Hey guys! I feel very happy that I got out my last chapter and now I'm back for more! Hope ya'll liked that last chapter; I am slowly but surely getting to where I'm trying to get.
Btw, someone hit the nail right on! As someone reviewed, Naruto really doesn't have much faith in his friends because of the traumatic events in his childhood and the pain of rejection by all of the elder people of the village.
So yeah, someone asked about whether I was going to do a time skip. I figure I'll do a couple of chapters about Naruto's training and missions while he's away, and then do a time skip. Agreed?
Btw, Jutsu descriptions are at the end. Some of the jutsus are kind of vague…but oh well.
I appreciate all of ya'lls suggestions; I may try to work in some of them if I really like them. Keep up the great reviews!
Soooooo, chapter Eight!
Chapter Eight
"Are you going to teach me some new awesome super powerful new jutsu sensei?"
"Erm…ahem. No."
"But…but…but…why nooooooot!?" Naruto wailed.
"First, we have some things to decide. Here, take this" Jiraiya said as he handed Naruto a small square of paper.
"Eh? What's this?" he asked as he looked quizzically at the card.
"It's a special card that will determine what kind of elemental affinity you have. All you have to do is channel some of your chakra into the paper and it will do the rest. If you have an affinity to water, it gets wet. Fire, the paper burns up, lightning, the paper crumples. Earth, the paper turns to dust, and wind will cut the paper in half."
"Wow! Cool! I hope I have fire so I can use some of the awesome Katon (fire) jutsus that Sasuke uses!"
"Well, just because you don't have a certain elemental affinity doesn't mean you can't use those techniques at all. It just means you are better at certain types than others."
"Wait, what about the mokuton (wood) element that Shodaime Hokage used?" asked Naruto.
"Ah, good question, well, you can combine elements to create new elements! See, mokuton is created by combining doton (earth) and suiton (water). Also, there used to be certain clans that could use hyoton (ice) techniques by combining suiton with fuuton (wind)."
"Ah! I think I've seen that before!"
Jiraiya sighed. They were getting nowhere. "Great kid, now hurry up and use that card."
"Oh, yeah!" Naruto looked at the card closely, and then closed his eyes, channeling chakra through the card. For a second, nothing happened, but the card soon was turned to dust.
"Ah! So you have the doton affinity! I figured as much!"
"Huh? Why is that sensei?"
"Well you see, you have massive chakra reserves, but your control is only so-so. Doton is one of the elements that need a lot of chakra, but not a lot of control. Of course, control is always a good thing to have..." Jiraiya trailed off. Naruto wasn't paying attention.
"Baka! You ask a question and then don't pay attention to the answer?! I should leave you here and just research for my next book!" To make the threat real, Jiraiya turned swiftly on his heel and began to march away when Naruto called out.
"Hm? Wha…wait! Ero-sensei! Come back!"
"Humph. What are you thinking so hard about you little gaki?"
"Well, you said that doton was one of the elements that needed a lot of chakra and not that much control. What are the others? Is it fire? Lightning? Then I could learn Chidori and kick Sasuke's ass!"
"Baka! Weren't you listening to anything I said? I told you already, you can learn any technique, just not as easily! Why do I even bother?!" Jiraiya ranted as he held up his fist as if to smash Naruto into the ground. He took a breath and composed himself.
"You see, doton takes a lot of chakra and only so-so control. Katon jutsus are probably the hardest jutsu to do. They require a lot of chakra so that he attack is effective. However, they also require impeccable control. Can you imagine not being able to control a fire jutsu?" Both shinobi present shuddered a little, imagining flaming hair and burnt eyebrows.
"Let's see…suiton techniques don't use much chakra but need almost perfect control, and raiton (lightning) techniques are kind of in the middle. Fuuton is the other affinity I thought you might have because they are the easiest to use. Not much control is needed, and you can perform them with barely any chakra. But they can become really nasty if you use a lot of chakra."
"Well, didn't you say some people have two affinities?"
"Yes. I guess you do listen sometimes baka. It's possible to have multiple affinities, as most jounin have at least two."
"But, how do you test if they have two?"
"Well, usually, they would both appear on the card, but yours only got shredded, so I guess you only have doton for now. Affinities can appear as you get older and stronger."
"Wait a minute! If I had both, how would you know if the paper got cut in half? It turned into a million pieces, I could have both!"
"…" Jiraiya looked at him. Damn, didn't even think about that. "I was about to say that" Jiraiya said, pulling out two cards. "I was just about to give you a test to see if you had both, stop getting so impatient baka. Now I want you to channel your chakra into both papers."
Naruto began to channel chakra into both hands, and closed his eyes. A strange sensation filled him as he felt as if two forces were pulling him from his navel in opposite directions. He felt the chakra being accepted into the card but didn't open his eyes. "Sensei, what happened?"
"A dragon flew out of my ass. Check for yourself baka!"
Naruto slowly opened his eyes and saw a small mound of dust from his doton affinity. What was next to it excited Naruto so much he jumped up and yelled. "Yatta!" There were two pieces of paper, cleanly cut in half.
So the brat does have both. This could get interesting… "Ok! Let's get started with your training!"
Naruto stopped his horrible victory dance and immediately paid very close attention to his white haired sensei.
"We'll spend the rest of this day working on new doton and fuuton jutsus. I don't know many fuuton jutsus, but the ones I do know are definitely worth knowing. I also know a lot of great doton jutsus. Just feel lucky you aren't a raiton affinity. I know absolutely no raiton jutsus. They aren't very common in Fire Country, even though we pretty much have shinobi from all over. Anyway, the first jutsu I'll teach you is a basic doton technique. It's called Doton: Shinjuu Zanshu no Jutsu (Earth Release: Inner Decapitation Technique) …."
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She looked across the dojo at her opponent. She could feel her left leg dragging a little and her right arm was hanging at her side. She was almost out of chakra and at her peak. But her opponent was worse off. She had multiple bruises on her cheeks, the product of a surprising uppercut and right hook. She was standing, but just barely. You could tell that she would lose consciousness any second now.
I have to win. To get stronger. Because that's my promise to you. I will fulfill your last wish if I have to beat up my little sister.
At the thought of Naruto, Hinata suddenly straightened up. She could feel the feeling returning to her limbs. She turned to her father who was watching the match and bowed her head slightly. Hiashi had been quite surprised that Hinata had been able to last this long. He bowed his head back at her, surprised at the confidence in her eyes.
"Hakke Rokujūyon Sho (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms) !" she declared tiredly, but with intensity all the same, as she rushed towards Hanabi. Hanabi's eyes widened in shock, but her body would not respond to any command she gave it.
After Hinata had gone through all the strikes, Hanabi fell to the floor, motionless. Hinata's shoulders slumped and she bowed to her unconscious sister. She then turned to her father, whose jaw hung open, and bowed. With that, Hinata hurriedly left.
Was that good Naruto? Am I getting stronger? I have to keep going!
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1 year later
"Sensei, I have encountered the target. Repeat, I have found the target" Naruto urgently whispered into his communicator in his ear.
"I hear you Naruto, loud and clear. I'm coming as fast as I can. Is he aware of your location?"
"Yes."
With that Naruto jumped in front of the man who moments ago, was unaware that anyone was watching him. "Stop" Naruto commanded, holding out a hand and acting as cool as he could.
The man inspected the youth in front of him, mystified by the mysterious mask that he donned. Kids these days. Focusing more on looking cool than getting strong.
"Kid, I really don't have time for this" he sighed.
Naruto and Jiraiya had received a mission from Tsunade-sama while they were gone. It was tricky business, as she thought she was sending only Jiraiya on missions, usually A or S class (A/N: Remember, everyone thinks Naruto is dead, even Tsunade). So Naruto had to grow up fast, and had to adjust quickly, or die. Of course, he still made mistakes, like engaging an A-class missing nin without a plan.
The missing nin was quite tall, almost as tall as Kakashi. He wore mostly earth colored clothes, out of functionality, not style. He was, after all, a missing nin, hunted by many ninja villages and hunter nins. He wore a leaf hiate with a single slash through the middle. Jiraiya had said that the information given had said the man was a formidable opponent, but when had Naruto ever cared about what was said about someone? He needed first hand experience.
"Then make time, because I have all the time in the world"
The man sighed. I'll just finish this quick and teach this guy a lesson. Kids like him should be at home doing D-class missions, not out here fighting people like me. Maybe his death will teach Konoha a lesson.
He remained completely relaxed, and Naruto made a dash at him. The man disappeared in a whirlwind of leaves. Naruto tried to step in mid-step but tripped over his own feet, face vaulting straight into the ground.
This guy is pathetic. I'll put him out of his misery.
Naruto heaved his way up and lifted up his fist. "Don't underestimate me!" Damn I look like a fool.
Naruto closed his eyes and focused on finding the ninja. He was hiding his chakra signature, but not well enough. This guy's A-class? He's not that great! With that, Naruto jumped into the trees behind him, surprising his enemy.
What? He found me already? Hm. Maybe he's better than I thought. Doesn't matter though. I won't even use that.
Naruto dashed at him on the branch and jumped into the air, announcing his attack. "Konoha Daisenpu (Leaf Great Whirlwind)!"
The man smirked and ducked under the spinning kick aimed for his head, only to be horrified to find a second kick coming for him in his exposed defense. The second spinning kick caught him straight in the side and sent the missing nin spiraling into a nearby tree trunk.
Damn. This little shithead is gonna pay for that. He began making seals as Naruto came jumping down from the tree. The nin threw two handfuls of shuriken at Naruto and yelled. "Kage Shuriken no Jutsu (Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique)!" The ten shuriken quickly multiplied into one hundred, effectively making them unavoidable.
Naruto ran through a few handseals very quickly as the shuriken got closer. "Doton: Doroku Gaeshi (Earth Release: Earth Shore Return)!" he yelled as he slammed his hands into the ground. A massive wall of earth erupted in front of him, preventing all of the shuriken from reaching their target.
"Good! You're quite proficient little boy! But using that jutsu leaves you wide open" the nin yelled over the sound of the earth wall erupting from the ground as he disappeared yet again in a flurry of leaves. "For this." He reappeared behind Naruto with a kunai pressed against his throat. However, he was pressed up very closely to Naruto's back, so he could not prevent what happened next.
"Hari Jizo (Needle Guardian)!" Naruto yelled, as his spiky hair became deadly. The golden spikes became reinforced with chakra and rushed dangerously at the nin behind him. Surprised, Naruto's enemy jumped back, but not before one rapidly growing spike caught him in the shoulder. After the nin retreated, Naruto released the jutsu, allowing his hair to soften and retract.
"You're pretty good kid. I'll give you that. Good enough to hear my name. I am Buotoko. And I'm done playing around. Behold! Meet Hirameku!" Buotoko yelled as he whipped out his sword, previously strapped vertically to his back.
"Pah, so you have a sword. You still suck."
"Hah! You obviously have no idea what you're up against child! Hirameku is a legendary sword, said to hold the spirit of a god who beat a bolt of lightning around the earth! It is my ultimate weapon!"
Naruto paled. If what Buotoko said was true, he was in deep trouble. He blinked and Buotoko disappeared. What? How can he move that fast? Is it some sort of teleportation jutsu like Ero-sennin was telling me about?
However, Naruto's thoughts were interrupted when he was roughly struck in the back of the head with the hilt of Buotoko's blade. Hirameku or whatever he called it. Naruto got back up and searched for his assailant. He tried locking on to his chakra signature again, but was unable to find him, due to the high speeds he traveled at.
He's toying with me! Damn! Well, if I can't catch him, I guess I'll just wait for him to catch me…
Naruto stood still, in his fighting stance, fists held out slightly, feet wide apart. Suddenly, a blur flashed across his vision, and before he knew it, he was on his face again.
"Damn it! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!" Naruto screamed in frustration. After the jutsu finished, over one hundred Naruto clones filled the forest.
"Ha! You think a few more of you can stop me? You have no idea what I'm capable of!" And with those words, Buotoko sped off again, leaving a trail of exploding Naruto clones behind him.
Ok, I bought myself a little time with all those clones. But what can I do now? Maybe that could work…but it's risky…and it pretty much eats up all my chakra…might as well try, Jiraiya said he was on his way…
"Alright!" Naruto screamed as he squinted his eyes in concentration. He ran through several handseals and opened his eyes. "Doton: Yomi Numa (Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld)!!"
For a few seconds, nothing happened.
"HAHA! That jutsu was a real killer! Maybe I'll die of laughing! AHAHAHAHA!" Suddenly, without warning, the entire forest area that Naruto and Buotoko had fought in began to rumble. The floor gave out and revealed a swamp that began to engulf everything. The swamp itself was about the size of the stadium which Naruto had participated in the Chunnin exam. There was no way Buotoko could escape. He looked down in horror as his legs were already shin deep into the swampy earth. No matter how hard he tried, he could not dislodge himself and he knew this could be it.
"You used way too much chakra for that" came a voice behind Naruto.
"Wha?! Ero-sennin! Where have you been! I've been fighting this guy for at least ten minutes!"
"Well, you see, I saw two girls in the river and inspiration struck, you see, so I had to…"
"Stop…just…stop. I really don't want to hear this."
"You know, if you don't stop that jutsu soon, that guy's going to be sucked in completely…"
"So? Since when have you been all 'Save the bad guy's lives!'?"
"No, it's just that we were supposed to send back his head…"
"Oh. Right, I forgot"
"Yeah right, you never listen to the mission details"
"But I always come out ok!"
"What about that time in Grass country? When I had to…"
"Ok ok, I understand, when you talk, I listen, blah blah blah…There, I ended the jutsu."
The team of two jumped down nimbly onto the now solid ground. They walked over to where Buotoko was, immobilized, and only his head remaining above ground. He glanced up at them and sighed.
"Well, you're going to kill me, aren't you?"
"Yep." Replied Naruto emotionlessly, almost apologetically. He had learned that killing was an unavoidable fact of life within the first week of his training mission with Jiraiya. That didn't mean, however, that he liked doing it.
"Can I have one last wish?"
"Depends. What is it?"
"I want you to kill me with Hirameku…"
"What?"
"Brat, you should really listen to what people are saying!" complained Buotoko loudly. "My sword!"
"Oh, right. Hirameku. Say, can I have this?" Naruto asked, looking curiously at the sword he pulled out of the ground.
"I guess it's only fair…to the victor goes the spoils, right?"
"You sure are being very accepting of your death…" Naruto suspiciously trailed off.
"Well, when you get beat, you get beat. Nothing complaining will do about it"
"Very true…Y'know, if you weren't a missing nin, I would actually think of you as a pretty nice guy!"
"Naruto…" Jiraiya began to rub the bridge of his nose. "You really shouldn't converse with missing nins…it's bad for the reputation, y'know?"
"Bah, like I have a reputation. No one even knows I'm alive, except for you. Everyone thinks you're the one taking out all these criminals"
Naruto looked down at Buotoko and said apologetically "It has to be done…" With that, Naruto took one great swing. Jiraiya put the head in a bag and sent it back to Konoha for evidence. They left the body in the ground rather than burning it, allowing Buotoko some degree of peace as he entered the afterlife.
"Sooo, Hirameki, eh? You know about the legends about that sword Naruto?" Jiraiya asked as Naruto cleaned off the blade.
"Yeah, Buotoko told me all about it. When he used it he seemed like a flash!"
"Yes, I doubt the legends are true though. I figure that blade is a really powerful artifact. See? The blacksmith engraved seals on there that increase the wielders speed when they channel chakra through it. I heard there was a complimentary sword, but no one knows where it is. I figure another missing nin has it…"
"Uh, thanks for the history lesson old man"
"Why you ungrateful little…" Jiraiya lifted his hand to punch Naruto in the head, but his fist sailed through air.
"Hey, old man!" Jiraiya looked up. Naruto was a fifty feet down the road, yelling at him. "Hurry up! I don't care if your arthritis kills you! Left right left right! Let's hurry it up!"
"Oh god he's going to be a pain in the ass with that sword…"
However, all thoughts of killing the energetic young genin were expelled when Naruto froze in his tracks and fell, motionless to the ground.
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The crowd roared, deafening to the two shinobi in the center of the ring. Genma paused calmly and raised his hand. "Begin" he stated quietly and jumped back to avoid any injury.
Kiba looked across at his opponent. "Hinata, you can always forfeit! Hey, we both did great so far, we're going to be promoted for sure! Quitting now won't really mean much!" Deep down inside, Kiba didn't really want to injure his old teammate. It was the final match of the Chunnin Exam and Hinata and Kiba had fought their way to the last match.
He's right…this battle is meaningless. I'll still be a chunnin, even if I lose…maybe I should just forfeit…
It was then that she remembered what Naruto had written her a year ago. "Keep going Hinata! Forget what everyone else thinks and keep getting stronger!"
"I'm sorry Kiba-kun. I can't forfeit now. To get stronger I must keep going. I must fight this battle for myself. And for you Naruto" she added in a whisper.
"I understand Hinata. Let's have a good match Hinata."
And then, the battle began.
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Well, the progression hasn't been exactly how I planned, but I decided to go with the flow.
Well? Review now! Tell me what you think!