I want to say that I haven't forgotten my other Naruto stories, but I just have so many ideas for this one that it's driving me insane! Oh well, I guess I'll take things one step at a time. With that being said, like I mentioned in the after-story notes last chapter, this chappy will conclude Naru's training and start the beginning of the Wave Arc (yes I'm adding it in, I've decided that it would be beneficial to this story's progression). However, said Arc will most likely be completely different from canon, so be prepared for a lot of changes, considering where all the characters are at strength-wise in this fic and so forth.
Like always, I'd like to thank those of you who took the time to review my humble story, specifically ddcj1990, xkayxvenx, Ceralyn, raziel44, someone179, and windfox90. It really means a lot to me to keep getting comments, so please, keep reviewing! Also, in response to some of the comments I received:
someone179: Your pairing suggestion is duly noted. I'm actually rather partial to both femNaru x Itachi and femNaru x Kakashi myself, so we'll just have to see who she winds up with. And yeah, it always irks me if people skip over training, unless they go back over it in flashbacks later on or something.
xkayxvenx: thanks for the detailed review! I tried to make Naru's progress realistic and not too op, so I'm glad you could see that. As for Hebi style...I'll consider letting Naru learn it, but remember that she already has her heavily modified version of the Hyuuga's gentle fist style for taijutsu. As for the extent of what 'heavily modified' means, though, you'll just have to wait and see.
ddcj1990 and winfox90: I'm happy you both like the idea of Naru learning Hyoton, and as for the latter's note about Hyoton + rasengan...all I can say is AWESOME IDEA. I totally hadn't thought of that, though if/when I incorporate it into this story it'll probably be a little bit later down the road. It's comments like these that really make my day, so keep on reading and reviewing you two!
raziel44: (From our discussion via PM) Yes, I can't please everyone, but I can still try. While I probably will have the two of them reconcile for the moment, that's not to say I can't have another scene later on where it all falls apart.
Enough of me yakking away, you all probably want to get started reading, so here's the key and disclaimer:
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, nor do I own any of the other anime/manga/games/whatever I draw inspiration from.
Key:
"This be talking."
'This be thinking'
"Bijuu/Higher Being speech"
'Bijuu/Higher Being thought'
Jutsus will be Italicized and Underlined
Flashbacks are in Italics only
**This chapter is currently Un-Beta'd**
Story Start:
Another week had passed, and, like always, Naru continued to push herself beyond her own limits. She had managed to hone her speed and endurance even more, though like Anko she absolutely refused to wear weights. After all, in an actual battle it wasn't like her opponent was going to give her the time of day to release or remove said training objects.
Anyways, while she did focus mainly on upping her speed and endurance, that wasn't to say that the young Hyuuga had neglected her training in the other ninja aspects; while not progressing as quickly as she would have liked, Naru was still making headway in her attempts to cut a leaf with wind chakra, having managed to increase the incisions to a quarter of the way through said piece of greenery each time she attempted the exercise. Of course, given that four days ago Minato had finally deemed her reserves large enough to learn the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu(without endangering her safety, obviously), it was no small wonder that she had been making leaps and bounds in terms of progress.
Since with her new technique she could now be in two places at once, Naru had taken to making room in her daily schedule for spending time with both of her families, sending a shadow clone to the one she didn't visit on a particular day. However, doing that was not without its downsides; since Natsuki had taken a liking to jumping her with surprise hugs, more than once she'd suddenly received the memories from her clone as it was dispelled by said glomp from her younger step-sister. Yes, Naru found her to be somewhat of an annoyance because of this, but it was because she'd grown slightly closer to the other members of Minato's immediate family that such a thing happened, so the young Hyuuga tried not to complain.
Be that as it may, though, she still hadn't found it within her to completely forgive her blood father for his neglect. Granted, she'd almost reached that level of forgiveness with him, but there was still something...missing, something that he had yet to give her. But for the life of her she couldn't figure out what that something was. (A/N: I will give a cyber cookie to anyone who can figure out what this 'something' is before Naru realizes it. Here's a hint: It's something that can break her relationship with Minato, should he choose not to give it. :] )
Shrugging silently to herself as she was once again stumped by this, Naru returned to expanding her reserves via increasingly complicated chakra control exercises. Currently she and her lone shadow clone were both rotating leaves above the tips of their fingers while sitting on top of a gurgling stream. Unfortunately, while she had indeed perfected the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu like the rest of her arsenal, unlike Natsuki she was still restricted to the creation of a single clone, hence the reason she was now working on increasing her chakra stores.
"I don't suppose you want to talk about anything while we do this?" She asked her clone, who merely shook its head.
"Nah, since I'm you I find this kinda peaceful. Besides, talking about stuff might mess up our concentration."
True to its words, two out of the ten leaves spinning above the tips of the clone's fingers slowly fell down, coming to a rest on top of the slowly flowing water. Sending a pout to the original, who snorted, the Kage Bunshin dispelled itself, returning what remained of its chakra back to Naru along with the usual memories. Of course, given that assimilating said memories caused a few of her own leaves to drop as well, the original let her hands fall to her sides with a sigh. Standing up shortly afterwards, she brushed off her clothes, before using a few shunshins to get herself back to the village.
After taking note of the sun's position, Naru took to the rooftops, heading off towards the market district. Since it was about one in the afternoon, it was about the time her sensei would be finishing up lunch at the dango stand, provided she hadn't been called away to do her job at the torture and interrogation department. Fortunately, she did indeed find Anko at her usual eatery, just as the purple-haired woman was about to pay for her meal.
"And what can I do for you, Naru, on this fine afternoon?" Anko said, turning to face her apprentice as the blonde-haired girl landed next to her.
"Nothing important; I just wanted to have a friendly chat. You know, the usual stuff."
Merely raising an eyebrow, the older woman paid the bill for her lunch, motioning for Naru to walk with her.
"So...anything in particular you want to talk about?"
"Well, there's the fact that Tou-san's been watching me like a hawk..." Here Naru made a face of distaste, "I know he means well, but it's starting to grate on my nerves."
"Which 'Tou-san' are we talking about here? Hiashi or Minato?" Anko asked, curious.
"Minato. I know he's been watching me with that viewing orb of his, since every time he does it I get this prickling sensation on the back of my neck."
"Hmm...maybe he's just checking up on you from time to time. You know how he cares about you."
Naru shook her head, her face set in a scowl.
"I'd think that would be the case if he did it only once or twice a day, but as it is I've already had the feeling that I'm being watched seven times just this morning. And no, I don't think this is someone else spying on me, since I've been deep in Training Ground 44 for the past seven hours."
This time it was Anko's turn to frown.
"That is rather...odd. Have you tried confronting him about this matter?"
"No, I haven't, though I suppose I should. I just don't want to come off as snarky should I have to tell him off..."
"Why would you come off as snarky? If he's bugging you with his spying, tell him to stop. It's not that difficult."
"You're right, I guess..." Naru said with a sigh, "I suppose I'm just hesitant because I don't want to damage our already fragile relationship."
The two women might have continued their conversation further, but it was at this point that an ANBU member landed in front of them.
"Mitarashi Anko and Hyuuga-Namikaze Naru, Hokage-sama calls for your presences at the council chambers in five minutes; he says it's urgent."
His message delivered, the nondescript ANBU member disappeared in a swirl of leaves, obviously returning to whatever post he maintained. Glancing slightly at each other in confusion, the two kunoichi nodded towards one another, silently deciding to put whatever conversation(s) they had on the backburner.
Taking to the rooftops, Naru spoke up, asking the question that was on both of their minds.
"I wonder what Tou-san needs us for...?"
Anko merely let her face settle into a grim expression.
"Whatever it is, it's most likely nothing good. Usually when this sort of thing happens it either means something big has just gone down in the world at large, or we're going to war. Considering they're calling you, a genin, in front of the council, my guess is it's the former and we're about to go on a high-ranking mission. But we won't know whether that's actually the case until we get there; we'd best make haste."
Approximately 10 minutes later, Council Chambers...
Having arrived at their destination slightly ahead of schedule, it was with some annoyance that the two kunoichi were told to wait outiside the chambers until they were asked to step inside. Surprisingly, though, there were two other people waiting with them in the lobby; Itachi, and Anko's friend Yuugao, though both were without their respective ANBU masks.
"You two got called too, huh?" Anko asked, sitting by her friend in one of the many chairs. Yuugao merely nodded, her eyes closed as she meditated.
Naru, meanwhile, chose to sit opposite her sensei, winding up next to Itachi, who gave her a small smile. Much to said Uchiha's amusement, the blonde-haired girl slumped backwards in her chair after returning his smile, resting her head against the wall as she closed her eyes.
"Tough day?" He asked, the corners of his eyes crinkling as his smile grew slightly.
"Yeah...I got up a five this morning, so I'm a little drained at the moment..."
"Wow, I can see why."
"Mhm...so tired..."
Anko snorted in amusement.
"I told you not to push yourself too hard, lest you eventually burn yourself out, but you just had to ignore my advice..."
Her gaze softened, though, when she saw that Naru had essentially passed out from exhaustion, and was unknowingly resting her head on Itachi's shoulder. He, meanwhile, merely watched the girl beside him as she took slow, rhythmic breaths, finding such an action to be rather endearing.
"Silly girl, always pushing herself too hard. Though I suppose I had a hand in that, considering I was the one to come up with her crazy schedule in the first place..."
Itachi just nodded, letting his own head rest against the wall like Naru's had earlier.
Meanwhile, inside the Council Chambers...
"ENOUGH!" The Hokage roared, leaking killing intent like a sieve. He was growing very tired of the councilors yelling at each other at the top of their lungs. Once all of them shut up in fear of their angry kage, though, Minato cut off his KI, speaking in a more normal tone soon after.
"Tazuna, if you would be so kind as to explain your country's situation once more now that everyone is here, we can discuss the logistics behind your request and get you a team so you can be on your way that much sooner."
The old man—who was sitting off to the side—nodded, getting up and stepping to the center of the room so he could speak.
"As you may or may not know, I hail from the small island country of Wave, which is almost due south from Fire Country. Now, recently a man by the name of Gatou—yes, the Gatou of the Gatou Shipping Company—has set up shop in my country. Normally this would not be a problem, but Gatou has bought up basically all of the companies that regulate trade in and out of Wave, effectively halting all imports into the country. He's almost completely taken over our country, ruling it as a tyrant with an iron fist. As such Wave's people have become desperate; so desperate that we've started to build a bridge that would connect us to the mainland."
Here Tazuna paused, taking a swig of sake from the gourd at his hip.
"Unfortunately, Gatou sees the bridge as a threat to his rule, and rightfully so. If completed, the people of wave would no longer have to rely on shipping companies to import goods or food, so Gatou has been hiring assassins, namely missing ninja, to take out the head of the bridge project, me. So far I've managed to escape death, but I fear for my safety, which is why I've come to Konoha to plead, beg, you name it, for help."
The old man reached into the pouch at his hip, pulling out a small container filled with money.
"The most my countrymen and I could scrape together is enough for one of your C-Rank missons, though I understand that is not enough to cover what I am requesting in terms of assistance. However, I'll be brutally honest with you fine folks; if nothing is done and the bridge project fails, Wave will go under. We're already pretty much bankrupt as it is. Be that as it may be, though, should you either take out Gatou and his hired hands, or protect me from harm until the bridge is completed, the people of Wave are willing to pay double, even triple the amount of a standard A-Rank. Heck, you can take practically all of the tyrant's treasury for all we care. All we ask is that one of those two conditions be met, and enough funds get returned to Wave to allow us to get back on our feet."
His speech completed, the old man stepped back to where he was previously, taking another swig of sake as he did so.
Minato, meanwhile, was deep in thought. On one hand, it was a politically sound maneuver to help out Wave, as it would mean the country would be in debt to Konoha. On the other hand, though, the Yondaime Hokage didn't want the soldiers under his command to go on a suicide mission; if this Gatou character had enlisted the help of a whole battalion of missing ninjas—which certainly seemed possible, if costly—he wouldn't want to send anything less than a complete team of ANBU. If the man only hired one or two missing ninja like he suspected, though, he could get away with his initial plan.
That being, send Anko, Yuugao, Itachi, and Naru to Wave as a test-pilot mission to see whether his eldest daughter should be brought into the ANBU ranks, bypassing the need for her to wait until she could be put on a full team to take the Chunin Exams entirely. He had always found it slightly hypocritical that said exams required you to be on a three man team in the beginning, then split you up individually once you were a little over halfway through. Still, while rules were rules, there was no rule that stated you had to be a certain rank in order to join ANBU, only that you had to be good enough.
And Naru was certainly at that level.
So, his mind made up on what he would do should the council decide to help out Wave, the Hokage put the matter to a vote. Needless to say, the decision was unanimous, albeit for differing reasons.
"Yamato, seeing as no one objected, would you be so kind as to retrieve the four ninja I had wait outside these chambers? I think it's time I inform them that they have a mission."
Said ANBU member nodded, slipping out of the council chambers momentarily. When he returned, the requested shinobi filed in after him, standing at a position of relaxed attention once they were all inside. His gaze lingering slightly on his eldest daughter before returning to the other three, Minato spoke up.
"As you four have probably already figured out, we've just been tasked with an important mission, where failure would have dire consequences. Perhaps not for Konoha, but for another nation that could be a potential ally. As such, while I will also be sending a Genin team to act as bodyguards for Tazuna here, there is another mission that needs doing, one that I feel the four of you can pull off."
Here the kage paused, letting them understand the gravity of the situation.
"Your task is to assassinate Gatou of Gatou Shipping Company, who currently has a choke hold on Wave Country's economy."
A/N: Dun. dun. Dunnnnn. Of course, given that I had Tazuna there, it was probably pretty obvious what they were going to be assigned to do. Still, a minor cliffie to keep you entertained till next chapter, as you don't yet know what the characters' reactions will be. Also, hooray for the tiny moment of fluff between Itachi and Naru! While I won't say that's the pairing this story will end up with, it's one of the two I'm currently favoring, the other being pairing her with Kakashi. Who knows, I may end up having them competing with each other for her affections...although that's yet another maybe. Even I don't know who she will end up with at this point, so we'll just have to see (and I'll have to keep writing, obviously).
With that little monologue being said, please review! reviews help fuel my drive to continue writing this story, so the more I get the more motivation I have. Also, don't forget to criticize me on parts you think could be done better; while I'm quite pleased with just getting reviews, telling me what I can work on would be a big plus in making my writing become much better.
Also, here's Naru's current stats as of this chapter:
Name: Hyuuga-Namikaze Naru
Eye color: Blue [Cerulean Byakugan]
Hair Color: Blonde
Affinities: Fūton and Suiton
Known Ninjutsu: Fūton: Daitoppa (Great Breakthrough), Fūton: Fūjin no Jutsu (Dust Cloud Technique), Suiton: Mizurappa (Raging Waves),
Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu (Water Clone Technique), Suiton: Suijinheki (Water Encampment Wall), Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone)
Speed: Low-ANBU
Endurance: Low-Jōnin
Strength: Low-Jōnin
Chakra Control: Mid-ANBU
Chakra Reserves: Mid-Jōnin
Overall: Mid-Jōnin
She's still got room for growth, but from here on out the changes/increases in her skills (besides known ninjutsu, obviously) will happen in smaller and smaller increments. In case you're wondering, my ranking system goes genin-chunin-jonin-ANBU-kage, with each having a subdivision of low-mid-high. The final jumps (between ANBU and kage, as well as every subcategory jump thereafter) are the largest out of all the jumps, with genin and its subcategories being the smallest.
IMPORTANT NOTE: While her stats might seem a bit high, to put things in perspective if she were to face Zabuza she would still lose, hands down. The reason for this is two fold; 1. Jyuuken does not match up well against someone with a huge meat cleaver, especially someone who can wield said weapon with one hand. And 2. Naru still lacks experience.
Now, obviously she will gain some of the latter as time goes on, but she won't be soloing people of Zabuza's caliber like it's nobodies business. At least, not yet anyways.
Here's to using a trash compactor on the plot bunnies,
-ZGS