This is both a happy and sad chapter. It was very difficult to write because of the fight scene and I hope it meets your expectations. I can go back and revise it, if necessary. But you also find out just what's been going on with the war, and it's not pretty. Also, you get to see a little--very little--Minato/Kushina development. As far as it goes, I'm pretty pleased with the chapter and I hope you are, too!
(Standard, irritating disclaimer applies)
The pervert couldn't help but keep glancing back at the continuously-cursing blonde behind him, but whether he uttered foul words because he was trying to ignore the itching powder or whether it was at the thought of fighting him, he didn't know. Personally, Jiraiya hoped it was both. Be more fun that way.
They made their way to a training field that had been specifically prepared for this reason (in other words, cleared of all rocks, trees, and practicing teams) before he turned around to face his opponent. "Alright, here's good enough. Now, first I want to see where you're at in taijutsu. 'K? Then, if you seem to know what you're doing, we'll try a bit of ninjutus. We'll just take everything in stages, so don't worry." That was a blatant lie. There was no way he'd go easy on this or any other kid on that level! He'd seen enough of what this junior blonde was capable of and now it was time to find out more.
Apparently others had the same thought, because the Hokage, Obito (who was shifting strangely), a few dozen ANBU, and more than one Jonin were standing at the edge of the field, watching and wary.
His opponent's shirt was already looking moist from sweating in fear. He smiled. Time to get started. "Begin!"
Naruto just stared at him for a moment before shaking his head and getting into some weird-looking stance. Of course, having watched him spar a bit with his new team before, the sage knew not to brush it off...as the less-educated ANBU guards were doing. Morons. They should know not to underestimate a ninja based on nothing more than appearances. I'll have to have a talk with Sensei lat--CRAP!
The younger Namikaze had attacked without warning while Jiraiya was off in his own little world. And the way he'd attacked...the boy had literally stood on one hand and delivered a very painful kick to the man's stomach while blocking Jiraiya's own kick with his free hand, somehow managing to stay balanced the entire time. Then, to top it off, the hand that held his foot literally wrenched it at the ankle, effectively twisting it with nothing more than brute force. Geez! Not enough to hold me back or even really hurt me, but still! Anyone else might have ended up with a broken ankle! The sannin decided he'd better be a little more careful around this yellow whirlwind of energy.
Regaining his ankle (and his composure), the older shinobi figured it was time to cut loose. If this kid was really as capable as he, the boy's uncle, and now Sarutobi were betting, then he was in for one heck of a fight. Maybe after he'd beaten Naruto, he could put the fight scene in his new book! After all, a good story must not only have love; it must have action, as well! So the sage countered with trying to grab his leg as payback.
Not happening. Naruto simply flipped hands (changing his balance and throwing the older man off) and then used chakra to launch himself in the air, where he twisted like a cat before landing back on his feet, smiling. The whole episode--from the first strike to him getting back on the ground--hand taken no more than a split second. By this time, the boy's sweat was already drenching his shirt and he had to wonder about it being due to fear.
Jiraiya wasn't going to take this lying down! He charged, seemingly recklessly, but in reality very controlled, and launched an impressive series of punches and kicks. Their speed seemed about equal, though, as most were blocked. However, it only took one getting through. He lifted his knee and slammed it into the kid's stomach, knocking the breath (and a little blood) out of him. Ooh yeah! Blondie's going down! He stepped back to allow him to recover--he wasn't trying to kill him, since it was just a test, after all. But "blondie" had never stopped smiling.
"Congratulations, Jiraiya-san! Not very many people can actually hit me. That's the first time in years that I've been kneed in the stomach. Still, an injury like that is nothing more than a pinprick. I hope you feel the same when I'm done with you." And just like that, Naruto was dead serious, eyes as hard as diamond.
"Yeah, yeah, Mini-Minato. Bring it on."
Big mistake. The next move left his jaw on the ground as he rushed towards him, stopped exactly two inches out of Jiraiya's reach, and then slid the rest of the way, trying to knock one of the man's legs out from under him. He jumped up just in time, and Naruto quickly flipped to his feet again, getting in what appeared to be a modified Jyuuken stance. Ok, that's a little strange, but at least he doesn't have the Byakugan, so there's no way he can touch the chakra network, even if he does know the moves themselves.
He was right, but just because the boy couldn't touch the network didn't mean that every single hit he managed to get past the man's guard was harmless. It was all Jiraiya could do not to yell in surprised pain at one particular blow that landed on his chest. He spun around to avoid the next attack and managed to kick the boy's feet out from under him for a moment--and only a moment, because he sprang back up so quickly that it was almost as if he hadn't fallen down in the first place. Jiraiya didn't let that stop him, though. He dropped into one of his more advanced moves, taught to him by his toad friends. Sure, the techniques weren't nearly as effective without sage mode being activated, but at least the kid wouldn't know the style and it'd catch him off guard, right?
...apparently not. The boy's grin stretched from ear to ear as he carefully countered each and every move as though he himself had been trained in them, even though that was impossible.
So he switched tactics, even as Naruto landed one very heavy kick on his left shin. He decided to go with his personally invented style would be the best choice; after all, he'd only used it a few times outside of training, and there were no living witnesses to tell anyone about it. And the only one he'd ever trained with was Minato, who had been sworn to secrecy. It would work; he'd beat the little punk down and gloat as he stood over his unconscious form. And it had just enough Judo and Savate mixed in to make it really annoying. Jiraiya smiled as he sent a deadly kick towards his opponent's head...
...who blocked it with his arm like he'd been expecting it. Darn it! The brat was still grinning the whole time, too!
"I see you put a little Savate in that one. Good call! But I'm already pretty well-versed in that style. Might not want to use it again." Despite the great, big smile on his face, Naruto's eyes were, once again, dead serious.
Jiraiya cursed under his breath. Ok, well, he supposed he could use Kuntao instead And then the blonde menace himself switched from his apparently random styles to the same thing, or something like it. After about thirty seconds of high-speed combat, it was obvious that no attacks were likely to get through on either side and it was infuriating. He'd had enough.
"Geez, kid! I've used at least five different styles against you and you've countered every single one like you're an expert! How many types of taijutsu do you know, anyway!?"
"You mean apart from the ones you've shown me?" was the innocent reply. Well, duh. "I guess I know of about 20...but I'm really only experienced in half those. Shadow clones come in handy when learning new forms," the boy shrugged, as though it were nothing to be as skilled as that! But he wasn't finished. "I'm not an expert, though. I never fully mastered any method except my own."
"Why not?" the sage asked, curious as well as irritated, and as they talked, their fighting paused and their stances relaxed...mostly.
"Simple. There's no need to. They're all predictable; after observing them for long enough, it's easy to tell what the opponent is likely to do next. No need to master something I can find ways around by creating another that's completely unpredictable."
That made the white-haired man pause. He had a point, especially since that was his reason for creating his own style. Jiraiya had to smile. "I guess you've got a point there, and it looks like you and I think a lot alike. In that case, I guess there's really no reason in continuing this part of the test, is there?"
"Nope!" the chipper 13-year-old replied.
Time to move on. Why not? They were evenly matched.
"Alright, then, we'll move on to ninjutsu, but unless you've got perfect control over the direction that Water Drill of yours goes, DO NOT use it. From what I've seen, it could bend, if not plow right through, solid steel. We don't want our audience getting hurt, after all."
The boy nodded happily, but the older man got the sneaky suspicion that all of his techniques would be perfectly controlled. "Here's what we'll do; I don't particularly want either one of us on the receiving end of a high-powered jutsu that we can't block, so create as many shadow clones of yours as you feel are necessary and just give us a good demonstration. If you want to send them fighting at each other, fine, but be careful."
"Yeah, yeah, I got it, Super Pervert. I know how to handle my own clones and techniques," Naruto muttered and then walked a little distance away.
Without words or signs, 100 clones popped into existence. The group of observers gasped. Obito scratched. Where was Minato and the rest of the team, though? They really needed to see this, but maybe they already had and didn't care to see more...? That's when he actually stopped to truly look at Obito. The boy's face was bright red in a combination of frustration and anger as he desperately tried to reach between his shoulder blades. Oh, no, he didn't! Oh, yes, he did. The rest of the team wasn't there because Naruto just couldn't resist a little prank every now and then, the turd. Sarutobi, however, didn't seem like he was upset. Actually, it looked more like he was trying not to burst out laughing. Well, the Uchiha kid does look pretty funny contorting like that.
But now to get back to the other kid, the one who was making his head hurt. Apparently, he'd taken his "make your clones fight" suggestion to heart, and they were now having an all-out brawl with groups of 10 (or 20) fighting against each other. The more he watched, the more he was shocked. One group was using that water-wind combo that he had a feeling the blonde would become well-known for, while others were using a fire-wind combo, the Rasengan (which flabbergasted the sannin), or blades made from two of the elements he'd apparently mastered. But it was the group using fire as armor that really made his jaws drop.
From what Jiraiya could tell, it wasn't complete, but each clone had fire covering its body, almost like a cloak, protecting it from the attacks of the other group that was using wind-blades to cut through. Amazingly, the wind was small enough and compact enough to have an effect, sort of like blowing out a candle, perhaps, although that analogy didn't quite seem to fit. That blade was an impressive weapon, but he wondered if it would have been that effective if the fire cloak (he had instantly dubbed it as such) had been complete.
As for the other matches, the Water Drill (which had 20 clones working on creating it) and the Rasengan seemed about equal in terms of strength. In terms of distance, however, the Drill was better suited for mid-range attacks, so the Rasengan was not working against it, as the other clones weren't letting those things anywhere near them.
The fire-wind combo (which was being created by 20 clones, as well, shot from the clones' hands but had no form as the other combo did) was going up against the Water Blade...and was canceling it out, if not outright beating it--something that was unheard-of for a fire-based attack going against water.
If their audience had been shocked at the display before, they were staggered at the ones they were seeing now. The weirdest part was that the original, the real Naruto, was directly in the center of all the confrontations, lying down and staring at the clouds. The boy was cloud-watching while his minions destroyed each other. He'd occasionally wince when one of them dispersed, of course, but other than that, the kid looked absolutely bored.
Until the last two remaining clones started charging at each other, that is. One was using the Water Drill and the other was using the fire-wind technique, and both were bearing down on each other fast when the blonde shot up and started yelling at them.
"HEY, STOP! YOU IDIOTS! That hasn't been tested yet and there are innocent bystanders!" Eyes glaring and fists on his hips, the original stared down his sheepish clones. "Sorry, Boss," they both said before promptly dispelling. Then the young ninja turned their way and apologized for his copies' rash behavior...only to find that they were all staring at him in utter amazement and fear.
Jiraiya was the first to find his voice. "Naruto, I don't think we really need to go any further with this test. Uh, Hokage-sama, may I respectfully suggest that we retire to your office to discuss our findings?" Crap! Even my voice is shaking a bit! But at least I'm not rolling on the ground trying to scratch my back like Obito. But his boss simply nodded his head as they all headed back to the tower. The shinobi that had followed them out there, however, all looked at each other and silently agreed: they wanted this young boy as a friend and not an enemy. Especially considering the itching powder.
It didn't take them long to reach the tower and soon they stood outside the Hokage's door, where the sage suggested they let Obito and Naruto wait outside for a bit while they discussed the master spy's "findings."
"Sarutobi-sensei, that kid--" he began, till his former teacher interrupted him.
"--is far more than the average shinobi, correct?" Seeing Jiraiya nod, he continued. "He's far above Genin or even Chunin level. In fact, I think he's probably far above Jonin. Do you agree?" Once again, the pervert nodded. "But it's not as though I can make him a fourth Sannin, is it?" Jiraiya's eyes widened, but he didn't interrupt. "I have no doubts about his loyalty, just so you are aware. We had quite the...discussion very early this morning, where he told me enough to be sure he's only interested in the good of this village. So, if you will call our young friend back in, please."
The sage moved to do just that, but as he opened the door, he had to wonder what exactly the world-renowned Professor had found out about their random guest.
"Hiya! You sent for me, Old Man?"
Amazingly, the "Old Man" did not seem offended by the title (although Jiraiya thought the kid should know better than to be so disrespectful) and told the blonde whirlwind of energy that he was giving him the rank of Jonin, effective immediately.
Before Naruto could throw a party at the happy news, Sarutobi continued. "And as soon as you have returned from your mission, you will also be given a team. No sense putting all your talent to waste, now is there?"
For perhaps the thousandth time that day--no, that morning--Jiraiya felt his jaws drop. "And what about the Council?! They'll have a fit!"
To his surprise--once again, DARN IT!--Naruto spoke up. "Actually, they have absolutely no say in ninja matters. The Shinobi Council deals with individual clan issues and brings things to the Hokage's attention, but they can't touch any of the Sandaime's decisions. And the Civilian Council brings up, well, civilian matters. In other words, they can't actually do anything but run their mouths, especially in war time. If I'd been a civilian or a member of a clan, it'd be a different story. But since I'm not...they can just stuff it."
Chuckling from the Hokage was the only thing the toad sage heard after that as his mind started spinning in a hundred directions at once. The boss was so sure that he could be trusted; there had to be something significant to make that happen, since Sarutobi had been suspicious until that morning, and yet, here he was accepting the miniature Namikaze without hesitation. It nagged at the back of his mind, but for the life of him...Jiraiya couldn't figure out what.
And seriously, where was Minato?!?!
"Hey, kid."
"Yeah?"
"Where's your uncle? I know you put itching powder on your teammates, but they should have washed it off by now."
To his fear, Naruto's eyes glinted mischievously. "Oh, that kind doesn't come off with water. It comes off with sake."
Which meant..."You mean that my student and his students are going to have to go around town smelling like a couple of drunks until that stuff wears off?? WE'RE ABOUT TO LEAVE ON A DANGEROUS MISSION! IF THE ENEMY CAN SMELL US COMING, THEN WE'RE DEAD, YOU IDIOT!!"
But he just rolled his eyes and said, "Hardly. Sake doesn't take that long to wear off. You should know that it disappears within a few hours at most after a good shower. Quit being so dramatic. Besides, the itching powder's effects only last that long, themselves. The itching should stop any time now. I wouldn't put a mission at risk just for a prank, you know."
Oh.
But it didn't really matter what he was about to say as an apology as each one of them felt a tremendous--and furious--presence headed straight for their location. Ah, there's Minato. He'll probably want to kick his nephew's butt, too. I think I'll sit back and watch.
"NARUTOOOO!!" Minato yelled as he burst into the room. "It took me TWO HOURS to wash that stuff off, and I know it wasn't Obito's version, so tell me how to get it off or I will kick you from one side of this continent to the other like a volleyball until you do!"
Perhaps the Yellow Flash's anger would have been more effective had he not come in the room dripping wet and with...less than appropriate attire. Not that he was naked, but most people prefer it if men walked out of their houses with more than a pair of boxers and a white t-shirt (which was wet and therefore see-through) on. As it was, the sight was distinctly un-intimidating.
The Hokage intervened before the man's nephew could collapse from laughter. "Ah, Minato-san!" he said, getting up and putting his robes on the poor, shivering, and blushing blonde who'd just realized his mistake in his choice of outfits. "You'll be happy to know that your nephew passed his test with flying colors. In fact, he did so well, that I have given him the rank of Jonin." Minato's head jerked up at that, all traces of embarrassment gone as he gave his leader his undivided attention. "Also, when you have returned from your assignment, I will be assigning him his own team. Congratulations; you have one very skilled relative."
Hmmm...that distracted him rather well. Darn. I guess he won't be throwing the kid around anytime soon. So much for entertainment.
Indeed, the boy's uncle was wide-eyed as he heard the news, even though it shouldn't have been such a surprise. Seriously, had he not been paying any attention to Naruto's training sessions?
Jiraiya didn't realize he'd said the words out loud until his former student corrected him with a smile. "It's not that. I knew he was a genius right from the first session. I just didn't expect the Hokage to trust him this soon, especially not with his own team."
Again, oh.
And, again, he was interrupted before he could apologize, but by Sarutobi this time. "Let's just say he brought some things to light yesterday and that we have come to a sort of understanding. Although, I still wish to speak to him once the two of you have left. Apparently, Minato-san, your nephew has uncovered quite the dangerous spy within our midst and I'd like to know what other pieces of information he can provide his home with."
Master and blonde student looked at each other. That was their cue to leave. "Right, well, I'll see you at home, Naruto, where you WILL be punished for that itching powder incident."
"Hey, that's not fair" the newest Jonin protested. "Obito did it, too! In fact, he's the one who got me! I just happened to be there first...darn kid could get away with murder just because of those puppy dog eyes he turns on everyone." He muttered the last part with a slight glare on his face.
Wait, that reminds me... "Naruto, I noticed that he was scratching the whole time. How come you weren't?"
It was very amusing to watch the sparkle return to sky-blue eyes as Jiraiya received his answer. "Simple. He used the kind that washes off in water, and since water is my second element, well, all I had to do was soak my shirt. See? Easy."
No, kid, not so easy. You released it from your skin! Most Jonin couldn't do that! Not only does it require a huge amount of chakra, but it also takes an obscene amount of training and most would never say it's worth it after, much less call it easy. "You just can't do anything normal, can you, kid?"
"Nope!"
Then the two men stepped out of the room and left the tower with Obito having already left, only to be reminded of the Yellow Flash's amusing outfit. He pulled the robe close to his body as he and Jiraiya hurried back to his apartment. He'd forgotten his three-pronged kunai again and they had a lot to talk about.
As soon as the two of them arrived in the living room in the mid-afternoon (after having escaped a horde of fan-girls...and boys), the questions began. "Ok, Minato, first of all, when the heck did you teach that kid the Rasengan?"
"Um, yesterday?" he replied sheepishly.
This day was just full of surprises. "Are you telling me he learned that technique in one. Single. Day."
"Yeah, pretty much, although I didn't think he'd finished it. He was probably up really late and had his clones working on it or something. I don't think he got in before 2 or 3 a.m. Still, even with those shadow clones, if he really mastered it in less than 24 hours, I have to wonder just who in the world were his teachers, because they must have done one heck of a job!"
Well, that was the understatement of the year. "No kidding. Did you know that he was able to counter every single taijutsu style I hit him with, including my own? My original that no one except you and a few dead people have seen enough of to know?"
Blue eyes stared straight at him, disbelief warring with awe in his face. "You-you can't be serious!"
"I most certainly am. Ask Inoichi. He and his student, I think his name was Ibiki, were both there watching. And speaking of the Head of Torture and Interrogation, he came to me a few days ago to discuss his sessions with that blonde enigma you call nephew."
Minato's eyes became wary. If there was one thing about his student that he admired more than anything, it was the absolute loyalty he had for his loved ones, and since Naruto was the only family he had left, he was starting to get extremely protective of the mini-blonde. "What did he say?"
"He said that he couldn't get anything from him that he hadn't already told us. Not one thing no matter which method he used--besides that one that reads memories, anyway. And Ibiki apparently sat in on one or two of their sessions, so I went to ask him about it. Guess what he said."
The man was on the edge of his seat. "What?"
"He said that Naruto was intentionally teasing Inoichi, acting like he was nervous about a question, as though he had something to hide to make the interrogator go all nuts about it for a few minutes, trying to 'dig out the truth.' Then, he'd throw out some ridiculous and off-the-wall answer, just to mess with the interrogators head further. Not only that, but the little squirt would start questioning him as though he were the one in charge! So far, he's found out everything from Inoichi's shoe size to his girlfriend's favorite clothing store--hardly dangerous information, but still, to turn the tables like that! And you can be sure Ibiki was laughing his head off while telling me; he said it was the most entertaining thing he'd ever seen, and also that he thought some of your nephew's methods should be taught to our fellow shinobi. Now, how's THAT for impressive?"
Minato was cracking up laughing and spoke between gasps. "He...did that...to the head...of the Interrogation Unit!? Hahahaha! Oh, I would pay big money to see that! Hahahahahaha!" He stopped abruptly as the front door opened and in walked the younger Namikaze. "Naruto! I thought you'd be there for awhile, at least. You were barely there for an hour."
"Yeah, well, I sorta already knew what he was probably going to ask me, so I wrote up a scroll last night and handed it to him and he handed me a mission scroll for the trip to Iwa in return. But I really didn't get much sleep, so goodnight!" And just like that, with a smile on his face and a hand rubbing the back of his head, he collapsed from exhaustion. Minato caught him and panicked until he saw that the boy was just asleep, and then sighed and carried his nephew to his room.
Jiraiya thought it was good for him to have family around again. With someone to take care of, the famous jonin looked like he was finally relaxing. The war had gotten to everyone, sure, but him more than most, and he'd nearly snapped two months ago. That was why his team had been given such a long vacation, and the sage himself had been asked to keep an eye on his former student. It had helped that there was a lull in the war, anyway, but he'd never forget the look on Minato's face as he'd walked back into the village gates after a year of nothing but bloodshed.
The Yellow Flash had been holding onto his sanity by a thread. Just about every commander wanted him in his army or team, and he got no rest, since distance meant practically nothing with his Hiraishin technique. Amazingly, it was Kushina who'd first picked up on it. To that day, Jiraiya still remembered her words with perfect clarity: "Listen, Pervert, if you don't get him away from here for awhile, he's gonna end up slitting his wrists. I can see it in his eyes, and I know, because if I weren't needed so much, I'd do it, as well." Naturally, that had gotten her a break right along with her best friend.
And now they were going back--all of them, but thankfully they were getting a relatively simple mission first. Go scout a base. No big deal. In enemy territory. Ok, possibly a big deal; Minato's face was well-known in Iwa (to say the least), but with that Sexy Jutsu, no problem. Piece of cake with two jonin, one sannin, and three chunin along. And since that Uchiha probably already knew the technique, as well, it meant that only Kakashi and Rin would have to worry about disguises...unless they wanted to learn the jutsu, too, which Jiraiya seriously doubted. Yes, indeed, it would be easy, he hoped, because this war was lasting way too long and this new kid was a balm to his uncle's soul.
For that alone, Jiraiya realized that he'd always owe Naruto a debt he could never repay.
Just then, Minato came back into the room and Jiraiya broke off his thoughts with a question he'd been meaning to ask. "So, how'd you know Naruto didn't get back here until 2 or 3 this morning?"
The blonde blushed bright crimson and the toad sage knew he'd just hit the jackpot. "Uh, I, um, couldn't sleep." HA! Liar! I bet he'd just gotten home himself!
Time to dig the knife in a little deeper. "You know, I went to go visit Kushina last night to see if she was up to pranking one of the more irritating council members and I could have sworn that I saw you two through a window--"
"OK!" he snapped. Victory! "Yes, I was there, alright? Look, please don't tell anyone about this. I care about her a lot and I don't want her to get hurt. You know how careful she is about her personal life becoming public. For her sake, I'm begging you, leave it alone."
But Jiraiya just smirked. "I lied. Never saw you. Never even visited. GOTCHA!"
Minato cussed long and hard, but the hermit had never felt so pleased. He wasn't a master spy for nothing!
"So..." he started, conversationally, "how long till Naruto gets a cousin?"
He left that afternoon with significantly more bruises than he'd walked into the home with.
Jonin. His nephew had made Jonin at age 13. It was unheard of, but if what he'd heard was true, even that ranking was downplaying his skills considerably. Obito had come over shortly after Jiraiya had left (covered in suspicious black and blue markings, of course) and had told him a bit more than the older ninja. If it'd been a full-out fight between the two of them, his former sensei would have gotten his butt kicked. Well, maybe not, if he'd used Sage Mode, but it was pretty rare for him to "sink that low," as Jiraiya liked to put it.
Which immediately made him wonder what Naruto could do with Sage Mode. Ah, yes, that would be a sight to see! And with the war going as poorly as it was, the village desperately needed it. Needed him. All of them. Hiraishin and this nephew of his could tip the scales drastically in their favor. Still...he'd experienced the horrors of war and was loathe to let anyone as innocent and carefree as Naruto learn of it firsthand. And he didn't want the boy to be used as a weapon, as he often was.
He laid down on his bed as he pondered these things, wondering how he could save the only family he had in the world from the brink of insanity that he'd just recently come back from himself. Minato knew that it wouldn't always be this way; they wouldn't always be treated with kid gloves. This was temporary, and reality was going to smack them in the face sooner or later. He hated that. Oh, how he hated that. Peace...was it all just a dream, something to strive for but never achieve? Countless generations and lives had been spent pursuing a rumor to find the truth that lay behind it, and each and every time, all was lost. In truth, too few wanted that peace, and too many wanted death. It had been a difficult reality for him to accept, but sometimes war could not be avoided for that reason.
"Sometimes I think the human heart is the source of all evil in this world. We fragile humans are so easily corrupted and we suffer at our own hands; the worst part is that the innocent suffer with us." He could remember telling Kushina that very thing last night, and for the first time in years, she had broken down crying. They hadn't done what Jiraiya had implied, but he'd let the pervert think that, because he knew his friend would rather die than have anyone see her as weak, and so he'd held her for hours until the tears had stopped as she fell asleep. Then, Minato had carefully picked her up off the sofa and gently, ever so gently, taken her to her room and laid her on her bed. He'd stayed there for awhile just to watch her as she slept without nightmares--the first time in weeks, he knew--and the whole time, all he could think was how strong she was and how beautiful.
The more he thought about it, the more he realized that she'd needed help a lot longer than he had and no one had really taken the time out to see to it that she got it. Kushina's one stress-relief in her life was her pranks, and she'd been pulling more and more of them lately until they seemed non-stop. While he had been healing...for awhile...she had been eaten from the inside out. And when he thought about that, he realized something else: Naruto. He'd recovered more than he'd ever expected to because somehow, this cheerful beam of light had entered his life. They'd gotten along well; maybe he'd be willing to help her the same way he'd helped Minato, and in turn, maybe they'd all help each other. Because all ninja knew that a shinobi on the battlefield was not the same as a shinobi off the battlefield. Broken people could still throw a kunai straight, as he'd proven time and time again, but it was never worth the price.
Yes, he was glad--exceedingly glad--that he'd found a family he'd never thought to have, a welcoming light in a time of vicious darkness.
But something about that very boy was bothering him. As he'd carried his nephew to his room, he'd muttered out a few strange words in his sleep. Where the heck had he heard the name Madara Uchiha and how did he even know the words, "Mangekyou Sharingan"?? It was very disturbing. Oh, and one other question flooded his mind: what exactly did he mean by "Akatsuki"?
As he pondered his confusing, enigma (as Jiraiya had so aptly put it) of a nephew, he slowly fell asleep. The last image to flash before his eyes just before drifting off was Kushina as she threw a balloon filled with chocolate sauce at his head. Good times, good times.
Six months of pregnancy had done wonders for her temperament. People no longer had to wonder if she was about to throttle them or lash out, screaming in their ears as rage overtook her senses. No, they no longer had to wonder...because they knew for a fact she would.
Sakura Haruno was an explosion of irritation, anger, and temper-tantrums. Any and all who dared to cross her path regretted it immediately. Which is why most people preferred the use of clones or ignorant genins when speaking to her; it was less risky that way.
But today, the now-eighteen-year-old girl was calm, unbelievably calm, as she sat in her office in the hospital, thinking about the months both behind her and ahead of her. Naruto had been a far better friend than she could ever have hoped to have; he was practically giving up his dream just to make sure she stayed safe, even if it was only temporary. He could already have been Hokage, but then he would have had to swear to uphold certain rules that he simply wasn't ready to yet, all because of her.
The one bright spot in his life had been his and Hinata's wedding, and the Hyuuga was every bit as great a friend as her husband. Instead of turning Sakura in for being a traitor to her home, they had both hashed a pretty decent plan out. In three weeks, she would be traveling to a small border village in desperate need of medical care and would stay there for three months, and guess who was going along as "backup." Hinata. She would help her give birth, and then take the child back to Konoha as an "orphan" to raise as her own. It was the only thing they could really do, unless the pink-haired girl wanted to be executed. Sleeping with the enemy when not on a mission was frowned on, to say the least. The Council, in its anger at the Uchiha, would use her condition to say that she had been helping him escape their grasps for years by giving him information and plans.
Ridiculous, especially since she hadn't exactly volunteered. But to tell Naruto that...Sakura would rather die than to cause him more pain. And to think, having that foolish emo's child had once been her dream. Now it was a nightmare that could easily cost her her life. No wonder she'd had a bad temper lately! Stupid male Uchihas...
Naruto stared at his mission scroll. It was somewhat different than the ones Minato's team had been given; he knew because they'd gone over them that morning before heading to Ichiraku's for breakfast. After the little demonstration, he'd come home and fallen asleep immediately but had woken up after awhile. Now, thanks to it being late at night, there was nothing to do except think (which he hated). Sitting around like this drives me nuts! Still, Naruto managed to stay fairly calm.
His fingers stroked his new Leaf headband for a moment. It made sense that he hadn't received a scroll from the old man until he'd become an official shinobi of his village again, but why was it different? The others had scouting duties with the option of attacking, if they felt it was necessary. Naruto, on the other hand, was ordered to take the base out quietly.
In other words, leave no witnesses and no evidence behind. He's counting waaay too much on my transformation and huge stores of chakra. But I should still be able to pull it off, hopefully. I'm just glad I don't have to worry about the Kyuubi menace anymore...even though the furball did have its perks.
"The cons far outweighed the pros," said a voice Naruto would recognize anywhere.
"Ayu! What are you doing here?" Then, he thought about the other times he'd seen the mysterious dude. "Wait a minute, am I unconscious?"
The man just laughed and reassured him that he was completely awake. "Your father is asleep just down the hall, however, so try not to be too loud."
Blondie eyed Brunette for a moment before nodding. "Right. So, then...what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to ask you what you think."
"Of what?"
"Your gift. And what you plan on doing with it."
"Oh, that." He paused as he considered how to put it into words. "Well, for one thing, my dad's great! It's awesome to actually get to see him in real life, every day! For that alone, I can honestly say that it's the best gift I've ever been given. And what I intend to do with it...I want to save him. Him and all the others--Obito, Rin, Sasuke's family, the--"
Ayu interrupted him before he could finish. "Naruto, not everyone can be saved." His voice was sad, filled with sorrow and compassion.
Naruto didn't understand. "What do you mean? All I have to do is be there when they go to take out that bridge to save Obito, and then all I have to do is kill Madara. After that, I can go get Granny Tsunade and bring her back to the village. Maybe some other stuff, too, but it doesn't seem so hard."
But Ayu simply shook his head and repeated himself. "No, Naruto. You can't save everyone." And with that, he disappeared. Not in a puff of smoke or any sound; he was just there one moment and gone before the next, leaving Naruto confused and wondering what was going to go wrong next.
He laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling until he fell asleep and a new day and a new mission arrived.
So, this is where Kakashi-sensei got his habit for being late all the time, the former Jinchuuriki thought to himself as he waited at the gate the next morning. Everyone had already shown up...except Obito.
They should have left an hour ago.
Naruto's foot tapped impatiently, as did Rin's, Jiraiya's, and Kakashi's. I swear, if that Uchiha says one thing about being lost on the road of life, I'm going to--
"Hi, everybody! Sorry I'm late! An old lady asked me to carry her groceries on the way here and I had to help." The rest of the shinobi groaned, not buying a word of it.
Ooooh, you are so lucky I didn't mention that one. Out loud, however, all he said was, "Great, then let's go."
And off they went, through the forests, through the meadows, through the rivers, through-- GAHHH! THIS IS TAKING TOO FREAKIN' LONG! CAN WE JUST HURRY UP AND GET THERE ALREADY?? Naruto was not at any point in his existence known for his patience, but at least he had gained the ability to keep his trap shut.
Obito, however...
"Hey, Mini-sensei, will you show me that awesome technique you used yesterday?" The rest of the group turned to look at the two of them, who were in the rear. Their eyes held both amusement and irritation.
Mini-sensei. I can't believe he actually called me that. In front of people. Yet, the Kage-level ninja replied carefully. "Which one? I used a lot of different techniques."
The Uchiha smiled. "Exactly! ALL of them!"
Jiraiya winced visibly. Naruto knew why. Each one of them had been at least B-level, some even A- or S-level, and according to the sage, this boy wasn't exactly the most--ahem--elegant of fighters.
However, Naruto knew better. Like with him, few people had ever truly given Obito the time of day; most had just written him off as worthless and left it at that. The one single exception to that seemed to be Minato, but even he couldn't spend all his time trying to train a kid who was more interested in driving people insane with pranks. Plus, the blonde boy had the sneaky suspicion that his father still had yet to fully earn the rambunctious 12-year-old's respect. After all, the Legendary Yellow Flash still hadn't seen through the Ramen Trick and fell for it nearly every time.
But since he apparently did have the kid's respect, well, it'd be fun to see just how much stronger he could get on the way to Iwa, which would take about two weeks, since they were doing their best to travel slowly to avoid detection. (Even their clothes had all had seals placed on them--compliments of Naruto--that kept up a constant genjutsu, making them look just like a civilian's. Minato had been thrilled when he'd learned his "nephew" could do that.) They still had four days before they reached the border and had to watch themselves, so why not?
"Hmmm...what's your chakra nature?"
"Fire, duh. I am an Uchiha, after all." Strangely, he didn't seem too happy about that, but Naruto had a solution.
"Well, which one would you like?" At that, all the others stopped dead in their tracks and turned around and stared at him.
Kakashi spoke what they were all thinking. "Are you implying that you have the ability to change the natural direction a person's chakra leans?" His voice was cold--as usual--but also curious.
"Um, sort of." His future sensei's eyes widened. "Look, it's not that simple, really, and it has its own drawbacks, but I can alter it with a seal...a very irritatingly difficult seal." Naruto muttered the last part because it truly was hard; the first time he'd tried it on himself, it had taken the better part of an entire day just to draw it on his skin (thankfully, he'd figured out how to use paper instead). And it had to be individually created for each person who wanted one. AND it had to be removed again in order for the person to use any other chakra nature. In his mind, the drawbacks weren't always worth it. Hmmm...maybe if I add a few more lines in the left quadrant--
"HEY! RAMEN FREAK!" (Obito again.)
The ramen freak broke out of his musings at once. The shocked expression on his father's face told him he'd probably never heard of this and was HIGHLY interested in hearing what his "nephew" had to say.
"What?"
"We asked you if you would be so kind as to demonstrate this ability for us," Minato kindly requested.
"Huh? Oh! Yeah, sure! Just give me a minute..." He sat on the ground (right in the middle of the road, in fact) and started to dig through his backpack.
"Um, I think we should move this off-road, everyone." Ah, Rin, the voice of reason. He nodded, picked up his pack, and walked off the road for a few minutes until he came to a small field, the rest of his team members trailing behind him in either excitement or uncertainly, and in Kakashi's case, no emotion whatsoever.
Then he started searching his bag again and brought out his notebook and his ink and brush. The Yellow Flash threw one of his special kunai next to the boy and flashed over quickly so as not to miss a thing. Obito ran as quickly as his shorter legs could carry him. The others...kept their distance.
"So, what would you like to switch it to, Obito?"
"Well, I've never been able to use wind like you, so...WIND!" The Uchiha all but clapped and danced at that. Everyone else felt beads of sweat running down their faces.
"Alright, then, let me see...height is 150.1 centimeters; age is 12 years, 3 months, and 11 days..." his voice trailed off as he stood, stared at the kid, and took everything into account; it was necessary because of the ways the seal interacted with both the body and the chakra network; there was a little leeway built in to make it safe, but if he were off by too much, bits of young Uchiha would be scattered across the grass. Naruto had to do one more thing before he could start creating the seal. He put his hand on Obito's shoulder and sent a pulse of green chakra running through him to get a good idea of what shape his network was in.
It wasn't precisely medical ninjutsu, just a safe way to check for vitals that almost every shinobi from his time knew as a necessity, but Rin's eyebrows still lifted sky-high, as did Minato's.
"Alright, looks like I've got all the information I need. Now I would suggest we all sit down, because this is going to take awhile, but thankfully only this once. If I ever have to do it again, I can have it done in 10 minutes."
So each team member sat around him to watch his art take shape. Sai would be so proud of me! Couldn't draw a picture if my life depended on it, but this I can do.
After about six hours of practically burying the paper in scores of lines, swirls, circles, and kanji, he took out a new sheet to start the second layer. He'd finished the physical part; the chakra part was all that remained, and it only took five minutes. Then he went over every single bit of it with a fine-toothed comb. A sound of snoring interrupted him when he'd finished.
The whole team, except for his father, was asleep. Why not? It was a fine afternoon. He chuckled and the older Namikaze turned to him.
"Is it finished?" His words were spoken quietly to avoid waking the others.
"Yeah, and it didn't take quite as long as I'd thought. I guess it's because I've made it so many times before."
"Why and how did you manage to create it?"
"Why? Um, well, let's just say the fact that I can make over a thousand shadow clones would be a lot more handy if they can all use a ton of different elements. I met this guy once who could use all five due to a bloodline and I got curious. I thought that if I could somehow give myself that ability, I might be able to stop him or at least slow him down. Didn't quite work out the way I'd planned, but at least this came out of it"
"Stop whom?"
Oops. Foot in mouth again. The last thing Naruto wanted was to tell his father about Madara Uchiha. That would be a huge mistake. "Oh, uh, just some guy, that's all."
But Minato's voice got harder. "If he's so powerful that you had to create new seals and jutsus just to hope to slow him down, then he's not just 'some guy.' I've seen enough of your abilities to know you're at least my level, so for you to be afraid you'd die while facing him, he must be unbelievably powerful. Tell me about him." Ah, such a simple request-slash-order.
Sorry, Dad, it ain't happening. "No can do. Now, let's wake Obito and show him his new toy." He moved his hand to nudge the boy sitting to his left (and drooling all over the grass) awake, but his father stopped him.
"It's Madara, isn't it."
Naruto gasped and cursed silently as he tried to come up with something--anything!--to tell this man he was mistaken. Too bad his face gave him away before he could.
"You talk in your sleep sometimes, you know. You mentioned the Mangekyou Sharingan and something called 'Akatsuki' as well. Who are they?"
He was sweating buckets and yet felt as cold as ice, and his hands began to shake. Before the man could say anything else, he stood up, grabbed his father's hand, and dragged him through the trees a decent distance away. Then, he activated a privacy jutsu that would extend for 10 meters in every direction. They could be seen but not heard, and their faces would be blurred to any who saw them and tried to read their lips.
"You should never have said that out loud, Minato-sensei! If I don't tell you and everyone else something, there's a reason for it--a GOOD reason! Which means you shouldn't go looking for answers or asking questions about things you aren't supposed to know!"
Minato just stared down at his young relative, face devoid of emotion as he let the boy rant until he ran out of breath. Then he spoke, his voice clipped and fiery. "You're the only family I have, Naruto, but if you think I'm going to avoid looking into things this serious, you'd better think again. If it pertains to either your safety or the safety of the village, you'd better believe that I will dig through every single nook and cranny to unravel the whole thing. Now, TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW."
Naruto had to sigh at the whole exchange. More and more, his mouth was getting him into trouble. Strange, he didn't remember being this bad when he was in his 20s; he must be regressing a bit. But he had to tell him something, that much was obvious. Just not everything.
"I'll tell you what is safe to tell you and nothing more, and my reasons for that are the same as yours: keeping my family and my home safe, and I'm pretty sure the Hokage would agree with me on this, too, so don't use him as a threat." Blue eyes narrowed at blue eyes as Naruto continued. "Madara is alive. I won't explain how--especially since I don't have all the brains needed to fully understand it myself--but he is definitely alive and pissed. His short-term goal, if you can call it that, is to destroy the village Hidden in the Leaves. His long-term goal is to revive a creature that was essentially ripped apart before the Senju and Uchiha clans were even formed and use it to rule the world. He has the Mangekyou and created Akatsuki, an organization dedicated to fulfilling his goals. And let's just say that I intend to play a big part in kicking his tail to kingdom come."
"A big part. Right. You've left out quite a few details. Explain to me how you know about the Juubi."
HOLY CRAP, DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW TO GIVE UP!! "What part of 'I can't tell you everything' did you not get?? Seriously, stop asking!"
His father's eyes flashed dangerously as he replied. "You think I didn't go and study the bijuu after hearing how much you knew about them? It's not well-known, but Sarutobi-sama was kind enough to let me use his personal library for research, where I found exactly what you've just described. That thing is a monster! Dear God," he said, then paused for a moment and hung his head as if praying (which he might have been, considering the circumstances), "I never expected you to be involved in something this serious."
A cold shiver made its way up the boy's spine as he remembered Ayu's words to him. Surely he didn't mean that he wouldn't be able to save his father? Surely... "What are you planning, Sensei?"
Sad eyes looked into his. "I honestly don't know, but I can't let you face this all on your own. Not you. Not my family. You're just a kid; you shouldn't have to suffer and bear a burden like this."
"Believe it or not, I'm not worried. And as for my age, that has nothing to do with it. I'm strong enough to handle it and you need to let me do so. Maybe one day I can tell you the whole story and you'll understand, and maybe one day you'll forgive me for not telling you now. Just...just please...please don't hate me for it. Please."
The discussion all but died there, the hurt and confused look in Minato's eyes something his son would never be able to forget. But he had no choice. He wanted to grow up with a family this time around, and preferably without the little furball tag-along he'd had his fill of. Even Sarutobi didn't know everything, and nor would he. No, this was his mission, his purpose, and his alone, and his father's life and his own very existence likely depended on him staying out of it. No matter how deeply it tore at his heart to see such disappointment on his parent's face, it had to be this way. Had to be. Had to be.
They both walked back to the clearing with those words running through Naruto's head the whole time until Obito practically tackled him to the ground.
"Naruto-san, why'd you both leave? We woke up and you'd disappeared and then Super Perv said you two needed to talk and then Rin-chan said I shouldn't bother you and then Ice Bucket said that I was too nosy and--"
"Obito, Obito! Slow down! Take a deep breath. Ok?" The boy nodded uncertainly. "Yes, we did need to talk about something, but we're back now so that you can try out your new element. Let's go!" He didn't think his happy act was truly fooling anyone except the dark-haired Uchiha and maybe Rin, since she always did have trouble looking people in the eyes. His nerves got even worse when he saw Jiraiya head over to talk to Minato, knowing that he was about to tell him everything that they'd discussed, knowing that he'd be desperate for some advice and help, knowing that he could very easily get himself killed.
And truthfully, he was worried, worried that he might not have the strength to defeat the wrinkly Uchiha without the Kyuubi backing him up, worried that he might not be able to stop the attack on October 10th and that he'd lose his father all over again, and most of all, he was worried that no matter what he did, it might happen, anyway. Even as Naruto activated the temporary seal onto Obito's skin, he had to fight the numbing, trembling terror that seemed to push every rational thought out of his brain. He watched from the corner of his eye as the sage's mouth fell open as his father spoke in a low, quiet voice. Suddenly, he couldn't stop the shaking anymore and he fell to his knees as his breath and heartbeat quickened as he hyperventilated.
"Naruto-san? What's wrong? Naruto? Na--RIN! HELP!!" Obito yelled, almost as scared as the young Namikaze on the ground, and naturally, everyone rushed over.
"Hey, kid, what's the matter?" "Naruto, calm down, take deep breaths." "Oh, no, I BROKE HIM!" "He's going to be fi--Obito, did you just say you broke him?"
"..."
The object of their worries would have listened to more, but they were fading out fast, and he felt so darn tired...so tired...
Hi! Sorry about the long wait; it was really difficult for me to write this one, but here it finally is. I made it a lot longer to make up for how late it is and I hope you like it! And Obito--gotta love him!
I have made an effort to keep the grammar as correct as possible, but there are probably typos, so if you would be so kind as to point them out if you see them, that'd be great!
Let me know what you think!