Yo! Hey guys and girls, sorry for not updating in a little while - especially for this story. I have been working on this chapter for quite a while but had mind block for the entirety of it, making it so hard to write. Furthermore, I was also working on my other Naruto fanfic, New Convictions, and my Wheel Of Time fanfic, In A Fathers Footsteps, at the same time. So, now, after what must have seemed like an eternity to you, I have another chapter to publish. Enjoy!
Unity98: AllAmericanNick: savethetub: Wulan-chan: Rikudou Naruto: Kitsune95: TRAFALGARLAWSGURL22: Opnbf: I'd like to thank you guys and/or girls for the reviews. I will try to update this story more often than the other two as it seems to be the overall favorite, so look forward to more of these chapters.
HarukaDelfiance: em: : Thank you very much. I was hoping to get the sadness across, as I am currently using Faniction to practice my skills in writing on emotions. I'm not sure if I've got them down or not, but any criticism is liked.
musicalShelley: Don't worry, no Harem. They're too complicated to write anyways, just too many love interests. It also takes up far too much time.
Cobra0000: I know what you mean, but maybe I wrote that in incorrectly. The Kage had to say it due to Minato's last wish that NAruto is seen as a Hero FOR jailing the Kyuubi, and the villagers should have the right to know anyway when a possible threat such as a jinchuuriki is lurking in your midst.
(Seven Months After Kyuubi Incident)
As the warm sun shone in through the window and fell over Kakashi's face, he couldn't help but to smile at the pleasant day outside, the sun shining, the birds singing, the smell of smoke.
'Smoke?' Kakashi thought with a frown. Why would he be smelling smoke in his apartment.
Looking over to his left he found the reason why. In a crib that sat next to the wall was a blonde baby with whisker marks, giggling as he held an explosive tag that was burning down, smiling as he watched it count down.
"Shit!" Kakashi said as he rolled out of bed. He quickly jumped to Naruto's side, grabbed the sizzling explosive-tag and threw it into his kitchen. Just before the blast, he grabbed Naruto and jumped out of – through - the window, smashing the glass on the way.
As he flew out of the window he felt a sudden force hit him in the back, throwing him several yards away from were he was with a momentous amount of force. Fortunately, or not, there was another flat that stopped him from being thrown any further, also giving him a concussion as a parting gift as he crashed into it. He fell to the floor, all the time holding Naruto to his chest as he cried in glee. Turning, he positioned his back to take the fall, from the fifth floor. Suffice to say, as he landed, he felt a sharp pain, coursing through his ribs and back as the wind was nocked out of him.
"Ooof!" the wind nocked out of him. Kakashi laid there for a while, unable to think to clearly, body in agony. Eventually he sat up, though, very groggily. Holding his empty hand to his head, Kakashi tried to ward of the headache and focus. To his right, he looked up to see the remnants of his old apartment, but now with the walls blown out and a fire raging through all of his possessions.
"That's the third apartment in 2 months, Naruto. Where the hell do you keep finding my explosive tags?" Kakashi questioned with a sigh, as he looked at the laughing infant in his arms.
"Ehaha, Boom, hehehe" Naruto giggled as he looked up at the, now destroyed, apartment. Oblivious to the fact that he nearly died... again.
Sighing, Kakashi shook his head and started to chuckle. "Only you would laugh after an explosion like that, Naruto" He said with a small smile.
It had been seven months since the Kyuubi attack, and since then Kakashi had been looking after Naruto. At first it was a bit demanding, learning all of the things he wouldn't be able to do for a while, and also changing to the lifestyle of a parent. He didn't mind looking after a child, in fact he had gotten used to it years ago when he was a Genin, as baby-sitting was his main D-rank mission of the time. Although, Naruto had quirks that no other baby he had met had.
Instead of crying when Kakashi left the room, he would observe and giggle at everything he saw. When there was loud noises and quick movements that should have scared a child, he watched and laughed. Instead of crying when he heard a loud explosion and was thrown out of a fifth floor window, he giggled.
The only time Naruto had cried, was when Kakashi had given him some Miso Ramen flavoured baby food. Naturally, He had thought that Naruto didn't like it and went to take it away. But when he did, he was surprised that Naruto was holding onto it with strength a two month old baby shouldn't possess, and cried what appeared to be tears of joy and had a bright smile. Since then he had found that Naruto nearly out-right refused any other flavour, and just ate varying flavours of Ramen baby food.
After that, he had also found that Naruto kept pick pocketing him as he walked past the crib. After six or seven scares with Naruto holing a Kunai or Shuriken like it was a teddy, Kakashi had decided to lock away all of his shinobi equipment when he got home. But after this, Naruto had somehow found an explosive tag and set it off. The result was Kakashi holding a laughing Naruto whilst he had to explain to an angry Hokage about how a 1 month old baby had got his hands on an explosive tag, managed to somehow channel chakra into it and set it for a thirty second delay, all of which should have been impossible. Although, he was thankful for the thirty second delay as it had saved Naruto's and his life, as he realised it was there with a seven second count down left.
When Kurenai had found out, she had practically threatened to neuter him should something like that happen again, and unfortunately it did, two days later. This time Kakashi was even more surprised. Naruto had somehow found a scroll which held one of his already built Kunai traps, which he had set at the entrance to Kakashi's bedroom. The result? Kakashi blinking rapidly as a Kunai skimmed his head, cutting his hair on the way passed. He had turned to see a Kunai imbedded in the wall with an explosive tag attached to it, sizzling and on the verge of explosion. As he stood in-front of a once more irate Hokage and Kurenai, he had explained how things had happened. Next he found himself being tortured by Kurenai's genjutsu for several hours, all vivid imaginations of what would happen to his lower region should this happen again.
He had instantly made a storage for all of his Shinobi equipment outside of the house, sealed with locks, chains and Fuinjutsu. No Jounin should be able to get into that. But yet again, he had been bested by a child. Naruto had somehow gotten another explosive tag and tried to set it of whilst Kakashi was asleep, but had fortunately woke up before hand. But now, Kakashi had an itching feeling that Naruto was trying to kill him. After all, he first set a timed trap that allowed Naruto to get away whilst he was blown to bits. Next was a trap that only Kakashi would activate, and if it missed there was an explosive note that destroyed half of the apartment just to make sure. That of course, was whilst Naruto was watching T.V, on the other side of said flat. And now, he had finally decided it didn't matter how Kakashi died, as long as he did, even if it cost him his life, as was seen when he tried to take Kakashi with him a few minutes ago.
Furrowing his eyebrows, he looked Naruto in the eyes, all the while the baby boy tried pulling his hair out. "You are a worthy adversary, child. But I shall not die that easily, prepare to face your doom" Kakashi said in a low voice, as his hair cast a dark shadow over his face, giving him an ominous appearance.
His hand slowly reached closer, towards Naruto, closer. Naruto looked at Kakashi with fear glazed eyes, as he realised what was about to happen, and tried to wriggle out of his embrace, but was unable to stop as Kakashi struck. His hand reached Naruto, then he done it as he proceeded to tickle Naruto's sides at a furious pace, making him giggle like mad as he showed his toothless grin. His punishment was nigh.
Kakashi 'tortured' Naruto for a few minutes, delighting in the way he attempted brake free of his torment. But, after a while though, Kakashi stopped and stood up, noting the fact he had broken two ribs, a bruised spine and several fractures, aswell as a concussion to top it off. And somehow, he lamented, Naruto was completely unharmed.
"Well, lets go see Hokage-sama about the apartment" Kakashi said, resigning himself to the fate he knew he'd find in that office. He was not too eager to go there, but needed to get Naruto some where and soon, or he start finding things to destroy. Plus he had nothing on, other than his underwear, not even his mask, much to his dismay.
Hopping onto the roofs, Kakashi set of towards the Hokage tower, noting it was roughly 7:00, judging by the position of the sun. He choose the roof so as to avoid civilians, not just because of his state of undress, but because he'd like to get there as fast as possible, and not have to weave in and out of the masses of people that were going to work. He continued to run over the roofs. Watching Naruto, as he now watched them go by in silence, taking in all of the different scenery, Kakashi decided he needed to start taking Naruto out more, being cooped up inside would do him no good, especially as he kept trying to blow up any building he entered. Plus Naruto seemed to really like things that were new, unseen by him before. He liked the adventure of the unknown that was just outside of his door, he liked to explore, not stagnate. Or that's what Kakashi felt anyway.
As He arrived with Naruto, Kakashi walked through the lobby and mission room of the Hokage tower, gaining many looks of laughter from the men, stupefied Genin as they watched him walk through the tower half naked, and looks of lust from women. The last he knew would happen, every time he tried to not wear his mask women would drop left and right, drooling as they looked upon his face, and now that he had no clothes on he made it all the worse, as several fell unconscious from blood loss.
"No, Sensei! Stay with me!" A hysterical Genin cried as a Jounin suddenly fell to the floor, laying in a pool of her own blood.
Chuckling to himself, he walked up to the Hokage's assistant. "Hello, I'm here to see Hokage-sama." Kakashi said with a small smile and a nervous wave. This was it, when he entered that room, if Kurenai was there as he thought, reporting a mission, he would walk out no longer a man. The thought making him sweat bullets, he just hoped that she'd use Genjutsu again and not actually follow through with her promise. Hope being the main word. He knew he was screwed.
Looking up from her desk, the assistant looked to see Kakashi in all of his glory. Five minutes later and after several boxes of tissue to stem the flow of blood from her nose, some medical ninjutsu to fix some minor haemorrhaging, she was ready to talk. "The Hokage is in a meeting with Chunin Yuhi, you can go in if you like, but do not disturb the Hokage." She said, eyes still wide as she watched Kakashi walk in through the doors.
"Thanks" He replied as he walked through the doors with a smile, until he saw Kurenai standing there. 'I'm fucked' was his thoughts as he saw Kurenai and the Hokage turn to see him enter. The Hokage looked at Kakashi and shook his head as he chuckled to himself, obviously not able to find the words to use in this situation. Kurenai turned to look at Kakashi and saw her jaw drop straight away as her eyes went as wide as saucers, obviously shocked, he thought. That was until a small trickle of blood came out of her nose and her cheeks turned bright red, much to Kakashi surprise.
"Like what you see, Kurenai?" Kakashi asked with a raised eyebrow, trying to hold in his laughter, as he knew it would kill him if he didn't. But he was still unable resist the taunt, as it wasn't everyday that someone caught her off guard, and it felt great.
"K-Kakashi, where's your c-clothes, a-and your mask?" Kurenai stuttered as she looked at him, wiping the blood from her nose. She was obviously trying to stop her eyes from looking at his face or body, but failed as he watched her eyes take in all of his body. 'My god' She thought. 'People shouldn't look that good, its unfair on everyone else' she thought to herself as she took in his amazing figure.
His body looked beyond solid, every muscle seemed so compact that rocks looked soft. His muscles defined to an amazing degree, every part of him standing out in perfect definition. His face, without his mask, was almost angelic, perfect in every sense. His jaw line was strong and defined, his face without a blemish but held some small scars and one large one over his injured eye, adding to the almost dangerous and unnatural good looks.
Kakashi chuckled as he watched her eyes drift around his body, no longer able to hold in his humour. "I never thought I'd be saying this to a woman, but my eyes are up here, Kurenai" He said, watching as her head snapped up, her blush growing even more in embarrassment.
"S-Shut up. Just answer the damn question, Hatake!" Kurenai growled, starting to regain her composure. She noticed Naruto now, as he started giggling in his arms as he watched everyone in the room. She also noticed the way there were bruises forming around his body, his back had singe marks over it as did his hair, and lastly one of his ribs seemed out of shape, broken. "You let him do it again!?" She shouted in fury, her maternal instincts kicking in as she reached out and took Naruto in her arms, holding him from Kakashi. "What sort of idiot are you".
"Ma ma, Kurenai. I don't know how he done it, all of my gear is locked up with Fuinjutsu, it should have been impossible" Kakashi said lazily as he raised his arms in a placating manner, mainly for the way Kurenai was glaring daggers at him. Although he was trying to play it off, he was trying not to let out any worry. The reason for that was that he thought the Kyuubi might have helped him open the fuinjutsu locked chest, and if that was true it was very bad.
"Hmm, do you think he got into it with Kyuubi's help, or could he have found it somewhere else?" The Hokage asked thoughtfully as he took a puff of smoke, his attention now turned to this serious matter.
Kurenai instantly relented her aggressive charge of insults she was about to throw at him. Looking at Naruto in her arms with concern, she voiced her thoughts. "Did it, Kakashi?".
Her concerns were warranted, as the implications of this possibility were huge. If Kyuubi did indeed help Naruto do any of these things, through implications, Genjutsu as the fox had a direct link to Naruto's mind, or any other form of 'help', then the council could see it as a sign of it breaking free of it's cage. Naruto's death would follow shortly after or Danzo take advantage, child or not.
Sighing wearily, Kakashi shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think so, it's more probable that he managed to pick pocket Asuma, Kurenai or Gai a few days ago. Plus, if he had used any Kyuubi chakra, the entire shinobi forces would have felt it. And from what I understand of sensei's seal, the Chakra Residue Buffers will negate all chakra transference until he's at least twelve or in a life or death scenario. So no, I don't believe he had any infliction of the Kyuubi's presence, he's just a troublesome baby" Kakashi said easily, releasing the tension in the room.
Everything he'd learnt from sensei's seal so far had shown him two things, his sensei was a genius the likes of which had never been seen before, and that he truly loved his son. The level of the seal could only be accomplished by those who are willing to give their life making it, and he did that for his son, his pride and joy. A sacrifice that Kakashi was prepared to honour and protect himself, if the need ever arose.
Kurenai and the Hokage sighed in relief. "That's good to hear, Kakashi-kun. Well, the Kyuubi part, not the explosive maniac part" The Hokage said as he features relaxed back into a smile. Taking another puff on his pipe, the Hokage reached into his drawer and pulled out a set of keys. "I had a feeling this would happen again, so I bought another apartment and put some seals over all the walls. They should be be able to resist S-grade explosives, A-rank Katon and just about anything else. So, I'll be expecting it to at least last another month. It's on the new residential district a few blocks away, number 9" He said with a chuckle, and tossed the keys to Kakashi, who caught them deftly without even taking his eyes off of the Hokage.
"Thank you, Hokage-sama. I'll try to make it last that long, goodbye" Kakashi said before taking Naruto from Kurenai.
"You best not put him in harms way, Kakashi. This is your final warning, fail again and I'll make sure you never have kids of your own. Understand" Kurenai warned, a suddenly dark and oppressive aura that screamed death and pain blanketing the room.
Sweating nervously, Kakashi nodded his head and tried to put on his most reassuring smile. "S-sure thing, Kurenai. Be sure to visit Naruto every now and then, he seems to like you and I could use the company" Kakashi offered. 'Take the peace offering, take the peace offering. God, just don't do anything to me' He thought nervously.
Kurenai appeared to think about it for a moment, as she placed her finger to her lip. Her frown changed to a smile and she walked up to Kakashi at a slow pace. 'Oh God, I'm sorry. Please spare them... me.' He thought increasingly in panic, thinking of the torment that she was about to put him through. Kurenai was not known as the Ice Queen of Konoha for nothing, she would not even feel the slightest bit of remorse for killing him, should she feel he deserved it.
Stopping in front of Kakashi, Kurenai leant over and smiled at Naruto, who looked up at her with his deep blue eyes. "Would you like me to come over, Naru-chan" She asked brightly, as she looked at him. Her only response was the babbling of a hyperactive baby. "That's good, I'll come round when I can, 'Kay?" She said, then looked at Kakashi. "I'll stop by every now and then to make good of my warning if need be, goodbye."
Kakashi released the breath he been holding when Kurenai disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Truly, she had the ability to terrify people as badly as Kyuubi did. Or she could at least scare him witless.
Turning to the Hokage he threw a small wave. "Goodbye, Hokage-sama" he said before disappearing in a similar fashion to Kurenai.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
(Two Years After Kyuubi Incident)
"Happy Birthday!" the group shouted as they watched a two-year old Naruto run to his cake.
Kakashi held the cake out and knelt down, so the cake was at his level, and smiled at his younger brother. "Make a wish before you blow out the candles, Otouto" he said as he watched the little blonde boy.
Naruto scrunched his eyes closed as he seemed to be in deep thought, after a few moments he opened his eyes and blew out the two candles. Everyone present clapped as he did so, Kurenai also pulled him into a small hug.
"Well done, Naruto-kun" she complimented as she hugged him tighter. Pulling him away from herself she looked over to the corner of the room. "Shall we open your presents now?" she asked.
Predictably Naruto nodded his head and smiled. "Presents!" he screamed giddily as he was lead to a large pile of wrapped gifts. Everyone followed shortly after.
"Yosh! Let us follow Naruto-kun's flames of youth" Gai screamed as he followed the blonde child.
Asuma slapped a hand to his forehead. "Of course he has 'flames of youth', he's two, you idiot" he shouted at the eccentric Jounin.
Taking the cake to the kitchen, and leaving the others with Naruto, Kakashi prepared to start cutting out some slices for everyone when he realised someone was behind him. "Hokage-sama?" he asked without even needing to turn around.
He heard the old Kage chuckle behind him. "Your sense of smell is as excellent as ever, Kakashi" he complimented.
"Thank you. Cake, Hokage-sama?" he asked as he started making equally sized cuts of cake for everyone.
"Yes, please".
The two stayed in a silence for a while as Kakashi continued to make plates of cake – a large chocolate cake in a circular shape, it had a chocolate icing layered on top and on the sides, but was sponge on the inside. It also tasted very nice.
Kakashi quickly made some shadow clones and sent them to deliver the cakes to the others.
"You wanted to talk, I presume?" he asked, although he knew the answer already. Why would the Hokage still be waiting on him otherwise?
Turning around he leaned on desktop of the kitchen. He saw the Hokage was wearing civilian clothing today – a yellow shirt with black trousers and shoes, and his ever present pipe was in his mouth. "Astute, as always" he replied.
"So, how is Naruto doing?" he asked bluntly. He knew this wasn't the usual grand-fatherly questions, he could tell Naruto was healthy and happy, this was about other matters they had discussed recently.
"Where should I start?" he joked lightly, but carried on. "His body is growing at a slightly better rate than the average child – he's got the body that's closer to that of a three-year old. When I checked him in for his yearly medical it came with some surprises.
His skeletal structure and muscular-skeletal structure are developing at a very fast rate. His muscles are strengthening all the time as is his bone structure, they are more dense and better developed than most three-year olds. He can run, jump, skip. Even his walking, it's no longer a waddle, more of a developed walk which is usually developed around the age of four.
Furthermore he is learning things at an accelerated rate, speech, numbers, hand-eye co-ordination, grouping things together, understanding of language, IQ, you name it. Everything about him other than his height point to that of a three to four-year old boy, not a two-year old." He paused for a moment.
He didn't quite know how to say this next thing; it could effect Naruto greatly. He needed to be tactful with how he said it, or there could be consequences. That was the last thing he wanted aswell, to hurt his little brother.
The Hokage, picking up on his distress, spoke. "Carry on, Kakashi-kun; I won't let any harm befall Naruto".
Kakashi sighed in relief. "I believe the Kyuubi is aiding his growth." seeing the Hokage's frown he decided he best carry on. "A week ago Naruto cut his finger on a knife, naturally I went to put a plaster on it. By the time I came back I found it healing itself, the flesh literally stitched itself back together. I believe that anything to do with his body, muscles, health, and even his brain are being constantly kept in their pique condition and have even been excelling thanks to 'it's' chakra" he finished.
He watched as his superior seemed to start drawing on his pipe in concentration. He could understand that, this was a large thing if the Kyuubi was already affecting Naruto in some way; the council would have a fit.
The silence drew out for a while longer, and seemed to get more oppressive the more it drew on, until the aged Kage sighed. "I'll have the medical folder checked up on and see if the Kyuubi is influencing him. If it is I'll have Jiraiya tighten the seal, if not then this is just a bonus" he said, although he seemed more tired all of a sudden.
Both said no more on the matter and walked back into the frontroom.
"I'll be going to check those folders, Kakashi. Tell Naruto-kun I said goodbye and happy birthday" The Hokage said before he left via Shunsin.
Kakashi waited there for a few more moments. He hoped that nothing was wrong with the seal, he hoped it was just a side affect of the healing ability he was being granted by the fox. It was the most likely scenario as the seal was designed to let small amounts of the Kyuubi's chakra filter into him at all times. Like a constant boost of energy drinks, although it had far more reaching effects.
Deciding he should go watch Naruto open up the rest of his presents, Kakashi went towards the others.
'Two years and you're already worrying me, little brat'.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
(Five Years After Kyuubi incident)
"Kakashi-nisan! Stop doing that!" Naruto complained as Kakashi attempted to light the fireplace.
Kakashi looked at Naruto in confusion. "Stop what, Naruto-kun? All I'm doing is lighting the fireplace" He asked.
As far as he had known he was just doing the same as every other day, and Naruto had never complained about it before. So what bothered him. Was he suddenly scared of fire?
"No, not that. I mean whatever ever it is that keeps making bright white flashes" He told him, although it still didn't make sense.
'White flashes? What is he talking about' Kakashi thought as he kept pumping Fire Chakra into the wood to light it. That was when Naruto complained again.
"That, stop that!" he shouted as he covered his eyes, as though he was in pain.
'Wait. Does he mean my fire manipulation? He couldn't possibly see it, could he?' Kakashi thought in shock. This was major if he could do what Kakashi thought he could, in fact it was major enough that Naruto would require a meeting with some shinobi.
"Naruto open your eyes for a minute" Kakashi said in a serious and level tone, hopefully Naruto would hear the tone and comply. He did.
"Good. Now I want you to tell me when you see that 'flash' again, do you understand?" he asked.
Naruto nodded his head and watched what he was doing for a few moments. After about a minute Kakashi released a flash of chakra from his hand and watched for a reaction from Naruto, he reacted by closing his eyes and flinching.
"I just saw a flash by your hand, Kakashi-Nii. What is that?" He asked in a slightly scared voice.
Kakashi put a hand on his little brothers shoulder and smiled reassuringly. "It's Ok, Naruto. That is what we Ninja call Chakra, a source of power within our bodies we use to do wonderful things. And what you just did was tap into an innate ability called Visual Sensing, a skill found in very few people - in fact no one currently has it within Hi no Kuni." he told his little brother.
This was definitely massive. The last time Konoha had a Visual Sensor was years ago, during the Second Great Ninja War. The Hokage would need to hear about this today and Naruto would need training in the ability immediately. He would be a major boon in Konoha's forces as most sensory ninja passed on their sensory trait to their children, like the Inuzuka scent and hearing, and the Yamanaka Chakra Echolocation Sense – both of which first gained Clan status due to those senses, but later solidified their positions with their unique techniques.
Kakashi felt a pang at that; Naruto would need to start training in the ninja arts now. He had always known that Naruto would have to become a ninja due to Kyuubi, and he promised to teach Naruto everything his father had taught him, but he couldn't help but to hope that he would do everything at the normal age.
Instead, Naruto would probably be trained how to control his sensing abilities so that he wouldn't be blinded. That would include the need for lessons in chakra and it's control; Naruto would be starting his ninja training at the age of five, much like himself.
Another thought he did not like, comparing Naruto to him. He had lead a mature and highly adult childhood, completely missing out on the joys of the usual childhood that people had. Instead he was an assassination specialist and was quickly put to use for such events, especially during The Third Great Ninja War. He did not want that for Naruto.
"Innate?" Naruto asked with a perplexed look spreading across his face.
Naruto, Kakashi had learnt, was very good at understanding language for such a young age, he was even reading teenage books at the moment, but sometimes Kakashi had to remember he was still just a child.
"It means: To be born with, to have since birth. It can refer to a skill, talent, natural instincts or even the colour of your skin and hair." he clarified, and watched as Naruto nodded in understanding. He couldn't help but mess around though. "Or like those whiskers of yours" he teased with a large smile.
Naruto reacted instantly and started punching Kakashi's chest. "No fair, you know I don't like being teased about them!" he shouted as he continued to hit his brother.
Kakashi chuckled. "Ma ma, Naruto. It was just a joke" He said as he attempted to calm him down. "But anyways, we need to take you to Hokage-sama to sort all of this out, 'Kay?".
Naruto noticeably perked up. "What, we can go see Jiji?" Naruto exclaimed as he totally forgot what he had just been complaining about. "Yeah, let's go see the old man at his office, then I can steal his hat!".
He continued to chuckle at Naruto's antics, they never failed to make him do so.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
Hiruzen Sarutobi sat at his desk as he puffed on his smoke; today had been a boring day full of paperwork, as per the usual. He couldn't wait for the day that someone would come along with the skill to succeed him; Kakashi was the closest to a Kage level ninja in the village.
He thought about Kakashi a lot these days. Ever since adopting Naruto, Kakashi no longer had to go on mission and was able to spend a good portion of each day practising and honing his skills when Naruto was asleep, the missions no longer interrupting his training.
Kakashi had steadily grown stronger. And when he wasn't growing stronger, he was borrowing scrolls, tomes and books from the Ninja Library. These all increased his knowledge of general subjects, poisons, medical herbs, tactics, trap set ups, uses of the Sharingan – when the Uchiha permitted it, they were still touchy about him being one of the best users of the Sharingan, even amongst themselves -, to general tricks of the trade.
He had started a mad chakra control and weight training that would have made Gai pale in envy. First were the gravity seals he had on. These particular seals multiplied the effect gravity had on him the more the amount of chakra he poured into them, more chakra equalled more weight. Now seeing as he didn't have missions anymore, Kakashi was able to freely put the seals on far more than what would allow him to run, but they made him get used to them quicker as he didn't have to adjust it little by little like most people did out of fear for being to slow during a mission. Kakashi's speed and strength were increasing at great rates.
Then came his chakra control, the crazy man. From what he had seen through his Telescope Technique, Kakashi would hold a blade above one of his vitals, something like his throat, and then he would let go and hold it up with his chakra. After this he slowly added more above more vitals, arteries and the heart usually, and do the same.
The main theory behind this method of training was that the mind would subconsciously work at an accelerated rate, due to fear of failure and then death. Basic training in the form of fear control, aswell. It seemed to work, though, with the ability to split his chakra to about ten different places and then hold up a metal object and from places that it was nearly impossible to mould chakra at was doing wonders for his Chakra control and capacity.
If he kept it up, Kakashi would surely reach the acquired level were he could dump the useless title, hat and paperwork on him. '….Umm, I mean prestigious title, expensive and symbolic hat and the joys of doing the duties for your country... Yeah, that fits' he thought with a mental chuckle. Kakashi would definitely reach a good enough level after another eight or more years with that training... or he might die from stupidity.
That was also a definite possibility, what with him practising chakra control techniques that hadn't been used since the Clan Wars. Hiruzen struggled to even fathom how Kakashi found out about that training, it had been forbidden by Hashirama-sama years ago. But Kakashi was a resourceful fellow, so he didn't put it past him.
Thinking about Hashirama-sama made him reminisce about the past; oh, how he loathed his age. He remembered the days when he was out training in Forest 44 with Tobirama-sensei, nothing but a young boy with the dream of becoming Hokage. Oh how he wished he could have slapped that notion out of his young, foolish head; this was far too much paperwork for one man.
There was a loud buzz on his desk.
"Hokage-sama, Hatake-san and his brother are here to see you" came the static call of his Chunin secretary on the desk's speakers.
Pressing a button, the old Kage replied. "Let them through, Akane-kun".
There was no reply, but he knew his successor's student and his own surrogate grandson were on their way up. He enjoyed seeing the both of them, they visited regularly and kept his mind off of the paperwork, they were good at that.
A few moments later the door to his office opened and a young Naruto ran at him, he smiled as he picked him up. "Jiji" Naruto exclaimed as he hugged him.
He smiled back at the boy. "Naruto-kun! Look how much you've grown, soon you'll be as tall as me!" he said, enjoying how Naruto's face lit up.
"Yeah, I'm awesome! Soon I'll be as big and strong as all of you annoying adults!" he once again exclaimed. Naruto was not very well known for his quite approach.
"Hehe, so you will, so you will." he turned to Kakashi. "So, what brings you here today, Kakashi-kun?" he asked. He knew there was a reason as they usually visited during the day, but it was currently night time.
He watched as Kakashi stepped forward with a completely serious demeanour; he could tell this was something important and couldn't help but feel a sense of dread rise deep within him.
"It's about Naruto" that further cemented it. He gave an apprehensive glance at Naruto, hoping he was wrong. "He... I don't really know how to say it, but Naruto has the ability of Visual Sensing" he informed calmly, but it did nothing to stop the news from shocking the aged Kage.
"V-visual Sensing!" he spluttered. "But that has not been seen in years! How, how did he develop this ability?" he asked, he knew, but he had to ask.
"I believe it's due to a certain... mass-of-chakra's healing capabilities developing his body beyond that of the norm, I wouldn't be surprised if his other senses were the same." Kakashi answered.
It had been expected, but it still wasn't news he liked to hear. Anything to do with Kyuubi upset him; he missed Biwako.
Hiruzen took a moment to think. This could be huge, this was huge; a Visual Sensor hadn't been seen in a long, long time. They were extremely rare and extremely valuable, their skills were seen as something akin to a bloodline limit seeing as how they could pass it on to their children, just like a Sharingan or Byakugan.
Furthermore, not only did they allow him to see Chakra in the form of different coloured auras, but it actually increased his natural sight by a large amount. They saw in better detail, they could differentiate and process ocular information far faster and to a better quality, they could see at further distances and they could always see if they were under a Genjutsu or not.
These were the reasons why the Visual Sensory skill was so valuable, they were like a Dojutsu – or they were, depending on opinion – and were extremely useful, but weren't quite as good as the Sharingan or Byakugan.
The only reason these were better was because of their unique gifts. The Sharingan seemed to process ocular information even better, making time seem even slower, the ability to cast Genjutsu from eye contact, the ability to copy Ninjutsu and the last ability to predict movements. And the Byakugan's ability to see 360 degrees, the ability to see up to two kilometres away and see through things, and lastly to see Tenketsu points.
He was so stuck in thinking about the benefits of the visual bloodline that he forgot one crucial thing. 'Damn, the council are going to try every trick in the book to get control of him and then... there's Danzo' he thought, almost spitting it out in disgust, even in his head.
"I would like for someone, preferably a sensory ninja, to teach him about sensory skills, techniques, and how to switch of his ability to see chakra – if you have any records left on how to do so." Kakashi said, snapping Hiruzen out of his thoughts.
"Ah, yes. I'll have... Mikoto-chan explain the fundamentals behind switching off – or in his case: dampen - ocular abilities, she should be able to help him with that."
Kakashi raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "You expect Fugaku to allow her to teach Naruto ocular techniques? I asked him how to turn this eye off" he gestured to where Obito's Sharingan was, " so that it doesn't kill me due to chakra exhaustion, and he told me to give the eye back or die with it" he said with a large amount of animosity.
Hiruzen did indeed remember that event, it left quite a few burnt down buildings, a raging fire and two bruised ego's. Neither Fugaku nor Kakashi were willing to stand down; in the end it took ten ANBU black opts to restrain them, seal their chakra and throw them in the over night holding cells. He may have also accidentally put them in cells that were next to each other for the night – that would teach them for burning down his favourite Dango shop.
"Don't worry, Fugaku will understand the importance of this. And if not, I'll simply order it." he informed with a smile; Fugaku hated receiving direct orders.
"Oh, and, Kakashi, about your Sharingan, it's impossible to naturally turn it off unless you have Uchiha blood." He stated and watched Kakashi frown in annoyance and anger. Hiruzen smiled. "But there are others means by which it is possible: Fuinjutsu; give it a thought." he added.
Kakashi visibly brightened and bowed his head. "Thank you for the advice, Hokage-sama. We will stop by again later in the week, goodbye" he said.
"Yeah, jiji, I'll get to come back. Byeeee!".
He chuckled to himself as he watched the duo leave, they really did brighten his mood when they stopped by. Especially Naruto. He enjoyed seeing Naruto for many reasons: he was the miniature replica of Minato, he was more intelligent than Minato and had that ease of fitting in that his father did, he was as playful and cheeky as Kushina and he was all round a wonderful grandson. Truly, Minato and Kushina were blessed to have such a child.
"Best go home, it's getting late" he said to himself.
As he stood up he threw his Hokage robe on and pushed on his sandals. He made one last check on the documents for tomorrow. Finishing of the last of his rounds he turned to leave when he realised something important.
"Inu" he said and watched as a masked figure appeared in front of him.
"Yes, Hokage-sama?" he asked.
"Go get my hat back from young Naruto" he ordered.
"Hai, Hokage-sama!" the figure said before disappearing.
'How did he even take it? When did he even take it?' he thought to himself with a chuckle. 'That boy never ceases to amaze me'.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
(5 months later)
To his left! Naruto realised, and he threw a shuriken in that direction. It shot though the forest at a slow speed, but went directly to it's target. There was a small rustle as the occupant of that tree jumped out of the way; a near miss, but he had been right in knowing were she was.
A small, almost undetectable, crunch of the grass behind him told him that Mikoto was there. Turning, he smiled and opened his eyes. "Yeah! How was that, Mikoto-obasan?" he asked, ever his hyperactive self.
Mikoto, a short, fair-skinned woman, smiled as she saw him smile cockily. "Your hearing has improved by leaps and bounds, Naruto-kun." He smiled wider at that. "But that doesn't mean it's perfect, you have a long way to go before you have mastered that sensory function; in fact, it's your worst one" she added afterwards, her tone firm but kind; she didn't want to upset him, but wanted him to know were he was.
His smile never faltered; he understood that his hearing was his worst sensory skill, but he also understood it mattered more about how much you progressed, not if it was good or not. After all, a ninja could be good at something but progress slowly, whereas another could be bad at it but progress rapidly, the bad ninja would eventually overtake the good one.
"I know, I know. All that matters though is that I'm improving, right?" he asked rhetorically.
Mikoto frowned when he said that, but it quickly turned into a smile. "I forget that you're only five, sometimes; you remind me of Itachi, just more expressive" she shook her head to clear her thoughts. "That doesn't matter though. Now, let's move on to your smell; last time I checked you were very adept at using Chakra to amplify that sense, remarkably so; the Inuzuka would be jealous" their was a hint of pride in voice.
Naruto ignored the comment about Itachi, people always compared them recently; they were both mentally older than anyone around their age. Deciding to move things along he asked, "Sure thing, Mikoto-obasan! What kind of test this time?"
She smiled again; she liked being called 'auntie Mikoto', he never understood why. It didn't really matter, if it made her smile, why should he stop? So he carried on.
Raising her hands up, Mikoto performed several hand seals. A second later the grass around them lifted into the air, before congealing together to form several clones of Mikoto. They immediately ran out into the forest and hid.
"Grass clones, courtesy of Kusagakure" she joked. "They're going to hide within the forest, again, but this time they'll make no noise and they have suppressed their chakra. This time just locate them with your nose, once you're done, point to were they are, 'Kay?" she informed; a simple but effective test they had used before.
Naruto smiled as he prepared for the test, it would be good to show Kakashi-Nii how far he had progressed, he usually got a bowl of Ramen every time. Ramen would be nice after a day full of tests like these, it would be good to relax with his brother.
XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX
"Ah, Mikoto-chan! How are you?"
Mikoto smiled as she walked in; today had been a good day. She had set out five months ago with a child that couldn't even mould chakra, now he could read chakra signatures, mould chakra, had Genin level control, Jounin level capacity, cold hear anything above a whisper within a 100 yard radius, had a nose that could make an Inuzuka jealous and could use Chakra Echolocation techniques to a decent quality. She was definitely proud of her work.
"Wonderful, Hiruzen-sama!"
She watched him raise an eyebrow. "Oh, do tell" he chuckled.
Sitting down on a chair opposite the village leader, she began to tell him of the tests. "His Sensory Hearing is great, for someone under twenty. He can hear anything above a whisper within 100 yards when he applies chakra to his ears – that goes down to thirty without chakra. He has learnt how to pinpoint were the sound came from to within a few feet, and can use it to fight at a basic level with his eyes closed; that needs practice though." She stopped for a moment.
That was another subject in itself, one she wasn't told to teach but did, nonetheless. It had been at Naruto's request after he had heard about Itachi, her son who was the same age as him, who was excelling in that field and was becoming hailed as a prodigy. Naruto didn't take well to finding someone his age who could do something better than him and had set out to correct that 'issue', as he put it. And lo and behold, Naruto had already mastered the academy Taijutsu after three months, much as Itachi had.
Hearing the Hokage cough she realised she had spent a little too long thinking, so she carried on, "As you probably guessed: I taught him Academy Taijutsu, and he has already mastered it. Just like Itachi."
The old man raised an eyebrow. He smiled even bigger, though. "Really? That is interesting; have you thought of progressing in that field?" he asked.
Mikoto shook her head and replied, "No, that is an area for Kakashi-san to teach him in. He is probably planning to pass on his and the Yondaime's fighting style to Naruto, he would be rather annoyed if I took that away from him."
The Hokage nodded his in understanding. "yes, that is true. Now, carry on, please".
"Back to his Sensory skills. Next is his scent... well, let's just say it goes beyond even an Inazuka's quality. I have never seen anyone with such a good sense of smell; Kakashi taught him well" she admitted.
It had surprised her when Naruto had shown a level of scent tracking abilities that could find any scent within a mile, even when mixed in with a crowd of others. With out a doubt, it surpassed the Inazuka by a small margin.
She carried on, "After this we moved on to his Chakra Echolocation techniques. With these he was mediocre at best, he can use them, but not very well. I hope that he'll get better with them with age and experience, but if not, he won't need it with the skill he has with the other senses".
"Just because his other senses are better than anyone else's does not mean he should rely on them, he should always seek to better what he lacks" the Hokage interjected.
Mikoto bowed her head slightly. "I agree, Hokage-sama. I was only saying he has a wide variety of excellent sensory abilities already that can do the job, not that he didn't need another. After all, a ninja should seek to excel at everything if he wishes to live long."
"True, true" he chuckled.
She smiled again as he chuckled; vanity truly was a ninja's downfall. "And lastly there is his Visual Sensing; quite the ability, that. He sure has got it down quickly. He can see any chakra signals within a mile and separate each one, he can read their level of chakra capacity, tell how it's being used, can see through Genjutsu and can now fully control the 'brightness' of any chakra, so as not to be blinded by them. He's mastered their use."
They sat in silence for a while; this was the end of Naruto's personal tuition, he would soon have to move into the Shinobi training pool. He would officially have to become a ninja at six. This was one of the things they wanted to do the least, to thrust a child into an adults world. But they had to, due to the extreme potential he wielded and the council wouldn't allow to go to waste – that and the civilian council saw a chance to get the 'demon brat' killed in action.
On the other hand it was also a blessing in disguise; Naruto would no longer be weak enough for civilians to target, they weren't foolish enough to attack a trained ninja, no matter their age. Yes, a blessing in disguise. They no longer had to look out for vengeful civilians, just possible ninja with grudges, enemy shinobi and anything the outside world could throw at him. A blessing in disguise, just with a few thorns of it's own.
"Have you taught him anything else out of your perimeters?"
"Yes, the academy Jutsu, all of which he can now do."
The Hokage hummed to himself for a few moments, puffing on his pipe in concentration. Planning on what to do next. Mikoto decided now would be the time to speak.
"If I may offer a suggestion Hokage-sama?" seeing him nod she carried on, " As you well know, Naruto is young, very young. If we were to place him in the academy we also know that he would pass it straight away. So, instead of doing something so pointless, I say we make him a Genin of the bat – he's certainly meets the requirements.
Furthermore, I think we shouldn't place him with any newly constructed Genin teams" seeing the Kage's questioning gaze she carried on, " Because, if we did, his team would surely discriminate against him for his age, and would not trust him on missions; thus, they would be weaker as a unit and more likely to die".
It all made sense, because who would trust a six year old boy to cover their back? No one, that's who. It was impractical to think people would, so she had come up with a solution.
Hiruzen furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "So what are you saying? Make him a Genin and don't put him on a team, you should know how stupid that is."
"Yes, I do, that's why I have come up with a third choice" she smiled as she saw the intrigued look pass over his face, "we put him on a team with Itachi, my son, and Shisui Uchiha. I'm sure you've heard of them" she added a small smirk at the end; Uchiha pride was legendary.
"Aren't they the same age as Naruto-kun? Would that be wise? It could lead to their deaths, putting three equally young ninja on the same team – even if they are prodigies" He asked confusedly. One strange question just lead the old man's thoughts in circles.
She smirked. "A ninja – no matter the age – is capable of anything, Hokage-sama; do not underestimate them. In fact, you just demonstrated the main reason we should – every other enemy will underestimate them due to their age, when, in actuality, they are as good as any Genin out there, and will soon be better. Enemies will fall to them due to their own arrogance. And if that's not enough, let me remind you of one of Konoha's many sayings: Pretend inferiority and encourage your opponents arrogance, securing his death."
The Hokage seemed to think more about it at that as he sat forward and looked at Mikoto with a contemplative gaze. He was beginning to see the pros of this team. She needed to solidify his opinion.
She pushed on, "Plus, if they are together they will all push each other further and further as they continue to grow. Not only that, but they will be able to keep up with each other, unlike normal Genin would; after all, they are genius's that out shine all others".
That was all true, for how could normal Genin hope to keep up with those three? Everything they were taught took minutes to understand, hours to achieve and only days to master. The answer was simple: none could. So why not stick them all together, have them progress together. For only they could keep up with one another.
There were also other benefits that she felt didn't even need mentioning. One would be a clear message to the other nations and villages: Konoha is producing Ninja that are capable of doing things at six, what takes yours to be at least twelve. It would be a clear statement that would scare most of the ninja world as all other ninja that start of that young end up as Kage level ninja, or are on their way too it. For instance: Jiraiya, Orochimaru and Tsunade Senju of the Sannin. Yagura of the Two-Tails, Kakashi Hatake of the Sharingan, Killer Bee of the A-B combo, Sasori of the Red Sand, and a few more. All of these names striking fear into their enemies. All these names working as deterrents from another nation declaring wore on them.
Another, more relative bonus, would be the chance of Naruto befriending the Uchiha clan-heir, Itachi. This would offer him major political backing whenever it came to council affairs, aswell as protection from off-handed moves against Naruto. It would become a second defence, other than his combat skills.
"So" Mikoto started, "What is your answer?".
There was silence for a few moments, but with a weary sigh, the Hokage inclined his head. "Very well, Mikoto-chan, it shall be done."
Mikoto smiled, everything had gone to plan. She couldn't wait to see what those three were capable of, there was no doubt that they would go far, but how far, was the question. She decided she'd just have to wait and see, it would certainly be an interesting wait, that was for sure.
So, there you have it. Chapter 1, or 2 if you prefer, is up.
I added Naruto's increase in intellect and physical health as I think this is what could have happened when you mix Kyuubi's healing powers, powerful chakra and a body that is isn't malnourished. Furthermore, if you add in a ninja's careful dieting, which Kakashi no doubt has and has implemented, it furthers that effect. Plus, if you add to the fact that someone is willing to teach him in an unbiased manner, and not sabotage him, he has the potential to go even further.
As for the team choice... Well, I find it a rather interesting team that I could have some fun writing with, not to mention how much it will screw with the original plot...Not that I haven't already. :).
Last few key notes.
Votes on who the Sensei is to be (I know who I want, but if there is a majority vote I will change who it is):
Kakashi Hatake - Jounin to Elite Jounin.
Mikoto Uchiha - Ex-Jounin.
Danzo Shimura (just an interesting option) - Village Elder, Hokage Candidate, Elite Jounin to Kagenin (Kage level Ninja).
Fugaku Uchiha - Clan Head, Elite Jounin, Head of Konoha Police Force.
Jiraiya of the Sannin - Kagenin, Toad Summoner and Sage, Fuinjutsu master, Hokage Candidate.
The Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, The God Of Shinobi, The Proffessor- Hokage, Badass. (Probably wont choose him, but thought he deserved to be nominated)
Character Creation - Just give me a basic character bio and skills.
Right, so I'll see (or write to you all) when the next chapter is released, bye.