A/N: Wow. Over two months since the last update here. Time just slipped by so swiftly. My thanks go out to you all once more, especially for the patience. I hope the chapter is worth the wait. Oh; and we're about fourteen hits shy of 100'000. Thank you so much, all of you.
"You're both fools. I would have expected better of Konoha's top Jounin' than to take this kind of gambit on a childs life." Sarutobi hissed through clenched teeth when he had arrived in the same room as the others.
Sasuke and Naruto followed the elder man in as Kakashi spared a glance in the Hokage's direction. "He wasn't supposed to react like this- do you think we care so little as that?" he demanded.
Sarutobi swallowed back his first response, and pushed the second away as well when he thought of the recent conversation with the jinchuriki nearest. He shouldered the Copy Ninja aside and examined Lee with just as much of a critical eye.
"Shelve it for later. What happened and whats your analysis?" he finally questioned. Shaking his head Kakashi looked down at the struggling gate inside.
"He doesn't have the mental focus or strength to thrust the first gate any further, but what is there won't let it shut again. His body is constantly trying to adjust to the slight variations it has to deal with as a result of the opening straining." he told the Hokage.
"I was aiming to booster his faculties with my Sharingan and hope it would guide him to forcing the gate the rest of the way, as it did my own in the past." he explained. Sarutobi exhaled harshly.
"Then do so. And if it fails, I will make sure he does not suffer any further." stepping back the older nin paused in the motions of a seal and waited, ready to go through with it the moment he was sure Lee would finish fading.
Without another word needed Kakashi stepped closer and focused, and then the Sharingan began spinning just as the boy entered convulsions. "Come on!" he demanded.
"How're you feeling?" Naruto asked him, six-weeks to the day after the initial incident. Lee tried to shrug.
"Wearisome. Pleased, but wearisome." he answered. "Guy-sensei has relaxed my training rather heavily, but I really don't feel any worse for it." he said. "I don't like this 'gate', but I'm happy to have a skill the others don't." he smiled somewhat subdued at that.
Naruto nodded. "Pain is always a miserable but effective teacher, huh?" he returned the smile, and both laughed- Lee with the occasional shudder, Naruto without any real mirth.
Both Guy and Kakashi had been dragged to the Hokage's office after the hospital situation calmed and neither returned for a week. Once they had it was to a severely diminished training regiment for the two children until at least the age of eleven, and based on the relative emotions shown they were grateful just to still have apprentices to teach.
It still took Lee quite some time to be healthy enough for release from the hospital and while Sasuke never stopped his own forward progress, he made regular rounds during that first week to make sure his partner was alive and healing.
Then his new schedule arrived and he spent most of the free time keeping up with studies there, since it allowed both of them to be kept interested and talk.
Now he was taking advantage of Naruto being there to keep an eye on Lee to complete a couple of rounds around the village; whether or not he was supposed to, it was just stupid to regress so far and he wasn't about to give up on growing any stronger.
The sound of rapid thumps along the wall behind Lee's bed caught their attention and a hand suddenly appeared within the window, grabbing the lip and using it to pull another hand and a dark haired head inside.
"Thanks, Namikaze." Sasuke stated quietly. Naruto nodded his head in acknowledgment, still a little perturbed at hearing his father's name applied to himself.
"Good luck with your training in a few more days, Lee." he said to the other boy and stood up.
His feet soon delivered him to the simple training grounds where Sakura was to be found on any given day of late, currently in a spar with Kiba after his mother's schedule increased. She ducked his overlong swipe and took advantage of his hasty recovery step to tag him sharply in one shoulder; the move very similar to what Naruto often did to her.
He was steadily moving forward with life after the entire situation with Lee and Jiraiya, trying to live happily to honor the Toad Sage's memory and teachings. As such he returned to his duty of teaching Sakura taijutsu shortly after he returned to Konoha, and while that first two weeks were rough and unpleasant for all involved, today they had progressed and were generally tiresome but good.
As he watched the two of them reset, Kiba grumbling over the loss, he was satisfied at the stance she assumed. "Care for a breather?" he called down before they could begin. Kiba's eyes snapped up toward him in surprise and then he looked away again, embarrassed for some reason. Sakura merely nodded her head.
"We've been doing this for about twenty minutes." she told him when he approached.
"Really? You're getting better. The training is definitely helping!" he cheered. Kiba grumbled again beneath his breath. "Eh?" turning toward the younger boy he tilted his head to the side. "Whats up, Kiba?" he asked.
"..." "...?" "... Is it true?" breaking the silence Kiba finally asked the burning question raised in the wake of learning Naruto's real name was Namikaze.
So his mother told him. Well, you were going to find out in time. he thought before closing his eyes. "I believe I once challenged you to a match to learn stuff like that. Care to take me up on it? I wouldn't mind facing you both at once." he stated quietly.
Kiba let out a frustrated growl before nodding his head. "Gimme a minute to co-ordinate with her." he told the jinchuriki and then dragged Sakura off several feet. Naruto blinked at the strategic move and then hid a smile. Good, he's learning partnership early. Before even Akamaru.
A short time later and many whispered words exchanged between them and the duo came back, taking up stances to face him from nine and three o'clock. He slid into a comfortable pose of his own.
"Same rules as you two were training with, okay? A hit to my body counts as a fatal blow and thus your victory. Same on your end." he said and they nodded without breaking eye-contact. "Then... " pausing until he saw Kiba's toes dig in for traction, "go!"
Kiba surged forward first in a fair imitation of his families Passing Fang, while Sakura came at him from the side most likely to be dodged to. He ducked down to grip the earth for strength and threw himself straight into the air and over both younger nin.
Thus when he felt something nip sharply at his left shoulder he yelped and fell out of the air on his side, landing on grass heavily and knocking the wind from his lungs. Something yipped at his back before digging its tiny fangs in harder and Naruto realized how he had been duped.
"Good boy Akamaru!" Kiba called over to the furry yellow pup chewing a hole in his shirt. Another yip answered the boy. Naruto reached an arm around to grip it by the scruff of the neck and instead yelped again when the maw released his shoulder to latch onto the fleshy digits instead.
"Alright, alright, get 'em off!" Naruto ordered as he jumped to his feet and held the tail-wagging clan-pup out to Kiba. The boy had a feral-looking smile in place as he gently pried Akamaru's lips back and off, holding the dog against his chest proudly.
"Spit it out, then. Is it true that you're the Kyuubi?" Kiba demanded. Naruto scowled at him as the small incisions in his fingers healed over several seconds.
"What kind of a question is that?" he fired back.
"Hey! You said you'd answer, so out with it! Kuromaru told me but mom wouldn't confirm anything." Kiba responded.
"No, I Naruto Namikaze, am not the Kyuubi. What kind of a memory does that dog have if it thinks sealing the fox in a child turns them into the biju?" Naruto questioned.
"Excuse me, hey!" Sakura interrupted. Both boys turned to face her. "Whats a Kyuubi? What are you even talking about?" she asked. Naruto's eyebrows rose and he grimaced in realization that another change was probably in the progress.
"Didn't your teachers cover that in recent history yet?" he asked her, and she shook her head. "And your parents probably wouldn't think a child should be forewarned to avoid the demon-fox's host, unlike a ninja family with predefined concepts on the matter." he stated. Kiba objected and was ignored.
"Fine, lets go find somewhere further secluded; say my apartment. Yamato-taicho could use the amusement." with that he turned and began the trek toward said location. Sharing a glance Sakura followed after him and asked Kiba in the meanwhile to fill her in on details.
"Huh. New orders, kiddo." A blue skinned nin in black cloak covered in red clouds declared to another man nearby as he reviewed the orders delivered by a paper crane.
"Hn." the singular note was all the response he was given, aside from something small swishing through the air and then the splash of liquid meeting liquid.
"I can tell you're excited, no need to shout so much." The first nin stated sarcastically, folding the paper up and tossing it onto the soon-to-be-alight body of the last known associate of Salamander Hanzo.
"Hm." his partner agreed. A moment later and he stepped back and the sudden hiss and pop of flesh igniting came from the black flames engulfing the body half-submerged in the lake they were all standing on.
His partner whistled appreciatively. "Remind me not to piss you off, huh?" he asked as he watched even the water itself evaporate into steam on contact. Soon the entirely lake would be consumed, and further still to the tiny houses dotting the edge nearby where the man's family had lived.
Only then would Amaterasu be satisfied and fade. "Come." turning away Itachi Uchiha began to shunshin across the dwindling surface and Kisame Hoshigaki gave chase only once the flames grew too near him.
In time they would be setting out to hunt down and skin a treacherous white snake.
"So that's it. Dad summoned the shinigami and thrust the fox is inside of me, where it's sulking as usual." he finished telling them. Yamato had discouraged him from revealing everything about that night, so he left off the more pertinent details; namely how Madara and his mother were involved, going only into the sacrifice of the fourth's life to activate the shinigami-jutsu.
"... Wow." Kiba finally said. "Uh... I think I better go." he said, looking at the clock for an excuse.
Naruto sighed. "I told you, I'm not the fox. It's stuck behind a seal and can't break free unless I snap, and have you seen me snap and manifest it's chakra yet?" he asked sharply.
"..." "Fine, fine, flee in terror of the evil jinchuriki! Our friendship was nice while it lasted." turning away from him and Akamaru he stepped over to the door and opened it. "Hope you enjoyed the truth." he stated flatly.
Kiba frowned but didn't argue. He stopped just inside the doorway. "I... I'll see you at school." he paused and adjusted whatever he was about to say, then continued out.
Naruto watched him go. "Yeah." he finally said and shut the door. "What do you think, Sakura?" he asked her quietly, tiredly. She looked him over.
"Why do you care?" she asked him carefully, and at his bland look clarified. "I mean, about me? And Sasuke? And Lee? We've never even been nice to you before."
Naruto exhaled and shunshined back to the couch, surprising her with his speed. "I care because you're all my friends." he answered slowly. "I care because some day we'll all be working together in teams to defend this village from the threats lurking over the horizon, the numerable monsters great enough to push around the biju like toys. We each have to rely on the other, Sakura, and no one will stand at my side unless I work to earn it first." he told her.
After a few moments of silence she nodded her head. "Okay, then. I think you're going to need a good friend." she responded at last. "That attitude is just too grim." And he laughed.
Sand exploded as several kunai cut through the clone, and above the Jounin instructed to carry on with Gaara's progression sighed inaudibly. True, the boy was an able and willing student these days, but he also housed the Shukaku within. It would be all too satisfying to actually critically wound the jinchuriki.
But he wasn't fool enough to try that in a damn desert of all places. No, he remembered the last fool to try that was nearly killed and should have been for all the damage taken.
So he kept the wounds non-fatal but surely agony-inducing if they hit the true form of the boy. The sand swirled to life again and another like-ness of the dark haired jinchuriki gathered among the three of them, and then all four images dashed around to avoid his assault.
A bell nearby was rung by another servant and suddenly the Jounin found himself under return fire, as spear tips and shuriken of sand were launched from the four. They couldn't get off more than eight at a time but considering he was slinging nearly that many with just two hands, it was quite a ways to go weapon-wise.
After fifteen minutes and a couple of lucky shots the bell was rung again and Gaara returned to the defensive.
Thunk. Swish-thunk. Swish-thunk. Sasuke twisted two fingers and the kunai embedded in the wall was yanked backwards again, and in a few moments he drew his hand aside and slammed the blade into another position.
"Ah. You're getting quite well at that, Sasuke." the voice of his teacher said from the doorway. It carried the older nin's fatigue.
"Hm." unknowingly echoing his brother far off the Uchiha heir did not give any other response. His trust in the two adults was less after seeing what could happen when their training went sour, and then being told to slow down afterward did not make him much happier.
"I think you are strong enough to keep going. You know how to adjust your chakra level, how to tree-climb very accurately even in combat, and your swordsmanship skill is honing on a good curve. If you keep up the chakra threads at the same point you will be able to pluck an object from mid-air." Kakashi told him tiredly.
"I know you want to stay and keep an eye on Lee-kun some more, but the hospital is about to close for the night and he's nearly ready to be released. I'm happy to see your eternal-rivalry with him is so firmly set already, but even then you need to rest adequately on your own. I'll be keeping an eye on the border this time, but the book on your next step is waiting at home." he said, and still got little more than a hum in response.
"Sasuke..." trailing off he raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in irritation. The boy had been like this for the last four or five weeks, and frankly he was running out of patience. He wanted the Uchiha to progress and grow stronger, not be held back any by any means.
But what was he to do? The Hokage had nearly demoted him, and being beaten into the ground by Enma as an adamantine staff certainly demonstrated the difference in skill and strength between the lot of them. Guy only just avoided the same fate for a few seconds longer.
After that it seemed the Hokage had relieved a source of highly pent-up stress and was far more willing to talk with them when they came to in the morning, and further discussion broke out over reasoning and what was to come.
He was still sore in some places from that night. "Sasuke, what happened to Lee was an unfortunate mistake. Both Guy and myself overestimated his readiness to be treated like a Chunin, and yes that goes for you as well. The training path we had you two set on was meant to make you unequaled when you were officially Genin, and unstoppable come the Chunin Exams in several years. By the time you both graduated as Jounin we had hoped to have raised up successors to our names, shinobi fierce and skilled enough to overcome any obstacle in their path no matter how challenging it may be." he explained slowly, his voice though weary containing a hint of excitement even still.
"But the fact of the matter is that you are just children. You can be trained but would have been broken if this carried on. In two years if you are still progression at this level then yes, we will return to the previous schedule. But not before that. Can you understand and accept that?" he finally asked.
The Uchiha turned to face him. "... Fine." he agreed quietly. "But I want to learn everything I can in that time frame, even if it can't be used for years to come. I want to be ready to embrace that kind of skill." he added, and Kakashi let out a pleasant sigh.
"That's fine by me, too. I'll provide you the knowledge as I can. Now get home and get some rest." he instructed.
"Yes, sensei." picking up his pack and stuffing the books back in Sasuke climbed up the wall and dropped out of the window with a low thump.
"Not bad ryo, huh?" Kisame questioned as he divided up the money and stuffed his half of the bounty away. Itachi glanced at him as he pocketed the remainder and nodded once.
"Boy, you're a chatterbox today. Can't hardly hear my own thoughts." the blue-skinned nin stated, and at the further silence rolled his eyes. "Still hung up on the next mission?" he asked.
"... Orochimaru is not a man to underestimate. He still managed to counter Tsukiyomi for a few seconds and in that process nearly escaped. Keep your water jutsu active and at the ready for a moment's notice or less." Itachi clarified and warned.
Kisame scoffed. "Color me unimpressed. So he's resistant to mind-control; any nin worth his salt is." he stated.
Itachi glanced at him again and then nodded, pushing down the thought to give the taller man a taste of the Sharingan's power. "As you will. We have many locations ahead of us." quieting again the Uchiha set off to the west.
Kisame rolled his eyes again and released his hand from Samehada's hilt, having felt the brief killing intent in the red-eyed man across from him and prepared to respond in kind.
End Chapter 19.