Author's Ramblings: I would first and foremost like to thank my reviewers Red and Goliith for pointing out a rather major error on my account in the last chapter, where Barok tells Naruto the 'info' in the form of stuff he already knows. By the time you are reading this, it will have been fixed, and I recommend that you reread the last part of the chapter to see what has been changed, because it will have impact on the storyline.
Anyway, shortly put, I've changed the fact that she tells him about the Mizukage being a jinchuriki, into her telling him that he left something behind, and where he can find the 'clues' as it were.
Well, enough about that. I'm back to town after a very long weekend of working my ass off helping my family, and I'm in the mood for writing, rather than complaining. So, onward!
Chapter 12 : Money, Armor and Perverts
"Unhhh" Naruto loudly groaned, waving his hand to chase away whatever it was that was pecking on his other one. 'Waaaait a second, pecking?'
His body jerked up, eyes immediately opening, and the crow that had spent the better part of the last ten minutes pecking on his hand in curiosity cawed before flying off. Apparently, it found it interesting that his hand healed before it could peck it again. 'Stupid bird...'
"Ughh... now I'm hungry" he muttered as he took stock of his surroundings. A puff of smoke nearby, and the shadow clone that had been watching over the three of them while they slept dispersed, and he only glanced over the memories, knowing that if there was something important, he would have been woken up sooner. However, that did not explain just how he managed to fall asleep on the roof...
"Mezuro! Get your ass down here!" Yugao's voice startled him and ended his train of thought. Well, not like it was important, right? Right!
Using the edge of the roof to swing inside, he was surprised to spot Hinamori sitting with the girls, chatting. Gossip, if he heard correctly.
"Hey" he lamely muttered as he landed on his favorite chair, slightly surprising Hinamori, while Yugao and Haku took it in stride. They were used to his antics, and the explosions that tended to follow.
"So, will you finally tell us what's going on Hinamori-san?" Haku asked with a mild note of irritation in her voice.
"Okay, okay no need to get angry" she replied, waving her hands defensively "Tensai-kun..eh san" she started, hoping that they by some miracle failed to notice her slip of the tongue "has finished the first part of the preparations Mezuro-dono. In fact, by now, he should have everything ready to have the company 'Mirage' in the books, officially, and he said to give you this, saying that you'll understand it. He said it was his first report" she finished, removing her light jacket, and opening a completely invisible pocket on the interior back of it, pulling out a pair of papers, stapled together at the top. Near the top corner, he could see a rather impressive merchant house insignia, made of a red cloth, and a sword placed over it, standing atop two crossed white feathers. He also contently noted the small seal right underneath it, one that was specifically made for messengers, to near instantly destroy sensitive documents in the case they were caught. All it took was a coded application of chakra to a paired seal somewhere on the wearer's body, and the paper the seal was inscribed on would be reduced to dust.
'Kaichi-dono,
it's been done. I created a paper trail leading to a recently destroyed port city in the east of Water Country as Mirage's area of origin. Since the population is completely gone, there are no witnesses to claim that this isn't an older company only now resurfacing, and because we are using a previously existing infrastructure, the task was quickly done. Also, I have taken the liberty of setting my self as the chief executive of the Habuse main branch of the 'Mirage' company. You are the off-the-books owner of the company, while officially, it belongs to a mercenary group under the name 'Mirage', hence the company name. While no record of such mercenary company exists, that will hardly be a problem as I have decided to 'politely' withhold such information from the general public. All companies, plantations, warehouses, mines, and other estates as well as captains under the former employ of my father (those whose services we shall keep under your terms and instructions) have been informed of the change in ownership, or will be, when the messengers sent to them arrive. As Gato previously ran his business from the shadows, holding ownership, but appearing nowhere officially, it should be easy sailing from here on.
On to the second, less than flattering part of this report. I regret to inform you that four out of the ten ships in your employ have recently been sunk, one of them being blown up by explosives, while another has been decommissioned yesterday, as according to the words of the captain, it had more leaks than his valet. I have little understanding of nautical and ship terms, but my contact at the shipwright says it's unsalvageable. I have taken the liberty of employing two more captains, and their respective ships to cover the legal routes those five ships were covering, as well as informing the captains of the remaining five ships to stop any and all trafficking of contraband. However, our weapon shipments are still on schedule to Tea, Sea and Cloud country.
As a final note, I have taken the liberty of buying a piece of real-estate containing what would be a perfect building for the offices. By now, the new sign should have been placed, and the new furniture should be in, as well as a number of employees I have hired to keep the job going. Bottom line, I've spent roughly a tenth of the total financial resources to jump start this company, and I've managed to start it up now, as opposed to later, with the benefit of it having effectively existed for a while. And if you're concerned about profits, they should be forthcoming within two weeks.
This is all that I have achieved in the past day, though by the time you're reading this, I will likely have more news of interest. The address beneath the report is the location of the new headquarters of your company, so feel free to pay a visit as soon as you can. I look forward to discussing several investment matters when you do.
Gato Tensai, acting CEO of Mirage Company'
To say that Naruto was shocked at the efficiency of the newest man under his command would be quite an understatement. The plan was sound to his mind, though that wasn't saying much, considering that he had only minimal ideas how the financial world operated. He barely managed to hold his mask of general indifference and boredom as he rolled up the papers, immediately sealing them up in a small seal on his arm. He would go over it again later.
"Good news I presume Mezuro-dono?" Hinamori offered politely
"Excellent ones, in fact. Thanks for delivering the report, care to stay for breakfast?" Naruto returned equally, slightly surprising his two partners. After all Naruto was everything but polite.
"Ehm... sure?" she tried, slightly confused. So far, she had noticed that Mezuro was the leader here, and apart for advising him, the two ladies followed his orders. And the same could be said of her and Tensai.
With practiced ease, the desk was quickly cleared up, Naruto and Yugao removing the various stacks of paper that served no purpose in particular, except to clutter up space, making room for the meal Haku had went to cook. At the same time, Hinamori could hear the soft whistle as Haku kept chopping vegetables, she assumed, and Naruto came out with a stack of plates, while Yugao dug out the cutlery from Kami knew where.
And within ten minutes, they were sitting down and having breakfast, Haku bringing in fried rice with eggs and meat, as well as fried eggs, and finally some sort of sauce that none of them could identify, but tasted nicely. It was a short, quiet event, and soon enough, Hinamori left, leaving the three of them alone.
"Hey, I'm off to study the 'stuff' we got from our last job" Naruto excused himself, rushing off to the workshop before the two had a chance to do anything.
"Did he just do that to evade clearing up?" Haku asked rhetorically, anger slowly rising. "MEZURO!!"
Naruto wiped the nonexistent sweat of his brow as he activated the last of the security seals on the inside of his workshop. It was finally time to rifle through the goodies the got, and to see if they could be broken down and recreated. He almost drooled over the idea of having multiple suits of chakra armor available... however, he realized that he didn't have the faintest idea just what said armor did, and how it operated. His more logical side reminded him that turning such a tool into a potential crutch for his, and their development in general would only harm them in the long run.
Focus once more restored, Naruto walked toward the only clear desk in the relatively small, crowded room, pulling out the scroll that contained the armor, and unfurling it on the desk, a small pulse of chakra delivered via his strings unsealing the scroll's contents.
The armor was impressive, he had to admit that much. A very light suit, made of some rather unusual material that only slightly reflected light, and colored completely black, apart for a circular crystalline plate at the chest. Even the plate itself was black, either some sort of obsidian or onyx likely, he assumed, though he wasn't sure. He was sure though, that the disc was the core of the device, and a cursory inspection revealed a number of relatively simple, but ingeniously used seals as well as all sorts of rather impressive gadgetry, conductors and other small devices.
As a whole, from what he could gather, the armor served to constantly draw out small amounts of chakra outside of combat and store it throughout several key points around the central disk, which, when needed would forcibly draw some amount of chakra from the wearer's body to fuel itself.
So, he did the next thing that came to mind, he put the suit on (after checking for any failsafes... one could never be too careful). At first, he had no idea how to activate it, but soon enough, several small symbols appeared on the palm of his hand, lit up by his own chakra, each of them symbolizing in turn 'Activation', 'Deactivation' and 'Amplification'. Apart from the obvious two, Naruto had no idea what the third one did, so, he did the first thing that came to mind... made a shadow clone and had him activate it.
To say that the results were impressive, would be the same as saying that the sun was a little on the warm side. A brilliant sphere of energy immediately surrounded the armored clone, cutting straight through a bit of the table, but also disrupting the clone itself within five seconds. Apparently it put too much stress on it, and from what he got from the memories, it was the chakra drain that truly killed the clone, not physical damage. It would seem that even half of his chakra wouldn't be able to sustain it for long.
Once more, Naruto had to suppress a maniacal laugh as brilliant ideas strung themselves in his mind. Though those fled soon, as he remembered he still didn't have more than an inkling of how the device worked
"Now let's see if I can figure out how it works" he muttered as he began taking it off, laying it on the table, and taking out a small notebook, along with a pencil. All traces of humor left his face as it relaxed, and his eyes gained an unusual edge of focus. As he carefully observed the armor on the table, his hand almost automatically began copying each and every seal on the surface, while at the same time adding notes about it's functions and ideas for later.
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By now, the actions of the small group had already settled into a daily routine, as if following some unspoken agreement. After breakfast, they broke up to train/tinker, with Naruto ending up locked in his workshop, while Yugao would use a part of the large storeroom of the ground floor of the warehouse for her swordsmanship, and Haku would the other part for her ninjutsu.
Once more, Haku went through the long string of handseals that formed the Demonic Ice Mirrors, her one signature, unique ability. It was a common misconception that the so-called subelements couldn't be recreated without a specific bloodline. Every shinobi that originated in Snow Country was perfectly capable of creating and manipulating snow and ice.... however, there was a world of difference between that and Hyoton, just as there was a world of difference between a using a sword and being a swordsman. Where others would simple use the element, a bearer of the bloodline was the element, in a spiritual and a very physical sense.
Something Haku had no issues abusing whenever needed.. Water Country had one rather beautiful advantage for any Suiton or Hyoton user... the air was inherently moist, and the massive amounts of ever-present water made the execution of any such jutsu a lot easier. In front of her, a small mound of ice had formed, and out of it, a tree seemed to grow, a white, translucent, crystalline tree.
Yugao, on the sides, watched in fascination as Haku kept her eyes focused on the growing ice plant, chakra slowly, carefully molded as the tree grew from a seed, into a sapling, slowly making a crown upwards, as small leaves began to sprout from the growing branches. In a few moments, many of those leaves began to fall off, one by one, as the tree kept growing, easily reaching a meter in height.
"Release" Haku whispered, and rapidly moved from one handseal to another, causing the tree to explode into ice dust, slowly falling to the floor.
"Amazing" Yugao whispered, after finally tearing her eyes from the sight. "How do you..?"
Haku smiled serenely, the soft gleam on her face relaying just how much she enjoyed doing this, before she turned to Yugao.
"It's an exercise developed in the time when the clan my mother once, long ago belonged to, was more numerous. It was in part art, but mostly an exercise of control over the bloodline." Haku explained."It's quite tiring though... my chakra reserves aren't yet high enough to be able to handle it for a long time. There is one other, but I'm not good enough for it yet."
"Well then, let me help out a bit." Yugao quickly countered her deteriorating mood. And so the two continued to train, sharing a few of their exercises to both of their benefits along the way.
The day passed quickly, and night came. After a better part of ten hours spent working on the armor, Naruto could safely say that he had near perfect understanding how it operated, and that he had most of it's specifications, the chakra drain to protection ratio, and even a good idea how to replicate the effect. But more importantly, he had two more tasks to accomplish for today. One was to pay a visit to Jiraya, while the other was to visit Tensai and talk about his new company. He had to admit, he liked the idea very much.
He quietly got outside, dressed in his usual clothes, as he knew the girls had long gone out (the place was completely dark, so it was either that, or they were asleep).
Night had already fallen, though the city was still vibrant. Passing from the empty docks to the livelier streets, Naruto slowly made his way towards the inn where he was told he could find Jiraya. The building was inconspicuous, just another in a long row, with only a sign differentiating it from the other shops and stores there. He walked in, leaving a handful of coins to the woman that worked at the reception, just as the note instructed, and proceeded to the second floor.
The creaking of the steps did little to stop him from going nervous. He wasn't a little kid anymore, so he couldn't afford to just go out and meet someone. Jiraya the Toad Sage wasn't just the author of Icha Icha paradise, oh no, the man had one of the most colorful entry in the Bingo books to date. S-Ranked, with over ten million combined bounty from more than a dozen different people or groups, and for the strangest of reasons apparently. It would seem that the Earth Daimyo didn't appreciate his sole daughter making an appearance in one of his books. Go figure. Other entries on the list were... less colorful. Unofficial mission status added up over fifty S-ranked missions, and over a hundred A-ranked ones. It was also stated that he was one of the world's premier seal masters, and a master of both summoning and ninjutsu. Even at the age of fifty, the name Jiraya was one that inspired fear, respect and in some cases loathing, though the reasons for each were open for discussion.
That was enough for Naruto to be on his guard. This man may have some relation to him, but he couldn't afford not to be careful, as he didn't just have his own life to worry about now.
In silence, he finally reached the door he was looking for, and knocked.
"Come in." came the voice from the other side. There was no doubt he was expected. Naruto steeled himself, and put on a calm face as he opened the door.
The room beyond was small, homely in fact. A futon was rolled out in the middle, while a traditional, low desk filled one of the corners, unused. Two large windows stared out into the night sky.
Atop the futon, a rather eccentric looking man sat, and there was no mistaking the long spiky white hair, nor the red vest. Not to mention the two red tearmarks under his eyes. It was Jiraya.
"Have a seat Naruto." he quietly stated "I was just finishing up on my writing. Sake?" he offered, before laughing at the look Naruto gave him. "No worries, it's not poisoned, or laced with anything. Just pure and clean sake."
"Fine." Naruto mumbled, sitting down on the pillow that Jiraya indicated and taking the offered saucer.
"So," he asked, taking a short pause to drink some of the sake "why did you ask to meet me?"
It was only then that he noticed a network of seals spread out from beneath the cushion. A restraining array, no doubt. While slightly surprised, he kept his cool. The man had a reason as to why he was doing this.
"I repeat myself, why did you ask to meet me?" Naruto stated nonchalantly, ignoring the fact that he was now trapped inside a small barrier field, while he took a sip of the sake handed to him. Unsurprisingly, it was clear of poison.
"Funny. I expected more of a reaction. You've improved." Jiraya retorted, though it seemed like he was more talking to himself than to Naruto. "Fine brat, I haven't got all week anyway." he added, and slowly moved his hand away. The barrier dissipated.
"By now, you likely know about your mother and father, not to mention a certain, furry individual." Jiraya started, waiting for the teen to nod, which he did. "To be perfectly honest with you, I was supposed to be your godfather, and I was supposed to look after you should something happen to Minato and Kushina. However... plans rarely survive contact with real life."
Naruto chuckled, mildly. He was aware of Jiraya's 'other' position in Konoha, mostly because he had overheard the old man speaking of it several times, and when he had asked him to explain what a 'spymaster' was, he did so. He already had a good understanding of where Konoha's strength stood back then, and he was somewhat aware that one could not divert attention from his village by staying there all the time. And his recent experience taught him that if nothing else, traveling over the world as a baby would not have been good for either of them. He didn't like it, but it was the truth. One of many he had to swallow recently, which made it even less pleasant.
"I guess, I wish to apologize for not being there for you when I should have. I know..."
"Don't. Stop apologizing. It won't give me back the years I spent alone, nor will it change anything. Words don't solve problems. For what it's worth I don't blame you. I understand my father had to make a similar choice. The safety and happiness of one against many." Naruto responded, cutting him off. While he felt next to nothing for the man, he understood. Even if it hurt more than just a bit. Would he be able to do the same? "What I want to know, is why you didn't visit me even once?"
Said words caught the sannin completely off guard, and the shock on his face was visible, if only for a moment.
"Not visit you... what the hell are you talking about? I've stuck around to play with you several times, haven't I? Sure I wasn't able to visit you the last six years, but I was under cover, in Kumo and Iwa, I didn't go back to the village until a week ago. Besides, who do you think gave you that frog valet you had? By the way, you still have it, right?" Jiraya spoke, trying to figure out just what the hell was going on. It's not like he had never seen the boy before, even if it was a while ago.
Naruto was having similar problems. While trying to remember just how he got the valet, he realized that he drew a complete blank. In fact, he still had it sealed somewhere among his belongings, an object he had saved for whatever whim he felt when he had left the village. But he also clearly didn't remember Jiraya. What the hell was going on?
"Naruto. I think I might have an idea about what happened. It's a wild guess, but it might be it. Tell me, what do you remember of the orphanage you grew up in?" Jiraya asked cautiously. It might have been it, but he wasn't yet sure.
"The orphanage? The old, grayish building with the..." he stopped for a moment, trying to remember, only to find out he couldn't. Almost panicking, he quickly moved through a number of other memories, only to notice that most of them were still there. So why was that part gone?
"Tell me something, the last time I've seen you, you were seven, and you were supposed to start the academy any day then. You weren't that enthusiastic about it, but still. Sensei told me you found an old workshop of some sort, he wouldn't say more. Did you by any chance trigger any seals inside?"
Once more, Naruto thought back hard, trying to remember. There was one... a security seal of some sort, he remembered that.
"Security seal for the place. The old man found nothing wrong with it." he quietly answered. Jiraya nodded.
"May I take a look at the seal?" he asked, voice completely serious, to which Naruto nodded, and raised his shirt, while channeling a bit of chakra. Immediately, the spiraling form of the seal on his navel appeared, and Jiraya carefully studied it, humming lightly at the same time.
"Well, I can see one problem here, though I can only speculate if it caused the memory loss." he quickly stated "A part of this seal filters some of the Kyuubi's chakra into your own constantly, increasing your chakra reserves. It also means that there's a small trickle of it inside you. Not enough to have any direct effect but...."
"Enough to perhaps react strangely with a seal?" Naruto tried, bringing out a smile from the white haired man.
"Clever brat. You're quite good at this, aren't you? Never mind, I think it can easily be fixed by altering a small part of the side array connected to the main seal." he continued, blinking in confusion when he spotted the blank look Naruto was giving him.
"Wait... you had the mother of all seals on your own body, and it never occurred to you to take a look at it?" he asked incredulously. Maybe being an idiot was an inherited trait. Minato was just like that many times. A short nod from the brown haired boy was his answer
"Well that's rich. Heh, might even be able to give you a few hints there. Your dad was a genius in the field, though there were limits to what could be achieved. Basically, the seal is connected to each of your major organ groups through a secondary array. With me so far? Good. The one that connects to your nervous system might have had a ...glitch. It happens occasionally, especially to jinchuriki, and it's nothing really dangerous in this case. You wouldn't suddenly forget how to walk or something." Jiraya explained.
"This is going to take all night, isn't it?" Naruto asked, voice full of mock disappointment. His answer was a smack on the head with a book.
"If you don't like it brat, the door's over there. And don't forget the book. Can't have my godson not know the glory that is Icha Icha!" Jiraya proudly stated, bringing out a laugh from the teen. Sure, he still had something of a grudge against him, but at least he was fun. Not to mention helpful. And even if he didn't want to do it for himself, he now had to look out for Haku and Yugao as well, and the truth was, even with all the issues, he actually missed having a man to talk to. Being surrounded by women all the time can't have been perfect for his mental development.
"Fine, fine. I'll stick around... you old pervert." Naruto jibed back with a grin on his face.
"That's Super pervert to you!"
Author's Notes: And finally done, a bit on the short side, but still. Now, for the details. Tensai is very capable, as he was trained by his own just as, if not more capable father, who showed him most of the tricks of the trade. And in his spare time, he picked up a number of other skills, and established something of a reputation. With those resources and skills, as well as the financial fortune of Gato Shipping at his fingertips, what he just pulled off is not nearly as difficult as it appears.
Also, I will not be revealing who Barok's sister was for a while yet, nor her real name/identity. That will have to wait for another arc or two, as the events that will follow it are rather important.
The scene with Jiraya serves two purposes. To reintroduce them to each other, and to give them something that takes both of their attention from the more unpleasant subjects on to something closer to both of their hearts. It really made no sense (except to Kishimoto apparently) for Jiraya not even to check up on his godson, and to be honest, it was the only sensible answer for Naruto having that wallet, and any other toad paraphernalia.
I actually had to spend a while thinking of a legitimate reason for Naruto to suffer partial memory loss that wasn't connected to some evil bastard in Konoha wanting to disable him. That would have been too much cliché.
I intend to turn Naruto into something of a pervert along the line. Not the excessive, I-read-Icha-Icha-where-ever-I-go variant like Kakashi, or Jiraya's peeping, but a healthy level he would and should have normally developed. Let's face it, each and every one of us has a bit of the pervert inside him or her. It's only a mater of how much we show it.
Also, here are the profiles for Gato Tensai and Numenai Hinamori
Profile
Name:: Gato Tensai
Sex:: Male
Age: 22
Occupation:: Merchant
Appearance
Height:: 1.70
Weight:: 80 kg
Hair color:: Black
Eye color:: Red
Distinguishing marks:: Tensai is nearly skelletaly thin, a trait he inherited from his mother,
while in fact being in perfect health. The red eyes are also from her.
Character info
The sole son and Heir of Gato Himura, of Gato Shipping, Tensai is a trade genius, with natural
instincts that would make men many years his senior green with envy. Trained by his father,
before the man decided to off him, he knows a lot, and has many connections. Currently, he
serves Naruto's Mirage group as the CEO of the Habuse main branch, providing a financial
cover, as well as the company's now vast resources, while increasing the original wealth.
Profile
Name:: Numenai Hinamori
Sex:: Female
Age: 18
Occupation:: Former kunoichi of Mist, genin rank
Appearance
Height:: 1.60
Weight:: 55
Hair color:: Black
Eye color:: Brown
Distinguishing marks:: None in particular
Character info
While Hinamori, in obvious way, is no one of importance, she is regardless a skilled kunoichi,
who survived Mist's grueling training regiments before the civil war. Born out of a civilian
family, and with no wealthy benefactor to back her up once the war broke, she was reduced to
acting as a bodyguard to fat, slimy merchants, that is, until she came across Tensai. Currently,
she serves as his secretary and messenger, though if need be, bodyguard as well. Also, she has a
huge crush on him, though she would never admit it openly