Tokikage
by Lord Dragon Claw
Disclaimer: Water summons wind. Wind makes fire dance.
Chapter Four: A "New" Contract
"Well, here's Crater City."
"Appropriately named, I think."
As the two Konohanin gazed out at the city built inside of a huge crater, Naruto noticed something interesting.
"A lively party town, I see."
"Yeah, they hold festivals all year round."
"What makes them celebrate so much?"
"Well, most of the people in it are richer than most, and they feel extremely safe with Konoha being only three days away."
"A false sense of security?"
"Yeah, it is."
"Was that three days in ninja travel?"
"That it is."
"I'm sorry to say this, but I think this is a town of idiots."
"Pretty much. You'll find that most people are fairly stupid anyway."
Naruto grunted as though he had already figured it out for himself.
"So," began the old man. "I need to snoop around in a few bars to find a lead on our target as it's possible she's moved on already. I want you to relax out here and maybe practice on reading lips or something to help with your own intelligence gathering skills. But, have fun too! A ninja's life is too short to be serious all the time."
"Certainly."
Naruto was surprised at his luck - if he ever wanted to, he could become a professional gambler! All he did to win a jackpot at a small lottery was idly put down a fifty-ryou coin on an orange square - the rarest square on the board - and then the old lady turned the crank on a machine. It jumbled the marbles inside of it - only one out of five hundred was the orange one - before depositing one on a tray. Before the marble had left the small wooden machine Naruto already knew he had won the 500,000 ryou jackpot!
And he confused the old lady when she gave him the large sack of money about the size of his head. He simply seemed to stuff it in a pocket of his orange jacket and it disappeared. What really happened was that he stuffed it inside of a small Gate concealed by his jacket. He thanked the woman and went on his way, sampling various foods.
I hate to admit it, but a lot of this stuff is so much better than ramen.
Plus you're getting a better price than you would have in Konoha.
I don't know... I think I'm being lauded as a hero for defeating another demon and saving the Hokage, not to mention killing Orochimaru.
Some of them will still hate you, you know.
Let them. Besides, I've got Kakashi-sensei, Sasuke-teme, Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan, Shikamaru-san, the Old Man, Jiraiya, Iruka-sensei, and the Ichiraku family as friends. They're more important than the respect of everybody to me now.
And you still want to make a Hidden Village of your own, right?
Yeah. Possibly in Wave. Small and fairly obscure. Also, it's close to Water Country, where we can provide a safe haven for bloodline refugees.
More bloodlines than just your own?
Mine might be superior, but it's the reputation that matters. Plus, with the now freed shipping lanes, we'll have access to Sea, River, and Wind as well as a pathway to Fire. If I can convince old Tazuna to be Daimyo, we'll probably have more than enough money to build a Hidden Village in a year.
And how are you going to hide it?
You should be able to figure that out on your own.
... You little sneak! You're going to hide it in Time itself!
Yup. No one will get in that we don't want in it, not to mention that it will be impossible to assault.
Lavos gave a roaring laugh inside his head - had the regular people been able to hear it, they would have incomprehensibly joined in, despite their fear of such a monstrosity. But since Naruto was the only one to hear it, a grin graced his features.
"Hey Jiraiya. Drunk again I see."
"Gaki!" said the white-haired man after a hiccup. He tried to sit up, but fell over instead.
"Careful there. I thought you'd need some food to counteract the alcohol, so I brought a fried squid on a stick."
As Naruto tried to hand it to him, Jiraiya's hold on his chakra slipped as he belched. It caused a small blast of air to come out of his mouth, knocking one of the squids from Naruto's grasp. It arched through the air and beaned some random customer in the head. Shaking his head, Naruto simply helped the older man to a sitting position on the floor.
"Hey!" called the customer who was holding the squid. Naruto and Jiraiya looked at him. "You hit my boss in the head!"
He pointed to another man behind him, one who carried himself like a ninja. He also had a katana at his waist.
"And?" asked Jiraiya, who was quickly sobering up due to directing chakra to his liver and intestines.
"You should be more careful," stated the sword-wielding man, hand on his katana's hilt.
"Yeah! My boss is a powerful Chuunin-level ninja formerly from Konoha! He'll slaughter you both if you don't apologize!"
Naruto and Jiraiya locked eyes for a second, and then threw their heads back and laughed. Their laughter stopped as they heard the man draw his sword, the other patrons at the bar quickly finding cover.
"Naruto," murmured Jiraiya. "I'm going to show you a jutsu that I'll teach you. It's more powerful than that Chidori your sensei invented."
The bronze-blonde watched, but put his free hand near his kunai pouch as the old man stood up, all the alcohol purged from his body. Jiraiya simply cupped his hand and directed chakra to it. Since it had no hand seals and the chakra flow wasn't structured like most jutsu, Naruto couldn't copy it, but he still tried to memorize what Jiraiya did. Soon, a spiraling sphere of pure chakra had formed in Jiraiya's hand. Faster than most people could track, the old man shot forward and slammed the ball into his opponent's stomach. With a burst of compressed air and a loud crack, the man left the building, spinning and tumbling in mid-air before collapsing bonelessly against the building across the street. His "friend" ran from the building immediately afterwards.
"That," started the toad hermit, "was the Yondaime's Rasengan."
"Cool," replied Naruto. Noticing that the man had dropped his sword, the bronze-blonde picked it up and stored it in a Gate in his pocket.
"I never thought you were one for stealing things," said the older ninja disapprovingly.
"Is it really stealing if the previous owner is dead?"
Jiraiya looked out the doorway where the nukenin had flown through to see the man's neck bent at an unnatural angle... not to mention it looked like his heart and stomach had traded places with his kidneys.
"Aw shit! I killed him!"
The bartender, upon hearing this, leapt up and thanked Jiraiya. The old man gave him a very intelligent response.
"Huh?"
"Seriously, that guy was the head of the local yakuza gang! You've helped us out!"
"Huh?"
"Jiraiya, you do realize you ended up in a bar in the slums, right?" asked the shorter ninja.
"Heh... I must have been more drunk than I thought."
"Well," began the bartender. "Is there anything I can do to repay you?"
"Yeah," replied Naruto before reaching into one of Jiraiya's pockets.
"HEY!"
Naruto pulled out the photograph of Tsunade and handed it to the bartender.
"We're searching for this woman to ask her a few questions. Not to worry - we won't harm her even if she's not cooperative. She may look a little older or younger than that picture. She's also known as the Legendary Sucker, due to her bad luck at gambling."
"Actually, I did hear of her. My best friend who runs a casino in the Main Square said she was headed for Tanzaku Gai to visit their casinos."
"Thank you sir," said Naruto, taking the picture back and handing it to Jiraiya. "Before we go, I want to apologize for the mess we've caused."
To the surprise of the barkeeper and Jiraiya, Naruto pulled a large sack of money out of his pocket and placed it on the bar.
"Use that for whatever you want, but since it is a half-million, you may want to just buy a bar in a better part of town or something. Your landlord is trying to cheat you out of money, by the way."
"Uh... thank you."
"Seriously, don't mention it. If anyone asks, two Konoha ANBU took care of the crime lord."
"Hai!"
"Konoha ANBU?"
"I figure Konoha's reputation will grow from this, to counteract the rumors of the invasion."
"That it would. You could be a real spymaster, you know. How did you know about that guy's landlord?"
"The landlord lived in a house a block away. I could see from his documents that he's been cheating that bartender out of money."
"Where did you get that sack of money from, anyway?"
"I put fifty ryou on the line at a lottery. I won five-hundred-thousand."
"Holy shit!"
"So, Jiraiya," began Naruto.
"What's up?"
"I couldn't copy the Rasengan."
"Well, part of the fun is learning to use it. It requires a huge amount of chakra to start up, but takes no chakra to keep it going. You, my boy, have chakra in spades!"
"And it can't be copied? Only learned?"
"Well, you got to understand that the Yondaime was suspicious of the Uchiha Clan. Most of his jutsu that he created could not be copied by them or anybody else."
"Nice. When are we going to start?"
"Soon. First, I want to know what you're going to use that sword for."
"Actually, I was going to give it to you so you could train me."
"In kenjutsu? Why?"
"Remember the Kusanagi?"
"Yeah... You stole it from Orochimaru, didn't you?"
"Yup." To this Jiraiya smiled.
"Hmm... well, first of all, you definitely need training in control."
"My tenant said as much. What do you suggest?"
"More tree walking, except you use your hands instead of your feet. You can accomplish this with shadow clones while I teach you the Rasengan. Once you become proficient with walking with your hands up the trees, you do the original exercise while trying to keep a leaf floating exactly five centimeters above each of your hands, and one above your nose. Do that with shadow clones as well. The rest of your training will consist of learning the Rasengan and kenjutsu sparring."
"Sounds like work, but it'll be worth it. Won't your research suffer?"
"Yeah, but I can keep my readers waiting. Akatsuki and Tsunade won't wait though."
"Akatsuki were those guys who tried to kidnap me, right?"
"You catch on quick."
Naruto spent some time struggling with the first stage of the Rasengan, when he realized that he needed to swirl the water in every direction, not just one or two. Several balloon bursts later, they spent two hours going over basic kenjutsu forms of two of Konoha's most famous styles - the Crane and Heron styles. Neither felt right for Naruto so they concentrated on the second stage of the Rasengan again - not just because he was learning it quicker but because he could learn it while he walked. They left an almost continuous string of Kagebunshins behind to climb the nearby trees.
"Tanzaku Gai," announced Jiraiya after using the Shunshin (Body Flicker) to cover the remaining day's worth of distance to the mighty city (and using a large chunk of chakra to do so).
"This place is huge!" exclaimed Naruto. He tilted his head to the side. "I can't see the other side of it yet! It must be bigger than Konoha!"
The old man chuckled. "It is. Do you see the castle?"
"Yeah... It's beautiful... Hey. There are several people up there too. Ninja it looks like."
"Huh."
"Damn! One of them's Yakushi Kabuto! We need to hurry!"
Jiraiya easily kept up as they took to the roofs to cover distance faster and he asked Naruto to explain who Kabuto was while the bronze-blonde put the rubber ball he was training in the Rasengan with into a Gate.
"At first, I thought he was a friend and ally in the Chuunin Exams. Turns out, he's a spy for Orochimaru." Naruto paused as he changed direction slightly to avoid hitting a chimney. "The other four people are ninja as well. Two Oto, and two without hitai-ate."
"Describe the Otonin."
"One looks very sickly, but he's very strong. Muscular, pale face, with limp, white hair. Seems to have a bacterial infection in his lungs, but his chakra is mostly concentrated in his bone marrow. The other one is a dirty-blonde. Something seems familiar about him. His eyes... Oh Kami! His eyes!" Naruto exclaimed as he fell off of the roof.
"Naruto!" gasped the toad hermit. When he was about to go to Naruto, a Gate opened nearby, dropping the bronze-blonde on the roof next to him. "Naruto, what happened? What did you see?"
"His eyes... They were Orochimaru's eyes. Orochimaru lives! But... how? I shattered his ribs and turned his vital organs to mush!"
"Hmm... Perhaps his body-changing jutsu is more complex than I realized. What about the other two ninja?"
"One has a pet pig on the ground near her. She seems to be a medic, but she's got poisoned senbon hidden on various places of her person, including under her tongue. She's a brunette as well."
"And the other?"
"The other... a blonde bombshell under heavy genjutsu to disguise... her age... Holy crap it's Tsunade!"
"Shit!" grumbled Jiraiya, sprinting in the direction of the castle, Naruto closely following.
"Jiraiya, they're fighting!" yelled the young ninja just before a huge cloud of dust suddenly exploded from one of the castle's walls.
"I can see that!"
"Jiraiya, wait!"
"What is it, gaki?" asked the Sannin as he stopped.
"Two things," began the young man. "First of all, our 'friends' from Otafuku Gai seem to have caught up to us - and they brought company. They're on the other side of town and I just noticed them."
"Damn!"
"Second... Does Tsunade have hemophobia?"
"The fear of blood? Yeah, she does. Why?"
"Orochimaru bit his finger and let the blood flow freely. Tsunade seemed freaked out. The snake man said a few things, and he and his lackeys left. The brunette and Tsunade left through a hole in the wall that the Slug Princess made and are headed to a bar."
"Could you read his lips?"
"Not perfectly. I'm still learning, but he said something about a boy and some guy named Dan. Does that name ring a bell?"
"Yeah. Dan was Tsunade's fiance before he died in battle."
"Oh. Blackmail... not an original trick, but effective. Tsunade's at a bar now. Should we follow? Orochimaru and his lackeys have left my visual range."
"What about our 'friends'?"
"Kisame and one of the new guys, a blonde with one eye, are investigating the scene of the fight. The other new guy looks like a puppet... inside of another puppet. His heart and brain are inside of a cylinder in the smaller puppet's chest."
"Sounds familiar. What hitai-ate do they have?"
"The blonde has one for Iwa, but it has a scratch through it. The other has a Suna hitai-ate, also similarly scratched."
"Shit! Deidara of Iwa and Akasuna no Sasori! Shit shit shit shit!"
"We're going to have problems, won't we?"
"Yeah. We'll need to lay low for now. Hopefully Tsunade doesn't do anything rash. Now, which bar is Tsunade at?"
"Well, if it isn't the Slug Princess? Mind if we sit with you?"
"Jiraiya and some Konoha brat, eh? Fine."
Jiraiya sat next to Tsunade, while Naruto sat near the other kunoichi.
"You saw Orochimaru today, didn't you?"
Tsunade almost dropped her sake bottle.
"How-?"
"Did I know? That hole in the wall up at Tanzaku castle smells a lot like snake, or so the gaki told me."
"What, is he an Inuzuka?" asked the blonde woman.
"No, but he was trained by Copy Kakashi."
"Figures."
Meanwhile, Naruto was talking with the other woman.
"So her name's Tonton, eh?"
"That's right," smiled the kunoichi. "And I'm Shizune."
"I never really had a pet. In fact, I had few friends up until recently. After Sound and Sand tried to invade Konoha... well, we lost many ninja but I gained many friends. At least, people started being friendlier to me."
"Why weren't they nice to you before?"
"Something my father must have done. I don't know the whole story, but it's probably as irrational as their fear of this kid named Uzumaki Naruto."
Though Naruto wasn't looking at her, he had to restrain himself from smirking at how she recognized the name.
"Oh... uh, what's your name?"
"Huh? I forgot to introduce myself again? Drat! Well, you can call me Toki. Yeah, I know it means time. My dad might not have been the sharpest kunai in the pouch."
"Do you still see your dad?"
"Nope. He and my mom died in the Kyubi attack."
"Oh, I'm so sorry!"
"Don't be. I don't like being pitied or looked down upon."
"So, did anybody raise you?"
"Well, off and on with Hokage-sama, the Ichiraku family, and Iruka-sensei, a Chuunin at the Academy."
"Nobody adopted you?"
"Nope. Don't know why either." Naruto looked at Shizune's arm as if curious. "Is that a senbon launcher?"
"Yes it is. How did you notice?"
"The folds of your clothing on that arm didn't look similar to the folds on your other arm. It's the little things that catch my attention most of the time."
Liar.
Shut up!
Shizune rolled up her sleeve after setting Tonton down on the table to show Naruto the senbon launcher.
"Careful! They are poison-coated!"
"I kinda figured they would be. You're a medical kunoichi, aren't you?"
The brunette giggled a bit. "How could you tell?"
"Well, you have a lot of chakra - yeah, I can tell even with you masking it - and you seem to have a lot of knowledge about poisons. You were either a poison expert, a medic, or both. Since you travel with Tsunade-sama, I figured you'd at least be a medic, if nothing else."
"You're a smart kid."
"You should see Nara Shikamaru."
She giggled again. "Most of the Nara clan are excellent strategists."
Naruto smirked. "Shikamaru tops his father, I think."
"I don't doubt it."
On the other side of the table, Tsunade and Jiraiya continued to talk.
"Yeah, so we need you to return to Konoha."
"Nothing but bad memories there. Didn't Sensei die during that invasion?"
"Nope. Uzumaki Naruto saved his life by getting him out of Orochimaru's trap."
She snorted. "So he lived, but he won't live long. You've come to me to try and weasel me into the office of Hokage, haven't you?"
"Pretty much."
"I refuse. The office of Hokage is for fools!"
Naruto heard that on his side of the table, and he turned his head mid-sentence to glare at the Slug Princess. It was impressive that she realized he was glaring at her from behind his sunglasses considering how drunk she was.
"What? It's the truth. Nearly all who take that position or want it have died."
"So what if they have!?" asked Naruto angrily.
"Toki, calm down," admonished Jiraiya.
"Shut up, Jiraiya-sensei!"
"Oh, so you're teaching him? I suppose he wants to become Hokage as well, just like your last student!"
"I did, a long time ago, you wrinkled old lady!"
"What did you call me!? You gaki! ... Wait, you used to want to be Hokage?" Tsunade was confused. Why did the boy become so angry when she insulted the post of Hokage when he didn't even want the position himself?
"Yeah, I did. Now I'd rather be an ANBU captain or something like that. But if I was to be honored by being approached for the position, I'd at least give it some thought rather than refusing it outright!"
"Why do you care so much anyway?"
"Because the Sandaime is like family to me, and the Yondaime is my hero. And correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't you the granddaughter of the Shodaime? Why would you insult his legacy?"
Tsunade looked away and crossed her arms under her chest.
"Feh. My kunoichi friends look up to you for your bravery and genius, but all I see is a cowardly, stupid old lady who drinks and gambles too much. Jiraiya, I'm going to practice my kenjutsu. Don't worry about me - I'll flare my chakra if our... 'friends' show up."
Jiraiya turned to see Tsunade's face was stained with tears. Before he could say anything, the Slug Princess spoke.
"Who were the 'friends' Toki spoke of?"
"Uchiha Itachi and some of his nukenin buddies."
Tsunade and Shizune gasped. Tonton jumped into Shizune's arms and tried to hide her face under the brunette's elbow.
"Where-?"
"They are hiding on the north side of the city. They're looking for Toki as they've mixed him up with Uzumaki Naruto. Not to worry though, the boy's a genius."
"Why are you so unconcerned about him?" asked Shizune worriedly.
"He can get out of any trap and can cover ground quite quickly. If he gets in trouble, he'll come straight to me after he flares his chakra. Unfortunately, the last time we met with Uchiha Itachi, he only had one friend with him. Now he's got three."
"Who are they?" asked Tsunade cautiously.
"Hoshigaki Kisame, Deidara of Iwa, and Akasuna no Sasori."
Tsunade's and Shizune's jaws practically dropped.
"Shizune! Go watch out for Toki! If nothing else, he could use a second set of eyes! Tonton's sense of smell will help you so take her too!"
"Hai Tsunade-sama!"
After Shizune had left the building, Jiraiya cast a curious gaze upon Tsunade.
"Why do you care about him so much?"
"He reminds me of Nawaki and Dan. I will not have another life on my conscience."
"So why aren't you going to look after him yourself?"
"We do have to pay the tab first, don't we?"
"Oh. Right."
"Oh Kami! Is that the Kusanagi!?"
Naruto turned his head and acted surprised that Shizune had followed him to one of the parks in Tanzaku Gai.
"Shizune-san? Why are you here?"
"To help keep a lookout against those nukenin."
"Well, thanks. And yeah, this is the Kusanagi. Orochimaru lost it to the Hokage when they fought. Hokage-sama then gave it to me as a gift."
"Aren't you a Genin?"
Naruto laughed as he paused in a kata for the Crane style. "I am. But I'm very gifted, just inexperienced. That's why only Shikamaru-san was promoted to Chuunin last month."
"Oh."
Naruto continued with his katas, even after Tsunade and Jiraiya showed up.
"He's learned the Crane style?"
"Not really. I got him started on it. It doesn't seem to suit him though, so we tried the Heron style next. That doesn't suit him either, but he's still going to practice their forms even once he learns a more appropriate style."
"What style are you going to teach him next? Fox? Toad? Tortoise? Monkey?"
"Tiger. Then Falcon."
"What else have you taught him?"
"The basics for the Yondaime's Rasengan. He's still on stage two of the learning process."
"Why would you teach him that?"
"He needs a powerful jutsu to build off of in case I fall to the hands of the nukenin that are after him."
"And he's signed your Toad Contract, I suppose."
"Yep. But I'm not sure the Toads are appropriate for him. I was going to teach him how to make a completely new contract with another summon creature, as there are a number of summons out there without contracts with anyone."
Tsunade stood there, deep in thought.
"Toki!" she called out. Naruto stopped his kata to answer her.
"What?"
"If you make a new contract with a different summon creature within a week, I'll come back to Konoha with you as Godaime Hokage! If not, you and Jiraiya will leave me alone forever!"
Naruto scratched the back of his head, clearly thinking about it.
"If Jiraiya's okay with it, then I'll do it!"
Jiraiya nodded his ascent.
"First of all," began Jiraiya the next morning. "We need you to envision which animal you wish to summon."
Naruto's face scowled as he thought about it.
Lavos, any suggestions?
Two. Reptites and Nus.
What are they?
Reptites are like lizards and like people. They can be quite powerful, but they are very hot headed and cold-blooded. I'm not sure you'd get along with them. Nus, on the other hand, are also powerful, but not as much. Still, they can be clever, if empty-headed. They also love pranks. Also, there has been only one other summoner for them in your planet's history, whereas the reptites have had none.
"I think I have one."
"Which is it?" asked Shizune.
"That," began Naruto, as both women and Jiraiya leaned in, "is a secret!"
All three adults fell over.
"Dammit Toki!" yelled Jiraiya. "How the hell am I supposed to help you if you won't let me know what it is!?"
"Just show me what I'm supposed to do. I'll figure it out on my own."
"Fine," acquiesced the Toad Hermit. "Study the Toad Contract and this book of sealing basics. Rather, have your shadow clones do it."
"He uses Kagebunshin?" asked Tsunade.
"Yup. Works much better for him than the regular Bunshin. He had horrible control when he exited the Academy and the Kagebunshin was a better fit than the Bunshin."
Naruto had four Kagebunshin look over the book and scroll.
"Now, I'll teach you the basics for the Tiger style of kenjutsu."
Naruto grinned.
When Naruto finally had some free time, and none of the three adults were watching him, he opened a Gate, out of which dropped a large, round blue thing. It had a tuft of green hair on top, as well as long, spindly arms and short, thin legs. Its head and torso were one and the same, and it had a large mouth, a couple simple nostrils with no nose, and a blank stare in its eyes. Strapped to its back was a large scroll.
"Temporal rift?" said the strange creature. "Nuuuuu. Human. Weird human."
"You're pretty weird yourself, friend," stated Naruto.
"Friend? Nuuuuu. You want to be friend?"
"Yeah, sure. I also want to sign the Summoning Contract."
"Contract? Sure. You sign Contract. After you get thing I want. Nuuuuu."
"What do you want?"
"Friend. And one other thing. Nuuuuu. You must guess."
Gate in a mop from your apartment.
What?
Trust me, just do it.
Naruto pointed to the right of the Nu. It turned around to see a mop on the ground. It walked over to the mop and picked it up and examined it. It then turned around again and shrugged.
"Found thing I want. You can sign Contract. Nuuuuu. Then summon Nu Master. Use lots chakra. Talk to Nu Master. Nu Master talk to Boss. Nuuuuu. Boss make all Nu obey you. We all friends then!"
"Thanks. Can I keep the Contract around?"
"Yes." The Nu then dropped the scroll on the ground, then spat up a quiver for arrows and put the mop in it. After that, it strapped the quiver to its back and dispelled itself, taking the mop with it.
Naruto bit his thumb and used the blood to sign his name.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu: Nu!"
A large amount of smoke later, and another Nu, slightly larger than the other, stood in front of Naruto. It was also a dark grey, almost black, and had a yellow tuft of hair rather than a green one.
"Nuuuuu. Ah, summoner. I am the Nu Master. Only the Boss is above me."
Naruto bowed at the waist.
"Nuuuuu, you embarrass me. Get up. That's better. Nuuuuu, it's been a very long time since we've had a summoner."
"Who was your last summoner, if you don't mind me asking?"
"What was his name...? Nuuuuu. It's been so long, I've forgotten. But... you humans might know him as the Sage of the Six Paths. Nuuuuu."
That's the ninja who invented chakra, Naruto.
Interesting.
"I have heard of him; I thought he was only a legend."
"Tee hee! He was real, Nuuuuu. Your name is..." The Nu Master looked down at the open Contract on the ground. "Naruto, I see."
"I also go by Toki."
"Time. Nuuuuu. Very appropriate name, Son of Lavos."
Naruto's jaw dropped.
"Tee hee! We Nus talk to Nus from other planets. We know all about Lavoses. Nuuuuu, we usually try to help kill them."
"Oh. You're not going to try to kill me, are you?"
"Nuuuuu, why would we do that? You saved this world from Lavos. That would be a horrible way to repay you."
Naruto visibly relaxed. "Could you have the Nus call me Toki when I summon them?"
"Sure thing, Nuuuuu. Just sign your name again. I'll hide your real name on the contract, just like the Sage's name is hidden too. Nuuuuu."
With that he touched the column where Naruto's name was, and it became a scrambled mess of lines, just like the other occupied space next to it. Naruto simply signed next to it with the kanji for time: Toki.
"Nuuuuu. I must go and talk to the Boss."
"What's the Boss's name?"
"Spekkio, Master of War. Nuuuuu, you may summon any Nu tomorrow. See you later!"
POOF. The Nu Master was gone.
Naruto continued to learn kenjutsu and pretended to work on the Summoning Contract.
"Toki, what the hell is a Nu?"
"Oh, saw the label, did you?"
"Yeah, what is it?" asked Jiraiya.
"Something really weird."
"... You can't summon fictional creatures!"
"Who says they're fictional? Are dragons fictional?"
"Well, no."
Naruto bit his thumb and summoned a small red toad.
"Wassup!? Name's Gamakichi."
"Hi Gamakichi. Would you like to explain to Jiraiya what a Nu is?"
"Only if you give me some candy."
"Deal." Naruto pulled a peppermint out of his pocket. "Will this do?"
"A mint? Sure thing." His tongue lashed out and snatched the candy, wrapper and all, and drew it into his mouth. He then spat out the empty wrapper. "Yum!"
"So, tell Jiraiya what a Nu is."
"Well, they're the friends of us toads. Most are blue and strange, but fun!"
"Why is it that I've never heard of them?" asked Jiraiya.
"They're secretive. But it seems this boy knows what he's doing; they claim he's gonna be their new summoner!"
"Thank you, Gamakichi," said Naruto. "You can go back now."
POOF!
"I'm impressed."
"You'll be even more impressed to learn that I cheated."
"What!?"
"Yeah, this is their original Contract scroll, not a new one. I simply used a Gate to bring the scrollbearer to me."
"And what about your training in seals?"
"I'm not slacking off in that. They are genuinely interesting."
"So are you going to Gate them in or are you going to summon them normally?"
"Normally, as it takes less energy."
"Your Gates take a lot of chakra!?"
"No, they take only a little chi to use, but I have a lot more chakra than I do chi. Using the normal summoning is a lot more efficient for me than using a Gate."
"Oh. What's chi?"
Jiraiya couldn't see it past Naruto's sunglasses, but he knew the boy had just rolled his eyes.
End Chapter Four.
Next chapter: Akatsuki, the Sannin, and the color pink.
Author's Notes
So, I've been playing Chrono Trigger DS lately, and felt inspired by some of the new features (as well as the old) to write more to this story.
Before I forget, I want to thank Cylon One and Vassago-Toxicity for being my beta readers. Rock rock on!
Finally, the Kusanagi is back in the picture, but what's this? Orochimaru selected a new body? And he wants Tsunade to heal Kimimaro? Akatsuki are stepping up the power they will throw at Naruto; will his "new" Summoning Contract be enough? And will I go to Pun Hell for such bad puns in the title and AN?
Find out next time on FanFiction DOT Net!
Naruto's Spellbook:
Nu Summoning Contract
Much like the Toad Summoning Contract, Naruto simply needs a bit of blood and a few hand seals to summon a Nu. Nus, despite being rather empty-headed, are strong and clever. They love pranks, and their strange logic causes them to be unpredictable in battle. Also, they love playing with frogs and toads and other amphibians.
Rasengan
Using pure chakra manipulation, Naruto creates a sphere of chakra capable of drilling through just about any substance. (Not yet proficient.)