Remnants of Uzushio
A/N: Hello, Everybody! Loco Mortis back with another chapter. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who followed, favorited, reviewed, my story. When authors say how much those things motivate them I didn't really believe them, but now I know it's true. Apologies in advance for spelling/grammatical errors, I catch most but not all. Anyways, time for the story!
P.S. - There'll be a longer note at the bottom. Just giving a heads up.
-Previously-
"MY NAME ISN'T SHORTY!" The girl yelled. Naruto then turned to walk away, taking that as a no to his offer. However, the girl hadn't finished what she had to say. Her aggravated movements had been enough to jostle her hood from its place. Once the hood fell, it revealed shoulder length crimson hair to the world. "It's Mito Uzumaki!" Naruto had looked over his shoulder as he walked as she yelled at him. However, the hair and name took a while to register with his mind. Once his mind rebooted he turned around in complete shock.
"What?"
Remnants of Uzushio:
Chapter Two
Mito could only stare at the stranger in confusion. Was this guy retarded or something?
"What do you mean 'What?' What's not to understand! My name isn't Shorty, it's Mito Uzumaki! Are you brain-dead or something?" Mito asked hotly. First this guy bumps into her, then he keeps her from going to her training session with her team, and then he asks her stupid questions. 'I'm so close to just decking the guy and walking away,' Mito thought. 'and why does he seem so shocked at hearing my name. I know that's what I go for when I give my name, but I mean come on! He's practically catatonic.' Mito's were interrupted by the boy in front of her.
"Ya, ya, I heard you, your name is Mito. But did you say your surname was Uzumaki?" Naruto asked almost desperately. He didn't let that desperation leak into his question though, he had to keep calm. He had no idea of the situation surrounding Mito, or if she truly was an Uzumaki. However, the vibrant red hair gave him a sliver of hope.
"Are you deaf, too!? Yes, my surname is Uzumaki." Mito said tiredly, she'd had just about enough of this guy and his constant questions. "And isn't it rude to not give your name when someone has already done so." Naruto decided to be blunt and answer questions later. He was sure as hell going to have a bunch of questions to answer when this was over. He could feel the dozen or so Anbu that surrounded him and Mito. He was so shocked at hearing her surname that he had lost hold of his chakra for a split second. Luckily Mito hadn't noticed, but that split second was unfortunately enough to grab the attention of almost every Anbu in a fifty meter radius. It was every day that you feel Kage level chakra and have it disappear as soon as it appeared. The proverbial siren bells must be going off right about now in every Anbu' head.
"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. One of the few remaining members of our nearly extinct clan" Naruto said calmly. He watched as shock appeared on Mito's face.
"Clan!? The Uzumaki isn't a clan! The Old Man said I didn't have any family left. You're obviously just one of those asshole villagers trying to mess with my head!" Mito exclaimed, obviously not believing him in the slightest.
"What are you talking about? Everyone knows about the Uzumaki clan." Naruto explained. A little bit of anger had seeped into his voice at this time. "The Uzumaki clan even helped fou-" Naruto was interrupted by a group of ten Anbu that appeared around the two in a circle. The one that appeared to be the leader addressed Naruto with a monotonous voice. 'Damn...there's too many for me to get away quietly. I could get away, but if she is an Uzumaki I can't just leave her here' Naruto thought with a grimace
"The Hokage requests and audience with you, stranger. Failure to comply will be met with due force." The Anbu ordered/threatened. Mito was understandably shocked by the Anbu's demand. 'What does the Old Man want with him? Is he some kind of super dangerous missing nin? But he says he's an Uzumaki too! I need to talk with the Old Man...just what has he been hiding from me.' Mito thought with a frown.
'Jeez, this Hokage doesn't mess around...There's obviously a cover-up going on around here. If Mito doesn't even know about her own clan I doubt that the other people of this village do. The Hokage will surely know something, but I doubt he'll just hand out classified information at the drop of a hat. The nerve of it all...the Uzumaki helped found this ungrateful village.' Naruto thought with disdain. Naruto then turned to address the Anbu.
"Alright, tell him we'll be there in about ten minutes...It's the big tower in the center of the village, correct?" At the Anbu's nod he started walking in that direction. The Anbu had gone back to their posts, their chakra barely detectable. As Naruto was walking, he noticed the lack of a certain girl. "Hey! You comin' or what? I figure you need to talk the Hokage too." Naruto called back. His shout caused the girl to jump. Clearly startled out of her thoughts.
"Ya, I'm coming. And you're right, I do have some questions for the" Mito said as she followed Naruto. Mito then looked at the person beside her in greater detail than before. 'Now that I get a closer look...we do kind of look alike. And there is no one in Konoha with that color of hair...and I've seen some pretty odd hair colors.' Mito thought as she remembered her teammate, Sakura, and her stupidly pink hair. 'He also doesn't treat me like the other villagers, and he looks old enough to remember the attack if he were a citizen. Just what has the Old Man been hiding from me?' Mito ended her inner monologue with a sad frown.
'So the Old Man she was talking about is the Hokage...This just makes the situation even more concerning. I doubt the Hokage would let just anybody refer to him like that, much less an "Orphan." The Hokage better give me some answers.' Naruto thought. The two Uzumaki were quietly walking towards the Hokage tower and as they walked, Naruto noticed that they were on the receiving end of some pretty harsh glares. Civilians were looking towards them and whispering. He started to channel a minute amount of chakra to his ears to enhance his senses for a short time. With his enhanced hearing, he was able to hear the whispers as if they are being told straight his face.
"Who's that with the damned brat?"
"Are they related?"
"I hope not, that...Thing...doesn't deserve any family"
Naruto clenched his fists as he heard the whispers. It was obvious that the last whisper was referring to Mito. 'This behavior is completely uncalled for. I seriously doubt that she did anything to warrant it. She doesn't seem like that kind of person...she has a temper, but that doesn't give them the right to treat a child this way.' Naruto thought furiously. They continued to walk in silence as Naruto continued to listen to what the people were saying about them. One villager looked like he was going to throw something at the two, but Naruto shot him a glare that could freeze an active volcano. The man instantly backed off, looking ready to shit a brick. The other villagers saw this and the whispers began with a renewed fervor. 'Some vacation this is turning out to be...' Naruto thought tiredly.
Naruto sent a quick look at Mito, wondering if she was able to hear the whispers. Her face was mostly blank, seemingly lost in thought, but he could see the slight furrow of her brow and the pain that leaked into her eyes. 'So she can hear them...I wonder what causes these people to act this way.' Naruto thought, feeling sympathy for the younger girl. She had long since pulled her hood back up, hiding her hair once more. Naruto also wondered why she covered her hair, but didn't voice his confusion.
The two had finally made it to the Hokage Tower. Naruto found its design odd to say the least, but he figured that different people had different tastes. They went inside and told the woman running the front desk that they Hokage was expecting them. Well...Naruto told the woman, Mito just stayed silent when they had entered the crowded office. Naruto noted that she seemed uncomfortable being in such a crowded building, and filed that thought away for later(1). They then continued up the stairs to the Hokage's office. Naruto just followed Mito since she most likely knew where to go. They went up to the top floor, clearly indicated by the sign that said 'TOP FLOOR', and walked towards the large double doors of the Hokage's office. Mito just walked right through not bothering to knock.
Inside they saw Hiruzen Sarutobi, the God of Shinobi, sitting behind his desk. Right now he was putting some finishing touches on some paper work. He stopped, though, when he saw that Mito was with the stranger who had released the kage level chakra flare. He ignored Naruto's presence for the moment and turned toward Mito with a smile.
"Hello, Mito-chan. I didn't realize that you were also coming." Hiruzen said calmly. "I thought that the Anbu told you to come alone, there are matters that need must be discussed." He finished as he looked at Naruto. Naruto then took the ensuing silence as his time to speak.
"You're damn right we need to talk. Why have you kept her heritage from her. Why doesn't Mito know about the Uzumaki clan?" Naruto said vehemently. "Who do you think who are to keep someone's heritage a secret?" Hiruzen flinched slightly, clearly not expecting such a question. He told his Anbu to bring the source of the flare, but he didn't expect Mito to be with him and was unprepared for this conversation. Hiruzen then just decided to tell the truth since he couldn't maneuver his way out of this conversation.
"I did it for her own protection. The Uzumaki were feared across the elemental nations. If word got out that there was an Uzumaki left people would try to assassinate her or worse." Hiruzen answered. That answer didn't satisfy Naruto in the slightest.
"So you don't believe your own village is capable of protecting one girl?" Naruto asked coldly.
"No! That's not what I-"
"But that is what you imply!" Naruto said. "And even if that weren't the case, you should have at least told Mito! Or is it that you don't trust her enough to let her keep her own secrets." Hiruzen was at a loss for words. It wasn't every day that you receive a verbal lashing, and by someone more than half your age no less. Regardless of that he couldn't rebuke the young man's point. Hiruzen slowly took a deep breath, suddenly feeling twice his age. Guilt that had festered for over a decade started to hammer away at his conscience. The young man in front of him was right and he had no viable excuse for his negligence in regards to Mito. Said girl had finally had enough of them pretending she wasn't there.
"What does he mean, Old Man...do I actually have a clan!?" Mito questioned desperately. "Why didn't you ever tell me? Was it really that you don't trust me?" Mito was deeply hurt that the Old Man kept keeping secrets from her. If she really had family left then she deserved to know, damn it! If what everything that Naruto said was true, than the two of them were family. She pushed back the tears that were starting to form. She had a family...she wasn't alone! Naruto interrupted Hiruzen before he could speak.
"Yes, you did have a clan, Mito. However, most of the Uzumaki clan were wiped out during the second shinobi world war. Three separate villages—Iwa, Kumo, and Mizu—attacked Uzushio, the village where the Uzumaki clan resided. The island was surrounded by naturally occurring whirlpools that protected the nation. Unfortunately, it didn't stop the attackers. They somehow managed to bypass the whirlpools and attack. Only a few members of the clan were able to escape being destroyed. Most had escaped to Mizu no kuni and lived the rest of their lives hidden from the rest of the world." Naruto explained. Hiruzen looked oddly at the young man in front of him.
"How do you know so that there are survivors? If they isolated themselves form the rest of the world, I doubt they would let themselves be discovered so easily. Who are you really?" Hiruzen asked. Naruto contemplated telling Hiruzen his name, silently going over the pros and cons of doing so, but he figured that Mito would eventually tell the old man eventually.
"Because my parents are survivors of Uzushio. I am Naruto Uzumaki, son of Rei and Haru Uzumaki." Naruto said, pride evident in his voice. Hiruzen had his suspicions, but Naruto's admission confirmed his theory.
"So you are a distant cousin of Mito's?" Hiruzen asked, it was more of a statement than a question. Naruto nodded and Mito's face broke into a huge smile. Hiruzen watched as Mito suddenly tackled Naruto into a hug, knocking him off the chair he had been sitting in. Naruto looked shocked at the girls actions, but he immediately saw the happy tears that were gathering in the corners of her eyes. 'I guess she was more lonely than she led others to believe...Eh, I don't see the harm in staying longer than I had planned. If I'm gonna be staying for a while I should let mom know, she'll be ecstatic to hear that he had found another Uzumaki.' Naruto thought as he put his hand on her head fondly. After a few minutes, Mito had regained her composure. She had an embarrassed blush on her face as she got off of Naruto. Hiruzen waited for the two to return to their seats before he addressing Mito.
"Mito...words cannot express how deeply sorry I am for keeping so many secrets from you. I had the best intentions in mind, but I guess it did more harm than good. Not only did I lose your trust, but I am partly the cause for your loneliness. I am not asking for forgiveness, but I hope you understand my reasons." Hiruzen said, his voice was thick with guilt and regret. Mito was silent for a few minutes, some of the longest minutes in Hiruzen's life, before replying.
"You're right, Old Man. You did lose my trust...that is something that will take a long while to gain back." Mito said as she looked anywhere but at the aged Hokage. "That's two secrets now, that I've had to find out from someone other than the person keeping them. You should have been honest from the start, it would have saved me a lot of pain." As she finished, a tear managed to escape her control. Naruto saw this and frowned...'The road to hell truly is paved by good intentions.' Naruto thought solemnly. It honestly hurt him to break apart such a trusting relationship, but Mito deserved to learn the truth. Hiruzen let a tired sigh escape his lips.
"I see that now, Mito. I will try to repent for my mistakes, starting now. Mito, what I'm going to say to you is to be kept in complete secrecy from the rest of the world. This conversation has shown me that you are ready to hear this, you've been ready for a long while. I've just been too blind to see it." Hiruzen said, he then turned to Naruto. "Naruto. You're some of the only family Mito has left, so it's alright for you to stay."
"I would've stayed regardless, Sarutobi." Naruto said calmly, referring to the Hokage by his last name to show his dislike for the old man's actions in regards to Mito. He wasn't worried about being attacked for his disrespect because he knew that the Hokage wouldn't do anything to make Mito angrier at him than she already was. Hiruzen ignored the disrespect in favor of continuing what he had to say.
"Mito, it's time I told you about your parents..." Hiruzen took a pause to gauge her reaction. Mito's eyes had gone wide with shock and hope. Mito had always asked him about her parents, but he would always change the subject. "I figured that now is the best time to tell you, especially since you're just beginning your career as a kunoichi. We'll start with your mother, since she too was an Uzumaki. Her name was Kushina Uzumaki. She was the heiress of the Uzumaki clan before she was sent here to Konoha some time before Uzushio's destruction. I see so much of her in you that it's scary... She was a great woman and one hell of a kunoichi. Very few could match her on the field of battle." Hiruzen said nostalgically. Mito had a small sad smile as she heard this. It made her feel closer to her mother to hear that they were so much alike. Naruto had wide eyes after hearing that Mito's mother was the heiress of their clan. 'Why would the Uzumaki send the heiress to Konoha? Mom said the only other Uzumaki in Konoha was Mito-sama, but she was approaching the end of her life by that time and I doubt it was for a simple visit.' Slowly the reason dawned upon him. 'She was going to be made the next jinchuriki! But if Kushina is dead that means that there had to be a new container...' Naruto then looked towards Mito. 'Of course. It all makes sense now...damned ignorant villagers.'
"Your father...your father was probably one of the greatest men I had ever had the pleasure of knowing. He had skill that was almost unmatched, and his knowledge was just as extensive. He was famous for defeating entire battalions(2) of shinobi in a literal flash. He is hailed as the hero of the third shinobi world war," Naruto's eyes widened, finally figuring out who Hiruzen was referring to. Mito took a little longer, but the shock that she felt was several times greater than Naruto's. "Your father name was Minato Namikaze, the Yellow Flash. Our fourth Hokage." Hiruzen said. Mito was stunned into a stuttering mess.
"My...my father...was..." Mito said, clearly having a hard time comprehending what she was hearing. She was so happy to finally know who her parents were, but to hear that she was the daughter of two immensely powerful people was too much to handle. Although, that joy was accompanied by some resentment towards her father. He had sealed the Kyuubi into her after all. Hiruzen calmly walked out of his seat and towards a bookshelf and started to remove a couple of books. There were faint markings on the wood, so faint that even most ninjas would miss it if they didn't know what to look for. Naruto, however, was clearly able to tell that the markings were for a storage seal combined with a blood lock. A rather simple combination of seals that was great for keeping ones belongings safe. The blood-lock was designed to respond to the blood of the seal's creator. It was made by infusing blood into the ink that it's made with and was one of the first combination seals that every Uzumaki learns.
Hiruzen made a shallow cut on his palm and placed it onto the seal and two decently large scrolls appeared.
"These scrolls are your parents' legacy. Every technique, every theory, all their money, are in these scrolls. Paranoia is very common among shinobi and they both had the foresight to keep record of everything they had in case something happened to them. They made these scrolls when Kushina found out she was pregnant with you and they kept them updated with everything they learned afterwards." Hiruzen said as he handed both the scrolls to Mito, who took them with shaky hands. "They are yours now. Use them as you please, just do not relinquish any information of your fathers techniques. The thought of an enemy village getting their hands on the Hiraishin no jutsu makes my skin crawl."
"Thank you, Old Man. I may not agree with your actions, but your heart was in the right place." Mito said as she hugged the scrolls to her chest.
"Thank you for at least understanding my intentions Mito. You're secrets are now yours to tell if wish to do so. All of them." Hiruzen said. The hidden meaning was not missed by Mito, who nervously looked at Naruto. Naruto also understood what Hiruzen was referring to, but didn't say anything. 'Mito's secret are her's to keep. She'll tell me when she's ready.' Naruto thought.
Naruto, who had been silent up until now, decided to make a request to the Hokage. 'From what Hiruzen said, Mito had just become a genin...perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to train her. Besides, I doubt that she knows any fuinjutsu. Konoha has seemed to turn away from the art of fuinjutsu. It was almost insulting really...The only notable fuinjutsu masters of Konoha were the Fourth, Kushina, Jiraiya, and the a lesser degree Hiruzen himself.
"Hokage-sama, with your permission, I would like to train Mito in our family's art." Naruto said, actually sounding respectful for once. Mito's eyes widened at the request. 'Train me? I thought he was a traveling civilian. I can't even feel his chakra...I wonder how strong he is.' Mito wondered. If he was able to conceal his chakra completely his control must be very good. She also remembered that he hadn't been detected by Anbu until some point during their conversation earlier. The Anbu only came after she told him her name. 'He must have let his control slip...' She realized. Mito was not the smartest of people, but she had her rare moments of clarity. The Hokage considered the request for a moment before answering with a question of his own.
"What do you wish to accomplish by training Mito? You've barely known for more than a few hours." Hiruzen said. He wanted to get a feel for Naruto's intentions. Just because the two were family, doesn't eliminate the possibility of ulterior motives.
"I wish to train her in fuinjutsu, and in other fields if possible." Naruto said. "My skill in fuinjutsu quite high, even by Uzumaki standards. Mito would only benefit from such training. Fuinjutsu requires control, patience, and skill. I plan to impart these traits to her. Besides, the Uzumaki were a clan of fuinjutsu experts, she should be able to get it without much trouble." Naruto said with a smirk. Mito had a sour look on her face at the thought of more chakra control exercises, but was happy that she would be learning her family's specialty.
"Very well, Naruto-san. I will allow you to train Mito. I'm sure she will prosper under your tutelage if that chakra flare was any indication of your strength." Hiruzen then turned to Mito with a smile. "Mito, Naruto will now be your sensei along side Kaksashi." Mito returned the smile tenfold. She had two teachers! She'd be kicking ass and taking names in no time! Mito's smile had turned devious as her thoughts continued. Hiruzen grew a nervous look when he saw that smile, many past pranks had conditioned him to be wary of such looks. He made a mental note to watch his back before he took a look at the clock, it was around noon. He then adressed the two sitting in front of him.
"Mito, you should probably get back to your team. It's been about two hours since the scheduled time for your training."(3) Hiruzen said. "Naruto can accompany you there. Kakashi should be showing up in another hour, so that should be enough time to get acquainted with each other." Hiruzen then took a short moment to write something down on a piece of parchment. He handed the message to Mito and explained. "Give this to Kakashi when he gets there. It'll explain the situation to him. Naruto...I expect you to train her to become a powerful kunoichi."
"You don't have any reason to worry, Sarutobi. When I'm done with her, she'll be take on at least a chunin before the exams." Naruto said with confidence, both in his ability to teach and Mito's ability to learn. She was an Uzumaki after all, he was sure she could handle the training. Mito was busy wondering what her new sensei would teach her.
After Mito took the note they she started heading to where her team trains, Naruto following beside her. They had traveled to a part of the village where the sea of buildings were starting to thin. There were also more ninja visible, jumping from place to place by rooftop. Naruto assumed that this part of Konoha was inhabited mostly by the ninja of the village. Naruto also saw that Mito was only receiving one or two glares from the various shinobi. 'At least the soldiers of the village aren't stupid.' Naruto thought as he sighed. Mito and Naruto soon arrived to the training ground. Naruto saw two people waiting for them, both around the same age a Mito. One had pink hair, green eyes, a red dress with white edges, and blue ninja sandals. She was currently pacing angrily, obviously waiting for this "Kakashi" to show up. The second person had black hair that was cut in a way that spikes were protruding from the back of his head, two bangs also framed his face. He had black eyes and his face seemed to be set in a permanent frown. He was wearing a high-collared dark blue shirt, simple white shorts, and blue ninja sandals. Mito had a frown at seeing her teammates, but greeted them anyway.
"Hey, Sakura. Hey, Sasuke." Mito said, lacking the usual exuberance she normally had. 'Hm, she doesn't seem to like her teammates very much.' Naruto thought. Sakura turned her head sharply towards the noise. When she saw Mito she let her anger out on her.
"Mito, you moron! Where the heck have you been!?" Sakura spat angrily(4). Mito sighed at her behavior, but Naruto had a frown on his face. "We were supposed to be here at ten o'clock. It's already noon! And where the hell is Kakashi!" Sakura finished her tirade. Naruto then decided to make his presence known.
"The reason Mito is late is because of me. She and I had been called by the Hokage. Now if you'll excuse us, we've got some training to do. Come on, Mito, I need to know what skills you have before we begin." Naruto said as he motioned Mito to another part of the large field. Sasuke, however, had an angry look on his face.
"Wait, who are you and what do you mean training? Kakashi is our sensei." Sasuke said in suspicion. Naruto stopped walking, but didn't turn to face Sasuke.
"You're mistaken, I'm not training all of you. I'm only training Mito." Naruto said calmly. "Kakashi will be training the three of you, but afterwards Mito will be training with me." Sasuke looked livid at this.
"What makes that loser so special that she gets special training!" Sasuke yelled as he stood up angrily.
"As heiress to the Uzumaki clan, I have to make sure she is well versed in many techniques." Sasuke still looked indignant. He was the last of the Uchiha clan, but he wasn't being offered any special training.
"Clan!? The Uzumaki aren't a clan, and why would the Hokage appoint someone to train that loser?" Sasuke said. In his mind he figured he needed more training than Mito. He wanted to get as strong as possible to avenge his clan. Naruto turned around to look at Sasuke, a smirk on his face.
"Who am I? I'm Naruto Uzumaki, a distant cousin of Mito's and the Uzumaki were a clan. One that carried more honor and prestige than your little clan of pink-eyed monkeys." Naruto said, purposefully goading the prideful Uchiha by acting arrogantly. Naruto understood that pride in one's family was one thing, but arrogance was completely different. Being arrogant on the battlefield would only get you, and your squad, killed. Naruto just liked to play the part to enrage his enemies, and Sasuke had taken the bait.
"Take that back! Your pathetic clan couldn't possibly measure up to the Uchiha clan—one of the founder of Konoha!" Sasuke said angrily. Naruto could only shake his head at the boys ignorance. It seems that Konoha has forgotten the Uzumaki clan completely.
"The Uzumaki clan were also one of the clans that helped found Konoha. In fact, the first Hokage's wife was an Uzumaki. Their marriage helped solidify the alliance between our two villages. Unfortunately, the Uzumaki were wiped out for the most part during the second shinobi world war." Lectured Naruto. Sasuke had a smug look on his face at hearing that.
"See? Your clan isn't so great! They must have been squashed like the bugs they were." Sasuke was unaware of the danger he was putting himself into. Naruto's didn't have a lot of things that set him off. It was almost impossible to anger him. The only things that made him angry were rapists, child abusers, and people who speak ill of the dead. Especially if the dead in question were his family. Naruto let control of his killing intent go and directed it all at Sasuke.
"Listen, you impudent shit! My clan was destroyed in a joint effort of three entire hidden villages...the attack lasted for weeks. Uzushio held strong and had managed to slay over two thousand soldiers before succumbing to exhaustion, and even then their attempted genocide had failed. Your pathetic clan of thieves were slaughtered by one man in a single night while there are numerous Uzumaki still alive today, wandering the elemental nations." Naruto seethed. Sasuke had been sent sprawling on his back by the killing intent and was having a tough time breathing. Before situation could escalate any further a plume of smoke appeared in the field.
The smoke dissipated, revealing none other than Kakashi Hatake. He was wearing a standard jounin outfit and had his forehead protector slanted over his left eye. He was reading a small book titled "Icha Icha".
"That's quite enough, stranger. I would appreciate it if you wouldn't harass my students." Kakashi said in an aloof manner. Naruto looked slightly apologetic, but not by much.
"Sorry, but your genin has a big mouth. He should learn not to put his foor in it." Naruto said, shooting a glare at Sasuke as he got off the ground.
"Noted. Now, what are you doing here. Civilians aren't permitted to enter training grounds." Kakashi said as he sized Naruto up. 'Hm, I can only sense a small amount of chakra in him—enough for a civilian to live on, but he could easily be hiding it.' Kakashi thought. He was broken out of his thought by his red-haired student.
"Kakashi-sensei, the old man told me to give this to you." Mito said as she handed him the note from the Hokage. As Kakashi read the note, his visible eye widen a bit. He looked towards Naruto, silently asking for confirmation. Naruto merely nodded his head. Kakashi folded up the note, pocketed it, and turned to his other two genin.
"Alright, you two. Today the two of us will be doing some training." Kakashi then turned towards Naruto once more. "I'll let you train Mito for today as I've already got a general feel for what she knows. You take today to test her, and plan a training schedule." Kakashi motioned Sakura and Sasuke to follow him to another part of the clearing. Naruto then turned to Mito, whose eyes were shining with excitement.
"What are we going to learn first, Naruto-kun?" Mito asked with a smile. Naruto walked into the clearing and got into a lose stance. Feet shoulder length apart, one leg in front of the other, one arm tucked against his side, and one arm out.
"We'll first be having a spar so I know where to start your training. We'll be starting with taijutsu. I'll only be defending so don't hold anything back." Naruto said with an easy-going smile.
A/N: First fight sequence. Please be gentle (_)
"Alright! Here I come!" Mito said as she charged at Naruto.
Mito ran towards Naruto and tried a right-punch to Naruto's face. Naruto ducked the punch and sidestepped to the left. She had over extended herself and was left a little unbalanced which exposed her unprotected side. Mito then tried to continue with her momentum and did a reverse roundhouse kick, trying to catch Naruto with the back of her heel. Naruto simply blocked the kick with his forearm and pushed her forward, watching as she rolled to avoid falling. 'She's pretty decent for a genin, but there's always room for improvement. Taijutsu probably isn't her strong suit anyway. Most likely a ninjutsu-type considering her...condition. That just means that control is an absolute must.' Naruto thought. He was slightly impressed. That kick would have gotten most chunin. 'She seems to just react to what ever situation she's put into...Good reaction time, decent form. She's a bit impulsive though. Training in fuinjutsu will help with that though as you need lots of patience or else the seal would literally blow up in your face.' While he was creating a mental list of things to teach Mito, Naruto was dodging and evading all of Mito's attacks and he would push her over if left herself too open. Naruto blocked the last punch and Mito quickly leapt back.
Mito stopped a couple of feet away from her new sensei and frowned. She had seen the distant look in her eyes as she attacked. He wasn't even completely paying attention. She was slowly circle him, looking for an opening. Once she was behind him and to the side, she charged once more. This time she went for a sweep kick that Naruto jump over. Following this she jumped and performed another roundhouse, using the momentum from the sweep to strengthen her kick. This actually surprised him, it would take a lot of strength and coordination to go from a low sweep kick to a jump kick like that. He was so surprised that he was forced to actually block it. He didn't give an inch, but there was a dull ache in his arms. 'Damn! That was without chakra too! I was right, she's got loads of potential. Well I think I've seen enough of her taijutsu.' Naruto then threw his arm forward, making Mito jump back a few feet. 'Looks like she favors kicks over punches.' Naruto thought. He'll have to ask his mother to train her
"That wasn't bad Mito," Naruto said with a genuine smile. "You showed some moves that would have gotten even some experienced chunin." Mito had the decency to blush as the praise. She wasn't used to being praised for her skills. In the academy, she was always made fun of for her low scores. In recent years, the academy had been focusing more and more on academics, rather than practical skills. Mito had never been one for books and such, she excelled in the practical stuff. Her test grades were near to bottom while her practical scores were near the top of their class. The reason she had failed the times before were because of the clone jutsu, she had too much chakra to do that worthless technique. 'I don't even know why they would teach kids that technique. It's so easy to tell the difference. It doesn't make any noise and can't interact with the surrounding. It's practical use is pretty much zero.' Mito thought bitterly. She had failed two times because of her massive chakra reserves. Naruto wasn't done speaking however.
"Maybe if you were taller, you would have been able to kick me in the head...Shorty." Naruto said while laughing, knowing it would anger the young girl. She wasn't actually short, she was actually pretty tall for her age. Naruto just loved to make her mad. Sure enough, Mito grew angry. She didn't like how Naruto kept making fun of her height. She was still growing, damn it!
"I'M NOT SHORT!" Mito yelled. She then made the hand sign for her favorite technique. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Mito exclaimed as she made twenty clones. 'So she already knows the shadow clone jutsu.' Naruto thought happily, this would save them a good amount of time.
"Oh, so now you have an army of midgets? That's nice...I wonder how many of you it takes to screw in a lightbulb. You'd probably have to make at least that amount." Naruto said with a smirk. She was so easy to rile up.
"Screw you!" Mito yelled as her clones charged the grinning redhead.
"And now the fun begins." Naruto said as he got back into his stance. These were clones, so he could afford to let loose a little. Mito was also just going to let her clones do the work so he didn't have to worry about hurting her.
The first clone came from above, trying to stomp on his head. He side stepped and hooked his arm under the clone's armpit and around the opposite side of its neck. He then kicked the back of the clone's legs, kneeled down, and smashed the clone's neck against his knee. It was brutal, yet effective. That clone immediately dispelled. The next clone came running from behind him intent on punching him in the back of the head. Naruto, from his kneeling position, swept the leg he used to dispel the previous clone and tripped the current one. From there he got into a kneeling position again,turned, and smashed his elbow into the clone in a quick elbow drop. Using that arm as a spring Naruto quickly got up and grabbed the leg of a clone who tried to do a side kick. Using his hold on that leg, Naruto spun around and used that clone as a club to hit another clone. Both clones dispelled and Naruto turned to the remaining group.
Sixteen clones remained and Naruto decided to go on the offensive. Naruto charged towards one clone who punched once he got too close. Slapping the punch to the side, Naruto delivered a devastating knee to the clones kidney, thus dispelling it. Naruto then caught another clone trying to sneak up on him from the side. He turned and redirected the punch that was thrown, while at the same time grabbing the extended arm. Naruto pulled the clone in and elbowed it square in the face. Not waiting for it to dispel, Naruto rushed towards a group of four clones and punched the first one before it could react. Naruto then avoided a chop to the back of his head back stepping backwards, letting the arm harmlessly go over his shoulder. Naruto grabbed the arm, slid his left leg back, and flipped that clone over his right should and into two others, dispelling the three of them.
The remaining ten clones decided to just swarm the redheaded behemoth. Naruto wanted to finish on a flashy note, so he gathered his special chakra into his fists and added his lightning chakra. Naruto waited until all ten of the clones were within range before slamming both fists into the ground. On impact with the ground, the lightning chakra exploded outwards, creating a dome of lightning that was several feet in diameter. The attack dispelled the clones and produced a cloud of dust that slowly dissipated, showing Naruto who didn't even look out of breath. Mito was looking at her sensei in awe. She knew she was only a genin, but Naruto had taken her clones down with such shocking efficiency. It took Naruto less than ten minutes to deal with her clones. And while there weren't that many to begin with, she knew that he was still holding back tremendously. 'Just how strong is he!?' Mito thought with disbelief. That last attack was also astonishing, she had never seen or heard of anyone controling lightning in such a way. Naruto took a deep, calming breath before walking towards the frozen girl.
"That was very good, Mito. I now have a basic understanding of your skills." Naruto said. "However, I do have one question. Do you prefer to use taijutsu or ninjutsu?"
"Um, I don't really have as many jutsu as I'd like. The Shadow Clone Jutsu is actually my first jutsu other than the Replacement and Transformation Technique." Mito said, feeling slightly self-conscience about the number of techniques she knew. "I prefer ninjutsu, but until I learn more I decided to work on my taijutsu." Naruto noticed her insecurities and quelled her fears.
"That's fine, Mito." Naruto assured. He then motioned for them to sit underneath a nearby tree. Naruto quietly sat on the ground and Mito took the spot right next to him. "I'm not really one for ninjutsu anyway. I only know a couple besides the basic two. I'm sure that Kakashi can teach you a couple jutsu." Naruto said with a smile. Mito then asked a question about Naruto's final technique.
"Was that lightning attack one of your jutsu? Can you teach it to me!?" Mito said, hope and anticipation evident in her eyes. Naruto was amused by her request, but shook his head negatively.
"I'm sorry Mito, but what I did wasn't a technique that can be learned." Naruto explained. "All I did was add my affinity to an ability that I have." As he mentioned his ability he created a string that rose up and plucked a leave off the treat, bringing it down into Naruto's hand. "My ability is unique to me and me alone. My chakra is able to take on a solid form. It can be molded into anything my mind conjures up." Mito was confused by the explanation.
"So it's a bloodline? Does that mean I'll unlock it too!?" Mito looked absolutely giddy at the thought of having such an ability. Naruto only shook his head.
"No, Mito, it's not a bloodline. Technically it is, but not everybody in the Uzumaki clan unlocks an ability and no two Uzumaki's have the same power." Mito looked crestfallen at the news. She was still hopeful, though, that she had the possibility of unlocking her own unique ability.
"So, Naruto-kun, how would you rate my skills?" Mito asked. She was eager to get all the discussion out of the way and get straight to the training.
"Well, your taijutsu is mid to high genin, your potential for ninjutsu is very high, and your reaction time is great." Naruto explained. "With that being said, you're too impulsive, you telegraph your moves a bit, and you anger too easily, Shorty!" Naruto said with a smirk. He then had to duck to avoid a punch. "See? But overall you're about on par with a low chunin"
"Well how is my temper supposed to get better if you're constantly annoying me." Mito said as she tried to calmed herself down.
"It's simple really," Naruto said. "Just work on keeping your cool during a battle. You can be as temperamental as you want when your squad isn't threatened by death." Naruto said seriously.
"Fine, I get it. So what am I going to be learning first, Naruto-sensei?" Mito asked, practically burning with anticipation. Naruto had a fond smile on his face as he watched Mito exude excitement.
"Calm down, Mito. There's still a couple more things we need to go over before we start the practical part of my training." Naruto said. Mito's excitement quickly went out the proverbial window.
"Ugh, fine. What do you want to talk about?" Mito said tiredly. Naruto could only smile as he looked Mito straight in the eye.
"What do you know about fuinjutsu?"
A:N/ Hey, guys! Just wanted to say thanks for takin' the time to read this. Hopefully the fight scene was satisfactory :) A quick change that I decided to make to the story. I'm gonna start using the honorifics. Personally I find them to be a great way to express how a person looks towards another. I added them in this chapter, but I didn't add them to the previous one because there isn't a whole lot of dialogue to add it to. I also tried to make the taijutsu as realistic as possible. I had recently taken some karate classes, so some of the moves you see might be influenced by some of the moves that I learn or see. Also, Naruto was using the bare minimum during the spar, so don't worry. I'll be giving him his own taijutsu skill set. I'm also thinking about whether or not Naruto will learn how to open the gates. I think it would be cool, let me know what you guys think :) There's going to be some more character development in the next chapter. Hopefully it will expand on Mito's character as well as her relationship with Naruto.
Now I'm going to address the notes that are in the chapter.
(1) - I figured that, in my story, the treatment that Mito had received as a child left some trauma. She is uncomfortable being in large enclosed areas with large amounts of people.
(2) Wikipedia says that a battalion is composed of up to 300-1000 soldiers
(3)Mito had told Hiruzen about her training schedules after team placements. she was excited to finally be a ninja and wanted to tell her grandfather figure about how her training is going
(4)Any bashing that I might do will not be without reason. Sakura will get better as the story progresses. Sasuke, though...I will leave you guessing on that. It could go either way, honestly...
Date Posted: Aug. 8 2013
Last Edit: n/a
-Loco Mortis
