The Boy in the Fireplace
(A poll is and has been up on my profile on the subject of summoning. If ya haven't voted, I suggest ya do so now!)
This is about a month after Naruto's met Utakata.
XXX
"Awaton:" Utakata ran through a blur of hand seals. "Awatama!" a blur of bubbles exploded from his mouth, rocketing towards Naruto, who grinned, recognising the trick.
Unlike Tsukimi's training, Utakata was constantly sparring with the boy, drilling the art of prediction into his head.
"Blows bubbles then dashes forwards to attack…" Naruto sidestepped, just as Utakata appeared in the space where he'd once stood, his pipe erect. If he'd stood still, the metal instrument would have drilled a hole in his head.
"Rougufu:" the chakra around his arm became sharp, gaining a blade like edge. "Akaken!" (Rough Fist: Red Blade) his fist slammed forward, the blade slicing right through his teacher's side.
"Clever…" muttered Utakata. He fell forwards, but a grin was blooming on his face. "But not clever enough." In a flash, the wounded Utakata burst into a stream of bubbles.
Naruto's eyes widened. "Awabushin?" with a sharp thud, Utakata's metal pipe tapped his shoulder.
"You are still too narrow-minded." Muttered Utakata, with a sigh. "Cloning is a simple trick that even the simplest ninja can perform. And it's just none of many; kawamiri, henge, all simple techniques which can be deadly in the art of battle." He closed his visible eye. "Don't wait for your opponent to die; I've drilled that into your head. If you cut their side, cut their head as well. Don't waste time. The sooner you weed out a clone, the faster you are done."
The blond nodded. "Alright, sir! I won't forget it!"
Utakata smiled warmly, and then quickly returned to his usual emotionless mask. "If you do well today, I may consider making a trip to the guild."
Naruto's eyes widened and a merry grin appeared on his face.
"We may just make a ninja of you yet, Uzumaki."
XXX
"Though you will be accompanying me, your part in this mission is small, but nevertheless needed." Said Utakata as he handed Naruto the slip of paper which held the mission details.
"A mission in Takegakaru?" (Hidden Waterfall) muttered Naruto as he skimmed through the paper.
"Our task is to enter a mansion and extract an Orb. The Aquarius orb to be exact. Our client appears to have a vast collection of the zodiac orbs, and this seems to be the only one he's missing. And, as stealing from high-ranking nobleman may be seen as an A-class mission in some shinobi ranks, this request was given to a guild."
Naruto skimmed through the paper again. "It says here the rewards around 13, 000 ryo and a scroll. What's in the scroll?"
"Ah… I wonder." Muttered Utakata. Naruto waited, but the man still did not answer the question.
"Are you going to tell me or not?"
"I suppose I could tell you, but that would ruin the surprise." He chuckled. "I'm surprised you haven't asked your role in this mission though."
Naruto's eyes glassed over, and he stared at his teacher eagerly.
"Your role is to be a distraction and magnet for any would-be guards in our said mission."
Naruto cocked his head, not understanding.
"To put it simply… You are the decoy."
XXX
The odd duo of Naruto and Utakata were meandering slowly down the moonlit road. The older of the pair seemed oddly at peace, his pipe hanging from his mouth, bubbles billowing out its end, while Naruto looked bored out of his skull. "Hey, when are we gonna be in Take?"
"I've told you, the mansion is on the outskirts of Take. Be precise in your questions, Uzumaki." He removed the pipe from his jaws, and glanced at his pupil. "We are about two hours from our destination by foot. However…" a sly smile dawned on his face. "There is a way to practice while we journey." He nodded towards the woods running parallel to the road. "If you wish, you may journey the ninja way; through the trees. Jump from branch to branch never remaining in one place for more than a second. A true test of stealth."
Naruto pouted. "I don't want to work on stealth! It's really boring!"
Utakata winced. "If you wish to provide a suitable balance of all ninja arts in your style, you must first master the basics of all arts. And as a ninja, stealth is a staple all must have. Whether you are assassin or simple genin, it must be something you master. Besides…" he blew a few more bubbles, and watched them drift off into the sky before continuing. "Would you rather spend a day fighting head-to-head, or finish a foe before they even realise they were under attack?" he closed his eye, sensing Naruto's distress. "Well, the choice is yours."
The telltale sign of snapping branches told Utakata that the boy had taken his advice and taken to the trees. "Wise choice, boy. But let me make this interesting for you…" he preformed a few hand seals, then bit his thumb, and slammed his hand on the ground. "Kuchiyose: Pure-Kenkun no jutsu!" (Summoning: Praying-Blade Master technique)
XXX
Naruto was leaping from branch to branch, leaving a trail of snapped pieces of wood in his wake. "Heh, this isn't actually so hard…" he muttered, with a grin. The boy began to pick up his pace slightly, leaping farther and moving even faster.
"This is awesome!!" the boy screamed to the world as he soared through the air. Utakata had quickly finished his obstacle of the tree walking exorcise in the first 24-hours of training. Now the boy could stick to branches like glue, under pressure or not.
He laughed again, the wind whipping his face as he ascended to the higher branches of the trees, occasionally jumping above the canopy and seeing the great blanket of leaves from above.
He was so caught up; he stumbled, then landed, stomach first, on a large thick branch. This action left the boy out of wind and panting, as he clung to the branch for dear life. Only when he regained proper thought did he realise it wasn't a branch he was clinging onto. It was too smooth to be tree bark, almost glass like in texture. When he followed the branch to the truck of the 'tree' his jaw dropped.
Two amber eyes stared back at him. It was a giant bug. An ebony-preying mantis to be precise, but the six-year old did not know such a fact. All he knew was this thing was big. Big and had fangs. Big and had fangs, and (following the branch) saw-like claws.
For a few seconds, he just stared at the colossal bug, and it stared back. Then, he decided to break the silence; "YOU'RE FREAKIN' KIDDING ME!!"
Above the treetop's, Utakata stood in his Awadensha, (Bubble-Train) a special technique he'd created which surrounded the user in a bubble, and allowed them to float and travel at either high and leisurely speed's. Hearing the high-pitched scream of a young boy, a smile appeared on Utakata's face. "How will you react, Uzumaki?"
The blond was currently dashing as fast as he could across the tree-branches, anime-tears streaming from his face as the colossal mantis chased after him, its scythe-like claws tearing through the wooden obstacles like paper. "NO FREAKIN' WAY!!" cried Naruto, still not stopping for breath. He quickly spun round, his arm coated in chakra, then slammed his fist in the creature's direction. "Rougufu: Tsukimi!" the bullet of red chakra hit the creature dead in the chest, making a severe dent in its armour, but not slowing the creature down in the slightest. In fact, the oversized bug seemed to get even angrier, making wide slashes with its huge claws causing whole rows of trees to fall.
"CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!" screamed the helpless blond; his speed doubling while the monster began a rampage behind him. It was like a game of cat and mouse, the latter part belonging to Naruto, the former to the giant-rampaging behind the terrified ninja.
"SOMEONE HE-LP!" roared Naruto.
The creature roared alongside him, drowning out Naruto's cry. Suddenly the blond turned round, his eyes blazing, a fist blazing with chakra. "KNOCK…" he slammed his fist forward, connecting with the lunging beast's head. "… IT OFF!!!"
There was a blast, not unlike a cannon, and the mantis was sent flying back landing in a pile of its own rubble. Naruto's fist was smoking, the chakra around it smoking, like fire.
Unseen by the blond, Utakata was watching with a critical eye. "A last resort attack… But nonetheless affective…" he glanced at his summon, which disappeared shortly after. "Seems to channel all the chakra into one critical point, then unload it at once… Interesting." He then noticed Naruto collapse. "But requires training…"
XXX
When the boy awoke, he found himself lying in what appeared to be thin air. He jumped in surprise, only to knock into Utakata, who was standing erect.
"S-Sir?" muttered Naruto.
"We are in my transport. My Awadensha." He cast a glance at Naruto. "I see you defeated my summon, albeit badly."
Naruto paused for a second, then pure outrage spread on his face. "YOU SENT THAT BUG AFTER ME?! WHAT KIND OF TEACHER ARE YOU?!"
"A rather extreme, yet very effective one. Besides, I had the rare chance to witness that interesting technique you used." He chuckled. "You were probably so mad you didn't even mean to use it."
The boy grumbled something about 'idiot-teacher' then glared up at the brunette. "Yeah, so. I was about to be eaten! EAT-EN!"
"Quiet, Uzumaki." Snapped Utakata, his face suddenly becoming very serious. "We are here."
Naruto swivelled round, his jaw suddenly dropping. It seemed more like a castle than a palace, huge granite walls surrounding the main building, which towered above the land like a pillar to the sky.
"This would be the house of Remake. Gen Remake being the master of the house. Last I checked he was happily married, but it mentioned nothing about children."
Naruto glanced down at the walls, then raised an eyebrow. "Where are all the guards?"
"There aren't any." Came his teacher's quick response. "They all left seven years ago. Even I am unaware why. That's why our job is so much easier." The bubble stood over a slate-tiled roof, then popped itself, dropping Naruto sharply onto the roof, and Utakata onto his feet.
He nodded at a large chimney on the roof. "That's your entrance."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, but nevertheless advanced on the large stone chimney. Channelling chakra to his feet, he strode up it, then peered over the top. The soot coating its sides revealed it to be very dark, but no smoke was emerging, so by that logic, there was no fire. He shakily climbed up, and looked down the pipe before a thought hit him.
"What did you mean by 'MY entrance'?" asked Naruto.
A sharp poke with the pipe in his lower back was his response, which in turn caused him to tumble, screaming all the way, down into blackness.
XXX
"Hime-sama…" The girl turned to see a tall man standing in her doorway, bowing. He had long black hair which was tied back in a neat pony-tail, and skin as pale as winter snow. Small glasses rested on his nose, and he wore a fine suit, the normal butler attire.
"Yes, Jin?" she whispered. Her voice was hollow, almost without a sense of personality, like a robot.
The man, Jin, winced. "Please, Hime-sama. Your father requests you come down to dinner. He is greatly missing your company."
The girl ran her fingers through her long green hair, then stared out the window. "What of mother?"
Jin hesitated. "The mistress…? Well-"
"She hate's me Jin." The girl whispered. "They all hate me." She glared at him. "Even you."
The ebony haired man raised an eyebrow, then strode forwards towards the small seven-year old, and knelt in front of her. "Fuu-hime." He placed a hand over his heart. "I will never hate you. You, now and forever, will be my Hime-sama." He bowed his head. "I swear on the blood of my ancestors, that I will never betray you."
Fuu stared for a second, her fuchsia eyes widening, before nodding slowly. "I may… Go down to dinner. Just tonight."
Jin grinned happily. "Hime-sama…"
The green haired girl hopped off her chair, and stared expectedly at Jin.
The young butler got to his feet, bowed again, then lead her out of the room. "Your father will be delighted to see you."
Fuu glanced down at her flat chest, then pressed her hand against the area bellow her left breast. "No… He won't."
Jin frowned. "Please do not look sad, Hime-sama. You have remained in your room for too long. I'm sure the master will be glad to see you so well."
He led her into a large hall, where they began to descend a row of crystal stairs, towards a massive dining table, where only two people sat. One was a man with dark skin and shocking silver hair, while the other was a woman with platinum blond hair.
The man glanced at Jin, then, noticing Fuu, smiled pleasantly. "Fuu-chan! You've finally agreed to leave the confines of your room?"
The girl stared blankly, still with the emotionless mask covering her face. "Yes, father."
The woman didn't say anything, instead choosing to simply send a distasteful look at the young girl. Jin bowed, then stated, "Do you require anything, Master?"
The dark-skinned man shook his head, then motioned towards the door to the servant's quarters. "You may go, Jin."
Jin nodded, winked at Fuu, and then walked casually towards the door.
As soon as he was out of view, the woman sneered. "Sit down, child."
Fuu blinked, before doing as she was told, sitting directly opposite her father and his wife. Her father clasped his hands and gazed directly at the girl, a serious expression on his face. "Fuu-chan… Your mother and I have come to a direct agreement that you are to be trained in the ways of a Kunoichi."
The girl said nothing, only continuing to stare.
"And as such, in two weeks you are to be sent away to Takegakaru to train under my dear friend Tamaka. He should put you into proper shape, and teach you how to use…" he paused. "… Your asset."
"The nanabi." Fuu muttered, without a moment's hesitation. "You wish me to control the seven-tailed horned beetle which resides inside my body."
Her father opened his mouth, then closed it again, in a rather fish-like manner. "Well, daughter-of-mine, that would be the case."
She nodded, then got to her feet. "I have suddenly lost my appetite. If that will be all father." She quickly got to her feet and turned towards the stairs.
"Don't be like that, you disrespectful girl!" snapped the blond woman. "Don't you dare talk to your honourable father and mother in such a vile tone."
Fuu cast a glance at the elder woman. "I have never seen you as my mother. You are simply an entity which harbours distastefulness. You may be many things, Hisa-san, but you are not my mother." The vibrant haired girl then proceeded to storm up the stairs, not even sparring a glance back at her father.
As she entered her room, she slammed the door behind her, then stood erect for a few moments. And then the tears flowed. The girl burst into tears, swiftly falling into a heap on the floor, while clutching the pillow on the bed and squeezing it for dear life. Thoughts began to run through her head. For all her life, she'd endured the scornful looks from the servants, the greedy glances from her father, and the hateful comments from her 'mother'. Of course, Hisa wasn't her mother. Her real mother was the personal maid to her father. When she'd been born, the maid had been discharged, and Fuu had been left alone.
Even Jin, her only friend, only spent so much time with her. "Why? Why? Why?"
The girl clutched the pillow even tighter, one thought began to course through her head, one wish. "I wish… I had a friend… A real friend…"
It happened instantly. There was an almighty crash, which caused Fuu to jump in fright, and let go of the pillow. Soot was billowing out of the fireplace, and an insane amount of coughing could be heard. "Ouch… That really hurt." A figure was lying in the grate. He was a boy, around Fuu's age, with blond hair, and orange jacket and trousers, bandages draped around his hands and three cute little whisker marks on each of his cheeks. The boy's body had received a blackish hue due to the soot, but his lightly tanned complexion was easily visible.
He groaned again, then glared up the chimney towards the night sky. "Why'd you throw me down here, Idiot-sensei?!" suddenly, his gaze fell on the shocked Fuu, who was staring, awe-struck. "Who are you?"
Kami had finally been merciful and granted a crying girl her wish.
XXX
And there you have it. Bet ya didn't see that coming!
Here's a wee lay down of some personal Jutsu used in the story
Awaton: Awabushin
Rank- C-class
Description- creates a lifelike coloured clone out of bubble soap. The clone may deliver suiton or awaton based attacks, but cannot deal physical. If popped, soapy solution released, which may temporarily blind foe(s).
Status: Utakata's cloning technique
Awaton: Awatama
Rank- D/B-class
Description- Sends stream of harmless bubbles at opponent. Used only for distraction and/or temporal incapacitation (Blindness) Combined with certain techniques can create explosive bubbles which upgrades technique to B-class
Status: Utakata's trademark technique
Rougufu: Tsukimi
Rank- C-class
Description- Mid-ranged technique which fires a bullet of pure chakra at foe. At full power can punch through solid steel
Status: Naruto's trademark technique