Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Lord Myst: Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it. I will attempt to be as original as possible in how the events went and maybe even change the outcomes and add a few characters that do not show up until much later in cannon. From my point of view, the wave country mission and the Chuunin exams are two of the major things that made Team 7. It would be hard to totally remove them and think of something totally original but I will do my best to make something that will not be considered boring or old.
Dukect45: Thanks for your words of encouragement.
flring112: Thanks a lot.
TheOtaku Akatsuki: Maybe sometime in the future chapters, but I don't think they are nearly stron enough yet. Naruto and Sasuke may be more skillful than they are in cannon at this age, but they have no field experience. They will definately be strong but not all powerful...yet.
Raiton GUNDAM: Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Your contribution is very much appreciated. I was thinking about saving the bloodline info until I found it myself, but you saved me so much time. The reply for Lord Myst also applies to your review.
Chronostorm: Thanks. I've been thinking about the elemental affinities and have decided to stick with the originals and some secondaries of my choice like you suggested. It won't come for a while though because it would be making them too powerful too soon.
Well, thanks again to all the people who reviewed and I hope I haven't kept you waiting for too long.
Here is the next installment of Leaf Warriors.
'Normal Thoughts/Flashback'
'KYUUBI THOUGHTS'
'summons thoughts/Inner Sakura'
"KYUUBI SPEAKS"
"Normal People Speak"
"Summons Speak"
Chapter 4. Pride.
Kakashi raised a surprised eyebrow in question to the jutsu two of his prospective genin just performed.
'How can genin fresh out of the academy be able to perform that jutsu already…..and to bring someone else along, albeit willingly on Sakura's part' Kakashi mused 'well, this bunch might actually pass the test.'
Slowly bringing down his hand holding a well worn copy of Icha Icha Paradise volume 1 to rest by his waist, Kakashi studied his new students.
'The reports clearly stated that they will probably be the most mismatched genin cell ever. They are already looking more cohesive than most teams do after weeks together. A broody genius, a fan-girl, and a dead-last Jinchuriki' Eye smiling at his students again 'this will definitely be interesting.'
"Ok, since you are all here…..How about we get to know each other." Seeing their confused faces, Kakashi continued "You know, give me your name, likes, dislikes, dreams for the future, hobbies and stuff like that.
"Ano sensei, why don't you start and let us learn a little about you first." said Sakura with genuine interest in the joinin.
"Ma, My name is Hatake Kakashi, I do not feel like telling you my likes or dislikes. My dreams for the future……hmmm, I don't know you well enough to tell you. I have a lot of hobbies" Kakashi said while eye smiling at the gennin hopefuls.
"So all we learned…..is his name?" Sakura said with a furrowed brow, looking in her teammates direction for support.
Naruto and Sasuke nodded in her direction and Naruto said "We are considered the most mismatched team from this years graduating class….Add to that the fact that we deceived all the teachers for years makes us a bunch of untrustworthy subordinates. Kakashi-sensei is merely looking out for his own interests as a shinobi, in case we are spies." Seeing the fearful look on Sakura's face, Naruto continued "Don't worry about that, because the Hokage probably checked on us from time to time to see whether we were spies, and it would be hard to fool the old man. Plus, the unique feel of my chakra is a dead giveaway that cannot be replicated by any other shinobi."
Nodding her head to show she understood, and filing the 'unique chakra' statement away for future reference, Sakura looked up to find a serious looking Kakashi. His intense gaze basically frightened her into immobility.
Realizing that his seriousness was scaring Sakura a little, Kakashi decided to lighten up and asked them to continue starting with Naruto.
It had been over four hours since the meeting on the roof had ended and Kakashi believed that he would be forced to re-evaluate his opinion on all three of his gennin hopefuls. In fact, he would have passed them already, but knew that he would probably never hear the end of it from all the ANBU and Jounin personnel saying that he had grown too 'soft to even give the bell test.
The bell test. A test that he had reformed after the death of his best friend, Obito. A test with a no leniency policy because he believed that it would be better if a team never made it to the front lines, rather than making it there with no cohesion and then losing a member.
What did he have to show from his former team. A gravestone with the names of the people he respected, an estranged teammate who was searching the continent for a reason to live again, and a hated boy who looked so much like his sensei…..
'Huh? Where did that come from' Kakashi asked himself before looking closer from the tree he was hiding in, directly at Naruto's face and agreeing with what his subconscious had told him 'He does look like sensei with those new clothes on. This could be really interesting.'
Looking at his team again, he realized this was not how he expected them to be interacting. It was meant to be a simple relationship between the three.
Sasuke doesn't like anyone and kept them an arm's length away, Naruto is stupid and goes around asking girls on dates, and Sakura is a rabid fan girl who cares more about her hair than Shinobi arts.
'But no, I had to get the most complex team ever, who are serious about being shinobi's. Even the fan girl is shaping up to be a formidable teammate' Kakashi mused while ruing the fact that he had already proclaimed them as a team.
His team.
Flashback.
"You, go first" Kakashi said while pointing to Naruto so as to give Sakura time to recover from the fear she had felt when Kakashi was staring at them.
"My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen, training, and making friends. I dislike people who judge me before they get to know me….You are forgiven sensei" Naruto said with a small smile getting an eye smile back from Kakashi "Dreams for the future are to make more friends, help my friends achieve their dreams, get the people in this village to respect me and acknowledge my existence, and then become Hokage so I can protect this village. My hobbies are pranks, I guess."
'He has grown in an interesting way and certainly has his priorities straight.' Nodding in acceptance of the speech, Kakashi points to Sasuke.
" Uchiha Sasuke. I like training. I dislike a lot of things. The word dream undermines the importance of what I have to do. No offense, Naruto. My ambition is to rebuild my clan and to kill a certain man. I also intend on helping Naruto with his dreams." Sasuke said.
'I see….He may be an avenger, but he is willing to keep that bond and maybe even make new ones himself.' Kakashi thought while looking over and pointing at Sakura 'this has already gone better than I expected.'
"I am Haruno Sakura and I like flower picking and reading. I still kind of dislike Ino-pig for blinding me from the importance of life as a kunoichi. My dream for the future is to become a strong kunoichi and help my teammates out with their dreams.
'Amazing, they changed her in so little time' Kakashi thought until he saw Sakura's cheeks go a little red. Figuring out what it meant Kakashi laughed silently to himself.
It seems that the boys had figured it out as well, because Sasuke had a faint blush on his cheeks and Naruto was rolling on the floor in a fit of laughter.
'So it seems that Sasuke has a potential girl to help revive his clan. Ah, it reminds me of Aoi and Ruby-chan in chapter 6 of Icha Icha paradise Volume 1.
After explaining the test for tomorrow and the rules, he decided to hide and watch them from afar.
After all, a good shinobi has to find out all he can about a mission before undertaking the mission.
Flashback ends.
Watching the two boys teach Sakura the water walking exercise made him sigh discontentedly. This meant that he would obviously have to take their training seriously because they were already so strong.
He did have to meet some other jounins at the lounge to discuss what they saw in the new kids.
Old traditions died hard. You would think they would let him of because he gave very little info during those meetings.
'I never reveal anything because there is usually nothing to reveal and I am hardly ever interested. Seven teams already and I could sum up their abilities by just glancing at them. But this time its different. Naruto and Sasuke are the embodiments of true shinobi, I would be a fool to underestimate them.
Sighing again, he used the shunshin to get to the tower. With all the thinking he had done, he came to a conclusion. He was definitely not going to reveal anything about his team.
Team 7. Team Kakashi.
'That has a nice ring to it.'
10.00am.
Kakashi was already four hours late. Naruto and Sasuke had slept immediately they arrived with grins on their faces. They seemed so content and happy with themselves. Naruto had given her three apples and told her to eat up immediately they arrived. She had kept them in a safe place where she could get them once Kakashi-sensei said she could eat.
'What nerve. Naruto and Sasuke disobeyed our sensei and ate judging by the content looks on their faces. They came two hours late, tried to get me in trouble with their apple offerings, and fall asleep immediately after. Just what is going on here?' Sakura questioned with a frown while waiting for Inner Sakura's reply 'I think we should pound in that baka Naruto's head and leave Sasuke-kun out of it…..and then pound Kakashi-baka's head for making us wait so long.' was the response from Inner Sakura.
Sakura was pulled out of her musings as both boys stood up from their various sleeping positions under the shade of different trees. Both looked absolutely ecstatic and positively brimming with energy.
There was a puff of smoke and Kakashi appeared in the clearing carrying a backpack that contained what was sure to be food if the growl from Sakura's stomach was any indication. Both boys shook their heads and Sakura blushed as all attention was focused on her.
"So, you broke my rules….Sasuke, Naruto?" Kakashi said while looking at them "Good, then you passed step one of my test" he continued while ignoring Sakura's disbelieving look "You will have to look underneath the underneath Sakura."
Placing an alarm clock on the stump in front of him and bringing out two bells, Kakashi said "You have until 12 noon to get these bells from me. The person who doesn't get a bell will be tied to the stump, and if none of you manage to get a bell then all of you will be tied to a stump each. After that, I will eat the lunches I brought for you, while you watch me. I will give you a second chance after I have finished my lunch if you all can still continue. If not, I will send you back to the academy for more training. Like I told you yesterday, there is a sixty-six percent failure rate."
Receiving two determined nods and one downcast look, Kakashi sighed 'not only is she a fan-girl, but she has confidence issues as well. She can tell they are both above her in skill and stamina, so she is assuming that they will get the bells and she will be sent back to the academy. Here I thought this group would actually pass. Might as well have fun with it.'
"Hold your head high Sakura, you are a proud kunoichi of Konohagakure no Sato. There is no place for self-doubt on the battle-field. Your teammates lives may depend on your skills no matter what they may be. Most importantly, you are my teammate and I will be damned if I let you down." Sasuke said with no emotion, but still managed to bring hearts to Sakura's eyes.
Inwardly, Kakashi was happy to hear those words come out from Sasuke, but he would not let that show.
Sighing, Kakashi continued in a practiced voice….like he had done this a thousand times already "Come at me with the intent to kill, or you will never get those bells."
Two and a half nods this time. Sakura was still hesitant so he couldn't exactly count them as a team yet. Kakashi could see the reluctance playing across her face and thought that there was definitely a lesson to be learned for her.
"Ma, What are you waiting for…..BEGIN!" Kakashi said.
'Ok, that wasn't really what I was expecting' Kakashi said as he saw Naruto and Sasuke hold Sakura and keep her from leaving the clearing.
"Ah, if I was a true enemy, you all would be dead" Kakashi said as he eye-smiled.
"But that just proves that you are not taking us seriously, and we would never stand a chance against you. Plus, why should we attack a fellow comrade." Naruto said.
'I am seriously running out of things to test them on with regards to teamwork' Kakashi said while looking at teach of them carefully 'Even Sakura is starting to understand….So they refrained from telling her the purpose because they knew it would be an ego boost for her if she figured it out on her own.'
True to his thoughts, Sakura was starting to understand what Kakashi had been trying to do. Separate them and make them fight against themselves.
Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, Kakashi decided to drop all pretences "Okay, you passed for figuring everything out and becoming a team before the alarm went off. But I will be damned if I came all the way out here without at least testing your survival skills."
"So why didn't you say so Kakashi-sensei. I have a few new jutsus that I want to try out in survival training now that I can't get chased by angry chuunin and jounin anymore. Kage Bunshin no jutsu…..Henge no jutsu" Naruto said.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu" Sasuke said while aiming the fireball at the jounin.
Jumping to the side, Kakashi was surprised to see numerous versions of the team going in different directions.
'A diversion that is unique to this team. Because of Naruto's amazing chakra reserves, he is able to make numerous solid bunshin's and maintain them over a certain distance.' Kakashi thought 'but it has a loop-hole. There is a female on the team and kunoichi have 'softer' chakra signatures than their male counterparts.'
'It seems that Naruto realized this though, because he is raising his chakra to mask the chakra of the others in the group….only a skilled hunter-nin or captain level ANBU would be able to track them effectively.' Kakashi smiled behind his mask
"Ok, that should buy us a few minutes at most" Sasuke said as he stopped "Last I read about this guy, he was an ANBU captain and one of the youngest in the history of the organization. He can destroy all of us, easily. We need a plan Naruto."
"Hai, I am working on it. I am waiting for the Kage Bunshin I asked to get Sakura's apples. She won't be of much use in her current condition" Naruto said as the Kage bunshin landed on the branch Sakura was crouched on.
After handing Sakura her apples it turned to talk to Naruto and Sasuke.
"Kakashi-sensei is better than we predicted. He will be here in five minutes" said Naruto-bunshin.
"Kuso, we can't get it done in that time. Tell the others to move on to plan B. He did say we should come at him with the intent to kill." Naruto said as he watched the clone puffed into smoke.
Sakura was about to ask what he meant until she heard a loud explosion about 2 minutes sprint from where they were.
Sasuke nodded and started running towards the clearing closest to them. Naruto explained the details of his plan as they ran.
After so many exploding clones, Kakashi was almost positive that he would kill Naruto when he saw him. He had done so many Kawarimi no jutsu's and had eventually started using his sharingan just to get a head start on the exploding clones.
'When I find that boy, I will turn him upside down, empty his pockets, and use the money to replace my precious new edition of Icha Icha paradise. I can't believe he caught me off guard that first time.' Kakashi said as he brought out his previous version of the book from his kunai pouch and closed his Sharingan.
Sensing a female presence in the next clearing, Kakashi picked up his pace and saw Sasuke and Sakura setting a trap. Lying down on the ground a few inches away from them was Naruto, obviously exhausted. Sasuke noticed his presence and made for the bushes behind him, with Sakura hot on his tail. Naruto was attempting to get up, but failed miserably because it looked like he was totally out of chakra.
Walking up to Naruto and making sure to avoid any and all traps, Kakashi observed from a safe distance.
"Heh, seems like you got me sensei. I tried didn't I? I really thought I had more chakra than that" Naruto said from his position on the floor.
"Baka, if you detonate them from a distance, they take up more chakra." Kakashi said while walking closer with all intents of getting his student out of the danger zone "I expected more of a fight from you."
Kakashi then threw a kunai at Naruto and it barely scratched him but he burst into smoke.
"I am an elite Jounin and probably the second strongest person in this village….You will get nowhere with small time tricks like that." Kakashi said.
At that moment, three kunai's came from different areas around the clearing and Kakashi brought out one of his kunai in preparation to block. Two were in his line of sight while the last was within his peripheral vision. Memorizing the trajectory of the two kunai in front of him, Kakashi turned slightly and was shocked to see the last one was off target.
The kunai was so off target that it would hit the other two that were headed his way.
'So, they all lined up in different areas and threw the kunai's. Knowing that I would prefer not to waste against them, they guessed I would attempt to block all three kunai. The first two in my line of sight and one perpendicular to the other two. A sharingan user would be able to determine the trajectory of the other throws easily.' Kakashi analyzed.
Realizing that he couldn't throw his kunai to intercept any of the kunai his team had thrown, Kakashi raised his guard and decided to watch the fireworks.
A second later, there were two sounds of metal hitting metal before they hit the ground with soft thuds. Then there was silence.
Almost instantly, the silence was broken and hail of shuriken flew at Kakashi from all sides and at different angles leaving little room for escape. There was room though and he was planning on capitalizing on any mistake these very formidable brats made, if only to show them they were not that good.
Kakashi was proven wrong yet again.
"Shuriken kage bunshin no jutsu" Naruto yelled to his left.
'Curse him for knowing such high level jutsu.' Kakashi thought as the 20 shuriken in the air multiplied in 200.
Throwing his kunai in a fluid motion toward where he heard the voice, Kakashi went through a few short hand seals and said "Doton: Doryūheki" while removing his mask and expelling a ton of mud from his mouth and onto the floor around him.
His sharingan had been revealed in the course of the action.
Just as he was about to seal of the top of his cave, Kakashi saw something that made him start performing another pair of seals immediately.
It was Sakura. This normally would be no problem for Kakashi except for the fact that her pre-image produced by the sharingan was in the motion of throwing about 6 kunai with exploding tags attached.
'What do these kids think this is? A full out war?' Kakashi thought while whispering "Doton: Dochū Eigyo no Jutsu" and going undergroud to hide, and wait for one of his students to come and check for his mangled corpse.
A second later, Kakashi heard Sakura say "Jibaku Fuda: Kassei" thereby setting off the exploding notes and making Kakashi ears ring from the close proximity of the explosion.
'Kuso, I should have realized that would happen…..I really have lost my touch if genins fresh out of the academy can do this to me. But then again, these are not normal genins' Kakashi thought while rubbing the feeling back into his ears.
Pushing chakra into his ears, Kakashi was able to hear a whispered "Fūton: Daitoppa" from Naruto.
'Probably to clear the dust from the exploding tags' Kakashi mused before he heard two sets of footsteps running directly towards his location 'I will be ready for them this time' Kakashi said as he created a kage bunshin and they both started preparing the seals for Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu.
"Tajū Kage bunshin no jutsu" he heard Naruto say before feeling the vibrations of roughly 50 bunshins landing on the ground, above him.
Before he could finish, he heard Naruto call out yet another jutsu.
"Doton: Retsudotenshō."
'Grrrr, I was the one who stole that jutsu for this village during the war and he is using it against me' Kakashi thought, but with grudging respect acknowledged that Naruto would definitely go far in life.
'A genin just out of the academy and he already has such a large jutsu repertoire and amazing chakra reserves. He could become Hokage before he is 18 if he continues at this rate.'
Bringing his mind back to the present, he gave a mental command for his clone to Henge into a demolition ball with a chain. The memory of this particular weapon was fresh in his mind because Gai had forced him into a spar using that as the only weapon. It was a humbling experience and put Gai on par with him in their ongoing rivalry. Not that he was counting.
Picking up the chain and swinging it around to gain some momentum, Kakashi threw it upwards and jumped with all the strength he could muster right after it. Immidiately the weapon bunshin penetrated the earth, it burst into smoke and Kakashi came flying through. Looking down, Kakashi realized that he had a serious problem.
He had two options. First was to use the Kawarimi no jutsu into the forest and possibly fall into another trap or set of traps. Secondly was to take a plunge into a smoke filled area that was just previously occupied by a few hundred bunshin. Well, his stealth was leaps and bounds higher than theirs so he decided to take the plunge.
Altering his path slightly by doing several flips in the air before he reached the apex of his jump, Kakashi prepped his legs with chakra to soften his landing. He needn't have bothered because he landed in a fluid like substance that was hardening at a frightening pace.
Not moving an inch because he could feel the sharp edge of a kunai on different ends of his throat.
"Doton: Doryūheki is a success" Sasuke said in a fatigued voice.
Turning slightly to look at the boy, Kakashi was unsurprised to see the two tomoe sharingan in each of Sasuke's eyes.
"I see, so you were able to copy the technique from me and use it as a restraining technique instead of a defensive technique." Kakashi said with an eye-smile. 'Impressive.'
After his sharingan faded away, Sasuke and Naruto fell to the floor while Sakura walked up and pulled the bells from Kakashi's waist.
A second later, the alarm clock rang.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow. Looking up at the sun, he realized that it was about 4 hours past 12 noon and he had not noticed because these brats had nearly pushed him to the limit of his abilities. Even though he wasn't exactly taking them seriously. Maybe it was time for him to start training again.
Finally gathering enough chakra, Kakashi did a small raiton jutsu to loosen his earthen bonds, and as he climbed out, he watched two Naruto shadow clones bring three packs into the clearing.
Handing each pack to its respective owner, they disappeared in a puff of smoke. Kakashi who was curious about this revelation turned to Naruto. As they all got up and started making their way back to the original clearing, Kakashi popped the question that was bothering him.
"Where is your stuff, Naruto? It is not wise to go on survival training trips without the necessary essentials like food rations, water and extra weapons." Kakashi said in a sagely tone.
"Ah, I learned the basics of sealing the other night and I am now able to seal stuff into scrolls. Oh, and I developed a seal yesterday that Sasuke and I are using a the moment. I called it Fuuin: Full body Seal. I drew a basic weight increase seal on all the weights we have on our bodies. Then I connected them with several conjunction seals. Placing a basic trigam seal on our forearms, we are able to use them as regulators to increase the weights we are wearing at a particular time. We do this by simply putting our blood over the trigam seal and doing the required hand seals before calling out the name of the jutsu and the amount of weight you want to add. There are no partial removals sadly, it has to be the full release when you decide to remove it" Naruto said in a tired voice.
Sakura looked awed and confused, but reserved her comments because it looked like Naruto wanted to continue talking.
'So they were wearing weights….even more impressive' Kakashi thought.
"I was wondering you get me more advanced scrolls. I need some more background knowledge on seals before I start experimenting on the things I have in mind" Naruto said.
"Sure Naruto, I will find those scrolls and borrow or buy them for you" Kakashi answered absentmindedly.
"Ano, why can't you get the scrolls yourself Naruto? The library will allow you if you show proficiency in that area." Sakura said while taking note of the droop on Naruto's shoulders.
Distracted by the sound of Kakashi mumbling something under his breath. Looking at him, they realized that something had gotten his attention and made him look older than he was.
Looking in the direction that had gotten their sensei's attention. The memorial stone lay right in front of them.
"Those that disobey rules are trash" Kakashi said, while Naruto and Sasuke had the grace to look sheepish "but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash. Remember that." Kakashi said and received three nods from his subordinates.
"This stone contains the names of the past heroes of this village…." Kakashi said "two of my teammates names are there and it never gets easier to shoulder the pain of losing them."
Standing straight, Kakashi decided it was time to give his report to the Hokage.
"Yare, yare. Its getting late. Meet me at the bridge over there tomorrow morning and we will start doing missions officially as team 7" Kakashi said and got tired nods of the affirmative.
"Ja ne." Kakashi said before disappearing in a plume of smoke.
The three genin who were left in the clearing started dragging themselves home. After all, no chakra meant no shunshin no jutsu.
Elsewhere, in the Hokage's office, the jounin were talking to each other as they waited for Kakashi's arrival.
"Ah, so it seems that we may have only two teams this year" Asuma said while blowing out a puff of smoke. "My team and your team Kurenai. It's a pity that the Uchiha had to get Uzumaki and Haruno. Even Ino realizes when to be serious and not be so much of a fan-girl. She mentioned the Uchiha only twice in her introduction."
Kurenai nodded her head in understanding. "I have heard that Kakashi has never passed a team in seven tries. I heard he failed one team immediately after he walked into the class twelve hours late. His excuse was that they didn't disobey the rules and go home, or at least get some sleep in the classroom.
"Well, why don't we make a bet Kurenai-san, Asuma-san?" Iruka said.
The two jounins turned to face the single chuunin in the Hokage's office. Smirking slightly, Asuma answered "Why not? What do you propose?"
"That this years team 7 under Hatake Kakashi will become genin" Iruka said with finality, drawing all the other jounins attentions to the trio.
Struggling to fight back a grin, Asuma answered "I wager 50,000 ryo against that outcome." Putting down a wad of money on the Hokage's desk "The Hokage will be our legal binder.
"That is a large amount of money, but I will match it" Iruka said, putting his own wad of money onto the Hokage's desk.
A few other intrigued jounins decided to join in and share the poor chuunins money and bet 50,000 ryo against team 7 passing. At the end, the odds were 14-1 in the jounins favor.
The Hokage who had been watching this scene with barely concealed amusement, collected the cash and set it beside him.
Sensing Kakashi's presence outside the door, everyone turned to face him as the doors swung open.
Noticing that all the attention was focused on him, Kakashi looked up from his book and raised a curious eyebrow at all the expectant faces.
"Do I have something on my face?" Kakashi asked innocently
'Baka, he wears a mask to cover his face and decides to ask such a silly question' were the thoughts of everyone in the room.
Chuckling good naturedly, Kakashi made his way to the front of the room and stood in front of the Hokage.
"Report" the Hokage said with practiced ease.
"Ma, ma. Is this why everybody seems so giddy? There's a bet going on, isn't there?" Kakashi said with an eye-smile. "Well, no need to keep you all waiting…..Hokage-sama, Team 7 with begin gennin duties tomorrow.
Kakashi watched in amusement as a chuunin teacher walked up to the Hokage's desk and took the large wad of money. Looking around, he saw the disbelieving looks the other jounins were sporting.
Shrugging his shoulders, Kakashi told them "What can I say, they were an exceptional bunch."
"Yare, yare….I am so hungry. Kakashi-sensei forgot to give us the lunch he brought." Naruto grumbled before lightening up "Anybody want to go and get some ramen?"
Sakura looked at Naruto with disgust while Sasuke merely continued walking.
"Ma, the both of you are no fun……ah, Shikamaru, Chouji" Naruto shouted while waving to his former 'class skipping' companions.
They were just about to enter a BBQ joint and get something to eat after their gennin test when Naruto called out to them. Ino who was walking in front of them poked her head out and saw Sasuke and Sakura next to Naruto.
"Sasuke-kun" Ino squealed and ran towards Sasuke. Shikamaru sighed in annoyance as she tried to glomp Sasuke before he deftly sidestepped and allowed her to fall on the floor.
Trying to maintain as much dignity as possible while getting up, Ino turned around but stopped abruptly when she realized that Sakura hadn't said a word. Shikamaru and Chouji also took a second to look at Sakura.
Sakura had been deep in thought the whole journey to the BBQ stand. Watching Sasuke and Naruto today had shown her how inadequate she was. So inadequate that two people who didn't have parents for the majority of their lives could be so strong and skillful.
'I have ninja parents. I had the resources necessary to be strong. Yet all I did was read at night and chase Sasuke during the day. Just watching Ino try to jump on Sasuke….it sickens me to think that we have wasted all this time. No, Ino at least learned family jutsu and was balanced all round. I wasted my time and I would have likely caused my teammates their lives if I had not realized this sooner.'
"…kura. Are you alright?" Naruto said to Sakura's shadowed face.
Instead of looking up, Sakura reached into her kunai pouch and pulled out a kunai garnering wide eyes from all present except Sasuke and Naruto.
In a fluid upward motion, it was all over.
Pink hair flew in the wind and even Naruto and Sasuke's eyes had widened, before small smiles formed on their faces. It was an amazing sight, even more so for team 8 who had just come out from a different street hoping to find somewhere to eat.
Seeing the determination in her eyes, everyone was awed. Pink strands of hair floating with the wind and a certain serenity surrounded the area. Even the animals stayed quiet.
Looking at Naruto and Sasuke, Saukra said in a low voice"I will not let you guys down or hold you back….I promise."
Ino who had been the only other person to hear the exchange was shell shocked at the cohesion between this team already. They were looking out for themselves already.
Turning to the new arrivals who were walking along with Shikamaru and Chouji, Naruto greeted with a cheerful "Ohayo Hinata-chan, Kiba, Akamaru, Shino."
"Oh-Ohayo Na-Naru-Naruto-kun" Hinata managed to squeak out, after registering that Naruto had spoken to her and actually added the endearing suffix to her name.
Shino responded with a nod of acknowledgement.
"So I take it you passed dobe. The Uchiha must have done double the work if he managed to drag your hopeless ass out of the dust. Or maybe your teacher is just as weak, so he couldn't fail you because of how hopeless you are" Kiba said with a condescending smirk.
Looking at Kiba with a calculating gaze, Naruto replied "I make it a point not to injure my comrades, and people I would someday like to consider my friends. But I will have to ask you to refrain from calling me condescending names."
Pulling out of the shock brought about by Naruto's unusual calmness, Kiba tried to make a comeback "Ha, if you couldn't even move fast enough to dodge Sakura's slow motion kunai draw, why should I respect you enough to call you anything different."
"Actually, I could dodge it but I needed to make something clear between us" Naruto said as he instantly appeared behind Kiba, and started walking towards the BBQ restaurant catching everyone's attention with his statement and speed.
Sakura decided to speak. "What did you want to make clear, Naruto?"
"It was to show, that he trusts you with his life. I would have done the same." Sasuke said as he started walking slightly behind Naruto hands in his pockets and face set in a scowl.
It wouldn't do to have these people thinking that he was actually approachable.
Sakura gave a slight smile and followed her teammates. She had so many reasons to get stronger now. There was no going back.
"Tch….troublesome." Shikamaru said while walking along side Ino and Chouji. Looking at Ino while trying to look inconspicuous, he noticed she was in a daze. 'what could they have said to make her so unfocused. Troublesome Naruto.'
It had been a few weeks of boring D-class missions and all the new Genin teams were getting tired of catching cats, painting houses and mowing lawns.
Team 7 had made it a point to never actually go for those missions after the first two weeks. After doing a total of 34 D-ranks in two weeks, they decided it was time to just skip those missions. Naruto's uniqueness came in handy a lot. Kage Bunshins would take the place of the real people and they would go to Naruto's clearing and practice. Naruto usually made extra clones, in the event of the others getting dispelled.
This was usually very taxing on his chakra reserves and control but he could tell he was improving in both fields.
Sasuke and Naruto were currently on their backs and panting. They had just a particular rough spar against each other. No holding back. There was a reason they didn't hold back in their spars anymore. The reason was because there was a medic-nin in training on their team.
Sakura had gone through a crash course in genjutsu and medic jutsu. Kakashi was expecting her to choose one field and concentrate on it, but she took to both so fast that he had no choice but to get scrolls for both.
He had taught her two powerful genjutsu that she could barely maintain for five minutes straight. But her growth was noticeable either way.
She was currently hovering over Sasuke with her hands glowing green because of the new medical jutsu she had been perfecting. Sasuke and Naruto had laid down the rules immediately they all started training together. Sakura was to treat Sasuke first no matter how much more serious Naruto's injuries were. She had questioned their decision as an aspiring medic-nin, and not wanting any of her patients to die. Their had merely looked away and changed the topic or told her that she would know in good time.
So on the days that Kakashi left them alone to train by themselves because he had somewhere else to be, they had been going through this routine. Naruto and Sasuke beat themselves to bloody pulps using every trick they had, and in return she would have to heal them. After all, they trusted her with their lives. She was seriously questioning her decision on that. She wanted to tell Kakashi-sensei, but they read her mind every time and persuaded her otherwise.
They had actually persuaded her to join in this current practice session. She was to play a long distance role. This meant she worked from afar by using stealth attacks and laying genjutsu traps and putting them under genjutsu.
Flashback.
'Hm, this is genjutsu….but what is it attacking. I have to be quick with this or Sasuke will break out of it first and attack me' Naruto thought. 'There is sight, because last I checked, Yondaime-sama was dead and not standing in front of me, where Sasuke was standing just a few seconds ago…..smell because I cant smell Sasuke anymore, and hearing because he seems to be angry and spouting nonsense about killing me. Weird. Well, that means I should be able to break out of this by just causing myself some pain.'
He was about to pull out a kunai and cut himself when he was forcefully ejected from his trance like state by Yondaime's upward slash, with no sword. Closing his eyes momentarily and opening them again, he saw Sasuke standing there with his blade dripping with blood. Kakashi-sensei had said that they were not to use the weapons he bought them against comrades.
Sasuke had learned the whole style in a day, by watching Kakashi go through the movements while he copied it with his Sharingan.
Naruto's job was a tad bit harder because he had to learn from a scroll. Using several Kage bunshin, he had learned the muscle movements quickly and become proficient with his two shorter katana in about a day as well. They had practiced daily with their katana and many trees could testify.
Sakura had gotten a small Tanto that required very little muscle strength and skill. It was just a weapon that could be used to cut parts of the human body, without killing the person.
Gritting his teeth and unsheathing his two katana, Naruto plunged the blades into the ground and started forming seals rapidly. Sasuke who had been tense for a second suddenly relaxed and his sharingan eyes seemed to gain more focus. Realization seemed to dawn on his features.
Naruto who was trying to heal his wound with a minor healing jutsu that he had asked Sakura to teach him and Sasuke, never noticed Sasuke's change. Once the bleeding had stopped, he looked up to see Sasuke inspecting his blade with a look of regret on his face.
Deciding to capitalize on Sasuke's inattentiveness, Naruto ran forward while picking up his two katana. Holding the two blades in a reverse grip, Naruto went for a low swing with his right hand which was parried by Sasuke's bloody sword just in a nick of time. Knowing that Sasuke could probably see his next movement already, Naruto decided to use quick jabs instead of long predictable swings. Pivoting on his right foot, Naruto brought his other blade towards Sasuke's exposed back.
Doing the only thing he could at that moment because he couldn't exactly see where Naruto's left hand sword was, Sasuke dislodged his sword and rolled to his right. Looking up almost immediately, Sasuke saw something that made his blood almost freeze in fear. Naruto was basically keeping up with his sharingan induced image. Not only that, but he had just dropped the sword in his right hand and was doing one handed seals.
'Impossible, he has never done one handed seals before' Sasuke thought while dropping his own sword and performing the two handed seals for the jutsu he knew was coming 'At this range? Has he gone mad?'
In a second, they were both done and were sucking in amazing amounts of oxygen for their next attack.
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu" they both yelled.
That was the last thing Sakura heard before getting blown out of the tree she was in. Rubbing her aching backside after that humiliating fall, Sakura took a glance towards the clearing. In the middle of it was a huge crater and on opposite ends of it were her teammates holding their respective katana and frowning at the other, before they fell face first into the charred ground.
So many emotions crossed Sakura's mind. She was deep in thought even as she reached both of them and turned them over, and unto their backs. Taking the boy's words to heart, she stayed at Sasuke's side and started treating him.
'This would never have happened if I had not tried out that genjutsu now. Sasuke-kun and Naruto didn't have to see the people they hate so much.'
Flashback ends.
She was blaming herself so much that she didn't even notice Naruto's eyes droop and his injuries re-open. It wasn't a normal re-opening. This time, it looked jagged cut which would have been caused by a wild animal.
Dink. Dink. Dink.
"Ugh, where am I? And why do I feel like I was hit by a meat tank several times?" Naruto asked.
Picking himself up from the filthy sewer, Naruto started walking forward towards a certain place. It felt like a familiar presence, calling out to him and begging him to come quickly. But blocking out that presence was an overwhelming presence that made you want to despair and flee. His instinct told him to move ahead, and who was he to disobey his instinct. It hardly ever failed him.
Taking his time and thinking over the possibilities of actually confronting this being, he felt his resolve waver and was almost considering, before realizing that he didn't know where to go. He therefore, decided to continue on this journey and investigate.
After walking for a few minutes, he got to a large room and stepped out into the open. In front of him was a huge gate with a piece of paper attached to it; On the paper, the word "seal" was engraved in Kanji.
"So this is where the Yondaime kept the Kyuubi" Naruto said while looking around in slight awe "ok, but whose presence do I sense behind him….It almost feels like it is being restrained."
"BRAT….WHERE YOU NEVER TAUGHT HOW TO RESPECT YOUR BETTERS?" A booming voice said from behind the bars. "NOW GET ON YOUR KNEES BEFORE THE GREAT KYUUBI NO YOKO."
He was almost cowed by the malice and ferocity in the voice, but quickly reminded himself of his position. He was the prison while the Kyyubi was the prisoner.
"No, I have very few manners….hmm, I wonder why? Maybe because I have a demon sealed within me, and not that many people can walk on the same road as me without insulting me, let alone take the time to teach me manners" Naruto said in a calm yet sarcastic voice. "besides you are as harmless as Sakura was a few weeks ago."
Roaring in rage, the Kyuubi charged at the great metal bars which kept him from tearing Naruto apart. Hitting the cage and getting shocked into immobility momentarily.
In that moment of immobility, a huge golden eagle came flying towards Naruto. Feeling out the eagles intentions, Naruto was able to discern that though it had passed through the gates, it had no hostile intentions towards him. Amazingly, as soon as the eagle passed over a certain area of the room, the sewer disappeared from that area and was turned into an elegant golden room. Marveling at the new change, Naruto never noticed the desperation on the eagles face as it reached towards him.
But just as it was about to collide and possibly merge with Naruto, the bird was stopped in its tracks by a grinning Kyuubi. Pulling the eagle back with one of his tail feathers, the eagle was dragged slowly across the ground with its wings stretching out to touch Naruto. Finally snapping out of his momentary daze, Naruto rushed forth to grab the eagle, but was stopped as the huge claws of the Kyuubi came slashing at him. Grabbing at the birds wings he realized he would have to avoid the Kyuubi or risk serious injury or death. Performing a back flip as quick as he could, Naruto got out of range of the Kyuubi's claws with a non-fatal wound.
Across his abdomen exactly where Sasuke had struck him was a second wound. Bringing his arm up to see the substance that was flowing out, Naruto was surprised to see his blood. Puzzling at the fact that he had an injury and couldn't feel it even if he was in his mind, Naruto nearly missed the words of the huge bird that was held captive by the fox that he held captive.
"Go Naruto, and tell your leader what you have seen. He may have a solution to my captivity." The ethereal being said.
"Who are you? What are you doing in here?" Naruto asked.
"I am Keigan. I am part of you, your subconscious. I dwell here, in your mind until you are strong enough to unlock my powers. You unlocked me a few weeks back when you were meditating but the Kyuubi holds me back. He speaks lowly of you but does not destroy me because of his respect for the one he calls 'that man' and the fact that if I die, you will most probably lose a part of your brain. The Kyuubi believes in self attained strength and respect, so he keeps me away from you. My strength is proportional to your strength Naruto. Together we have almost a tenth of his chakra now but we cannot defeat him and won't be able too beat him for another few years."
"Meaning that if I get stronger, you will get stronger as well and we will be able to defeat the bastard fox...sooner or later." Naruto interrupted with conviction.
"Hai, Naruto." the eagle said with a smile on its face right before it passed through the bars again. 'We will be great. I am sure of it. Grow stronger, young Kazama because I cannot wait to fight as your eyes.'
"Why are you doing this?" Naruto asked the kyuubi with little conviction in his voice "With the eagle, Keigan, I can become stronger……Why do you hold me back?"
"FOOLISH MORTAL. I AM DOING YOU A GREAT FAVOR. THE EAGLE WILL MAKE YOU STRONGER, TRUE, BUT YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING TO DESERVE THAT STRENGTH." was Kyuubi's reply.
"What are you talking about. Nothing has come without a price in my life, and the price has always been greater than what it should be. I have come out strong for someone with my circumstances."
"SO YOU THINK THAT JUSTIFIES YOUR WEAKNESS. BOY, I HAVE LIVED MANY YEARS AND HAVE SEEN SOME WHO HAVE SUFFERED WORSE AND COME OUT BETTER. IF YOU CHOOSE TO BE A MEDIOCRE SHINOBI THEN YOU MIGHT AS WELL KEEL OVER NOW AND SUBMIT TO ME BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH I AM A PRISONER HERE, I WILL NOT LET MY CONTAINER BE WEAK AND DIE A PITIFUL DEATH. IT'S THE LEAST I CAN DO FOR SOMEONE AS STRONG AS THAT MAN. YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO PROTECT THOSE WHO DESPISE YOU AND THE FEW WHO CAN BARE YOUR PITIFUL EXISTENCE, BUT YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT PROTECTION ENTAILS. TO PROTECT, YOU HAVE TO BE STRONGER THAN THOSE THAT LIVE RECKLESSLY. YOU HAVE TO BE STRONGER THAN THOSE THAT THIRST FOR BATTLE AND BLOOD. YOU HAVE TO BE STRONGER THAN MEN WHO HAVE GREATER AMBITIONS THAN GREATER DEMONS THEMSELVES. AS I LOOK AT YOU NOW, YOU CANNOT WALK THAT PATH. YOU ARE TRULY PITIFUL."
On the brink of exploding in a fit of anger from Kyuubi's monolgue, Naruto shot back "And to do that, you have to hold me back more than you already have?"
There was a long tension filled silence before the kyuubi spoke again.
"GET OUT FLESHBAG. I HAVE TIRED OF YOUR PRESENCE. A MORTAL LIKE YOU HAS BEEN GIVEN SO MUCH POWER AND YET ALL YOU DO IS WHINE ABOUT YOUR HARD LIFE. YOU DO NOT SEE POWER FOR WHAT IT REALLY IS, AND YOU MAY NOT LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO REGRET IT. PROTECTORS DO NOT LOOK AT THE PAST, THEY STRIVE TO PROTECT THE FUTURE. YOU MAY BE LOOK LIKE HIM, BUT YOU ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO HIM." Kyuubi said while turning its disdainful eyes from Naruto back to the eagle behind him. "WHY DON'T YOU RUN OFF AND WHINE TO SOMEONE WHO CARES WHELP, FOR YOU WILL GET NO SYMPATHY HERE….NEITHER FROM ME, NOR FROM THE EAGLE."
That was the last thing Naruto saw before he was forcefully ejected from his mind by a burst of red chakra.
'This has to be the worst headache in the history of headaches' Naruto thought while opening his eyes. 'white ceiling, antiseptic smell, disgusting food in front of me.' Naruto continued in his mind while taking in his surroundings.
Sensing familiar presences within the room he decided to voice his conclusion "I am in the hospital, aren't I?"
"Hai, Naruto-kun. You have been here for 3 days. With your amazing healing abilities, we didn't expect you to be out for this long. But the doctors and nurses here reported some strange stimulus happening in your brain….and called my attention" said the kind voice of the Sandaime Hokage.
Turning his head to look at the Hokage, Naruto saw some faces that he recognized like a bandaged Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi…..and some that he didn't like the hospital staff. Never being one to discriminate, he gave a big smile and mumbled a quiet "Ohayo."
Then he tried to sit up but the pain in his chest forced him back and brought back the unwanted memories of his first experience with the Kyuubi.
Shocking everyone in the room by his sudden change in demeanor, Naruto said in a quiet voice that was nonetheless heard by everyone in the room.
"Ano, I need to speak with Hokage-sama alone" Naruto said before adding "After I have gathered my thoughts and rested a bit."
The Hokage nodded and ushered the rest of the people out of the room. Before the remaining members of team 7 left, he shot them a genuine apologetic look. It would not do to lose the only family he had ever had.
It was midday the following day and Naruto was waiting for the Hokage to come in so they could talk. He had been a bit upset that the scar on his chest from Kyuubi, never went away like all his other injuries.
'It must mean that he cannot heal damage that is inflicted on me in my psyche….or he doesn't want to heal it because it is a reminder of my own weakness.' Naruto thought 'Whatever, I will get stronger in any way I can and learn more about my heritage. I will definately make them proud of me.'
Sensing a presence approaching his room stealthily, he decided to pretend he was asleep. Using chakra to slow his heartbeat and watching the door slide open slowly and cautiously, he took a small peek and noticed that he couldn't see anybody. Thinking of the possible ways to win a fight against an opponent this stealthy in his current condition, he realized he would have to play asleep until the person made his or her move.
After shifting into a comfortable position slowly, Naruto listened to the sounds of the room. There was the sound of something being removed from water. Then the water was being poured away. The empty container was refilled with water. Something dropping into the container of water and another set dropping into what sounded like a trash-can.
Stretching out his senses a little further, he was able to discern it was a female. Maybe it was Sakura just testing out her genjutsu skills were his thoughts until he got a whiff of the persons scent.
"Hinata-chan?" He said in an almost disbelieving voice.
She squealed at the sound of his voice just as she was about to reach for his face. Thankfully she had not made contact yet, but her cover had been compromised, and he knew how close she had come to him.
Cursing the ringing in his ears and his own helplessness, because he was caught so off guard.
'If she had been an assasin, I would be dead by now and he would have gotten away without an injury' Naruto thought.
"A-no Na-ruto-kun. I just ca-me by to cha-change your flowers" Hinata said in a shy voice.
"Arigatou Hinata-chan, but I do not plan to be here for long" Naruto said with a small smile. "By the way, your stealth jutsu is amazing. Would you mind teaching it to me?"
Blushing profusely at the honorific in her name and the praise of her jutsu, Hinata was unable to answer Naruto's question.
Thinking that she was trying to let him down easy, Naruto gave her a wide smile and said "ah, don't worry about it if you can't….It must be a clan technique or something and you…"
Naruto never got to finish his sentence as Hinata's eyes had grown wide at the implication of what he wanted to say. Waving her hands in the air in the cutest manner, Naruto couldn't help but blush slightly.
"A-ano Naruto-kun, Ku-Kurenai-sensei taught m-me thi-s jutsu." Hinata managed to stutter out, but willed herself to complete what she wanted to say without a stutter "But I learned it with you in mind, for your pranks."
Looking at her in awe for being so thoughtful, Naruto managed a quiet thanks as she handed him a small scroll.
'I will definitely have to get something for her as well, but first…I need to learn to protect all of us. I need to get stronger. Meisaigakure no Jutsu…..Interesting.'
By this time, Naruto's hair was shadowing the front of his face which got Hinata a little worried. Just as she was about to ask him what was wrong, he spoke.
"Hinata-chan, I know" Sensing her confusion, he elaborated "I know you admire me and maybe even have a crush on me…..I think I have the same for you."
The surprise on Hinata's face soon turned to shame because she never told him about her feelings, and then silent inner joy when she thought of the possibilities that could arise now that he knew. Her joy was washed away when he continued.
"I consider you one of my friends and I wish it could be different, but I need to get stronger so I can protect everyone. I have found out a lot of things in the past few months, that have changed my life. I cannot live an easy life, and I am resigned to my fate. I will not go around begging for pity anymore. I will forge my own path and become stronger to protect that which I hold precious. There will be little to no room for me to go out on dates with you. I do not wish to hurt your feelings, but that is the truth. Can you handle it?"
There was a long stifling silence between them as Hinata processed the information.
'What could make his life so difficult. I have seen the glares and everything but he shrugs those off easily. This is something much bigger' Hinata thought and was about to voice her confusion in stutters before Naruto stopped her.
"I am not ready to tell you my story. I am not strong enough right now to place that burden on you, and you are not strong enough to carry it" Naruto said, and Hinata's head drooped.
'And the day had been going so well' Hinata thought before stiffening when Naruto's hand touched hers. Looking up, she saw his pleading face.
"Hinata-chan, please grow strong enough….for yourself, and for me." Naruto said in a serious voice.
After minutes of staring at his face in shock and blushing, Hinata stood resolutely in front of him with a half serious face. "Hai Naruto-kun" She said in her tiny voice, yet it had no stutters.
It was an hour of companionable silence and small talk about gennin duties after that. It came to a happy conclusion when the Hokage knocked on the door. Saying their goodbyes, Hinata walked out the door as the Hokage walked in. It was now time for another session of serious talk.
"Now Naruto-kun, you said you had something to discuss with me" the Hokage started.
"Jiji….I know you must have a good reason for withholding this information from me, but I need to know. Please, tell me my father, and my mother." Naruto said.
Sarutobi kept a straight face while observing Naruto 'Sorry Naruto, but I cannot disobey a dieing man's last wish.'
Naruto knew that he would have to dig deeper if he wanted to get that information out of the Hokage.
"….and Keigan" Naruto said in a barely audible whisper.
Realizing something was wrong because if Naruto had been in his subconscious and seen Keigan, he would definitely know more than he was letting on at the moment.
'Hmm, he obviously only knows the bare essentials of the bloodline, so I cannot afford to reveal too much. The Kyuubi must have a hand in this.' thought Sarutobi while he kept a straight face and studied Naruto "Tell me all you've been through Naruto-kun….and I will fill in the blanks to the best of my ability."
The next two hours was spent recalling everything that had happened to him regarding the Kyuubi and Keigan.
"Hmm, I see….very interesting development." Sandaime said as he made a mental note on what he could reveal to the blond. "Let me begin then….Your father and mother were indeed shinobi of this village, and some of the best of their generation."
Taking a deep puff of smoke from his pipe, the Sandaime continued.
"I am under oath from your father, to not reveal his identity until you have fully unlocked your Keigan….However, I am not under any such oath about your mother, and you could go and gather information from her relatives about who she dated during the time before your birth. This will eventually piece together the details about your father. I have no idea, how to help you fully unlock your keigan and very few other people even in this village knew it existed. In other words, it was exclusive to your father…..a bloodline limit."
"Ok, I think I understand his reasons for not wanting me to know of him until I have unlocked the Keigan, after all….he was definitely a shinobi. I would like to know everything about my mother though. Please, leave nothing out jiji." Naruto said with a straight face, and garnering a smile from the Hokage.
'The boy is definitely as sharp as his mother. You would be proud if you saw him now.' the Hokage thought.
"Your mother didn't have a bloodline limit but her blood was strong and she was part of on of the greatest clans to ever grace the earth. Your father and mother were scheduled to be married one month after you were born."
Sarutobi could already see Naruto inching closer to hear him speak.
"Her name was……Naiya."
"Nara Naiya. She was the younger sister of current leader of the Nara clan. Nara Shikaku."
At the Northern gate, three men wearing jounin uniforms were walking towards the Hokage's building. Suddenly, the man in the middle sneezed. The other two gave him a wide berth.
"Troublesome, someone is talking about me already and I have only just gotten back from this mission" Shikaku said.
"The mission was best suited for our abilities, but I am itching to get home so I can teach Ino some family jutsu." Inoichi said.
"Hai, me too. They are already reaching the amount of D-class missions needed to progress to C-class. I would hate to send Chouji out unprepared." Choza said.
"Heh, that leaves me to go and give in our mission report because Shikamaru is too lazy to train no matter what I say. I wish he had someone to motivate him a bit, apart from his mother."
The other two sighed, it was in their best interests as well that Shikamaru started training. The boy would make a fine leader for the next generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho group. They had come over several times to try and do something to motivate him.
'I wish Naiya was still alive, she always knew how to motivate me then….she would have definitely known how to motivate Shikamaru.' Shikaku thought while nodding to his best friends and going in the opposite direction. 'Naiya….'
Names and descriptions of Jutsu used.
Name: Shunshin no Jutsu "Body Flicker Technique"
Type: D-rank, Supplementary
Users: Most, if not all ninja above Genin level.
Name: Kawarimi no Jutsu "Body Replacement Technique".
Type: E-rank, Supplementary.
Users: All academy graduates.
Name: Doton: Doryūheki, "Earth Release: Earth Style Wall."
Type: B-rank, Defensive, Short range (0-5m).
Name: Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu, "Earth Release: Inner Decapitation Technique".
Type: D-rank, Supplementary, Short range (0-5m).
Name: Doton: Retsudotenshō, "Earth Release: Split Earth Turn Around Palm".
Type: C-rank, Offensive, All ranges.
Name: Doton: Dochū Eigyo no Jutsu, "Earth Release: Underground Projection Fish Technique",or "Earth Style: Underground Move Jutsu".
Type: C-rank, Supplementary.
Name: Jibaku Fuda: Kassei, "Exploding Tag: Activate".
Type: Unknown.
Users: All academy graduates.
Name: Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu, "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique".
Type: C-rank, Offensive, Short range (0-5m)
Name: Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu, "Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique".
Type: C-rank, Offensive, Short range (0-5m).
Name: Meisaigakure no Jutsu, "Hiding Camouflage Technique".
Type: A-rank, Supplementary.
Name: Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, "Multiple Shadow Clone Technique".
Type: A-rank, Supplementary.
Name: Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, "Shadow Clone Technique".
Type: B-rank, Supplementary.
Name: Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, "Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique".
Type: A-rank, Offensive, Short to mid-range (0-10m).
Name: Tōmegane no Jutsu, "Telescope Technique".
Type: A-rank, Supplementary, Long range (10m+).
Name: Henge no Jutsu, "Transformation Technique".
Type: E-rank, Supplementary
Users: All academy graduates.
Name: Fūton: Daitoppa, "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough".
Type: C-rank, Offensive, Short to mid-range (0-10m)
Well, I hope you all enjoyed it, because it was the hardest chapter yet. In terms of writing that is. The next installment may be delayed for a while because I will be away from a computer for a while.
Don't forget to review.
Ja ne.
The 6th fire shadow.