darling g jar, and I mean no one! You got that?"
Naruto realized just what Merrill said to the golem and he couldn't help but slap his head and grown out in disbelief.
(Oh no....I should have guessed that her greed would get the better of her...)
The golem seemed to not hear it or give any indication that it heard Merrill's commands, the three women then looked at Naruto while Genie wondering just why would someone like him be that bad with golems while Melissa was somewhat disappointed at this, Merrill however was the more vocal one of the bunch.
"YOU IDIOT! YOU COULDN'T EVEN MAKE A GOLEM THAT CAN FOLLOW SIMPLE COMMANDS?!"
Naruto shook his head and pointed at the Golem once more and replied.
"You might change your mind in about...now."
The golem roared out a war cry of some sort that was disturbing to some extent as it planted it's fist on the ground where Merrill's jar was and then to the shock of the others except Naruto who knew that this was bound to happen considering Merrill's words, the golem took out the jar and began to carry the thing away. Merrill was completely shocked and was quick to turn to Naruto for an explanation.
"What is that moronic creation of yours doing with my darling jar?!"
Melissa then spoke to Naruto, making sure to be at least tactful to the blonde ninja/mage.
"What's going on Naruto, what is that golem doing now?"
Genie was also confused at the actions of the golem and looked at Naruto for an explanation as she spoke to him.
"How come that golem took the jar and isn't following the commands Merrill gave it?"
Naruto shook his head and replied.
"It's just doing what Merrill told it to do, so it's Merrill's own doing in this case."
"I DIDN'T TELL IT TO DIG UP MY DARLING JAR AND TAKE IT AWAY!!!"
"No, but your words were enough to imply that, I was about to say to you to make your instructions loud and clear to a golem since they take their orders to the letter seriously and to avoid a misinterpretation of command you had to explain your instructions in good detail. You said that no one must touch you darling jar right Merrill? So when you said it, the Golem understood that it had to prevent ANYONE from taking the jar, including YOU. That's one reason why I was against this idea in the first place since Golems are deadly when not given proper guidance by their handler or given clear commands."
Melissa looked at the lumbering creature and spoke.
"Is there any way to stop it?"
"Yeah, the easiest part is for me to use the counter spells and reduce the golem to it's base components."
"Go ahead and do it then!"
"Hold your darn horses Merrill, I can't do that since I wasn't able to learn the counter spells in time since I left the Academy on other business that I needed to take care of."
Merrill groaned and glared at Naruto and was about to speak a biting retort when Naruto glared back and replied.
"That is the reason I was not in favour of this plan of your from the beginning Merrill, but there is another way you know."
Genie wondered what was about and then she recalled something about what Naruto said before.
"You said that Garret and Hayden used to sic their golems of you right? So you know how to destroy golems including that one."
(Finally someone managed to pay attention!)
"Right, the other option to defeat a golem is through sheer brute force, break it down hard enough so it would be easier to destroy, golems have level of regenerative ability and this one is kind of on the weak side, so enough attacks should be able to destroy the golem without it regenerating, and it had better be done fast before the golem decides to do something with the jar which might include destroying it."
"WHAT?!"
"Hey, it's one of the basic rules of war if I recall my history right, sometimes if you want to prevent an enemy from getting something valuable and there is no way to shield it, the best chance to do that is to destroy it so no one gets it at all. So we have to hurry before that thought gets into it's mind, if we do that before the thought comes into play then we're in the clear, and considering what that golem is made of then the best way...."
"AAAAAHHHHHH!!! COME HERE YOU STUPID GOLEM!!!!"
"MERRILL!!!"
Merrill took off after the golem like a rocket and so did Melissa and Genie, much to Naruto's dismay as he once more slapped his forehead in exasperation. He was about to tell them that considering what the golem was made of then he could easily stop it and what they might have in mind was not going to cut it, or rather cut the golem, but they were ahead of him and he wasn't able to tell them what was the best way to do this.
(Damn it....I wish they were not so gung ho about all this...)
(("Who are you kidding kit, you used to be like that yourself, remember?"))
(I know, I know....I guess there's no way around it.)
Naruto sighed as he decided to catch up with the others.
--------
Merrill, Melissa, and Genie thought that attacking the golem head on with blades, war-hammer, and physical force were going to be the best way to destroy the golem, but it seemed that their efforts were wasted on the attempt. Merrill's knives were absorbed into the golem when she threw them at it and they were absorbed, she tried using knife attacks but those also failed as the gashes healed up quickly, with the golem replying in kind to Merrill's attacks by flicking her with a finger on the forehead and sending her flying into the bushes nearby, just in the exact same way Tsunade had flicked Naruto backwards with her own finger when they first met.
Melissa's war hammer only knocked chunks away from the body of the golem and the filth was making the priestess cringe as the golem as a certain odour around it that made her sick along with some of the mud hitting her clothing.
Genie fared little better as her sword attacks were only cutting swaths on the mud without harming the creature as they closed up. The two of them attacked at the same time but the golem turned and flung out some of it's body to them, knocking them back and covering them with filth, mud, and other unmentionables. They were not happy and they could only watch as the golem carried on with it's mission.
"GIVE ME BACK MY DARLING JAR!!!!"
Merrill leaped out with a kick at the golem, her face in desperate fury as she had landed on a large pile of stinking garbage earlier, that helped to anger the thief as she rushed and attack the golem, the thief hit the target dead centre but to her horror the golem began to absorb her!
"MERRILL!!!"
The two watched as their friend was taken in, they feared the worse but then they saw a massive bulge appear on the golem and then a ball was fired out, a screaming ball as they spotted Merrill in the darn thing, the ball landed there and Merrill was showing the face of horror as she recalled how she had just been released by the golem and the two wrinkled their noses as the smell coming from the ball was best not to be described.
"Now THAT was disturbing."
They turned to see Naruto who was apparently trying not to laugh and Merrill was not happy along with Melissa and Genie.
"What is so funny Naruto?! You're not helping anyway!"
"I was going to help you all, when you decided to go after that thing without letting me finish. Look, that golem is not going to be stopped by swords, knives, kicks or hammers from Kami's sake! It's made of mud, clay, soil, dead plants, and all sorts of things best left unsaid, you really expect physical attacks would work on that kind of golem?"
Melissa and the others realized that meant and that made them feel somewhat defeated but then Naruto's words from before that he knew how to beat even this kind of golem came back into mind as Melissa spoke.
"You can stop it then, but how if physical attacks don't work?"
Naruto grinned and took out his wand and replied.
"How else? Magic AND a little chakra for a boost!"
Naruto focused his powers of magic well but before he cast the spell with his wand, he made the hand seals and created some support, after all, this was going to be a combination attack and he was going to do what he could to end this in one fell swoop.
"KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!!!"
There was now a Kage Bushin there in the area next to Naruto and as soon as the kage Bushin was there, it quickly charged right at the golem while Naruto began to charge up his power for the spell, he knew already that a golem made from the materials that were before him couldn't be destroyed by physical attacks but with magic, in this case, fire magic. But Naruto knew that time was of the essence as the golem approached some cliffs and no doubt the golem decided to destroy the jar to keep anyone from touching it.
He looked as his Kage Bushin avoided the attacks of the golem, using speed and agility to his advantage in battle and soon the kage Bushin was in front of the golem and began to use some quick hand seals, the Kage Bushin dodges another barrage of attacks from the golem and then leaped right at the golem, apparently replicating the very same move Merrill did before. But at that moment, Naruto, the real Naruto, cast his spell.
"Come Forth and burn down what is before you! Storm of Flames!"
The massive wave of flames came right at the golem and as soon as they came close the Kage Bushin also shouted out the jutsu.
"FUUTON! TATSUMAKI KUIKI NO JUTSU!!!!"
The technique that Naruto's Kage Bushin was something that Naruto developed when he was taking his training seriously, this was a personal jutsu that he had been able to make back in Konoha with the aid of both Sakura and Hinata with Sakura helping him learn how to control his chakra better and Hinata explaining the basics of the Kaiten to Naruto along with her own personal jutsu that was the Shugohakke Rokujuyon Sho, along with recalling the training methods he underwent with learning the Rasengan and the Rasenshuriken.
This jutsu took advantage of Naruto's already present knowledge of the two main techniques he used to attack with and the help of both his girl friends, and in essence it allowed Naruto to use his chakra to create a spinning shell of chakra around himself in the same way that he used the chakra he had to create the shell of the Rasengan though in a larger form that was able to encase his whole body. The training from Sakura helped in allowing him to focus his chakra better so he was able to handle the needs of the jutsu, the shell of chakra then spun around and was able to take advantage of Naruto's Wind Nature Chakra. The end result was a jutsu that could defend Naruto by deflecting incoming attacks in the same fashion as the Kaiten used by his friend Neji and his girl friend Hinata, but in this case, the extra protection given by the wind as it would slice down anything that tried to get into it, mimicking the same power of Hinata's own Jutsu, the only difference was that Naruto was able to extend the wind that flowed around the sphere to increase it's cutting range more in the same fashion as the Rasenshuriken in it's perfected form, this gave Naruto a deadly power in terms of offense and defence, and even when not extending the blades outward, it was more than enough to cut anything foolish enough to hit it.
It had taken Naruto several weeks to a near month to master the technique, but it was complete and it was very deadly and it was something that Naruto treasured due to it being an original jutsu of his, and he thanked both Sakura and Hinata for helping him create it. Both women were happy and so was he in the success of the technique.
In this case however, Naruto used the jutsu to capture the intense flames of the spell he had cast as it was taken in by the sphere and now was inside the sphere of chakra and wind. He knew that Wind improved Fire's overall power and in his experimentation with the idea of fusing his jutsu with his newly acquired skills in combat magic, he discovered that even if the Fire was summoned by magical means, it was still improved by his Wind Chakra and that told him that he was now able to use his arsenal of jutsu with magic.
The result of his moves was seen as the flames were contained inside the sphere and the flames were now even more intense as it bathed the golem in a massive firestorm. The others were stunned by the sight of this as they had never seen this before in their lives. The sphere eventually failed as the chakra faded away with the controlling Kage Bushin having poofed away at that moment, and the flames died out in a fiery blast of heat, flame and light, but the damage was done as Naruto grinned warmly at the sight before him.
The golem was not turned into a nice hue of brown as it had been turned into a solid statue as the intense heat and flame that was amplified by the sphere of wind had cooked it in the same way as a potter would make a pot made from mud and clay in a kiln, only in a much larger way. Naruto grinned and replied.
"One golem statue in record time."
Melissa who had managed to get up was stunned at how Naruto had done that.
"Wow...."
Genie had to admit that was a feat and nodded slightly.
As for Merrill she was also struck speechless by what she had just seen.
Naruto then walked over to the statue and then cast another spell on the now fire hardened clay statue.
"Disintegrate!"
The blonde Chuunin and Sannin destroyed the clay golem by focusing on using the spell on the clay body, destroying the hardened shell as well as the rest of the form and as soon as that was done, there was the jar that had been the cause of all this trouble, Naruto sighed and could tell that the jar was no doubt steaming hot. At least he stopped it from being destroyed and when given some time it would cool. Now all he had to do was...
"MY DARLING JAR!!!!"
Naruto was shocked as Merrill, having freed herself from her prison charged right for the jar and he didn't need another minute to look at her to know what was going through her mind at that moment as he shouted out.
"MERRILL!!! STOP!!!!"
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Merrill paid no attention and was quick to hug the jar, only to discover that it was super heated, just as Naruto was about to warn her of it, the result was that Merrill had to let go of the jar and it rolled off to the cliff, Merrill cried out loudly at this and tried to go after it, much to the shock of everyone as she followed it off the cliff!
"KAGE BUSHIN NO JUTSU!!!!"
Merrill did her best to grab her jar despite the pain in her hands from the burns but as she tried to hold onto it, she was stopped and saw that Naruto had just grabbed her, actually several Naruto's grabbed her as Naruto and his Kage Bushin stopped her from trying to commit suicide in getting the jar, she however managed to grab it and despite the pain she was happy, however that was when the jar hit the rock surface and that coupled with the heating made it brittle and it cracked open.
Merrill cried out as some of the money fell out and she watched as her money jar fell down to the river below her as her descent was stopped by Naruto.
"NO!!!! MY DARLING JAR!!!!"
"DAMN IT MERRILL!!! QUIT STRUGGLING!!!! YOU WANT US TO FALL OR SOMETHING?!?!"
Naruto's Kage Bushin tried desperately to hold the blonde ninja/mage up while he held Merrill and kept the woman from plummeting to her death in trying to catch her money jar, this was not the first time he used his Kage Bushin for this purpose, he had used them in keeping himself on Gamabunta's head when he was a kid as well as using this move as an offensive move when fighting Sasuke as well as rescuing Sakura from falling and more besides, but the feisty thief was giving him a serious headache as he tried his best to keep her from committing suicide as she tried to reach for the coins
"NO!!! I CAN'T LOSE MY DARLING JAR!!!!"
Merrill tried her hardest to go after it and Naruto was getting tired of this as he was trying his best to keep Merrill from freeing herself from his grasp. The blonde was getting tired and he knew for a fact his Kage Bushin were not going to last very long and then when they poofed off, this was not going to be a very good thing to say the very least. With that in mind, the blonde Chuunin and Mage shouted.
"EITHER LOSE THE MONEY OR YOUR LIFE, WHICH IS IT?!"
Merrill watched in her own horror as the jar and it's gold faded away, she began to cry and speak out.
"No....my darling jar...."
Naruto sighed and nodded to his kage Bushin as they began to get to the task of getting them up once more.
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In Ohfun...
Later, in an empty public hall, the three adventurers were recovering after those close shaves and so was Naruto and Ila, of course one of the said adventurers was in a very sad state. Merrill was moping and was in a very sorry state as she continued to mumble just one phrase.
"My darling jar....My darling jar... "
They had gone to the river to search for the gold as Merrill insisted they do, they looked for hours until dawn was coming and despite their wish to help Merrill, even Melissa and Genie had to agree with Naruto and they were able to drag Merrill away.
And now there she was before them, a completely broken down wreck.
Naruto couldn't help but shake his head and think to himself at the sight of the normally feisty Merrill turned into a blubbering mess, as much as he disliked her sharp tongue and prickly attitude, he didn't like seeing this version of Merrill very much..
(Man....she's got it bad....if this keeps up she's going to drive herself off the deep end...and I thought Hikaru's dad had it bad with the desire for money. Oh well, might as well see what I've got in that scroll of mine, there should be something in there that might get Merrill out this depression.)
Naruto left the took out the scroll that he used to store all his finds and smiled a bit as he took out a small sword that he had been able to find, the scabbard was kind of old and the leather was rotting but he knew a good deal when he found it. With that in mind, he walked back into the hall and spoke.
"Hey Merrill, catch!"
The thief turned and caught the item and looked at Naruto with a dejected eye.
"What the heck is this?"
"It's a little something I picked up in my travels, you can sell it to someone with a good eye for antique weapons, and don't start with the idea I'm selling you junk, a little cleaning of the blade and you'll be in for a treat. It's not your darling jar, but it be the next best thing....see ya! I'm going to be gone for a while since I've got to visit Carwess-sensei about some new records I need to look into."
Melissa and Genie looked at the weapon and wondered just what was this that Naruto had just given Merrill, the thing looked very old and might not be worth anything but some copper coins, barely enough to buy the things Merrill needed to make up for all she had lost in the fire. With that in mind, Melissa spoke to the others.
"What would Naruto mean by that? This thing hardly looks worth anything."
Genie however noted something odd about the blade and took it to hand, and was surprised to find the thing to be nearly weightless. She had never felt a sword like this before and spoke.
"I get the feeling this no ordinary sword....it's almost weightless."
"Eh?"
After trying it out form themselves, Merrill decided to risk it, if it was just a wooden sword, then she would be lucky to get even a copper coin for it.
Little did she know...
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In the Weapon shop...
Merrill had taken the time to clean it up a bit more and hoped that the weapon would at least look presentable after breaking the now ruined sheath, but she, Melissa, the weapon merchant and Genie were shocked to see that the short sword was gleaming like it was newly furbished and had rubies on the blade in a wine like pattern. The weapons dealer looked at the blade and gasped.
"A Taelsian Ceremonial Sword?! By Mylee....this is...."
Genie and the others were confused by this and Merrill spoke.
"A what?"
"This is a Taelsian Ceremonial Sword from the lost Dwarven Kingdom of the Iron Ridge Peaks. This is a real treasure and is more valuable than you know."
Melissa then spoke.
"What do you mean by that sir?"
"Listen, the dwarves of the Iron Ridge Peaks were considered as some of the finest craftsmen in the land of their birth, they were famous not just as craftsmen but as warriors and they were known to create beautiful weapons of great quality and construction, when they fell in the last wars long ago, they hid away all their weapons and treasures away, that was over eight centuries ago...and these swords were prized above all else....because it's made of mithril, not iron!"
The women's eyes widened at that as the weapons dealer spoke.
"These swords were crafted out of pure mithril which to today is considered a rare metal and is prized not just because it is light weight, but because it's so rare....one ingot of simple mithril is worth over two thousand pieces of gold! Even more so for fully purified mithril, and this entire sword is forged from purified mithril!"
Merrill was dumbfounded and spoke slowly.
"So how much is it?"
"Are you kidding me?! This sword is a priceless piece of work! Right now this could go for at least twelve thousand gold pieces! There's no way I can pay that, but if you sell it to someone with some major money and power....it could be worth over six times as much!"
That was enough to stun Merrill as well as Genie and Melissa....just WHERE could Naruto have found such a treasure?!
It was then that another voice came into play.
"Having fun yet?"
The three turned and there was Naruto, giving them a foxy grin as he leaned on the doorway, the blonde ninja/mage then laughed a bit and replied.
"Told you that it was the next best thing, maybe now you can pay those debts you all owe your collectors so I don't have to fork out anymore of my own money like last time, I hope you can say a proper thank you since you have NO idea how hard I had to work to get that sword. So I hope that someday you can pay me back for having to part with it"
The women were quiet until Genie spoke.
"WHERE could you have possibly gotten something like a Taelsian Ceremonial Sword?!"
Naruto laughed and replied while wagging a finger.
"Now like I told Conrad in the arena, I don't reveal all my secrets in one day... if you REALLY want to know, then you're going to have trust me more and not judge me with the snap of the fingers. If you can do that, then I might tell you, but if you continue to mistrust me and make assumptions about me which are wrong, then my lips are sealed, by the way....that NOT the only way I got the money to be on my own after leaving the Academy and then coming back to be roped in with you guys....bye!"
Naruto poofed away, revealing it to be a Kage Bushin, leaving the women dumbfounded. It seemed that there was MORE to Naruto than they thought.
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To be continued...
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.Author's Notes:
Now that wraps up this one, finally and now we get down to some more interesting things, now as to where Naruto got that sword, then I will explain soon enough, but here is an interesting question.
Apart from gathering some treasure here and there, our intrepid Naruto did have another source of income and it has nothing to do with being an assassin, so what is it?
If you want to know the answer, then wait for the next chapter as this will be a filler bit, but it will be something that will be interesting! This will also include Ila as well so this will be very interesting to say the very least.
Afterwards, we can get down to the celebration of the festival of Mylee, but that will not be the least bit peaceful so hold on to your hats and lunches!