Finally, Ch. 11 is up! (Standard "I don't own this, duh" applies)
Dear Hinata,
Well, I don't really know how else to say this except to come right out with it. By the time you get this, I'll be dead. You more than anyone knew what was going on with the seal, and it reached a point where this was the only option left. But hey, we had some good years, at least, and that was more than I ever thought to have, more than I ever deserved. Now, you can't go getting all depressed about this, ok? Hibiki and Shou are going to need you more than ever, and you don't want to let them or me down, right? Oh, and don't even think of going all timid and shy again; it took forever for you to break yourself out of that mess! By the way, the first time I ever heard you yell at a store clerk for trying to overcharge you, I did a little victory dance. Oh, and when you slapped that moron through a concrete wall for trying to grope you, well, that's when I truly started falling in love with you. Then, when you punched me clear across the village for, um, accidentally showing up on the wrong side of a hot springs in my sexy jutsu transformation, that's when I knew for sure you were the one for me. You know, as cheesy as it sounds, you remind me of the wind: gentle unless provoked by something else, and since my element is wind, well...you know what I mean. Don't laugh! I've never been one for fancy words and all, but it's times like this that I wish I could be. It's times like this when I remember you walking out of the Hyuuga compound after confronting, challenging, and ultimately beating the snot out of every single one of those stuck-up Main House elder-jerks and wish I could say something--anything--remotely intelligent. So here it is, the most intelligent thing I could think to say that might shape the future of society for generations to come: Don't forget to prank Neji!
Naruto's eyes were slowly beginning to open, but it was difficult--his lids felt so heavy! He groaned with the effort and kept trying, not actually expecting anyone to hear him struggling with such a simple task.
"Naruto?" Rin said hesitantly. She didn't seem afraid, exactly. More like cautious, which meant they probably were safe and hadn't been attacked. Good. Not sure if I could move right now.
"Yo," he managed. Seriously, why was he so exhausted?
"How are you feeling?"
"Just a little tired. Other than that, I'm fine. What happened?" Well, I hope I'm fine.
Jiraiya responded quickly but with surprising gentleness. "A little tired? Kid, you collapsed. We were all worried sick." Eh??
"Collapsed? Wait, why?" His eyes finally opened and he saw that it was night. Looked like they'd ended up staying in that field, too; they probably hadn't wanted to move him. He couldn't see the others, though, since he was having trouble moving his head to check. Seems kinda like chakra exhaustion, but that can't be right. I hardly used any! Plus, even without the old furball I recover much faster than any other shinobi would. I'm still always ok within a day or two. Makes me think that wasn't all Kyuubi's doing.
As Naruto discussed his situation internally, the medic-nin looked him straight in the eyes before asking her own questions. "Naruto, how much sleep have you been getting lately?"
He froze. That question was completely unexpected, not to mention unappreciated. "Enough. Why?"
The truth would have been more along the lines of: not much. But hey, he was entitled to some secrets. And if Minato never noticed that he usually left a clone in his place at nights, well... Naruto just couldn't sleep well and nightmare-free unless he was on a mission, he completely exhausted himself, or Hinata knocked him unconscious with her family's techniques. Once again, these were not things his teammates needed to know. Besides, with the occasional cat nap and his unbelievable stamina, he'd always been fine before. Till now, apparently.
"I don't believe you." Her tone made him suspicious; she'd always been nice, but there was an extra layer of concern and irritation that bugged him. Not. Their. Business.
"Believe what you want. Look, I feel wide awake now, so I'm going to see if I can get some training in--"
Jiraiya cut in again (and with a far less gentle voice), much to the blonde's annoyance. "No, you won't. Kid, I don't know where you got the idea that you could push yourself this much, but based on what Rin's examination found, you just passed out from a combination of stress and exhaustion. Care to explain?"
Uh, no. The teen-slash-adult had had more than enough of people's nosy habits for one day. Not only that, but he just didn't feel up to playing 20 Questions with it being still too hard to move. He answered his future-slash-past sensei with silence and a glare, his expression a clear statement of "When Hell freezes over." The glare he sent could very well have sent said location into an ice age.
"Geez, boy! You act like we're trying to sabotage you or something! A lack of adequate sleep combined with the stress of what you think your mission in life is," Naruto's hand clenched at that, "and the mission we're on right now, well, it'd be enough to break anyone down. What do you think you are, immortal?"
Well, shoot, if this weren't the peaches and cream to top off his day. Eyes flashing in anger, he turned to the pervert to let loose a few choice words. "Immortal? No, my best friend helped drive that lesson into my head--or should I say lung--a long time ago! I don't need you telling me what is and isn't good for my health; I'm not some incapable toddler, so leave it alone."
"Nope, sorry, can't do that, Naruto. Despite how you grew up, you should know that we take care of our own, so you are GOING to take a nice, long nap, whether it's voluntary or forced, and we're not moving one inch further towards the border until you've recovered. And since I'm the highest ranking shinobi here, I'm giving the orders and you will obey. Understood!" Geez, the Toad Man was scary! It'd been a long time since Naruto had been on that training trip with his old master, so this side of him would take some time getting used to once again. Quite frankly, without the Sage Mode available to him (what excuse could he possibly have for using THAT?), he wasn't sure if he could beat the old sannin. Equal him? Sure. Take him out? Rasenshuriken, check. But to take him down without taking him out? Um, no.
But that did give him an idea. Maybe he could convince the sage to train him in using Nature chakra. It'd have to be an even trade, of course. Perhaps Naruto could help him with his books--an unlimited supply of "inspiration" with his shadow clones and Sexy Jutsu, as disgusting as it was to the blonde, would probably be more than a few points in his favor...
Still, all that would have to wait. In the meantime, it was best to listen to him, since he was usually right about things like this. Besides, he wasn't so arrogant as to completely ignore sound advice (or orders) when they actually made sense. Although, he would grumble about it. "Look, believe it or not, I've been training that way ever since I can remember; it's gotten me to where I am now. But I will admit that I'm not usually this stressed and I do typically get a lot more sleep, so I'll take your advice for now. Just don't expect me to jump for joy or throw a parade about it. And get some sleep yourselves, especially you, Rin--you worry as much as I do. I'm fine, so relax."
With that, Naruto heard a collective sigh of relief; apparently, those who hadn't taken part in the "discussion" had been listening from their bed rolls. Both Jiraiya and the young medic looked like they felt as though a weight had just dropped off their shoulders, and strangely...so did he. Without the Kyuubi to take care of his wounds and exhaustion, he had to be more careful. Recklessness against his enemies would now only get him killed.
The boy drifted off into sleep, and for the first time in weeks, it was dreamless.
The sun was bright the next day, and everyone was hot and sweating. Although, it wouldn't do for him to show such a ridiculous weakness. No, no, Kakashi refused to ever do anything to tarnish the family reputation he was struggling to rebuild. Thankfully, while he did have to deal with the annoying gossip, he didn't have to deal with people rejecting him and pretending he didn't exist. They'd stopped all that after his father's funeral. Plus, he was their resident genius and all the girls loved him, dark, mysterious, and brooding boy that he was. Kakashi estimated it'd take him a minimum of fifteen years to wipe the stain of his father's mistakes off of the family name. How irritating. At the very back of the group, he glared at the chunin in front of him.
Kakashi strongly suspected that it was mostly Obito's fault that it was taking so long. The Uchiha reject did little but hold him and his team back. The twit could never seem to improve no matter what he did, either, and resorted to pulling pathetic pranks to make him feel better about his failures. At least Rin's medical skills came in handy, but the runt? Ha! Not likely. What a waste of--
"Hey, Naruto." Obito's whispering interrupted his internal rant. Naruto. Now there was someone who'd grabbed Kakashi's interest! The teen standing next to the dead-last was a contradiction in more ways than one and did little but confuse his notions of a good ninja.
"Yeah?" the blonde whispered back. Obscenely powerful, and not just for his age, according to his sources...
"Minato-sensei and Jiraiya-sama are looking pretty serious, wouldn't you say?" ...clearly brilliant in a tactical sense...
"Hmmm. Whatcha thinkin' about?" ...decent leadership skills...
"Water balloons!" ...and absolutely no common sense.
"Great idea, Obito! I've got a few left over from learning the Rasengan. You take Minato and I'll take the giant perv, ok?"
"Deal," said the Uchiha with an evil grin. Why is it that he destroys everything he comes across? He watched as Naruto took out a sealing scroll, removed two filled balloons, and handed one to his partner in crime to throw at the two men leading the group.
I mean, Sensei's nephew is so strong! Why couldn't they replace Obito with him? Even if he's not less obnoxious, at least he'd be more useful and stop dragging everyone down! And he might even decide to teach me a few of his more effective moves, too, rather than wasting his time on that nobody.
SPLASH!
SPLASH!
"HEY!!" the two outraged men screamed, hair and clothes sopping. The two perpetrators turned their heads, put their hands behind their backs, and whistled. "Yeah, right, like that's not completely obvious, boys!" Minato yelled.
But the two boys stopped dead in their tracks, turned and looked at each other, grinned, winked, and stuck out their tongues at the angry men, who did their best to ignore the youngsters as they continued walking on ahead. How immature,Kakashi thought with contempt. And to think that one of the instigators was close to being on par with the sannin...how could that be? He was such an idiot! And he was teaching Obito how to use wind chakra. At the moment, the dead-last was attempting to cut a leaf in half. Interesting. So, it's not as though anyone with that seal can just automatically use the element; it still requires training and mastery, just like any other. Seems like more trouble than it's worth, especially since it's temporary, but perhaps...
"Naruto-san, may I ask you a question?" Kakashi said in a tone completely devoid of emotion.
"You just did," the grinning blonde replied, "but go ahead and ask as many as you want." I'll be sure to remember that, Namikaze.
"What are the weaknesses of using that element seal?" That got both the Uchiha's and the two older seal masters' attention. Rin just continued staring at the ground as she walked, seemingly lost in her thoughts. Probably of me, the silver-haired chunin assumed.
Naruto appeared to think it over for a moment. "Hmmm...well, for one thing, it only allows one element at a time. For example, Obito's main one may normally be fire, but right now, the only thing he can use is wind. And it's temporary. At best, the seal lasts a week before it has to be changed, or until the user runs out of chakra."
"Would it not be possible to create several different elemental seals, learn them, and then switch them out during a fight?" Kakashi wondered out loud.
"No, it's not that it's not possible. You see, it would take too much time for that. Real battles rely on moments, and the thirty seconds it would take to activate it would only put yourself at risk. Not only that, but the activation itself drains energy. Only someone with a large chakra reserve could even hope to fight efficiently using it. Also, you'd have to be trained in that specific element in the first place. The whole thing takes a lot of time, energy, focus, and patience that most people simply don't have. Their main use is for training, not fighting."
"Training?" a fascinated Minato spoke, with a smile on his face. "How can it be used for that?"
"Well, if wind is used by making the chakra as thin and sharp as possible, and fire is about heat, then what do you get when you combine the two, even if there is no actual wind present?"
Everyone paused. Surprisingly, Rin was the first to answer. "You get very sharp chakra--maybe even a blade--that will burn through almost anything, even if it doesn't make the flame itself any stronger."
Naruto's grin was huge. "Exactly!" Seemingly satisfied with that explanation, he started walking towards their destination again. Kakashi's mind was reeling with the possibilities. He was talking about shape manipulation! This blonde airhead-slash-genius was training the dead-weight both elemental and shape manipulation! Maybe he could use this information for his own techniques.
Sounding somewhat shocked, Minato asked, "You mean that you're combining both shape and nature at the same time?? I've been trying to do that for years! How in the world did you manage?"
"Huh? Um, practice, I guess?" he replied sheepishly.
"Wrong," Jiraiya spoke up. "Practice won't work if you don't have the instincts for it. But that depends on the technique's level, too. It's like you trying to combine the Rasengan with lighting, Minato. As hard as you've worked on it for years, you're still pretty far away from completing it."
Minato nodded. "It's like trying to look left and right at the same time, which is why I have such a hard time believing that Naruto can pull it off!"
"Well," Naruto interrupted, "like Jiraiya-pervert said, it's not that high of a technique; it's just a B-level at its completed stage. Obito can learn it, I'm sure. And I might have an idea for that thing with the Rasengan, but I'll tell you later."
"What else can be done with things like that?" he asked, walking after the jonin.
"Huh? Oh, um, learning how to use wind chakra to make the other elements sharper really only works with fire and water, as far as I know. Don't really know how to explain it, but that's all I've bothered to figure out."
Obito finally found his voice. "Is that how you learned those different elemental blades?"
"Yup! And while it is possible to learn them without knowing how to use wind, it's not nearly as easy. I guess you could say you're learning a shortcut."
Silent for a moment, the dark-haired chunin said, "But what if I'd asked to learn a different element instead, say, earth?"
"Then I'd teach you how to pick up clumps of dirt using only your chakra." Naruto shrugged. "I've actually never learned it myself, but I've heard that's the right way to teach it."
"It is one of the methods," Minato called, "but it's not used very often. Most people prefer to break down a rock's components and turn it into a pile of dirt using only chakra."
Both boys just blinked at though he'd spoken a foreign language. My teammate is such an idiot. And so is the blonde airhead teaching him! How did I get stuck with people like this?? I'm never gonna get stronger...
"Anyway," Naruto continued, pointedly ignoring the explanation, "you didn't ask and I didn't really think you would, so there's no point in going on about that right now. But how are you coming with that leaf?"
Before the Uchiha could say anything, Kakashi interrupted. "Naruto-san," he said, trying so very, very hard to be respectful to the nit-wit, "my main element is lightning. Do you know of any useful techniques I could learn?" Ok, so it was a little rude. Big deal. He deserved it.
Naruto just smiled, but it was a somewhat...painful one. "I only know of them; I can't actually do any myself."
"But you have those seals. Surely, you could learn more elements even if you could only use them with one of the seals on?"
"I ran out of time and didn't really need it afterwards, anyway," he said simply, clearly not keen on discussing his thoughts, but Kakashi wasn't really interested in those, anyway.
"I see. What about the ones you know of?"
This time, the older boy's expression grew somewhat thoughtful and...something else that was hard to identify. "My best friend plowed one through my chest when I was younger. I guess you could say I know a little bit about that one. Anything else you want to ask?" His voice was surprisingly polite and calm. And yet, there was that same something else behind it. As much as he wanted to, the chunin just couldn't seem to identify it, though it was strangely familiar.
Everything paused and no one spoke. At the same time, Kakashi recalled the jonin's words from yesterday. Was that--
"That's what you were talking about last night, isn't it? What...happened?" Jiraiya ventured.
"Yes, it was. And, to answer your second question: Simple," Naruto replied with the same expressions as before, "he wanted power and thought he had to kill me to get it. That's all there was to it. Heck, the whole thing was almost completely impersonal. Could've been anybody, really, just as long as it was someone he considered a friend. Breaking bonds and all that, you know." An edge of bitterness emerged at that last statement.
He refused to say anything more on the subject, but Kakashi didn't believe it to be necessary, anyway. A lighting technique that could stab another in the chest to nearly kill such a powerful person...he wanted it. Badly. Let's see, it'd probably need to combine both shape and nature manipulation to be powerful enough to do all that, so--
But the blonde broke his musings, blue eyes distant as though deep in his thoughts. "I wonder where he ended up. For awhile there, I thought he was dead, but then...maybe he was still alive, after all." He looked up at the clouds for a moment. "Still, he would never have--"
"What are you talking about, Naruto-san?" Rin interrupted. She had a knack for picking up interesting gossip and completely useless tidbits of information that drove Kakashi nuts.
The teen jonin literally jumped. "Huh?? Oh! I was just thinking out loud. Nothing to worry about," he said, attempting to laugh it off while nervously scratching the back of his head, just as Minato often did. In fact, the more Kakashi observed, the more it seemed as though he was his sensei's son more than his nephew. A vastly less intelligent son, that is.
All those in front of him still glanced back occasionally as they were walking, though. Apparently, Kakashi wasn't the only one who found Naruto's words somewhat suspicious. Or, in Rin's case, intriguing. She was a nice girl and all--albeit a little weak--but she just loved gossip. And helpless kittens, rabbits, mice, even the occasional goldfish...it was really kind of pathetic. Why doesn't she just become a vet and get it over with? She'd do a better job at that than being a ninja. I mean, look what happened last time she had to kill an enemy! We can't have that on the battlefield! No wonder this team sucks. There's a dead-weight Uchiha and a whimpy medic holding me and Minato-sensei back. Things sure were a lot easier when it was just the two of us.
And everyone kept walking in silence. Kakashi kept thinking. Power...that's what he'd said his best friend was after. While the young chunin couldn't agree with the mysterious boy's methods, he didn't see how seeking to become stronger was a bad thing. After considering this for a few minutes, he turned to his new teammate and told him so.
Naruto stopped dead in his tracks and grabbed Kakashi's arm gently to stop him, too. The others either didn't notice or decided to let them figure it out as they kept walking on ahead.
"Kakashi," he began, "the way I see it, strength and power can be two different things. Strength is what you find in others and what they give to you; until you find yourself fighting to protect those precious to you," and here the blonde got that far-away look in his eyes again, "you'll never experience true strength. Power is more like the ability to use jutsu and fight, and there's nothing wrong with that, but when it's your only focus, well, that's how psychopaths are made--take my word for it. And someone with nothing but power can always be defeated by those fighting for their precious people."
Uh...huh. As if I care to hear what you have to say. And yet, he's strong, so strong that he's perhaps the youngest jonin the Hidden Leaf has ever had, on par with the Toad Sage himself! But is that really where he gets his strength--from others? We'll see, Naruto. We'll see.
They hurried to catch up with the others after that, and Kakashi kept thinking to himself. He wasn't stupid; prideful, yes, but not so much that he couldn't handle advice if it made him stronger. Still, what Naruto was saying seemed like the exact same thing that his father had done, and look where it got him. He would watch and see whose way was truly so, the teen had done something only a very few had ever been able to before. Naruto Namikaze, you have gained my respect. At least until you decide to throw another water balloon at Sensei, that is.
...which both he and the Uchiha did ten minutes later. They laughed as they ran from the sannin and the Legendary Yellow Flash. They didn't get very far (the Yellow Flash didn't get his nickname for being slow, after all), but the laughter made Kakashi feel funny. He really, really hoped the whole trip wouldn't be this way. His sanity could only take so much of the combined efforts of THEM.
La dee da dee la da dee, hummed the infamous Uchiha prankster. He was having such a great day! He was learning how to use wind chakra from his newest sensei (not that he'd ever say that out loud, of course), they had gotten their two leaders with some fun surprises, and best of all...Naruto had promised to teach him some of his kick-a..um, kick-butt techniques. (Rin had been getting onto him about his language; he figured he could make an effort to clean it up for her...no matter how irritating it was getting.) YAY!!
But he also wanted to learn more. The two of them thought alike and Naruto was one of the very few that didn't either frustrate him or get frustrated with him. Even Minato-sensei had only been able to somewhat manage the first one. Geez, how am I supposed to respect a guy who can't even tell when he's being conned out of food?? Genius or not, he's got a lot to learn. However, that thought gave Obito some ideas. Naruto had learned Rasengan, too, right? Well, why couldn't he teach him? All he had to do was give his team leader the puppy-dog eyes and he'd allow it for sure!
"Hey, Naruto!" Obito rarely used any honorifics after his name; the blonde actually seemed to prefer it, kind of like Minato-sensei.
"Yo?"
"Um, well, I was thinking and I don't want to be greedy or anything, but, uh...I WANT TO LEARN RASENGAN WILL YOU TEACH ME RASENGAN PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, there! That's Minato-sensei's special technique that he created himself. Don't you think it'd be better to ask him instead?" Of course I should, but I don't want to.
Indeed, their team leader glanced back in their direction for a moment with a strange expression on his face. It was more curious than anything, but not so much regarding the technique. No, it was all focused on his nephew, wondering what his only relative would do.
Obito replied, "Sensei's busy right now. Plus, you know how my brain works."
"When it works," muttered Kakashi, almost too quietly for him to overhear. Almost.
Obito shot him a glare that dared him to say one more word, just one, and he'd skewer him.
Sensei spoke up without turning around. "If you want to teach him, Naruto, that's fine. Just don't take any lip from him!"
"But you're working on elemental mastery right now. Can't really do two things at the same--" Naruto cut off suddenly, as though a thought or an idea had struck him. He hit his open palm with his fist. "Obito, how much chakra do you have?"
"I don't know. Enough, I guess. Why?"
"I mean, how much do you have compared to, say, Kakashi?" he corrected.
"More than he has, I think. Why?" he repeated.
The blonde rubbed his chin curiously. "Do you know how to make Shadow Clones?"
Eh? What's that got to do with anything? "No."
At that, the younger Namikaze turned to him with a grin. "Then that's going to be first on the agenda!"
"Um, I hate to keep asking this, but WHY?"
Ahead of them, Minato and Jiraiya were actually chuckling as they strode towards the Iwa border. Obviously, Obito was missing something. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his preferred sensei to answer.
"So you can learn both at the same time, of course. Here, I'll show you how to concentrate your chakra so that you can use them without hand seals." That statement really had Obito bug-eyed with excitement as everyone else tried to inconspicuously listen in. But no one stopped walking this time; after all, they were on a schedule. "You know how to make a regular clone, right?"
"Um...yeah, but they take a lot of concentration, so I don't like to make them."
Instead of the usual insults and suggestions that he should go back to the academy, Naruto smiled. "Great! Then you'll love this! Keep an image of yourself in your mind and think of pouring chakra into it like pouring water into a cup. Then, take it and push it out. The clone should appear without any need for seals, just as long as you can keep the image in your head and fill it all the way. Some of the method just requires some good instincts, but mostly it's imagination, and you have that in spades, so you should be able to do it."
Now everyone was bug-eyed and staring. And yet, they were still walking mechanically along the road...and no one was paying attention to where they were stepping...which would explain why Jiraiya tripped, pulled Minato down with him, and the rest followed like dominoes. Obito couldn't complain; he'd managed to land right on Rin, lips first. A dream come true! My first kiss, accident or not, was with RIN!!
She didn't share his enthusiasm. "Get. Off. Me."
A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. It took a lot for the medic to get that tone of voice. "He he...sorry, Rin! It was an accident! I didn't mean to! I'd never do something like that! Not that it was bad or anything--I mean, um, uh--"
"JUST GET OFF!"
Oh. Right. Gulp.
He stood up, only to look and see the amused chuckles of his comrades. Except for Kakashi. Mr. Ice-In-His-Veins showed the same emotion as always: nothing. Needless to say, the Uchiha's face took on a distinctly red shade for quite awhile afterwards, and only partially because of the handprint.
Anyway, after THAT embarrassing episode, he decided to get to work on the Shadow Clones. It was hard for him to believe that he could master a more difficult version of regular clones (without hand signs, no less) when it was so hard to get the basic one down, but hey if it worked for Naruto, it was worth a shot. Besides, if it didn't work, he could always pelt the older kid with rocks. That would make him feel better. In fact, he'd better add Kakashi to that list, also. The more, the merrier!
Alright, an image of myself, goggles and all...Got it! What'd he mean by filling it with chakra? Maybe I imagine myself pouring it in the image?...Hmmm. Not quite. OH! It's about gathering chakra into that shape in my mind first and then releasing it out into the open air! I get it! And just like that, a tangible copy of himself stood by his side. Boy, it's a lot easier than I thought it'd be. Actually, the more he thought about it, the less sense it made; the method was too weird. But those were questions for another day. What did he care? He had his clone!
"I dub thee chibi-Obito, learner of the Rasengan, capturer of the hearts of many, ninja extraordinaire, the fabulous, the one and only--"
"Obito, just shut up and learn the technique already," Naruto interrupted with laughter in his voice as he tossed him a water balloon. Apparently, the teen had more than just a few of them left over.
"Spoil my fun, why don't you. Fine." Then, the clone listened as the blonde jonin explained the fundamentals of the first step. Obito would never tell Naruto that he'd already been practicing it for some time after seeing Minato teaching Kakashi.
"The idea is to get the water inside the balloon to spin in a bunch of different directions--think clockwise--until it pops. After you've gotten that part, we'll have to stop at a town or something for the next one. I only brought these along for fun; I didn't think they'd actually be used for training," he added sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.
But then, the teen's eyes brightened. "You know, come to think of it...I do believe that I put a little neon pink paint in one of those. Hmmm...I wonder which--"
SPLASH!
"Ah! There it is!"
The explosion of paint got both the clone and its creator right in the face. But while the clone could simply dispel, the original couldn't. Obito turned to give Naruto his most evil and terrifying glare. Too bad the pink liquid dripping off his bangs and nose ruined the effects. "DARN YOU!! I can't believe you just did that to ME, your partner in master pranks! You and I could rule the world together and here you are, betraying me!!"
"Hey, look at that! You completed the first stage of the Rasengan in less than an hour!" he replied, utterly ignoring the Uchiha's complaint, but also clearly holding back a smirk.
He gritted his teeth. "Do any more of those balloons have paint of any color in them?" Despite his anger, the boy always made sure to use whatever life (or annoying Namikazes) sent his way. And judging by the blonde's evil grin, he was going to gain quite the arsenal.
YEAH!! THE PRANK MASTERS RULE!! "Alright, my Eternal Rival," he spoke without thinking, "let the games being!" The others' shocked, worried, and slightly disgusted faces cued him in. He paused, then...
"AHHH!!! NO! NO, NO, NO! GET IT OUT OF MY HEAD! OUT, OUT, OUT!!"
Rin was in tears, muttering something about there being no cure. Naruto was shuddering in horror (which confused Obito, since the blonde had never met Gai). Minato and Jiraiya were both trying not to look at each other in shock and fear. Kakashi, though...
"You and that other loser have been hanging out too much. Unless you want to end your days dressed in green spandex, I suggest you repent of the error of your ways. And soon. Before it infects the rest of the team," he said, his voice just as cold as his veins as he threw a glance at Naruto.
Just the thought of the blonde powerhouse in green tights made Obito fall to his knees in laughter. Oh, boy, who would'a thought! I think I've finally found a way to get under The Living Dead's skin! Hehehe...
Contrary to popular belief within the village, the Hokage's job was not one of glorious heroics by day and sweet dreams by night. There were no princesses to save from dragons, no castles to storm with fearless abandon, and no swimsuit models hanging off his arm. It was...most distressing.
Paperwork, paperwork, and more useless, driveling, sniveling paperwork. If Hiruzen Sarutobi had known being the Sandaime involved a bunch of useless bureaucracy and politics, he might have just told Tobirama Senju to stuff it. But then, Danzo would've gotten it. What kind of alternative is that?? I suppose this is the lesser of two evils, Sarutobi sighed to himself as he signed a mission report and reached for another.
But as irritating as that part of his job was, there was something far, far more terrible looming in his mind.
Orochimaru.
The scroll Naruto had left behind detailed exactly where to find his various hide-outs spread throughout and just beyond the borders of the village. The most shocking part is that some were actually INSIDE their walls. How had they not noticed that? Unless the blonde was lying, of course.
Except, he wasn't. They'd already found the entrance to one, exactly where he'd said it would be.
That didn't prove anything, though. It didn't prove that there was anything illegal or...inhumane...behind those doors. It just proved that Naruto was very observant and had noticed the area...which was twenty-five feet underground with the only entrance being guarded by a very powerful genjutsu. And all under Orochimaru's own house. Heck, maybe it wasn't a base at all. Some people did have basements, after all. And shinobi were pretty well-known for having hiding places in their homes for their family secrets and all. Really, it didn't prove anything except that Naruto was a trespasser. Right?
Sarutobi desperately, desperately hoped so. He couldn't know for sure until it was opened, though, and it had quite the seal arrangement over it. They couldn't even deactivate the genjutsu without disrupting the entire thing; a Hyuuga had had to point out its existence to them. Until Jiraiya returned, they weren't about to touch any of it.
Unless Orochimaru returned first. That didn't seem likely, though; he and his apprentice were leading a skirmish against Iwa ninjas, a distraction planned specifically for the mission he'd sent Jiraiya and the others on. Too bad he'd sent his most gifted student on ahead before meeting with Naruto.
But wait, why should he trust the blonde, anyway? So what if genetics proved he was from the future? He only SAID he was an ally, but what if Minato's son had turned against the village and had only somehow popped up in their decade to bring the nation down? He did say that his childhood had been pretty rotten...
The Hokage slammed his hand on the desk, the mission report blurring before his eyes. He didn't remember a word it said. The old man was grasping at straws and he knew it. His student had been acting more and more suspicious, and several of his teammates had disappeared recently. If Naruto was right, they--or what was left of them--would be just behind those doors they'd found.
Oh yes, this job was pure sunshine and sugar.
A rather loud knock sounded at the doors of his office. "Come in," he told the guest. His two former teammates and now self-styled advisors walked in, their self-important airs making him grit his teeth in annoyance. It just HAD to be them. Here. Today. THEM, of all people! Sarutobi seriously didn't have the patience to deal with their arrogant attitudes. But appearances had to be kept up (for the moment), so he set down his pen and set the mission reports off to the side, speaking kindly. "Homura and Koharu, what can I do for you?"
She sniffed. "You can explain to us what you think you are doing allowing an unknown boy into our ninja ranks." Homura nodded, agreeing with her statement.
The Third's eye twitched, but his voice stayed the same. "Our ninja? I was under the impression that they were all my ninja and therefore under my jurisdiction. Was I mistaken?"
"Do you even know anything about this child? Other than the fact that he is related to Minato Namikaze somehow? Is that all this is? An attempt to expand the Namikaze bloodline here in the Hidden Leaf Village?"
"Homura is right," Koharu insisted. "And to assign him the level of jonin without a proper test or even any REAL information on his background is incompetent to say the least! I find it hard to believe that you, of all people, would be so reckless."
Sarutobi stared at them, trying very, very hard not to slug the two back out the doors they'd come in. His voice lost all semblance of politeness and turned to steel. "I know exactly who he is, where he is from, and why he is here. And as for not being given a proper test, I had him spar against Jiraiya himself, and Naruto showed his abilities to be on or even perhaps above his level. From what I could see, the young Namikaze went easy on the sannin. Is that a proper enough test to satisfy you, advisors?" His stressing of the last word did not go unnoticed. The threat was clear: I am in charge; all you two can do is give advice, not dictate what will and will not happen or criticize me.
They exchanged an uncomfortable glance with each other. Koharu was the first to throw her two cents' worth in. "Sarutobi, would you at least mind explaining to us what you know about him? Everyone in the Council is furious that they were not informed of these developments until he had already been assigned as a jonin, and now we've just heard that he'll be given his own team! What kind of nonsense is this!? Do you wish to lose the trust of your people, the trust that you have worked on for decades? Is that--"
"SILENCE!" he thundered, standing up from his chair in rage. "The Council that you speak of is the Civilian Council, and as such, they should concern themselves with civilian affairs. These are ninja matters and therefore none of their business. And if I choose to assign one of MY shinobi a team, then that is MY prerogative, not yours or theirs. Do I make myself clear."
She gulped slightly, but Homura was still stubbornly clinging to his supposed authority. "And what of this genin team you're giving a ninja that didn't even exist until a month ago? Are you willing to trust an unknown quantity with the next generation?"
With that, the Hokage smiled. "Who said I was giving him a genin team?"
Minato was shocked. Obito had already completed the first stage of the Rasengan in the first day--no, the first hour of Naruto teaching him. The pink paint was proof of that, even if it was just a clone. But he didn't say anything and just kept walking, chatting with Jiraiya and Rin occasionally. She always had the best gossip. Recently, it seemed that Inoichi's girlfriend was quite upset with him for cutting holes in certain, ahem, undergarments of hers. The medic, however, guessed the true guilty party was his friend Kushina. But Yamanaka was the head of the interrogation department; he could fend for himself.
It also seemed that Obito had recently had his headband superglued to his wall in retaliation for something involving cotton candy and sugar water. Apparently, certain other items--such as every pair of underwear he owned--had been glued to the ceiling, as well. I thought he looked awfully uncomfortable one day...
Oh, but that wasn't all the gentle girl had been able to uncover. No, not by a long shot. Jiraiya had been visiting the hot springs. And he had pictures--hand-drawn,no less--of his little excursions, one of the subjects being the Lady Tsunade herself. Another being of...Kushina. Minato's head jerked towards his sensei at that, and the glare he sent the sage's way could have frozen the sun.
Never mind the fact that he wanted to see those particular drawings, it was wrong! It was degrading! It was--"Whoa...beautiful..."
Jiraiya had whipped them right out and shoved them under his student's nose. His very grateful student's nose.
Minato snatched them out of his hands. "You do realize that I'm going to have to confiscate these, don't you, Sensei?" he asked, hoping that Rin bought it.
She did. "Yeah! You tell him, Minato-sensei!" she cheered.
The sage played his role perfectly. "I suppose you're right, kid. Looks like I'll be spending a few months in the hospital when we get back..."
The jonin almost laughed. No way was he going to tell Kushina, and his former teacher and best friend knew it. He was keeping those for himself! Well...maybe. It all depended on how much he wanted to risk her wrath. At the very least, he'd have this mission to commit them to memory. He exchanged a wink with Jiraiya as Rin resumed her chatter.
But Minato's mind went elsewhere. Kushina, the last of the Uzumaki clan of Whirlpools. The country had been overrun five years ago by Iwa nins, leaving little but devastation in their paths. What few people had survived had been lead to the Hidden Leaf Village by Kushina's own hand. Not only was she the last Uzumaki, but she was also the last shinobi, period. That was because her clan had traditionally been charged with protecting the people; they were the guards, the police, and the entire army. She'd told him it had been so ingrained into their people that it was almost instinct to protect the civilian's lives at the cost of their own. That arrangement had worked well until the Third Ninja War hit right after a horrible famine. The civilians had integrated well into Leaf society, finding whatever refuge they could with their homes in ruin. One couple in particular had caught Minato's attention.
The woman had pink hair. According to his lady friend, they had come from a family of wealthy artisans and were already making quite the living continuing their business in their new home. Haruno, he thought the name was, and apparently, the hair color was a family trait that (thankfully) so far only showed up in girls. Still, they were a frugal couple, and Sarutobi had already placed the man on the Civilian Council, saying that he made more sense than most of the senseless morons that did nothing but twiddle their thumbs.
And then there were the--
"Hey, Minato-sensei!" his young nephew suddenly called out.
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Can we head to a town nearby? Since Obito finished the first part so quickly and prettily," the blonde snickered, "I was thinking that we could go ahead with the next step. What do you say?"
Well, that made sense. But he didn't deny that it was somewhat hurtful that Obito had little interest in learning from him and yet would beg his nephew to teach him his techniques. Minato had noticed the slight lack of respect from the Uchiha and he'd never quite figured out why. Surely he'd bought the kid enough ramen to get on his good side by now! Still, at least he was wanting to learn now.
"Alright," he said, "we'll stop at this next town, but I warn you, the place is little more than a giant gambling hall. It won't be much fun."
Naruto smiled. "No problem! How long till we get there?"
"A few more hours. How long do these seals of yours last, anyway?" Jiraiya answered for him.
The teen shrugged. "Either till they're deactivated or have been running for more than a few months. Weather won't affect them, so you don't have to worry about that."
Minato nodded. Impressive. There weren't too many seal masters left in the world, and this boy was well on his way to becoming one, if he wasn't already. Which, the more he thought about it, was interesting.
He stared at his young family member in fascination. Sealing at that level took years of practice; even he'd had a difficult time learning some of it, and he was in his 20s! I guess those Shadow Clones really do come in handy, then, but just how many did he say he could create? If he can make over 100 each day, well, he'll be ahead of me in no time! The Yellow Flash kept his thoughts to himself, but he noticed the sannin looking at him with the same expression as his own. Apparently, they were both thinking along the same lines.
And Naruto was still only 13 years old. "I'm glad he's on our side," he muttered to the sage. Rin had noticed their lack of attention and had decided to read a medical book she'd brought along.
"I'm telling ya," he muttered right back. "The little twerp probably really could take out the village in one shot if he really wanted to."
Minato nodded. Somehow, that claim didn't sound the least bit crazy now.
"You know, I think he was going easy on me," Jiraiya continued. "He never really tried to beat me in anything; he only tried to equal me. Whatever taijutsu style I used, he'd merely find one that seemed to cancel it out. And the ninjutsu was specifically chosen to be flashy but not beyond any of the techniques I could have used. We didn't even get to genjutsu, although it wouldn't have done much good if we had. I suck at the stuff; can't do much more than break them, and I get the impression that he's the same way. And now there's this, his sealing abilities. This kid is off-the-charts amazing. I think that if he'd really wanted to hurt us," his voice dropped to barely a whisper, "he could've done it a thousand times by now."
Minato would have nodded at that if it weren't for the balloon that smashed against his head again. Haven't we already done this today? Twice, in fact? And he still hadn't dried off from last time, either! The jonin reached back his hand to squeeze some of the water out of his golden hair and froze in mid-step.
That wasn't water.
His voice was as neutral as he could make it. "Naruto, what color paint was in that balloon?"
The snickers informed him that whatever color it was, it was embarrassing. He had to know. "It's not pink, is it?"
"Oh, no, it's not pink," Obito informed him.
"Good, at least it's not THAT bad," Minato sighed in relief.
"It's lavender."
L..lavender. N-no. It was...almost too horrible for words. Almost. There was one word that was perfectly appropriate for it.
"NARUTOOOO!!!"
Jiraiya just laughed.
Rin watched with amusement as Naruto darted around the group, zigging and zagging in an effort to escape his uncle's grasp, the uncle who was trailing sparkling paint as he ran, a few drops of which managed to land right in Kakashi's silvery-grey hair, thanks to a rambunctious squirrel that he turned his head to watch at just the right moment.
Kakashi didn't notice.
And she wasn't about to tell him just how good the color looked on him. Rin liked living just a little too much for that, thank you. But she did chuckle to herself once she realized that she was the only one who had noticed.
Obito was dodging a bit, too, but mostly just to see if he could clobber their sensei with another paint balloon while he was focused on catching his nephew. I wonder what color it'll be this time, she thought to herself, holding back a chuckle. Obito was always like that, cheering people up and challenging their assumptions and pride with little more than a phrase...or prank. Rin could honestly say that she was glad to have him on her team.
Just as long as he kept his distance so he didn't fall on her again.
Not that she had hated the event. Oh, no, she could barely keep it out of her mind, whether out of humiliation or...something else, she wasn't sure. But one thing was certain: the boy had some nice lips. And abs. Rin had, ahem, accidentally been feeling him up at the time.
Yup, just an accident.
One that was best forgotten...
...by staring at Kakashi's now lavender-and-orange hair.
After a few seconds of gawking, Rin realized something. Obito had been aiming for him the whole time.
Kakashi's face (what could be seen of it) was turning a fascinating shade of purple that actually seemed to match his hair pretty well. But did he realize he'd been hit with paint and not water?
There was no more holding back her laughter. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
The multi-colored chunin turned to look at her. "What," he demanded.
"You--haha!--mean you haven't noticed it yet?"
Blank eyes stared at her. The girl took that as a no.
"Then...never mind!" she said, still occasionally laughing and chuckling to herself.
And Kakashi traveled the rest of the way to the town with hair that would have put flowers to shame. And Rin? Rin had a new appreciation for the Prank Masters of Konoha.
...not that she'd ever, EVER say that out loud.
So far, he and Obito had managed to get every single person on the team with at least one balloon. Except Rin. They had an unspoken agreement to avoid her if at all possible. Naruto supposed it was instinct. She was the medic of the team; it was their job to protect her and her job to heal them. Of course they'd avoid her.
Plus, she kind of looked like Sakura with her short hair. Some of her actions were similar, too--such as the whole hitting-Obito-upside-the-head thing. And her secrecy. Sakura and Rin both kept to themselves--kept their information to themselves, kept their lives to themselves, and would keep all to themselves until death.
Rin would never tell her friends about her father just as Sakura would never have told him the truth about Sasuke even under extreme torture. He knew perfectly well that she would never have slept with him willingly, and he would never have forced her. He played along, for her sake and, he suspected, her sanity, but he knew she wasn't being completely honest.
So, that left...Karin. She was the only one who'd have enough contact with Sasuke to get the available...material. Maybe she'd had it with her all along and wanted to get some sort of sick revenge against Sakura and perhaps even the Uchiha himself; Naruto could just imagine it now. In her eyes, the pink-haired girl had kept her away from him, and then he'd betrayed her. What better way to get them both back than to have her incriminated for treachery and have his only offspring either killed outright or used as a tool-slash-weapon for the very village he hated. And Karin had the medical knowledge and expertise to pull it off without a hitch. Maybe Sasuke had been dead for a long time.
It made him sick just thinking about it. So Naruto did what he always did to calm his mind and relax: he pranked...but avoided Rin.
And before long, they arrived at the town.
Minato was right; it was just one big gambling hole. Naruto would bet his life's savings that it was Tsunade's favorite place in Fire Country. Maybe she'd even be there. But wasn't she supposed to be at the hospital taking care of injuries? Or on the front lines, fighting them off? Then again, she was a bit afraid of blood, so...who knew? And there was a very good chance that she'd already left the village and wasn't coming back anytime soon.
The town wasn't exactly huge, but it was big enough to have several gambling districts spread throughout. They all seemed to have some sort of competition over how sleezy they could get. Even Kakashi was showing some emotion--disgust--at the vile establishments. But surely they'd at least have a normal store there; Minato sure seemed to think they would.
"Let's see if we can get some directions for this little maze," Jiraiya suggested.
"Yeah, right, Sensei," Minato replied, "You just want directions to the nearest hot springs and brothel." Everyone chuckled.
The sage, however, was not the least bit ashamed (as he undoubtedly should have been). "Well, of course! The springs are where I get my research and the brothels are where I get my intel, and believe me, kids, there's more than one benefit to--"
"Geez, will you shut up, already? We don't need to hear all that, Pervy-Sage." Naruto had heard that speech before and he had no desire to hear it again. He muttered to himself. "I can't believe the prophecy's about this guy." How in the world had he ever managed to instruct and therefore push both himself and Nagato to change the world? All he did was stare at any X-rated sights he could find! Naruto crossed his arms in frustration. He loved seeing his godfather again, but darn it, this was too much!
He grumbled all the way to the first building. The first thing he noticed was that games of poker were going on in every single corner of the large room. Just poker; nothing else, besides a bar on the left side. Huh?? No dice, Blackjack, or slot machines? Hmph. Whatever.
Minato (in his altered Sexy Transformation) walked up to the man at the bar. "Excuse me, but do you know where we can find a store that sells--"
The bartender interrupted. "Look, if you want anything, you're going to have to win it. Get me a dozen chips and we'll go from there."
"Well, we'll just head to the next establishment, then." They began walking towards the door but stopped when he spoke up again.
"HA! Good luck with that! We're all the same way, except they'll be sure to charge you more the further you go in. This is a gambling town, you know, so you're gonna have to play by OUR rules."
"And the rules are...?" Kakashi asked, voice tense and irritated.
The man smirked as he polished a glass and set it back on the counter. "If you want it, you have to bet for it."
Naruto just laughed. These guys didn't know what they were getting themselves into. He could handle this, believe it!
"What are you laughing about, Brat?" the bartender snapped at him.
"Oh, nothing," he replied, "except that you're screwed." Then he turned to Jiraiya and Minato (who were looking at him in confusion) and whispered to them. "Guys, let me handle this. I'll get the chips in no time."
"Are you sure, Naruto?" they both asked.
He grinned evilly. "Yup. I never, ever lose." And with that, they gave him some money and he promptly requested to join the game in the far right corner. It had the biggest spenders, as far as he could see, so he showed them how much money he had and they accepted immediately, exchanging them for chips. He made sure to put his dark-colored jacket on the back of his chair.
His team leaned against a wall as they watched one of the players--a woman with bright red hair and green eyes--passed out the cards.
The game had begun.
And it was over before it started.
Naruto exchanged two of his cards and placed his chips on the table, the rest of the players following suit. No one was taking this young teen seriously.
"Isn't it time to change your diaper, kiddy?" one man asked, smirking around his disgusting cigar.
"Isn't it time to get an oxygen tank, Mr. Cancer?" he threw back, bored. The rest of the table laughed, but Naruto noticed his friends looking tense. They couldn't see any of the players' hands from their angle, but there was a lot of money riding on this; of course they'd be worried. No problem. They'll see.
And indeed they did. The others placed all their hands down: a straight, a full house, a pair of tens, and one with a set of three fives. Then, he put his down: a royal flush.
"WHAT THE--YOU CHEATED!!" Mr. Cancer yelled. Lady Green Eyes just stared and, like everyone else, including his team, her jaw hit the table in shock.
He could hear Obito's incredulous mutter. "Holy crap...he wasn't kidding!"
Naurto just told the man, "And how the heck am I supposed to have cheated? She passed out the cards, I don't have any sleeves to hide them in, and I just got here anyway. So tell me, how did I supposedly cheat?"
"Never mind all that," the woman said. She placed her hands in a familiar sign and yelled "KAI!" Nothing happened. "It's not a genjutsu; those cards are the real deal, and I know he didn't cheat 'cause I was watching him the whole time. If you'd spent less time smoking, you would have known that, too, you idiot!"
"Idiot?!! Why, I oughtta--"
Naruto really didn't feel like witnessing a petty spat, so he quietly collected his earnings and walked away as the whole table erupted into a yelling match. He walked over to Minato. "Can we go now?"
His wide eyes nodded. "Remind me never to be against you," he said in a weak voice.
With grin, he said, "Not a problem, Old Man, not a problem." His father was still so stunned by the magnificent win that he didn't even notice the nickname, but Obito did and snickered.
It didn't last long; someone was getting very irritated by the level of noise at that poker table. "HEY!! Shut it!!" a woman's voice rang out.
A very familiar woman's voice. Every noise ceased.
Holy crap! You've gotta be kidding me! She really IS here!?
"Tsunade??" Jiraiya's jaw dropped again. "What the heck are you doing here!"
The blonde-haired, busty woman blinked from her seat. "Jiraiya? I could ask you the same question." Before discussing anything else, however, they decided it'd be in their best interests to be somewhere a little less public. So they all walked back out of the village, where the two sannin smiled and greeted one another--the Senju far less enthusiastically.
"Well, well, well, if this isn't family reunion," Naruto smirked. This was going to be good!
He knew what he had to do, and he best part is that he'd have so much fun in doing it! Lady Tsunade, I hope you're ready for the biggest wake-up call you've ever gotten.
She snapped. "Hey, who's this little brat think he is!"
"Now, now, Tsunade," the pervert attempted to calm her, "that's Minato-kun's nephew and the Hidden Leaf's newest jonin. He--"
"I couldn't care less about that crap! I was on a winning streak and hat kid caused all that ruckus back there in the--wait a minute. Minato has a nephew? Since when?"
"Since about a month ago," the "uncle" himself broke in. "He sort of popped up out of nowhere."
"Sort of?" Kakashi muttered.
"Yeah, and he's already a jonin!" Obito yelled, just as easily excited as ever.
Tsunade's eyes widened. "You mean Sarutobi-sensei allowed an unknown boy, who has only been here for a month--into the ninja ranks after only a single month of observation!? What the heck is he thinking!"
"Um, he's not your ordinary kid," Minato began.
"What do you mean?"
Naruto decided that it was about time for him to stand up for himself. "Tsundade Senju: 36 years old, granddaughter of the Shodaime Hokage, grandniece to the Nidaime, brother Nawaki and lover Dan killed in the Second Great Shinobi War, terrified of blood, has a supposedly cursed necklace, drinks to excess, is a horrible gambler, known as the Slug Queen and the Legendary Sucker, arguably the best medic the world has ever seen, can shatter boulders with a flick of her finger and cause earthquakes with a stomp of her foot, bad-tempered, sharp-witted, and all-around nice person. Did I leave anything out, Lady Tsunade?"
"...THAT'S what I mean," the Yellow Flash finally got to say.
"Holy...do you have information like that on all of us, kid?" Jiraiya asked.
"Yes," he simply stated. "But just in case you're wondering, I knew all of that long before I showed up in the Hidden Leaf Village. And no, I won't tell you how I learned it all."
"REALLY!? WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME? TELL ME TELL ME TELL ME!" Obito insisted.
He sighed. This was going nowhere fast. Especially after Kakashi joined in.
"Yes, by all means, Naruto, tell us what you know." His tone was somewhat more, um, threatening.
Rin just stared, probably analyzing all the information she'd just heard.
"Fine," he obliged (partially). "Obito Uchiha: hyperactive prankster, loyal to the death to his friends and his village, kicked out of the Uchiha clan for not agreeing with some of their more...fascinating ideals and propositions," and the boy's eyes widened considerably at this, "has no interest in learning from those he doesn't fully respect, enjoys conning and manipulating people and playing the fool, and has one dream--to be strong enough to protect those precious to him. Oh, and he's also far more competent in ninjutsu than he lets his teammates and team leader believe.
Both said teammates and the team leader gasped. But Naruto wasn't finished.
"Kakashi Hatake: obsessed with supposedly redeeming his family name after his father abandoned a mission to save his comrades and then committed suicide, carries his father's sword with him at all times, wears a mask because he can't stand to see how much he resembles his father, trains night and day in the hopes that he can become stronger, practically worships the shinobi rules and has nothing but contempt for those who don't or are what he considers weak, is suffering from chronic depression, and secretly likes some less than appropriate reading material. Am I right so far?" he asked the young chunin.
Of course, his former/future sensei would never know that he was the one who'd revealed most of this information to him, but it was such a blast to be able to play with the kid's head! Call it revenge for the Thousand Years of Death he pulled on me when I was 12.
But there was still one more thing he had to do, and it was for Rin. Kakashi-sensei had told him that it hadn't been until her death that they'd known what was going on. If they'd known before... "Rin: registered with no last name in an effort to throw off her father tracking her down, expert in the medical field, perfect chakra control, as affinities to at least two elements, shies away from killing due to seeing her mother slaughtered before her eyes, has an obvious crush on Kakashi Hatake, admires Obito Uchiha and Tsunade Senju, has an I.Q. higher than some Naras, keeps to herself but will fight to the death for her friends, and has more secrets than the Fire Country has trees."
He stopped there for the moment, seeing tears, shock, anger, and pain written all over their various faces, some more than others. His voice had been as gentle as he could make it, and although he had left out his father and the Toad Sage, he figured this would be a good way to break the stagnancy over the team and get them working together for once. Naruto didn't want it to take Obito's death to wake them all up this time, and if he was right, even Minato hadn't known half of what he'd just told them.
He was right. "H-h-how do you know all of that? T-that's stuff no one but me is supposed to know, and some of it I've never even heard of! So how?" Minato asked shakily.
Naruto shrugged. "I told you, I know a lot, and all I've ever wanted to do is help. Konoha is my home; you're my family and team. I don't want to see you all break apart because you're keeping yourselves isolated and hidden from each other. Teams have to have trust. You don't, and that's something I wanted to change, even if you hate me for it. Now you don't have much of a choice!" his voice changed from solemn to happy in a heartbeat, "Now that you've all got dirt on each other, you have to trust them!"
Sweat visibly beaded on the two sannins' heads; they'd stayed quiet throughout the entire thing but now proceeded to speak.
Jiraiya was the first up. "Uh, kid, I don't know how you got all that information, but I definitely want to know exactly whom your contacts are."
He smirked. "Wanting to use my spy network, huh, Old Man? Well, sorry; can't help you there. I don't have one."
The white-haired man's jaw dropped. "Then how the crap did you get your hands on that info!?!?" he shouted, probably far louder than he'd intended to.
Naruto's smile turned sad and almost bitter. "I've had it for a long time, but I had to die for it to be of use."
A calculating look passed over the Slug-princess's face. "Alright, Naruto, if you think we're all so pathetic, then why don't you prove it?"
Inwardly, he chucked evilly. Outwardly, he blinked in confusion. "What do you have in mind?"
"If you can land one punch on me, I'll return to Konoha again and give you my necklace. If you can't, then you agree to have all your chakra sealed."
"WHAT!! Tsunade, you can't be serious!"
"Nah, don't worry about it," the blonde boy interrupted before things could get too intense. "I'm pretty sure I can win."
"Are you nuts?! She's one of the Sannin for a reason, Naruto! There's no way you can beat her!" Rin insisted.
"Uh, actually," Jiraiya broke in, "that's not what I meant." All eyes turned to him. "What I mean is, are you sure you want to lose your grandfather's necklace, Tsunade? Because you definitely will."
Obito started snickering. "Yeah, I don't think you want to lose that pretty necklace of yours, Granny!"
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!!"
Ah, that brings back fond memories! Getting smashed through walls, into the ground, and over the trees...Good times, good times.
10 minutes later, and a far humbler sannin started the long trip back to Konoha. Without her necklace.
One objective: complete!
I have to apologize for the long wait. There were multiple problems with the internet connection and I'm not sure it's fully fixed yet, so it took a long time to even upload this chapter. Plus, I'm close to graduating, so I'm also working on that. But anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! If I were in Naruto's shoes, I would so mess with everybody's heads, too!
Heads up: I'll almost certainly be going back over the rest of the story to edit certain parts and clear some things up. The more I read over it, the more I realize I left out. I'm inexperienced, after all, but your comments are helping me learn, so thank you!
Oh, a little message to the guy who said this: "Jonin. His nephew had made Jonin at age 13. It was unheard of" - Kakashi became a jounin at 12 stop exaggerating things, its annoying. Also, Sarutobi was in his teens when he became the Hokage. Kakashi graduated at FIVE, was chuunin at SIX and became JOUNIN at twelve- that's also when he invented the chidori.
--hate to break it to you, but you should really check your facts again. Kakashi didn't become one until age 13. Look it up if you don't believe me. I don't mind you correcting me on stuff, but if you're going to do it, try being an adult about it. And also, try looking up the information before you attempt to shove it down my throat, especially since it doesn't have to fit the cannon unless I want it to.