School's out so I should be able to update a lot faster.
Ok, a little housekeeping, a lot of you were wondering about power levels and whatnot, and I'll say this. Naruto, without Kyuubi's powers, or Hirameki and Fumetsu, is about equal to the rest of 'em. With his two swords and their powers, he could probably fight three of them to a stand still…that is…heh, never mind, I won't ruin it. So yeah, with Kyuubi's power, he could probably beat Jiraiya. But don't think the rest of the "Konoha Elite" don't have something up their sleeves!
Enough spoilers. Anyways, I've been looking for some good Bleach fan fics, but all I could find are these fluffy romance things…Anyone know of any good ones? Heck, I've also been looking for more good Naruto fan fics, so if you know of any that aren't on my favorites list, shout em out for me. But I do have one request, that they be well written. Sure, sure, plot, character development, fight scenes, they're all important, but if it's badly written: bad spelling, bad grammar, etc etc, it kind of ruins it.
Well anyways…back to the show!
Chapter 13
The rest of the "Eleven" watched in horror as their large friend fell to the ground motionless. Sakura immediately rushed to his side, her hands glowing with green energy, checking his vitals and finding any critical damage.
"Wow…Chouji's last attack should have finished you off Naruto…" mused Shikamaru, longtime friend of the Akamichi. "That beam was strong enough to level the Hokage monument…"
Naruto grinned and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Heh, well, I guess I got lucky…"
The sound of someone behind him caused Naruto to spin around quickly, only for him to be face to face with Tsunade herself.
"Naruto, I would like to congratulate you on your promotion to chunnin!" she said, handing him a green flack jacket which Naruto accepted, smiling, and immediately put on over his tight fitting black shirt.
"Whoohoo! One step closer to Hokage!" Naruto whooped, jumping into the air and pumping his fist.
Tsunade turned to the rest of the ninja present. "Now if I recall correctly, the rest of you have a mission…Chouji and Sasuke are exempt though, as they are in no condition to fight." The remaining members of the "Eleven" nodded sharply and dashed off into the forest.
"Now, Naruto, I'm sure you have a lot of things to do, so make yourself at home."
Naruto grinned and sheathed his swords, walking off to explore the village of his childhood.
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2 weeks later
In the two weeks that had passed after Naruto's promotion to chunnin, he had rented a new apartment in a much classier neighborhood than his old apartment. His new apartment was also much more elaborate, but perhaps the biggest reason why the apartment complex was so appealing to him was the relative lack of hatred for the blonde jinchuriki. The landlord was a retired ninja, one who knew the difference between an evil demon lord and a young blonde man. With a spacious living room and kitchen, as well as a master and guest bedroom, Naruto felt like he was living the good life, for once in his life.
He ate at Ichiraku's at least three times a week, making it a point to be there and support old man Teuchi and Ayame, both of whom he treated as family. On more than one occasion, Naruto and Chouji had eaten there together, drawing quite a crowd to see the spectacle of the two ramen blackholes, sucking down bowl after bowl.
But Tsunade was not living the good life, like Naruto was. Rather, she was stuck up in the hellhole she knew only as the Hokage's office. Sitting behind mountains of paperwork, Tsunade found the sheet she had been searching for. Over the last two weeks, Tsunade had been drafting certain plans for the most promising ninja in the village. She glanced it over and called in Shizune.
"Shizune, I need you to summon all of the "Eleven" as well as Uzumaki Naruto."
"Hai Tsunade-sama!" Shizune said, as she rushed out the door, handing summons papers to several chunnin who sped off to deliver them.
Within fifteen minutes, the entire group was huddled inside the now cramped office. Chouji was hunched in a corner, arms crossed, while Naruto too was feeling a little claustrophobic.
"I've called you all here today to tell you that the "Eleven" has been disbanded." Murmurs began to run through the ninja, all of them shocked that their group had been destroyed. They had the highest mission completion percentage, as well as the lowest mission casualties. Why would they disband the most powerful group in the village?
"Calm down, calm down," Tsunade said, waving her hand. "The disassembly of the Eleven is necessary for the next order of business of this meeting. The creation of a new group. As you know, there is an evil organization out there, the Akatsuki. Their mission is, apparently, to collect the powers of the biju. On Naruto's extended training mission, Jiraiya spent a large amount of time studying the Akatsuki and finding information on them. He has found that the Akatsuki need the powers of the biju to awake a being more powerful than any of the tailed demons. We, of course, need to stop them. As you know, Naruto is the container for the Kyuubi, the ninetailed fox. He is one of the nine that the Akatsuki seek. We must put all of our efforts to stop the Akatsuki in their tracks and protect the nine containers, is that understood?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" resounded the ninja in the room, minus Naruto.
"Good. Now, the name of the new group will be the Kousou!"
"Kou…sou?" Naruto muttered, as he played around with the sound of the word.
"Fitting" said Shikamaru as he nodded slowly. (A/N: Shikamaru is talking about the meaning of "Kousou", which is roughly "resistance".)
"Yes. The purpose of Kousou is to find and stop Akatsuki in any way possible. You will be split up into groups of two. This is to allow you to fight on equal footing with the Akatsuki who also travel in pairs, yet also be able to respond separately to different needs. Your teams will be as I assign no ifs or buts about it."
"Akamichi Chouji and Tatsumaki Tenten! Chouji, you will act as the tank and close range fighter. You are more than a match for anybody in taijutsu, but your long range capabilities are limited! Tenten, you are there to alleviate that problem. Use your long range attacks to support Chouji and you two will be a deadly team!"
"Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura! Sasuke, you are one of the top ninja in Konoha and it is up to you to protect Sakura. Sakura, use your medical ninjutsu to support Sasuke and you too will also be a tough match for any Akatsuki!"
"Yamanaka Ino and Hyuuga Hinata! Time and time again you have proved that your teamwork is unparalleled! You two are the most impressive two man cell I have ever witnessed!"
"Hyuuga Neji and Rock Lee! You too rely on good teamwork, and your combined taijutsu can create havoc against any opponent!"
"Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino! You two are specialists in finding the Akatsuki. Most of the time you will be accompanied by a more combat heavy team and work as a four man cell to track and eliminate the Akatsuki wherever they may be!"
"Uzumaki Naruto and Nara Shikamaru! Naruto, you are the heavy combat specialist of this squad, while Shikamaru will provide the support with his shadow techniques as well as tactical advice. Shikamaru, keep Naruto in line and in check, and don't let his emotions cloud his decisions!"
"You have your assignments, now go and prepare for missions. You will be receiving them within a week." And with that, the crowded room suddenly became empty, save for Tsunade and her mountain of paperwork. "Sigh…you'd think that at least Sakura would stay and help me with this crap…Oh well, comes with the job…" she grumbled, taking a paper off the stack on her desk.
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Shikamaru and Naruto sat across from each other, a shogi board between them. Naruto yawned as Shikamaru studied the board.
"Man…why are we doing this again Shikamaru?" whined Naruto, hunching over and looking at the small board.
"We are doing this because this is the best way I can get to know you" drawled Shikamaru, moving a piece. If things worked out how Shikamaru thought they would, he would win in four more moves.
"Sigh…this sucks man! Can't we just fight or something?"
"Think of this game as fighting and maybe you'll learn something too."
"Argh! I hate this boring crap!" Naruto yelled in frustration as he moved a piece. Shikamaru's eyebrows raised as he studied Naruto's move. It was completely random. Why would he do that? Doesn't matter…it doesn't interfere with my plan…
Shikamaru lifted another piece across the board and moved it forward. So far, he would win in three more moves.
Naruto slumped on the ground on his stomach, twiddling his thumbs as he whistled.
"Naruto, it's your turn."
"Yeah, I know."
Five minutes passed as Naruto continued to play with his fingers and whistle.
"Are you going to move?"
"Yeah yeah, I'm thinking."
"You don't look like you're thinking."
"Oh, I'm sorry, do I look like I'm thinking now?" Naruto sat up cross legged and put his hands together in Shikamaru's signature thinking pose, clenching all the muscles in his face as if he were thinking really hard. Shikamaru's vein throbbed.
"No, you look like a constipated cow."
Naruto glared and continued to sit, in the "thinking pose". Thirty minutes passed and nothing happened.
"Will you move?!" screamed Shikamaru as he stood up.
"Haha! I got you! You don't like this crap either, do you!?" yelled Naruto, standing up as well and pointing across the board.
"You...you've been just waiting there to annoy me?"
"Um…maybe…"
"You…you…you're dead!" snarled Shikamaru as he threw himself over the shoji board.
"Oh shit!" screamed Naruto as he dove out of the way of the enraged Nara genius. Shikamaru just continued to chase him, but Naruto's superior strength and speed allowed him to pin Shikamaru easily. Naruto looked to his left as he was pinning the struggling Shikamaru to the ground and moved his piece on the shoji board.
"I win!"
Shikamaru froze. "What?!" He scrambled out of Naruto's hold and checked the board. "How…how did you…"
"Yeah! Take that! I'm the champion of shoji! Bow to me!" sang Naruto as he danced around in a circle, pumping his fists into the air.
Wow…his random moves…they all interconnect to create a focused attack…how is that possible? Uzumaki Naruto…you are a surprising guy…
"Naruto."
Naruto stopped his "happy dance", as he liked to call it, and turned around to face a solemn faced Shikamaru.
"I'm sorry for my outburst Naruto. The only reason why I got so mad was because it seemed you weren't taking me seriously. But it seems I was mistaken. I have learned a lot about you in this short time. I'll meet you tomorrow morning at eight for training." As he turned to leave, Naruto closed the distance between them and put his hand on Shikamaru's shoulder.
"Wait…I played your game so that you could get to know me. Now you play my game so I get to know you."
Shikamaru raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Game?"
Naruto took a few paces backwards. "Show me how far you've come Shikamaru! Fight me!"
"Why are you so persistent Naruto?"
"Because I don't give up! That's my nindo!" he shouted back, giving a quick thumbs up. When he opened his eyes, Shikamaru was gone.
"You should pay attention to your opponent Naruto…" came a voice that was inches away from his left shoulder. Naruto spun around, but three quarters of the way there, a fist struck him in the stomach.
"Umph!" Naruto was sent flying across the training field. When he tried to get up, he noticed his body wasn't responding to commands. Looking to the side and seeing Shikamaru coming closer, he began to struggle harder.
"Struggle all you want Naruto. One punch from this," he held up a fist covered in black energy, "and you're as helpless as a child. I call it my Kage Fuzui." Shikamaru got close enough to touch the helpless blonde. "Give up now."
"I don't give up! THAT'S…MY…NINDO!" bellowed Naruto, his chakra flaring as blue chakra began to dance around his body. Shikamaru put up an arm to protect his face from the small storm that was being created around the prostrate form of Naruto. When the storm of swirling blue chakra finally subsided, Naruto was revealed, standing upright again, ready to fight.
"You caught me off guard once. It won't happen again" Naruto stated, beckoning Shikamaru to attack with a flick of his fingers.
Shikamaru nodded, forming a single seal with one hand. "Kage Koutai."
Shikamaru seemed to melt into the ground, reappearing behind Naruto, kunai already swiping forward. Naruto sensed his presence and rolled forward, kicking out wildly with one foot as he dodged the slash. One foot connected, by sheer luck, with Shikamaru's stomach, forcing him backwards and leaving him short of breath.
Naruto turned around to face his opponent yet again, who regained his breath and stood up as well. "What was that last jutsu Shikamaru?"
"The Kage Koutai. It allows me to shift from one shadow to the next, perfect for a sneak attack or a speedy escape."
"Hm…interesting…Come one Shikamaru! Show me how far you've come!"
Shikamaru sighed. "Well, I guess it can't be helped." Starting a long series of seals, Naruto prepared himself for the next attack.
"Consuming Shadows…" Shikamaru muttered, as his eyes clouded over until they were jet black. Holding the last seal of his sequence, chakra began to swirl around him visibly, creating a small dust storm around the usually lazy Nara. The blue chakra slowly darkened in appearance until it matched the color of his eyes, creating a black veil covering most of Shikamaru's body and face. "Feel the full power of my shadow Naruto."
A bead of sweat slowly made its way down his face. He had never thought Shikamaru would take the battle so seriously. But he would show Shikamaru his power as well.
Mistaking Shikamaru's technique as some kind of ultimate finishing destructive attack, Naruto began to power up his Rasengan. Pumping chakra into the small ball, he called out, "Well Shikamaru, don't hold back!" Finally, the small blue orb was stabilized, its deep blue hue contrasting sharply with the shadows that danced around his lower body…
Naruto's eyes flew wide open in surprise. As he looked down at his legs, he could see they were covered in shadow. After several attempts, he found that it was useless to try to move them and instead tried smashing his ultimate attack down into the ground in an effort to disrupt the shadow's effect. But to no avail. Sensing the end, Naruto looked up at Shikamaru who stood twenty feet away, black chakra still dancing around his feet. "Shadow Assassination" he whispered, as he melted into the ground.
Naruto felt completely helpless as he stood, motionless and frozen, unable to move because of the shadow covering three fourths of his body. Shikamaru rose out of a circle of shadow in front of Naruto, the surface of the circle rippling as if it were a pool of water. As Shikamaru arose, he formed a few seals, whispering "Kage no Yaiba." Raising the shadow blade over his head, Naruto closed his eyes tightly as Shikamaru swung his blade down.
And like that, it was over. Naruto fell to the ground, released from the shadow bind he was subject to moments ago. Shikamaru had sliced off a small lock of Naruto's hair with the blade, and stood before Naruto, panting for air.
"Why didn't you escape Naruto?" Shikamaru gasped between breaths.
Naruto grinned as he stood up. "So you noticed, eh?"
"Yeah, you had a window of opportunity but you just sat there instead…"
"Meh. I wanted to see how strong you've gotten. Plus I was curious what was gonna happen next," Naruto said, grinning from ear to ear.
Shikamaru flopped backwards, lying on his back on the soft grass looking up at the clouds. Naruto followed suit and flopped down with him.
"Sigh. Why are you such a troublesome guy Naruto?"
"Heh. At least I've always been a troublesome guy. Since when have you been the number one most active ninja in Konoha?" Naruto asked, laughing.
"Hmph. I think I got replaced once you returned old friend," Shikamaru retorted, laughing as well.
"Man…you guys have changed so much…Chouji's deadly…"
"You've changed just as much Naruto. We've been training extra hard to protect the village. Those were your wishes, weren't they?"
"Heh. I almost forgot about those old notes…"
"I haven't. I don't think any of have. All of us have been training with our families and are emerging as the top ninja of Konoha. But I'm sure you have surpassed us by training with Jiraiya-sama…"
"Hah! Don't be so sure! You guys had a whole village to learn from. All I had was a stinky old pervert," laughed Naruto, making a face at his last statement.
Shikamaru laughed. "You haven't changed at all Naruto."
"That's not true Shikamaru. I've changed so much…it's just…it's just that…I guess I'm afraid of what you guys will think if I let my guard down…I learned a lot of lessons about being a ninja when I was out with Jiraiya. Like how to kill a man without allowing him to even make a noise. Or how to get information out of a hostage…I wish I hadn't learned some of that stuff…I feel different Shikamaru. I feel grown up now."
"We all have to grow up at some time Naruto."
"True. I remember my first kill. Took me two weeks to come to terms with it…"
"What happened?"
"Bandits…I pumped too much chakra into my Rasengan. Next thing I knew, I was covered in his blood."
"Hm. As much as I'd like reminiscing with you, Chouji's probably going to want to see you…" Shikamaru said as he stood up slowly, holding out a hand to Naruto.
Naruto took the hand and pulled himself off the ground. "See me? Why?"
"He can explain it better than I can. Come on, lets go."
The two walked off towards the market district, Shikamaru in the lead and Naruto following.
"Oy, Shikamaru? Chouji and you still friends?"
Shikamaru turned his head slightly and looked back at the blonde following him. "Best friends."
"Oh, I see. Well, I was wondering, how strong is he really? I mean, I didn't see him use any jutsu…except for that last one. Is he only taijutsu and kenjutsu like Lee?"
"No, he just doesn't like using his jutsu in spars. His family jutsu take up a lot of energy to use, and most of his doton jutsu are way too devastating to use in a friendly fight."
"I see…but what about that last attack?" Naruto asked.
"Asking about my Gentei's Kousen?" came a booming voice. Naruto looked up to see the massive form of Chouji standing in the doorway of a large shop. "Come in, come in!"
Shikamaru followed Chouji through the shops wide doorway and Naruto followed as well. "Chouji, tell me about your zanbato." Chouji spun around and began to talk. Naruto had touched on a subject that Chouji loved to talk about.
"Well you see, Gentei, my zanbato, was forged right here by me. It's the largest sword I've ever seen personally, though I'm sure there are bigger out there. You see, I've developed this way of forging swords that links someone's soul energy with the sword to create a whole new weapon. That's why I called you here."
"Wait wait wait. You link someone's soul energy with their sword? Is that what you did with Gentei?"
"Well, basically I fuse their chakra into the sword while I'm forging it, as well as a little of their blood. This changes the properties of the sword. Not even I can predict what will happen!"
"What happened with your sword?"
"Well, with Gentei, I got a sword that was stronger than diamond and shaper than a razor. In its second stage, I can use Kousen."
"Second stage?"
"Oh yeah! Each and every one of my soul swords has a second stage. Some can even surpass that, but that's not important. Basically, the second stage acts as an increase in power and strength, as well as the addition of new abilities. For instance, in my second stage, I'm able to use Kousen! Kousen consumes huge amounts of my chakra and stamina to use a devastating beam of energy that can destroy mountains!"
"Hm…I can see how the blade seems linked to you…Kousen seems really similar to your family jutsu. An increase in power in exchange for hurting yourself."
"You are quite observant Naruto-san."
"Naruto's fine Chouji."
"Naruto it is then!" laughed the amiable Akamichi. "I wanted to see you so that I could make you one of my soul swords! Everyone on the Eleven…or should I say Kousou, has one…well, that is except for Shikamaru here." Chouji shot Shikamaru a glare which Shikamaru pretended not to notice.
"Sigh…Chouji, I have no use for such a sword. Their troublesome and I can create my own shadow blade so it's pointless!"
"Please Shikamaru! It would mean a lot to me!" Chouji pleaded.
Shikamaru slumped in defeat. "Fine! Do what you want Chouji, just make it too troublesome…"
Chouji grinned. "Naruto, the reason I called you here is the same reason I wanted Shikamaru here. I would like to make you one of my special swords also. I know you have a couple of swords, but I assure you, they are nothing compared to mine!"
Naruto sweat dropped. "Eh…I'm not so sure about that…my swords are pretty special…one of a kind if you know what I mean…"
"Naruto! Mine are one of a kind as well! There is no possible way your two swords can outmatch mine, so just give in! I'm doing you a favor!"
"Um…I think I'd rather keep my own thanks Chouji…"
"I'm not taking no for an answer! Shikamaru!"
Naruto whipped his head around to see the shadow user form a few seals. "Man, this is so troublesome Chouji…if he doesn't want it, he doesn't want it…Kage Mane no jutsu!"
Naruto froze. Chouji walked up victoriously, forming seals as he moved closer to the immobile form of Naruto. "Don't worry, it's a painless process. Chakra Extraction!" Chouji plunged his glowing hand into Naruto's chest, connecting for several seconds before pulling his open hand out, and with it, a small blue mass of Naruto's chakra. Chouji immediately put it into a small scroll, sealing it away for future use. "Ok Shika, you can let him go."
Shikamaru sighed, a single sweat drop rolling down his face. "He started struggling towards the end...that was really troublesome Chouji. Why does everyone have to have one of your swords?"
"Principle!"
Naruto sighed. Even if Chouji DID make him the sword, it doesn't mean that he has to use it…right? Shaking his head, he began to walk out the door with his hands in the deep pockets of his cargo pants.
"Yo! Naruto! Five days and it'll be done!"
Naruto waved over his shoulder. "I'll see you then Chouji!"
I wonder what else I can do around here…
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Wandering around proved to be highly effective for Naruto, as he was able to find a weapons store where he could restore his stock of kunai and shuriken. He could have bought them from Chouji, but frankly, he scared the hell out of Naruto. Entering the store, he heard a tiny jingle as he opened the door.
Naruto entered the store and began browsing the aisles, looking for kunai and shuriken that met his standards. Suddenly, two slender, soft hands snaked around his neck and covered his eyes.
"Guess who?" came the soft, feminine voice.
"Uh…I have no idea."
The hands removed themselves from his eyes, allowing him to look behind him to see the smiling face of Tenten.
"It's me baka!" she said as she playfully punched him in the arm. Naruto winced and grabbed the place she struck him. She was stronger than he'd expected.
"Ah, Tenten, what are you doing here?"
"This is my family's shop! I assume you're here for some weapons…"
"Right on. Any suggestions?"
"Well, these over here are really high quality, and the ones over there are a lot cheaper, though you'll be sacrificing quality for quantity."
Naruto grinned. "I guess it's the cheap stuff for me Tenten!"
Tenten smiled back. "No shame in that Naruto. Here, these are really good for their price," she said as she handed him a set wrapped in cloth.
"Thanks Tenten…hey, I was wondering, you're a weapons master like Chouji, right?"
"Well, I don't know about "master", but yeah, I know a few things."
"That's great! You think you could teach me some kenjutsu? I'm…"
"Horrible?" Tenten finished.
Naruto made a face. "Well, if you want to put it that way, yes, my swordsmanship could use some work. Do you think you can you teach me some basics?"
Tenten put her finger to her face, as if she were pondering, only to break out into a dazzling grin that made Naruto's knees buckle. "Of course Naruto! Maybe you can help me on my ninjutsu!"
"Sure! How bout…tomorrow at eight?" Naruto asked, handing money over to Tenten to cover the cost of the kunai.
"It's a date!"
"Wait, what?"
"Oh nothing!" Tenten skipped off into the employees section, leaving a dumbstruck blonde out in the store with replacement kunai. Chuckling, Naruto left the store and started home. Already my life is getting crazy…
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Sasuke stood in front of the memorial stone, his dark hair covering most of his face to any passing onlookers. Sasuke knelt in front of the stone, his hand reaching out and lightly touching the cool stone with his fingertips.
"Have I lost my way Naruto? Am I so stupid that I forgot my promise?"
Flashback
Sasuke stood before the grave of his deceased blonde friend. The rain slowly pattered down onto his black cloak, but he didn't care. Gazing at the stone, Sasuke made a silent promise with himself and his dead teammate.
I will not allow revenge to take over my life. I will live my life for myself…because of you, Naruto. Thank you.
End Flashback
"Naruto…even though you're not dead…I will try…no, I will definitely keep my promise."
"Sasuke-kun?"
Sasuke glanced behind him. The mop of pink hair told him all he needed to know. "Haruno-san" came the emotionless greeting.
"Sasuke-kun…what are you doing here?"
Sasuke was about to give a snide remark, when he looked back down at the stone. "I…I…would you like to go get some lunch Sakura?"
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Whew, long update. So sorry, schools out, so we'll see what happens.