Here's another chapter to enjoy!
Chapter Seven
Sunlight filtered into the dark room through window shades. Falling onto the bed, it lit up the face of Anko. The snake mistress rolled beneath the covers to face away from the light. Her head snuggled into the pillow, but the smell of food had her stomach growling. After a few minutes of fruitless struggle Anko surrendered the realm of dreams to the light.
Throwing off the cover, Anko stretched her arms over her head. She wore little more than her mesh shirt and shorts. Her unruly hair fell down around her face. Hearing a yip to her right, the snake mistress looked to the floor to see a lump fighting to get the blanket off. Smiling, Anko reached down and pulled the blanket away to reveal an unhappy black fox.
"Good morning Hoshi," said Anko with a sweet smile. The fox huffed in annoyance. As she walked to the bathroom the fox transformed to humanoid form.
"Silver making breakfast," stated the kistune before closing the bedroom door behind her. A sadistic grin crossed the snake mistress's face. From the top dresser she grabbed a kunai. Silently, she left the room and entered the hallway. Right beside the stove stood the merchant dressed in wrinkled trousers and a white untucked but buttoned shirt.
Creeping up behind the merchant, Anko wrapped a hand around Silver right arm as she gently drew the kunai blade across his cheek. Just enough so a thin line of blood would appear. Glancing over his shoulder, the merchant chuckled. "Isn't it a bit early to get kinky?" In reply Anko licked some blood from his cheek. Silver rolled his eyes, but a small smile crept onto his face. "You really shouldn't do that," he said.
"But your blood is delicious," said Anko with a pout.
"I didn't think vampires lived in this part of the world," said Silver as he turned his attention back to the stove. With a spatula in one hand and the pan's handle in the other he worked on the scrambled eggs. All the while Anko lapped up a little more of his blood. "Stop with the mooching," Silver said with a mock frown. "How can a man live when his lov' keeps stealing from him."
"It's been working for the past few years," noted Anko.
Huffing in mock offense, Silver said, "Take a seat and we can have breakfast in a few minutes." With one last lick of Silver's face Anko let go of him. As she walked over to the table, the merchant said, "Have you seen the kids' latest work of art?"
Anko paused. "What did they do this time?" asked the snake mistress.
Biting his cheek, Silver forced the chuckle down. "Take a look outside and towards the Hokage Monument."
Walking over to the closest window, Anko pulled the curtains to the side. It didn't take long to find the plateau. Clamping a hand over her mouth, Anko resisted the urge to laugh. To disrespect their past leaders was no way a shinobi should act. Yet how could she not when all the Hokages' faces had been painted?
From One to Fourth each face had been painted. The first Hokage was smoking a cigarette and his eyes were painted a dark blue with one big red swirl. The Second had received buck teeth with several large piercings while the Third had a nose bleed and a deep blush. Number Four had gained a pair of whisker marks, antennae, and terrible side chops. Right next to the Forth's head was a giant circle that read "Reserved for Naruto Mitarashi."
Chocking her laughter down, Anko said, "How long do you think it will take for Hiashi to get here?"
Her question was answered when the clan leader of the Hyuga burst through the front door. "Anko, Silver," shouted Hiashi, "how you seen what our children…" His voice trailed off when he spotted Anko. While all he saw was her back portion, the mesh clothing left little to the imagination. A faint blush graced his face as he looked away. Anko smiled slyly as she lifted her kunai. "Good morning Hiashi," said the snake mistress. "Excuse me while I put on something a little more decent."
With that said she left the area, allowing Hiashi to look up. "Silver," said Hiashi "Have you seen what happened?"
"The Second Hokage needs dental work," commented the merchant. "And no, Naruto, Fu, nor Hinata are here at the moment. As we speak I believe everyone else is taking notice of their art work."
"Run Hinata, run!" exclaimed Fu as she whipped around in the air. The eleven year old vertette wore a similar, if larger, outfit. Her frame was slender and starting to curve in the right places, but with little development in the chest. Beside for being the tallest of the gang she hadn't change much.
Byakugan activated, the twelve year old bluette slowed to a stop. Huffing, she said, "B-but I think w-we out ran our p-pursers." Wearing a cream colored jacket trimmed at the hood and sleeves, the heiress was hotter than her companions. Her blue jeans didn't help the matter, but she liked her outfit. It hid her rather impressive set of breasts for a person her age.
Skidding to a stop, Naurto shouted, "Maybe." Out of the three Naruto could be the most conspicuous with his "Kill me" orange tracksuit. A red swirl on his back served well for target practice and the blue shoulders didn't help the matter. Around his head he wore a pair of green goggles- a gift from his mother. Thanks to a healthier diet he had filled out and grown some, but he was still the shortest of the group which irked him to no end.
From his pocket Naruto pulled out a piece of cloth that was the same color and had the same vertical line spacing of the fence that stood to their right. Without a word the girls grabbed hold of a piece of the cloth and lifted it over their heads. "Two s-shinobi are c-coming this way," said Hinata. They quickly lined up with the fence and looked to fade into it.
Moments later two shinobi landed in front of them. After a quick scan of the area they bounced away. Pulling the cloth down, Naruto and Fu grinned at the retreating backs. "Idiots," said Fu.
Hinata's eyes widened as she said, "Above us!"
A faint click reached Naruto's ears and the blonde's muscles tightened. "Really Hinata," said a calm, smooth voice. "Aren't you supposed to be moderating these two's behavior?" Fu chuckled uneasily. With sheepish smiles the trio looked up at the man perched on the fence.
"Hey Itachi," said Naruto, "how's it going?"
In his late teens the Uchiha stared down at them with onyx eyes. Jet black hair framed his face. He wore a short black shirt with a high collar. The Uchiha crest- an upside down fish lure that resembled a fan- decorated his back. His legs were covered by tan jeans and a pair of sandals. The leaf head band wrapped below his hairline. Running down his right arm was a long, dark scar.
"Defiling the Hokages' faces," said Itachi, "I wouldn't have thought you'd have the guts to do it."
Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto said, "What? I'm going to become stronger than all the previous Hokage."
A small smile graced the Uchiha's lips. "You do know that you'll have to clean it up."
"Hinata already pointed that out," said Fu.
"Good," said Itachi. "Now head to class. Iruka isn't going to be any happier if you keep him waiting."
"Do we have to?" whined Naruto.
"Yes Naruto," said Itachi as he stood up, "you're not yet a ninja and until you are you must continue classes." With a shake of his head, Itachi said, "Why does it feel like I'm lecturing my brother?"
"Your brother's a moody prick," said Fu. "Far less cool than you." Naruto nodded in agreement.
"G-guys," said Hinata as she deactivated her jutsu. "We s-should get g-going."
"Alright," said Naruto. After packing up the cloth, the hanyō sprinted off. "I'll race you guys to the academy."
"You're on," shouted Fu as she sprung to the air to take flight. With a shake of her head Hinata sprinted after the two. From his perch Itachi, shaking his head, watched the three leave.
Thankfully for the trio their class was having a long recess, although it was only so Iruka could watch them as they cleaned the Hokages' faces. Kneeling on the rock, Hinata and Naruto scrubbed away at the stone surface with brushes. Both of them wished that they had wings at the moment. Working on the fourth Hokage, Fu pulled away for a moment to wipe sweat from above her brow.
On top of the heads on a flat platform Iruka shouted, "Get back to work Fu. You're not allowed to leave until it's all cleaned up."
"I know that," Fu shouted back.
Shaking his head, Iruka leaned against the railing that prevented someone from going over the side. "So I take it that you guys feel confident about the final exam today."
"Of course we are!" shouted Naruto. "All three of us are going to ace it with no problem."
"Hopefully," said Fu, "it won't be like the one time you tried taking the exam too early."
"Oh come on," shouted Naruto while waving his arms, "if it wasn't for that stupid clone jutsu I would have easily passed."
"I'm s-sure you'll pass t-this t-time around," said Hinata.
Sighing, Fu said, "I hope so."
After the stone faces were clean Iruka marched his students back to the academy. As the trio walked by their seats Sakura said, "What is it with you three? Disturbing class like that isn't helping any of us." The girls paid her no mind.
Naruto stopped briefly by the pinkette's desk. An upset frown formed. "Not my fault that class is so boring," stated the blonde.
"Hey Shino," Fu said as she passed the boy. Shino nodded in reply. Taking their seats, the three settled into the daily routine. Hinata diligently listened to the teacher's lecture. Reading her book, Fu let her mind wander to a world where sailors tried to survive in an alien environment. Head and arms on the desk Naruto stared blankly at the teacher. Periodically he glanced at Sakura.
"Alright," shouted Iruka, "now it's time to start the final exam." Fu looked over her book while for the first time Naruto focused on the teacher. From the hallway a shinobi wearing his head band like a bandana entered the room. White hair poking out from the bandana reached his shoulder. His uniform was the same as Iruka's. "In the next room I and Mizuki will evaluate your skills. When your name is called please enter the room."
Alphabetically by the last name each person was called. When the test was finished said person would return with headband in hand. He or she would eagerly return to their desk. Plans of the future were talked out with friends.
"Good luck Shino," said Fu as the quiet boy left. When Fu's name was called she sprung into the air. "Go show the exam what you're made of," said Naruto with a bright smile.
"G-good luck," said Hinata.
Smirking, Fu said, "This exam should be easy." With that said she left the room.
The next room over was an open space, the only furniture being the desk which the teachers sat behind. With clipboards in hand they waited for the vertette to land. "Alright Fu," said Iruka. "All you have to do is perform three jutsu."
"Henge, substitution, and clone," Fu rattled off. "I know. You have told us the same thing for the past couple of weeks."
"Okay than," said Mizuki as he leaned on his clipboard, "show us what you can do."
Forming a hand sign, Fu shouted, "Transform." A cloud of smoke engulfed the vertette. When it cleared a perfect copy of Anko stood in her place. "How this?" she asked.
"Good," said Iruka as he wrote on the paper attached to the clipboard. "You may use either me or Mizuki for the substation."
Dispelling the last jutsu, Fu made another sign. Within moments Iruka found himself standing where Fu stood. The vertette sat in the chair with her legs on the table. "Too easy," she said.
"Finally the clone jutsu. You must make two of them to pass."
Fu walked back to her place. Alright, she thought, it's now or never. Forming the hand signs, she shouted, "Clone jutsu." As the smoke cleared the teachers stared at the clone laying on the floor. Its entire body and clothes were a sickly pale version of the original. With an angry grunt Fu kicked the ill excuse for a clone out of existence. "Just wait a moment," said Fu. "I need to create two clones, right?"
"Yes," said Iruka with a nod.
"Can I try it with something else?" This earned her a confuse gaze. Entangling her hands, Fu pleaded, "Please. I'll just need a moment to get something."
"Just be quick about it," said Iruka.
With a quick bow, Fu said, "Thank you sensei." Taking to the air, she flew out of the room. As fast as her wings could carry her she left the school and made a beeline to her house. Throwing open the door, she darted through the house. "Hey Hoshi," she shouted. Sitting at the table, the kistune paused from her book.
"Shouldn't you be in class," asked Hoshi.
Fu disappeared into her room, but quickly came back out. Swinging a pale green bag with lady bugs decorating it onto a shoulder, the vertette said, "I'm just retrieving something to do a jutsu." With a shrug the kistune returned to her book as Fu left the apartment.
A minute later she reappeared in the room. Sitting up, Iruka said, "So what exactly are you doing?" Fu reached for a zipper and pulled it down. As she did so kabutomushi came flying out.
"Watch me form a perfect clone with these kabutomushi," exclaimed Fu. Kabutomushi were light red beetles that are relatives to the kikaichū used by the Aburame. Like their smaller cousins they can feast off of charka. By offering her charka to the insects she entered into a mutual relationship with them. With her ability to talk to the insects she could control them with ease.
In principal at least. Instead the hundreds if not thousands of kabutomushi picked up on the chakra of the two teachers and thought that they were lunch. Within seconds the startled teachers were engulfed in a red cloud. "No, no, no, no," chanted Fu as she rushed over to the cloud. Waving her hand about in a frantic manner, she sent out pluses of her chakra to gain the insects' attention. "I told you to make a copy of me. Not eat my sensei." The insects ignored her plea.
Feeling their charka being eaten away, the teachers sprang to their feet and dashed out of the room. The kabutomushi chased right after them. With a frustrated shout Fu flew after the cloud of insect. "Sensei," Fu called out, "please refrain from killing the kabutomushi. This the first batch that I managed to get to obey."
"Are you sure about that?" yelled Iruka.
Poking his head out into the hallway, Naruto looked both ways. "What's going on?" he asked of nobody. Then Iruka and Mizuki rounded the corner with the kabutomushi hot on their trail. Lucky for them the bugs detected a larger source of charka. With a shout Naruto drew back.
"Naruto," said a person, "what are you doing?"
Hardly a moment later had the swarm of kabutomushi assaulted the blonde. "Ah," shouted the hanyō as he ran around in circles swinging his hands at the insects. The kabutomushi swarm clang to him. Entering the room, Fu shouted, "Shino! A little help here!"
Standing up, Shino drew a bottle out from his pocket. "Fu," said the Aburame. The vertette stopped and just managed to capture the bottle. "That is a special liquid infused with charka. My clan use it to help younger members learn how to control the insects. Just dip some within the bag and the bugs should follow."
Fu uncapped the bottle and tossed some liquid into her bag. It took a couple of seconds, but the kabutomushi started to leave Naruto alone. Within a dozen seconds the last of them entered the bag and Fu quickly zipped it closed. Naruto ran around in circles for a few more seconds before realizing that he wasn't being attacked anymore. Sheepishly, the blonde made his way back to his desk.
"Great," said Sakura, "bug girl is breeding now."
Entering the room, Iruka and Mizuki took a quick look around. "Are the bugs gone?" asked Mizuki.
"Yes sir," said Fu with a nervous chuckle. "So about my exam…"
"Sorry Fu," said Iruka with a shake of his head. "Looks like you failed."
"Oh come on Iruka," said Mizuki, "give the girl a break. Last I heard Silver has been training her well enough and if she could control her bugs she'll be rather formable."
"Maybe," said Iruka, "but she was unable to perform the clone jutsu nor make one out of insects. Sorry Fu, maybe another time."
Hanging her head, the vertette nodded. She dragged her feet back to her desk. As she sat down, Hinata said, "It's a-alright Fu. I'm c-certain with a little m-more training you'll do well next t-time." Fu grunted as she buried her face into her book.
After a while it was Hinata's turn to try the test. "Show them what you're made of," shouted Naruto as the bluette left. Fu grunted out a good luck. Minutes later Hinata came back with a smile on her face and a headband around her neck.
"I take it that you passed," said Fu as she looked up. Receiving a nod, the vertette held out a hand and the bluette high fived it. Naruto wrapped the heiress into a hug.
"Way to go Hinata!" exclaimed the hanyo.
Hinata's face glowed a bright red before she fainted. Fu couldn't help but chuckle as the blonde panicked. "Naruto," called Iruka.
Placing the unconscious girl into his chair, Naruto said, "See ya later. When I return I'll be a shinobi." With that said the blonde bolted out of the room.
"Alright Naruto," said Iruka, "you know the three jutsu you need to perform."
"Henge, substitution, and clone," declared Naruto. Making a hand sign, he said, "I'm on it. Transform."
As the smoked cleared both teachers grabbed their noses to halt the bleeding. Standing on one leg was a tall, blonde young woman. Long hair tied into ponytails nearly touched her butt. One of the blonde's ears stood erect while the other flopped over. The most noticeable thing, however, was the lack of clothing. Only a thin veil of smoke covered the nipples of the ample bosom and her special ladies parts. In a sweet, innocent voice, the blonde said, "Hello there, I'm Naruko."
"Naruto," shouted Iruka as his head somehow grew three times bigger. "Stop joking around!" Naruto cringed before dispelling the jutsu.
Wiping away a trail of blood, Mizuki said, "To be fair he did preform the jutsu flawlessly."
Sighing, Iruka nodded in agreement. The substitution went just as well if less amusing then the first jutsu. Iruka found himself standing in the space where Naruto had previously stood. Getting back in position, Naruto thought, time for the clone jutsu. Just remember not to overthink it.
For the last time, said Kurama in a bored tone, both yours and Fu's chakra are too great to perform the low rank jutsu.
Naruto performed the hand signs. "Clone jutsu!" he proclaimed.
When the smoke settled Naruto looked to his creation. He stared dumbly at the pale, reject of a clone laying on the ground. "Wait," said Naruto as he waved a hand in front of himself, "let me do that again." Once more the blond formed the hand sign and to his right another reject appeared.
"Naruto," said Iruka. Ignoring the man, the hanyō continued to perform the jutsu only to have the same result happen. "Naruto," Iruka exclaimed, "that's enough."
"Okay," said Mizuki, "I would have thought Anko would have him learn this one. Though I give him credit for making so many." That last statement was true for twenty-three rejects of clones laid upon the floor.
"Doesn't matter," said Iruka, "he failed to make a reliable clone. Sorry Naruto, you failed." Those words fell hard upon the blonde's heart. With a heavy sigh he left the room. Back in the main room he dragged himself to the top level.
"Whiskers is depressed," noted Fu as Naruto curled up on his seat. "I take it I'm not the only one to fail."
"It's a shame that you failed," said the wild boy, "but Naruto? That guy is nearly dead last in the class."
Staring at the board, the Uchiha glanced to his friend. "And who is dead last, Kiba?"
"Hey," said Kiba as he waved his hands in front of him, "I'm just not good with books."
The boy's puppy, resting on top of his head, barked. "Akamaru," said Kiba in annoyance, "whose side on you're on?"
The rest of the class finished with their exam. Except for Fu and Naruto the entire class passed. With the exam completed the classmates rushed outside to be greeted by their parents. Hinata, Naruto, and Fu gathered around the swing set. "Well this sucks," said Fu as she kicked the ground. "Out of the three of us only Hinata advanced."
"Don't w-worry guys," said Hinata, "I'm m-more than c-certain t-that you'll graduate next year."
On the swing set Naruto stared at the group of parents with their children. Their own guardians were late for whatever reason. "Yeah," said Naruto, "but you'll be put on a team and we'll never see each other again." Groaning, he also noted, "I promised Anko that I would graduate this time around. How am I going face her?"
"Use your sexy jutsu and pray she has a soft spot for girls," said Fu with a shrug. Naruto stared at the vertette with an odd expression.
"Hey Naruto," called Mizuki from across the field. "Mind if I talk to you for a moment?"
The blond looked to his companions and gave him a shrug. Jumping off the swing, Naruto ran over to the teacher. "Do you need something sensei?"
"Naruto," said Mizuki with a kind smile, "let me start off by saying please don't be upset about Iruka's call. He's just trying to be fair for all the students." Naruto's ears drooped slightly as he looked away. Under his breath he muttered 'I know.' "But I can't help but feel that failing you is a big mistake. So I'm going to tell you a secret."
"Secret?" The blonde's ears perked.
"For extra credit there's an assignment involving a scroll hidden in the Hokage's office. All you have to do is grab a scroll and bring it to me outside the village. If you do that you'll pass."
"Alright," said Naruto as he pumped his fist into the air. With a finger over his mouth the teacher hushed the boy. "Sorry," said Naruto with a sheepish grin. "That means Fu can graduate as well." For the first time during the talk Mizuki's smile waned.
"Are you sure about that Naruto?" asked the teacher. The frown he received caused the man to shake his head. "I have nothing against Fu, but she is an outsider. Even if she has been here for several years we don't truly know what's going through her head." And between the two of you she is the smarter one, thought the teacher.
"But sensei," whined Naruto, "she is one of my two best friends."
"Naruto," said Mizuki, "don't you want to be Hokage?" The blond nodded. "Then sometimes you just have to leave other people behind to do so. I'm not trying to be mean. I'm just stating the truth." A deep frown creased the blonde's face. "Just don't tell anyone about this assignment. Tonight, retrieve the scroll and meet me outside the village."
"Yes sensei," said Naruto before darting off. As the teacher turned to leave a wicked smile graced his face.
Rushing back to his friends, Naruto said, "Hey guys. Our parent's still not here?"
"Maybe Hiashi is lecturing Father on how to raise a lady properly," said Fu with a roll of her eyes. "Any way, what did Mizuki need?"
Naruto glanced over his shoulder, a conflicted look coming over his face. "I'll tell you more at your place," Naruto said. Hinata and Fu exchanged an odd look. With a nod of their heads they stood up and headed for Fu's house.
Privacy was what Naruto wanted so the trio ducked into Fu's room. The room was semi-messy, but due to the small space it felt cluttered. An unmade bed sat in the corner of the room with a bookshelf filled with books flanking it. Standing against one wall was a large tank. It was wide so that the beetles within it could roam the surface. Below the surface one could see small grubs in the soil. Against one wall was a dresser with a rapier sitting on top of it.
Going over to the tank, Fu took the bag off her back. She opened it up while at the same top opening the top of the tank. She managed to order the swarm of insects to enter the tank. Closing the lid, Fu threw the bag to the side. "You may come in now." Naruto and Hinata entered the room. Without a word all three walked over to the bed.
The only stuffed animal Fu had- a large praying mantis- was pushed to the side as the trio sat on the bed. "Alright Naruto," said Fu, "Spill it."
"Sensei Mizuki offered me an alternative way of passing!" exclaimed Naruto.
"An alternative?" said Fu with a raised eyebrow.
"Yeah," said Naruto with bright smile. "All I have to do is get a scroll from the Hokage's office and take it outside the village without being noticed." For a long moment both Fu and Hinata stared at the boy, one questioning his intelligence while the other seemed shocked. "What?" asked the hanyō.
"Naruto," said Hinata, "w-why would the Hokage b-be part of this?"
Shrugging, Naruto said, "Because the old man knows how bad I am at the clone jutsu and wants me to succeed."
Sighing, Fu said, "Whiskers, the Hokage is a busy man. He works all day to protect the village. While he cares for you deeply, he did nothing the last time when you failed. He even told you that you have to pass the test by yourself. Not to mention that of all the places in the village why would he use the Hokage building as the testing grounds?"
Receiving a blank stare, Fu resisted the urge to smack the blonde upside the head. "W-what Fu is t-trying to say," said Hinata, "is t-that the Hokage b-building is an important p-place where s-secret documents could be kept. T-to enable it to be f-free f-for a t-test the H-Hokage would have to alert the g-guards that s-someone is coming. W-what if an e-enemy shinobi over h-heard and took your p-place. The Hokage b-building is t-too important for t-that."
It took a moment to take it all in, but realization slowly dawned on the hanyō. Eyes growing wide, he said, "Then way is Mizuki asking me to steal a scroll?"
"Don't know," said Fu as a hand cupped her chin, "but it's important enough that he wants an idiot like you to steal it."
"Hey!" exclaimed Naruto.
Ignoring him, Fu said, "We'll steal that scroll."
"What?" exclaimed Hinata and Naruto.
Raising a hand, Fu said, "Hear me out. For whatever reason Mizuki wants to steal the scroll. If we can steal it and bring it to him we can learn why. Besides,"- a smile appeared on Fu's face- "whatever is in it must be important. It can't hurt anyone if we take a peek."
"I d-don't know," said Hinata.
"We'll let Silver and Anko in on it," said Fu. "With their support we should easily take on Mizuki if things go south."
Speaking of Silver, the merchant shouted, "Fu, Naruto, Hinata. You're making my life difficult again." At once the trio dashed into the hallway. Upon spotting the children, he said, "I saw what you did earlier today." With a smile, he noted, "Nice job, but Hiashi and every damn customer has been breathing down my throat. Of all the things to disrespect could you have done anything worse?"
"We could have dug up the previous Hokage's graves," suggested Fu.
Shrugging, Silver said "Point taken. Now…"
"Hold that thought," said Naruto, "because we've got something to tell you." Taking a seat at the table, to Hoshi's annoyance, the trio told Silver about Mizuki. An odd frown settled on his face as the merchant listened.
"This can't be good," said the merchant as he laced his fingers, "the Hokage must be told at once."
"Okay," said Fu, "can you please follow our plan. Even if what Naruto said is true it isn't enough to convict Mizuki of anything."
Nodding in agreement, Silver leaned against the table. "The plan is sound," said Silver, "but I'm not certain about leaving it to three newly minted genin."
Naruto chuckled nervously while Fu looked anywhere but at the merchant. "Out of t-the t-three only I-I p-passed," said Hinata.
"Clone jutsu," Silver stated. Both failures nodded their heads. "And the two of you have practiced that thing to near death. Maybe it's time we reconsider our approach on that problem." Standing up, he forced the chair away from him, "But for now we must worry about the scroll. Fu, gather your weapons. Naruto, go find Anko and alert her of the situation. Once done join me and Hinata at the Hokage's office."
"Right," exclaimed the children.
"Can I stay here?" said Hoshi.
"Mizuki is a Chūnin," said Silver, "while Anko and I are both Jōnin. This should be easy enough." With that said the four scattered to do their duties, leaving Hoshi behind to read in peace.
Fifteen minutes later everyone had gathered in the Hokage's office. Anko leaned against the wall while the merchant checked his pocket watch. The Third handed a large scroll to Naruto. It was half the height of the hanyō and almost as wide. Naruto attached the scroll to his back. "Remember the plan," the Hokage told the trio. "You'll go on ahead and Silver and Anko will follow from a distance. Do not engage Mizuki unless necessary."
"Don't worry," said Fu as she leaned on Naruto. On her back she had her bag of insects and attached to her wrist was the rapier. The rapier itself was a simple weapon. Long and slender its edges were dull and its point sharp. Three pieces of metal formed a protective ring around the handle. "Father didn't raise some weakling." Naruto and Hinata added their voices in agreement.
"Good luck," said the Hokage. With a bow the trio departed through the window. Fu flew while Hinata and Naruto ran. "They're going to look at the scroll," the Hokage said with certainty.
"No doubt," said Silver, "do you want us to stop them?"
Shaking his head, the Hokage said, "There's just jutsu in that scroll, no genin or an academy student could learn. Just make sure they don't copy it."
"Ready for some fun Anko?" said Silver as he headed toward the door.
"Please," said Anko as she drew a kunai. She tested its sharpness by running it across her finger. "That man with six arms will be more entertaining than our current target."
Sprinting through the forest, the trio went for some way. "So where are we meeting up?" asked Fu.
"Somewhere out here," said Naruto. Pointing below them, he said, "This spot will do as well as any." Naruto and Hinata skipped to a stop as Fu landed.
"Alright," said Fu, "let's see what is so important about this scroll." Hinata seemed a little hesitant, but she nodded her head. Taking the scroll off his back, Naruto brought it in front of him. As he opened it the girls leaned forward to get a better look.
"It's a bunch of jutsu," said Fu. Her stare intensified slightly upon seeing the first one. "Shadow clones? Really?"
"Well," said Naruto as he stood up. "Might as well give it a try."
"No," said Fu as she ripped the scroll away, "let's see if there's anything better than that in here." After a few moments she came upon a jutsu that caught her interest. "Here's a jutsu for sword wielders. Why not? Father taught me most of the basic and some more advanced moves." She handed the scroll to Hinata who stared blankly at it for a moment.
"My clan says that we should only specialize in taijutsu," said Hinata.
"Hinata," said Fu with a sigh, "Father once told me that only a fool specializes in only one thing. If a person figures out your trick and manages to negate it how are you going to counter?" Images of her father and the merchant's fight flashed into her mind. Almost reluctantly, the heiress examined the scroll after a few minutes. She found something that looked interesting and she walked a little distance away from her friends.
"Whoever masters their jutsu first will became Hokage!" proclaimed Fu.
"No way," said Naruto, "even if you do my jutsu will crush yours!"
"As if!"
Grinning to herself, Hinata got into her family stance. For the next few hours each friend worked on their own jutsu, Naruto and Fu's friendly taunts egging them all on. By the time Mizuki showed up all three were breathing heavily from their work. Naruto first sensed the teacher by sound, then by his smell. It was a mix of ink and, oddly enough, snakes.
Mizuki landed on a tree branch. He looked just as he did when the friends last saw him except for the giant shuriken on his back. Frowning, Mizuki said, "Naruto, why are your friends here?"
"We overheard your conversation," said Fu as she strapped her sword to her hip.
"All w-we w-want to do is help N-Naruto," said Hinata. At a slow pace she walked to her friend's side.
Heaving the stroll onto his back, Naruto said, "And we brought the stroll just as you asked. Since Fu helped she can be a shinobi too."
Mizuki stared at the three long and hard, each one smiling at their teacher. Finally, the teacher smiled, but there was no warmth. Closing his eyes, the teacher said, "I was hoping you would come alone." Reaching into a pouch, he pulled out of several kunai between his fingers. Eyes snapping open, he shouted, "But I won't mind taking out the bug freak and Hyuga with you."
His hand whipped forward and the kunai flew. Naruto and his friends leapt back as the kunai hit the ground. Jumping off the branch, Mizuki grabbed his giant shuriken. With little effort he threw it at Naruto. Just landing, Naruto leapt onto a tree, using his charka to attach to it. Hardly a second later had the shuriken dug into the ground below him.
Naruto sprang off the trunk as the shuriken bit the wood. Landing beside his giant shuriken, Mizuki yanked his weapon out of the earth. The teacher turned around to see his students facing him. Fu had her sword drawn and was in a stance similar to Silver's. Hinata had taken her family stance with her dojutsu on. Arms crossed, Naruto stared at Mizuki.
"What the hell is your problem?" exclaimed Naruto.
A dark chuckled left the teacher's lips. "Give me the scroll Naruto," said Mizuki, "and I might let you live."
"Like that's going to happen!" shouted Fu. Sprinting forward, she covered the distance and stabbed at the teacher. Smirking, the man heaved the shuriken upward, blocking the blow. Fu kept on jabbing, aiming for the hole or Mizuki's hand or arm. Effortlessly, the teacher blocked the attack.
Sensing someone to his right, he leapt back from a palm strike aimed for his side. From two sides Hinata and Fu surrounded the man. Twirling about, the teacher batted away the attacks. His leg lashed out and he caught Fu in the cheek. The vertette stumbled back. As he twirled around Mizuki got to the ground and swiped his foot under Hinata.
Hinata eeped as she fell. Coming to a stop, Mizuki raised his weapon, ready to bury one of its four sharp points into the heiress's guts. Before he could he heard an angry yell. Turning on his heel, he lift up his shuriken and blocked a fist. Through the hole he could see a snarling Naruto. This distraction provided enough time for Hinata to scrambled to her feet and gain some distance.
Shoving the shuriken upward, Mizuki pushed Naruto away. The hanyō landed in a crouch. On his feet he pointed an accusing finger at the teacher. His ears flatten to his head as he growled, "You actually tried to kill Hinata."
"Of course I did," said Mizuki. "Do you know what is in that scroll?"
"A bunch of boring jutsu," said Fu.
"Those jutsu were sealed away by the Second Hokage," said the teacher. "With that type of power I could raise to greatness."
"Well," said Fu, "that answers our question. Now where's our help?"
"Maybe they got bored and started one of their fun nights," commented Naruto. For some reason Hinata's face became a shade redder.
"Think we can take this guy?" asked Fu.
"Are you joking?" asked Mizuki. "I'm a chunin. One of you are a freak, another a demon, and the last a timid genin."
"Why do you mean calling me a demon?" asked the blonde with a frown.
"Oh right," said Mizuki with a malicious grin. "I guess nobody ever told you. Did they…"
"Told me what?" said Naruto as he stepped forward.
"Ignore him," said Fu, "he's just trying to rile you up."
"Aren't any of you curious about why people are afraid of you?" That caught the trio's attention. "Think about it. All these years parents have looked down upon you. Kept their children away. Why? Because you, Naruto, are the Nine Tails Fox in human form!"
A silence fell upon them. Naruto stared wide eyed at the teacher while Fu glanced to her blonde friend. It took the hanyō a moment to realize what Mizuki said was true. Why else would everyone hate him for as far back as he could remember? Mizuki started to laugh like a mad man. "That's right," he proclaimed, "you're…"
The teacher suddenly jerked forward as a rock ricochet off his head. "Shut up!" shouted Hinata, pure anger blazing in her eyes. "The Nine Tails Fox was a monster! Naruto is one of the greatest guys I know. Don't ever compare him to that thing."
Girl got spunk, said Kurma. In a mutter that Naruto couldn't understand, she added, Though the insult was unneeded.
Huffing, Fu said, "Naruto, a demon? He wishes." Looking to her baffled friend, she said, "You're idiotic and annoying at times but you're cool to hang with." Turning toward the shocked teacher, she said, "Now let's take care of this idiot. He's a chunin so we're going to have to go all out."
Grinning, Naruto nodded. He formed a cross with his fingers. "Fine by me! Multiple shadow clone jutsu!" shouted the hanyō. Smoke engulfed the field. As it cleared dozens of perfect copies of Narutos surrounded Mizuki.
"Clones," said the teacher with a roll of his eyes. Then out of the corner of his eye he spotted a clone swat a fly away. "No," he said, "these aren't illusion. These are real!"
"Yeah," said the many Narutos in unison, "and we're going to kick your ass."
Gritting his teeth, Mizuki spread his feet out in a defensive stance. "Solid or not I'm not going down that easily."
With a mighty battle cry the Narutos stormed forward. Going into a twirl, Mizuki gripped the center of the shuriken tightly and lashed out with it. The first clones of Naruto shouted in pain before proofing out of existence. He blocked fists with his shuriken and dodged the many kicks. I'll give the demon this much, thought the chunin as he jerked away from several strikes, his taijustu was one of the better ones in his the class.
Going into a round house, he slammed his heel into another clone who at once poofed away. Suddenly, the clones stopped. They leapt back a fair distance.
From above the traitor heard the rustling of leaves. Looking up his eyes widened. He just barely got his shuriken up and his hands under it when a series of blades made from wind struck it. Hovering overhead, Fu sliced her sword downward, each strike sending a blade of wind right at the shuriken. "Wind style," Fu proclaimed, "Scythe hurricane."
When did she learn that, thought the chunin. Scanning the field for the first time, he spotted several trees with deep gashes in them. She actually learned a jutsu from the scroll!
"Got you now," said the clones as they rushed the man. With Fu fiercely slicing away and Naruto surrounding the man they thought they had him. So when the many fists of Naruto landed it surprised the blonde when Mizuki puffed into a log. This happened so fast that Fu couldn't stop from slicing up a half dozen clones.
Up in the air the chunin had his shuriken ready to be thrown. With one good heave he threw it at the mass of Narutos. None of them survived for they were too clustered together to get away. With one big poof they disappeared. The man gritted his teeth upon seeing no blood
"Now Hinata," shouted Fu.
From the corner of his eye Mizuki spotted something coming his way. He turned at the waist to see Hinata heading right at him. Damn it, he thought, I can't move in midair. Knowing that a direct hit from the gentle fist was bad, he brought his arms in front of him. Better for them to be injured then his internal organs.
When the open palm connected he knew something was wrong. Instead of pain he felt as if something was being drawn from his body. "Water style," exclaimed Hinata, "leech jutsu." Mizuki's eyes widen with shock as blood poured out of his pours. As they landed Mizuki quickly leapt away.
"What the fuck!" exclaimed the teacher as he grabbed his right arm. All of a sudden it was sickly pale and he couldn't feel it.
Breathing heavily, Hinata allowed the blood to drop to the ground. "Human blood is made largely from water," said Hinata. "By using leach jutsu I can pull it or water out of your body."
No way, thought Mizuki as he took a step back. The demon boy was using a B-rank jutsu and his friends had learned elemental jutsu in a short time. Grimacing, he scanned the area. Most of the grass and a few trees were withered. These brats are good, he thought, but they are growing tired. That much was easy to see. All three were sweating profoundly and their breaths fell heavily from their lips. I need to…
Fu didn't allow him to finish that thought. Swooping down, she lashed out with her sword. Mizuki jumped away. "Striking snake," shouted Naruto. From one of his sleeves four long, thick snakes shot out.
That Anko's jutsu, thought the teacher. He managed to weave by three of the snakes, but the fourth caught him by the ankle. Falling onto his back, he was dragged toward Naruto. Dropping from the sky, Fu aimed for the stomach. Mizuki rolled to his side just as Fu came down onto Hinata. The two girls nearly collided.
Mizuki tried to get to his feet, but from out of nowhere three shadow clones leapt onto him. With an angry yell he forced himself onto his feet. He yanked hard on his leg while struggling to throw the clones off. Pain flared in his back. The teacher glanced back just in time to see the rapier point slicing across his back.
As Fu jumped back Hinata dashed in and slammed an open palm into his spine. "Gentle fist," exclaimed the heiress. The blow sent him forward, face first into a knuckle sandwich. Toppling over, the shinobi slammed into the ground. The clones made sure he stayed there with several more hits to the head.
Once his body stopped moving both the clones and snake were dispelled. Gingerly, the heiress and bug girl approached the teacher. Both were ready to strike if need be. Kneeling down, Fu checked the teacher. "He's out of it," said Fu between breaths.
Smiling like an idiot, Naruto said, "Told you we could do it."
Off to their right someone clapped. From out of the trees Silver, Anko, and Iruka dropped. "Bravo," said Silver with a grin.
"We're not doing that again," shout Fu. "And where the fuck were you guys." Fu cringed in pain as a cane pounded aside her head. Naruto chuckled at Fu's pain, but quickly joined her when the cane give him a good lump.
"Language Fu," said Silver as he put his cane back on, "and Naruto you don't laugh at your friends. Anyhow, we were watching from the tree tops. We thought of inferring but…"
"You guys were incredible," said Iruka as he stepped forward. The group of children looked to Silver.
"We needed one more person in our team," said Anko, "and Iruka happened to be around at the time."
"All three of you performed well as a team against a superior enemy," said Iruka, "and you managed to learn top level jutsu within a few hours."
Naruto grinned while Hinata looked to the ground in embarrassment. Shrugging, Fu said, "It came naturally to me."
Reaching for his head band, Iruka untied it and presented it to Naruto. Momentarily, the blonde stared at it. "It's yours," said Iruka with a grin, "and as soon as I can get another one Fu can have one as well."
The smile that had taken over Fu's face threatened to split it in half. "Yes," exclaimed Fu as she grabbed Hinata by the hands, "we're going to ninja!" A wide smile came over Hinata as she danced a little with her hand.
Strangely enough, Naruto stared at the hand band with sad look. Confused, Iruka said, "What's wrong Naruto?"
"Am I really the Nine Tails Fox?" asked Naruto.
From out of nowhere a fist slammed into his head. "Ow," said Naruto as he wrapped his arms around his head. Glaring at Anko, he said, "What was that for?"
"For being an idiot!" shouted Anko. "Let make this clear right now. You are Naruto Mitarashi. Container of the Nine Tails Fox. Never have you been nor will you ever be that thing. Do you understand?"
Naruto stared for a moment. Slowly a smile crossed his face. With a firm nod the blonde said, "Yes Mom."
A smug smile appeared on Anko's face. "Then take your head band and make yourself into a fine Hokage."
Ripping his goggles off his head, Naruto gave them to Anko. He grabbed hold of the head band and tied it around his forehead. Twirling around, a thumb pointed at his forehead as he exclaimed, "Hey Fu! I became a ninja first."
"Naruto," said Fu with a deadpanned expression. "First we both became genin at the same time. Second, Hinata was a ninja first."
"I still got my head band first," proclaimed Naruto.
Rolling her eyes, Fu said, "Whatever."
Silver chuckled as he looked to the unconscious Mizuki. "So I'm guessing we'll be taking him to interrogation."
"Before you do that," said Fu, "can I use my insects to drain his chakra? I was afraid to use them in battle, but now that he's out cold…"
"Go ahead," said Silver, "just be careful not to kill him."
With a nod Fu reached for her bag zipper. Upon opening the bag the kabutomushi swarmed out. To her delight some of them actually went straight to Mizuki. "Aw," shouted Naruto as he dashed away from the insects. "Stupid bugs," said Naruto as he tried to swat them, "leave me alone!"
"Looks like my insects took a liking to your charka," said Fu.
"I don't care," shouted Naruto. "Get them off of me." Everyone couldn't help but laugh as the vertette and the hanyō struggled to get the bugs to obey.
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