A/N: So far, I'm enjoying writing this piece for you ladies and gentlemen, although someone has brought to my attention that I should speed up the process so you can finally see the Chuunin trials. In that case, some things may be skipped over, but I may reference some of Squad Seven's training schedules, with a particular focus on Naruto's progress. Everyone wants to see our druidic hero learn at least a few things…
From the reviews: I've received over 20,000 hits for my story. For the moment, I am content…very content. For it to be only sixteen or so days-old, I am in awe at how many people would actually look at the story. To boot, I've gotten over the 100-review benchmark. To my fellow readers, I would like to say thank you very much for your insight and thoughts on my story.
I apologize if you are reading anonymously on this site…because I disabled the anonymous reviews on account of a certain flame incident. So, in order to review my story, you have to be registered on this site, so I can give you a rebuttal or a defense to my writing style and why I place things where I want them to be. That's all I have to say about that…
For a select few of you that have left reviews for me, you are almost on the money as to the depth of Sakura's bloodline limit, in particular, the DragonBard. I believe that you are the closest that anyone has ever guessed to Sakura's true ability. But still; only time will tell for the moment.
Dragon Man 180 and the DragonBard, I would like to take this time to thank you for your insight and I will give you commendations for your ideas in this upcoming chapter. However, I gave the scenes a few alterations. I gratefully appreciate your critiques. FragonDragon, I will try my best to add to the hilarity of the "Foxy Trio" (Kyuubi, Naruto and Doshaburi), but things may get a bit serious for them shortly.
For those of who are worrying that Sasuke will do something with Haku, need not fret. Sasuke is going to investigate something else for the time being. He's a man of business first and a ladies' man second…that is, if he is willing to open up to any of his fan club. Maybe I ought to let Sasuke have a harem (pauses…screams in horror). No, I won't do that…but there will be one original character that I've created that will be attracted to the raven-haired recluse…
Sasuke: Why is it that I get stuck with the weird, noisy ones?
DHO: Sasuke, would you rather have noisy girls or none at all? I'm throwing you a bone here, Uchiha, since other writers would call you out on your masculinity…along with your sexuality. At least show me some gratitude for once. Besides, there will be a potentially strong original character of mine that you might like…If she is worth your time. And don't worry; she's not some damsel in distress.
Sasuke: Hn…
DHO: I give up…you need to open up a little, Uchiha-kun. The girl that I have in mind for you is gorgeous (although she may have her quirks)…that, or you could have Sakura…
Sasuke: What…?
DHO: Anyway, we're keeping them waiting, so let's do the damn thing…
Sasuke: Hn…I get the last line.
Chapter Eight: Caution to the Wind
Sarutobi examined another inane document in which he promptly signed it.
'I am getting too old for this…' He thought as he glanced up at Hokage Rock, looking at his predecessors and former successor. The door flew open and chaos ensued, which interrupted his wandering thoughts. He turned to look at quite the situation that was unfolding in front of him.
"Hokage-sama!"
"I told you to let go of me! This is important!" A familiar blond loudmouth made his presence known with the chuunin clutching onto his ankle. Dosha-chan was holding onto the ankle of the chuunin holding Naruto.
"That's enough, now let go of him," Sarutobi sternly told the chuunin on watch-duty. "Now what is it, Naruto? There better be a good reason for you to barge in here like that."
The jinchuuriki stuck out his tongue at the chuunin and slammed the door shut soon after the dust-hued canine followed suit.
'…Even though he may have had physical changes, but he'll still be Naruto…' Sarutobi thought with amusement.
"Jiisan, do you mind if you put up a silent barrier? This may be classified," Naruto said with a serious tone in his voice. The Sandaime was amazed by the complete turnaround of his attitude when he addressed him. Placing the silencing technique around the room, he motioned for his honorary grandson to continue.
"Ano…Jijii," Naruto said. "I would like to talk to you about this scroll that I forgot to mention. It's about the genealogy of the Uzumaki. Some of the characters have been washed out, but I noticed that a member of the Senju Clan of the Forest had been in my family tree.
"I was meditating and training for a solid week with Dosha-chan and I have made considerable progress. However, it would appear that I have…awakened several abilities at once."
The Professor raised his eyebrows. "Care to elaborate, Naruto?"
"Yeah, about that…" He scratched behind his head. "It would appear that I have the potential to use Hyouton and Mokuton ninjutsu…"
The pipe from the Sandaime's mouth dropped to the floor as his eyes widened greatly. "M-Mokuton? You can use Mokuton ninjutsu?" 'That's not possible…His power was not supposed to manifest this early…'
"Uh…yeah, it would appear to be so," the blond mystery grinned. "I was shocked, to say so myself, and I came to ask you about that…"
The Third Great Fire Shadow leaned down to one of the drawers at his desk and pulled out little slips of paper that were the size of index cards. 'I need to test Naruto to see if it is indeed the truth…'
"Naruto," he started, "even though this is only given to one who has earned the rank of chuunin status, you will have to take this chakra-nature evaluation now. What I have in my hands are strips of paper that came from a chakra-enriched tree. I need for you to take one slip of paper and put a little bit of chakra into it. Most people's chakra naturally leans toward a certain nature, so I need to know for certain about what are your chakra-affinities.
"You read the paper like this: if you're lightning natured, the paper gets crumpled; wind natured, it gets cut in half; fire, it burns; water, it gets wet; and earth, it turns to dust. I need to know this because if what I think might happen, I'll have to tell you something very important now and not later."
Naruto approached the desk and took a slip of paper. He pushed a bit of chakra into the paper, and the results were instantaneous…
As the paper split in half, one side became soaked while the other side crumbled to dust.
"It appears that my assumption was correct, and I was afraid of that," Sarutobi somberly concluded. The old man gave off a weary sigh while his face looked a lot older than usual. "You have an overlay of natural affinities for water, wind and earth. I would say that would come in handy. You can use earth-based jutsu to defend, and vary your techniques from a distance with water and wind-based ninjutsu.
"Adding along with those natural affinities, you easily blended water and earth-chakra as well as water and wind-chakra to make wood and ice elements, respectively, and if you were to put forth more effort, then maybe you could manipulate sand as well. Wind and earth are different in style, so it would be difficult to mix those two forms of chakra." Sarutobi shook his head. "Unfortunately, I can't allow you to learn or use any of your wood-based techniques for now…"
"How come, Jijii!? What do you mean that I can't use Mokuton yet!?" The jinchuuriki was puzzled.
'How is it that I'm restricted from learning one of my natural gifts?'
"Because that would expose your true heritage, which is an SS-class secret," the Sandaime curtly answered, garnering a stunned look from Naruto. "Along with that, too many leaders want that particular DNA trait to hone for themselves. Adding that with the Kyuubi will make you Target Number One in the world of shinobi, especially the Akatsuki, even though they aren't active now. Those S-class criminals will come after you sooner or later."
Naruto was taken by surprise that his heritage was a heavily guarded secret. Plus, he did not know that he was a walking target on account of his wood-using abilities…let alone, the Kyuubi. However, a scowl lined his face. "Well, if I was given the training necessary to protect myself, then…" His head sunk on his shoulders as he bashed down on the table, which startled Doshaburi. "Damn it! It's too fucking unfair!"
Sarutobi walked over to a vault hidden in the wall with a genjutsu and pulled out an identical (intact) Uzumaki scroll, along with a scroll with an unknown clan symbol on it. "Naruto, what I'm about to disclose to you is SS-rank in nature and you will be dealt with harshly should you tell this to anyone else not affiliated with Konoha. I will leave it up to you to tell it to whomever that you feel comfortable with telling."
With a surly nod from the blue-eyed wonder, Sarutobi pressed onward. "Long ago, ninja clans fought to gain power and territory. The Senju Clan of the Forest was one of the nomadic warrior tribes that traveled far and wide to rally support into making a hidden village, of which you now know is Konoha. One of the future Shodai Hokage's daughters, one Senju Aki, fell in love with Shiogakure in the Whirlpool Country and decided to stay and learn the many techniques from the people there. With granted permission from my former sensei, she settled into Hidden Tide society.
"She gave birth to an illegitimate son after having relations with a local Uzumaki merchant. That son, whose abilities had to be kept secret at the time, soon married into the Uzumaki clan and had a daughter, one Senju Misaya. Misaya had then married a wealthy bureaucrat named Uzumaki Hiroshi. The two then had a daughter, Uzumaki Kushina, also known as Shiogakure no Uzumaki Aka. She was given that alias on account of her red hair and her fiery temperament, which had been similar to yours.
"Being from a displaced Uzumaki family on account of the situation of the old Shiogakure, she excelled in the ranks of a newly formed Shio bordering the countries of Fire and Waterfall and became an S-ranked kunoichi. It was a good thing that she, along with the rest of her remaining clansmen, aided us during the campaign of the Rock-Leaf War."
He paused and looked out the window, gazing at Hokage Rock, particularly at the Yondaime's rock-bust. "It was during a rendezvous mission with one of my former students that she had met your idol, Namikaze Minato-kun. When they had met, the two fought like cats and dogs, but eventually were inseparable at the hip. They were made for one another. Since they were from separate hidden villages, they decided to keep their marriage away from the public eye as well."
His face took on a grim look as he drove home the point to the shinobi in front of him. "You just so happened to be unluckily born on the day when the Kyuubi had attacked Konoha prior to Minato-kun's announcement of you as Namikaze heir…and I'm sure you can guess where I'm taking this conversation…"
"Wait a minute, Hokage-sama," Naruto said with unprecedented respect and bitter tears that threatened to fall from his face. "Are you telling me that the Yondaime was my father, and my relatives were the Shodai and Nidaime Hokage? Are you telling me that the living martyr of Konoha who is shunned by his village is kin to three of the four Hokage that they loved and admired?
"…How come you knew this already, Jijii!?" growled the jinchuuriki, who had furious tears in his eyes. He clenched his claw-like hands, which drew blood. "And why didn't you tell me!? Maybe if I was trained when I was young, instead of being scorned, then maybe I could've protected myself from my parents' enemies!"
The Sandaime walked over and placed a hand on the blond's shoulder. "I was going to step in and train you, Naruto. Honestly, I would have; however, those uptight bastards of the council didn't want me to associate myself with the aptly named 'demon boy.' To that, I should have told them to wake up and realize that you are the jailor of Kyuubi, not the spirit-fox, himself. I endeavored into convincing the council about your heritage, but it fell on deaf ears. Your mother and father had kept their involvement very covert and it was very difficult to prove with only the two scrolls that are set before you.
"I had then come up with the creed to not have anyone speak of you as the host of the spirit inside of you. And the reason why I call it a spirit is because I know that Kyuubi-sama had good intentions. I saw the pain in its eyes when it was decimating Konoha. I could tell that it was under the control of malice and rage.
"As I regress to the matter-at-hand, there is a picture with her and your father, stashed inside this Uzumaki scroll duplicate that one of the ANBU had picked up during a mission," said the Sandaime. "Inside your father's scroll contains a letter for you. Normally, you shouldn't have been given this information until you were of age, but I think that you need to know as soon as possible if you want to defeat what's ahead of you in this world."
Without a moment's notice, Naruto bit down on his thumb, rubbed the seal and pulled out the picture. His eyes widened greatly.
His mother was beautiful with a big belly, which obviously meant that she was carrying him at the time. She had fiery-red hair and effervescent green eyes and wore a green dress with a yellow shirt. Standing next to her had been the Yondaime Hokage, in jounin attire and his long, white battle coat. He displayed one of the biggest "foxy" smiles that Naruto had ever seen and had his arm wrapped around her shoulder.
"Jiisan…" Naruto whispered behind tears. "Thank you…for letting me know that I was wanted by loving parents."
"Naruto, there is something else that you may need to know," Sarutobi said with heavy sadness and an even more aged visage. Naruto looked up to see his surrogate grandfather's watery eyes. "There is still hope. After the Kyuubi attacked Konoha, Kushina-chan was never found, so there may be a chance that she is, in fact, alive. Much to my dismay, however, I am not certain, since her status still remains 'Missing in Action.'"
Sarutobi looked at his surrogate grandson who had an even more astonished look on his face. "Remember: only speak of this to those that you feel comfortable with, and make sure that none of our enemies catch wind of this."
The blue-eyed genin wiped his tears and gave his surrogate grandfather a small smile. "Okay, Jiisan, you have my solemn word."
"Right," said the Sandaime with a smile. "If you happen to openly display a Mokuton technique, then the council would be trying to play kiss-ass with you and try to get you on good terms." He chuckled to himself. "It's ironic. It is you that has the highest noble birthright of this village, and yet they are not willing to put the past behind them, knowing full and well that you are human as well. People make mistakes, and people are ignorant by nature at the same time…a recipe for disaster…
"Well, I believe that you should get back to training. And just to let you know, you'll still learn Mokuton from my sensei's former scrolls, but you will receive them when I see that you're ready for them or if I'm gone from this world. Is that okay with you, Naruto?"
"That's fine by me, Jiisan. I'll just focus on the three elements and Hyouton with Haku-chan. See ya later, Jiisan." Naruto bowed and called over Doshaburi so they could leave.
'…The old Naruto would've probably pitched a fit, but I can tell that he has most certainly grown…Or maybe I'm just getting too old…' He walked over to his desk, picked up his pipe and filled it with more tobacco.
"Is everything o-okay, Naruto?" asked the dust-colored fox as they were leaving.
"Yeah, Dosha-chan…I'll be fine…I'm just glad that I have a family to call my own." He walked out of the office and into the Konoha streets.
'It's a slim chance that Okaasan could still be alive…and why would Otousan want me to bear the burden of the village…? I guess that I'll find out about it when I read the letter…'
His thoughts were on pause when he had seen a lavender blur with indigo hair coming straight for him…
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(Konoha Public Bath House)
Haku and Hinata decided to spend some time together, albeit their brief encounter. It was then that Haku decided to take a plan of action to break the Hyuuga heiress from her shell.
"So, Hinata-san, what do you think of Naruto-kun?" she asked with a small smile on her face.
Hinata looked up and blushed horribly. "H-He's…a g-good young man. W-Why?"
"Oh, no reason at all, Hinata-san," she calmly stated as she waved her hands. "I thought that maybe that you liked him. I noticed that you were blushing and kept looking away from him."
"…" Hinata continued poking together her forefingers.
"You know that he admires confidence, Hinata-san, and that is the department in which you're lacking. Now tell me, how come you haven't said anything to him yet?"
"Ano…I thought he likes Sakura-san…that's all…" Haku swam over and held together her poking fingers.
"Hinata-san, in this world you have to be aggressive for what you want. You have to fight for the unattainable. If he means that much to you, then I don't see what should impede your progress. It is you that has to make yourself noticeable to Naruto-kun.
"I'll let you dwell on that, but, for the moment, I have to go and see about my instatement among the Konoha ranks. See you later." She climbed out of the public onsen, wrapped a towel around her and went into the dressing room.
XXXXXXXXXX
While in the dressing room, she got into her spare battle kimono and pulled out a scroll. She removed a skimpy outfit which consisted of skin-tight lavender shorts and a complementing tank-top that exposed the midriff. She had then taken Hinata's regular clothes (save for her undergarments) and stashed them in her scroll, only to replace it with the revealing outfit.
'Phase One, complete,' thought the former oinin with a wide smile on her face. She thought that a change of wear would have her acquire Naruto-kun's eyes. She walked off to the Hokage's office regarding her status. 'It probably would have been cleared by now.'
XXXXXXXXXX
Hinata could not help but reflect on what Haku-neesan had told her. She, like anyone who was naturally in love, would always have that creeping feeling of rejection in the back of his or her mind. Insecurity loomed over her like a shadow cast by the clouds in the sky.
'What if he doesn't think I'm pretty enough?' she thought grimly as she removed herself from the onsen and into the dressing room.
When she had looked at her cubby, her eyes bulged. Desperately panicking and looking for something to wear, she could not help but wear what was placed in her cubby. She was going to pummel whoever stole her clothes with Jyuuken-powered strikes if she found the culprit.
She sprinted out toward the direction of her home, not wanting to be seen, only to literally run into the blond hunk that was her crush.
XXXXXXXXXX
Both Naruto and Hinata thumped on the ground by their rear ends. Rubbing his backside, Naruto yelled without looking at who bumped into him, "Hey, watch where you're going!"
"Oh…I-I'm so sorry," Hinata mumbled softly with eyes closed and bowing.
All of a sudden, they paused when they heard the recognizable voices.
'That voice…' they both thought. 'It sounds…familiar...'
As Naruto turned his head, Hinata was slowly opening her eyes, and their vision made contact. However, the blond whisker-marks looked at the type of attire that Hinata was wearing while the Hyuuga heiress' face grew to the color of a beet. The jinchuuriki competed in the blushing contest soon after he had seen…curvaceous Hinata.
"H-H-Hinata…chan," stuttered the blond boy as he was holding his nose from potential blood flow. 'Damn it with these perverted thoughts!'
'This is too grand,' thought Kyuubi as he chuckled to himself. 'Now to sit back and watch…'
"N-Naruto-k-kun," Hinata stuttered back. They stared awkwardly at one another for about ten minutes.
'Oh no…this is so awkward…I didn't want Naruto-kun of all people to see me like this. What will he think…? Say something!'
'What's g-going on?' thought the dirt-colored canine with head tilted. 'I don't get it. And why is Naruto s-sweating so badly?'
'That would be the kit's hormones acting up, Dosha-chan,' Kyuubi said via mental link.
'W-Who's there?' It was not normal for the ocher-hued fox to be hearing voices, much less so in his head.
'I was the one to establish the link in the first place. You may refer to me as Kyuubi-sama…'
'K-K-Kyuubi-sama…As in the l-lord of b-bijuu Kyuubi-sama?' the kit thought frighteningly. His eyes widened in horror.
'Yes, kit, I'm that Kyuubi-sama. And don't be afraid of me. I helped out you as well as the other kit, so you have nothing to fear.'
'H-Hai, K-Kyuubi-sama.'
'This is awkward,' Naruto thought. 'C'mon brain, think of something to start up the conversation…I got it…'
"Hinata-chan," Naruto said as he dusted off his rear end, "how about you come and train with me in a few days? We could train together before the start of the Chuunin exams, which are on the horizon. So what do you say?"
The Hyuuga heiress, much to her disappointment, could say nothing. She opted for nodding her head, still blushing.
"Great, and I'll see ya soon. And nice outfit, by the way…Later!"
When the foxy duo disappeared from sight, she exhaled a breath that she had unconsciously held. 'I think that went well, I suppose…At least I get to hang out with Naruto-kun…'
XXXXXXXXXX
As the whisker-marks and his companion ran down the street, a white-masked figure appeared evanescently in front of them.
"Greetings, Uzumaki-san," said the figure behind the white mask. "Our commanding officer was…quite impressed to hear about your abilities. How would you like to take up a position in our 'Ne' division?"
"Sorry, pal," retorted the Jinchuuriki, "but my talents are not for sale under anybody except the Hokage…and my jounin-sensei, Hatake Kakashi-san."
"Well, he knew that you were going to refuse, so I will refer to plan B…" He picked out a tainted kunai and plunged it through the blond's gut. He coughed out blood in the process. "How about you join, now? Either you die here with the poison seeping in your body or we take you back to HQ and give you the antidote. What do you say, Uzumaki-san?"
"Three words…" Naruto said with a smile on his face. "Ready, Dosha-chan?"
"Ready," replied the dust-colored fox as he ran behind the masked figure.
"Kage Bunshin…Daibakuha!" the two roared at the same time, while flashing white. The best Root scout was a dead Root scout…
XXXXXXXXXX
The authentic cloudburst and fox-boy were traveling through the back alleyways when they heard a slight rumble of an explosion.
'Thank goodness we gave him the slip. Good riddance,' thought the blond as they raced to their flat. He sighed and shook his head. 'I can't help but feel remorse for filling those clones with that Phantom Flame, though…'
His wayward mind focused on Hinata's revealing clothes. 'I think I'm going to need a cold shower when I go back home…But for now…' He summoned a shadow clone and asked him to go find a potential wind-user and ask for help. 'I need help with mastering wind.'
XXXXXXXXXX
(Training Ground 13)
"Sakura-san, to what youthful honor do I owe you?" asked Green Beast, Jr., Rock Lee, taijutsu apprentice, who had just split open another training log.
"Well, Lee-kun," began the green-eyed wiz-kid, "I need help with extra chakra reserves for my jutsu, and I was wondering…if you could…teach me two of the Hachimon. You see, I read about them during my research and I…"
Lee's bushy eyebrows soared to his shiny-bowl haircut. "Are you crazy, Sakura-san? I can never teach anyone about the gates…unless I would have to ask Gai-sensei. I must say, Sakura-san, that you are indeed dynamic—"
"Did someone say…DAINAMIKKU ENTORI?" From out of nowhere, an ever bigger man in a green leotard jumped out and flew through the air with a flying kick, landing gracefully in the training ground. It was none other than the self-proclaimed "Kakashi's rival," Maito Gai, pinging smile and all.
"Gai-sensei! What brings you here on this incredibly youthful day?"
"LEE-KUN, I HEARD THAT YOU WANTED TO TEACH YOUTHFUL SAKURA-SAN PART OF THE EIGHT INNER GATES! IS THAT TRUE!?" He asked with booming volume.
"Yes, Gai-sensei," replied Lee with a bow. "She needs extra chakra reserves to power her youthful ninjutsu…"
"Actually, Lee-kun, they're youjutsu and hijutsu…" Sakura corrected.
"Yoshi! May I teach Sakura-san with how to open two of the Eight Inner Gates?"
Gai thought for a contemplative moment. "You have my permission, Lee-kun, seeing as that will not do too much un-youthful damage to the body," he had said quietly while stroking his chin in the process.
"Gai-sensei, you are the greatest!"
"Lee-kun!"
"GAI-SENSEI!" Lee yelled with anime tears streaming down his face.
"LEE!" Gai had done the same thing as they hugged, creating a sunset genjutsu behind them.
All the while, Sakura sweat-dropped by seeing the illusion from hell.
'This…is so weird…'
'Tell me about it, pinky…Ew…Gross…Shannaro!" Inner Sakura was just as displeased at the boy-on-man body contact as her outer-self.
XXXXXXXXXX
(Uchiha Complex)
Sasuke panted heavily as he bent over, holding his knees. Part of the surrounding earth around him was glassed over on account of intense heat.
'It looks like Kakashi has some taste in jutsu, after all,' surmised the raven-haired genius.
His research on demons at the library had been inconclusive, save for a mythological booklet on legendary creatures. He had yet to read it when Kakashi had come without warning and trained him in high-grade Katon and, strangely enough, some Raiton ninjutsu for the past three days on end. He decided that the research could wait…as well as other matters at-hand.
'Damn it…why is Haku on my mind, all of a sudden?' He thought as he recovered and flashed a few more hand seals.
XXXXXXXXXX
(Sarutobi Complex home, evening)
A panting Naruto clone finally found his way to Sarutobi Asuma, Konoha's legendary chain-smoker and wind-using jounin. He was in the middle of a game of shougi with the local genius and cloud-watcher, Nara Shikamaru.
"It looks like I win again, Sensei. The bill's on you this time," said the lazy genius. Their ministrations were put on hold when they heard a loud voice.
"Oi, Asuma-sensei, can I ask you something?" asked the elf-eared duplicate of the blond wonder as he ran up.
"Oh, hey there, Naruto. What brings you here?" Asuma took a puff of his cigarette. 'He's changed quite a bit…'
"I found out that one of my three elemental affinities is wind…"
Asuma's cancer-stick fell out of his mouth as his jaw dropped. "Whoa, hold it right there. Did you say three elements? I find that hard to come by…" The bearded chain-smoker was somewhat skeptical about anyone possessing more than one elemental affinity at a time…but it was Naruto, so everyone had to expect the unexpected. "Anyway, so one of your elemental alignments is wind, you say? And you need tips on how to control it, am I right?"
"Yup," said the beaming bunshin.
The cloud-watching shinobi looked over at the blond and asked, "You're learning how to control the nature of chakra?"
"Yes, Shikamaru. What's it to you?"
"You'll need some talent to master that, you know…And besides, you're not even a chuunin yet…" His speech stopped dead in its tracks when the jinchuuriki pointed a finger to his right and a small mound of earth erupted from where he pointed.
"Think I can't handle it, eh?" He gave the genius a wide, fang-toothed smirk.
Shikamaru's eyes widened a bit when he saw Naruto move the ground without breaking a sweat. 'This guy is full of troublesome surprises…'
"All right," Asuma spoke up, with a new cigarette in his mouth. "I'll teach you how to manipulate the nature of wind, but only if you pay for the next time my team and I go out for yakiniku to celebrate for a completed mission. How's that?"
"You're cheating, Asuma-sensei," retorted a rather peeved Shikamaru.
"Well, if that's all it takes, then I'll do it for my training," the Naruto replica concluded, although he inwardly cringed. 'I know Chouji…His food bill is just as high as mine…'
"Great, and it looks like we've got a deal." Asuma smiled and pulled out his knuckle-busting trench knives. 'What a sucker…'
"These are my chakra blades. Both of the blades are made to absorb the chakra nature of the holder. I'll let you hold onto one and have you push your chakra into it."
Grabbing onto the strange knuckle buster, he pushed a bit of the wind-based chakra into the blade with a little bit of effort. For some apparent reason, the blade felt slightly cool in his hands after pushing wind-chakra into the blade.
"Hey, Asuma-sensei," Naruto began, "how come my blade-chakra looks a bit different than yours?" Sure enough, the chakra field around the trench knife was wavering, but held a finite point two inches from the blade, itself.
"Well, first of all, Naruto, you have to focus on your wind-type chakra, since you have two others," answered the chain-smoker. "When you focus on that wind chakra, you've got to imagine splitting the separate chakras apart and grind them together.
"Do it so that the separate chakra fields sharpen one another into fine pieces. The thinner and sharper you make it, the better. Now, for a demonstration…" He quickly scanned the surrounding environs. "I want you to throw your knife with mine, at the same time, into that tree, okay?"
"Ossu!" replied the eager blond. They both reared back and launched the knuckle-busters into the tree. Naruto's blade made it an entire foot into the three. And as for Asuma's blade…
It cut through the tree with little resistance and embedded itself seven inches into the rock behind it. "So, Naruto, what do you think?"
Naruto's mouth flung open in awe. "Sugoi…"
Asuma looked at the pointy-eared genin and continued. "Using the wind chakra can get pretty dangerous. I was only holding back. Were it the case that I had been trying, then my blade would've gone through that rock…"
Naruto's eyes bugged out. "Say what!?"
"So, here's the lesson for you, Naruto. In a battle of equal caliber between two shinobi, the one with the sharpest tool would win. The wind element has the strongest offensive power for both close- and mid-range battles.
"Take what you know and apply it, and if you come across any trouble at all, then feel free to drop by anytime. But you're still held responsible for barbecue, though."
"Gotcha! Thanks a lot!" Naruto formed his trademark cross-shaped hand seal and disappeared in a puff of smoke.
'That was a shadow clone…?' Shikamaru shook his head. 'What a troublesome guy…' He glanced over at his jounin-sensei. 'At least Asuma-sensei can't wiggle his way out of paying for barbecue.'
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(Naruto's flat, late evening)
Naruto was glancing over at the letter left from his father when the clone dispelled and gave him information regarding how to manipulate the wind element. It turned out that he was stuck in a rock and a hard place when it came to how to seal Kyuubi.
Much to Naruto's dismay, all other possible means for detaining the King of Youkai proved futile, and Naruto had been the last resort, since he obviously could not ask any of the villagers' children to act as the spiritualist medium, or even themselves for that matter. People would think that you were crazy if you asked around for someone to harbor a ten-thousand-year-old spirit in your stomach. Plus, it came down to one final question: Why would you have someone else make the ultimate sacrifice, knowing that you were unable to do so?
It also stated in the letter that his mother had been taken to the hospital after the abrupt C-section on the field of battle, and he neither had a chance to see her again nor to tell her how much he loved her.
That brought a few more tears from the jinchuuriki as he rolled up the letter and stashed it in a safe-box underneath his bed, along with the scroll that he had received from Sarutobi. 'There's still hope…'
When he bent down, he wafted Doshaburi's scent. He certainly needed a scrub-down in the morning after he got up. "Good night, Dosha-chan," he whispered to his dust-hued kit.
As he rolled over in his bed, he thought about what the future might bring. 'Two-and-a-half weeks until the Chuunin exams…I hope that I'm ready by then…' Closing his eyes, he drifted into dreamland…only to be pulled into the fox's den that was Kyuubi's dungeon.
"What's up now, Kyuubi-sama?" asked the blond wonder who rubbed his backside from the descent.
"Kid, how has your progress been with training? And how's the kit taking to my chakra?"
"He's getting more and more accustomed to it; however, his coat is starting to…redden a bit."
"I see…It's only a minor side effect, though. There's no need to worry over it. For now, I want you to use your chakra to commune with him mentally. That is my next task for you, before you dream of two of your…important people." The Youkai King gave a perverted giggle.
Naruto's shoulders and ears drooped as he sighed in defeat. 'Why is it that I'm doomed to be stuck with perverted sensei…?' This was going to be a long night for the fox-boy.
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A/N:Okay, I believe that is another chapter down, and I had to get some of that stuff out of the way, because frankly, if Naruto has an important incentive to get stronger, then this would be it.
He already knows of his heritage, and I thought it was a clever idea, if I say so myself, to be descendants of two Hokage and the son of one through a roundabout lineage. I'm not sure if anyone else had come up with that idea, so I will call it my own.
I've gotten an e-mail regarding that I should delve into more research into the role and religion of the Druids. I will take that into consideration when I write in one of my OC in Part II. He will be (hopefully) the embodiment of druidic shamanism.
As for the created ninjutsu, they will stay as is, even though I have thought on a limb here. But, in all honesty, it took weeks on end to come up with a solid list of jutsu to call my own, especially for my big surprise…but as usual, the good stuff will happen in Part III.
Before you start to peg me on having Sakura meet Rock Lee and Gai prematurely, know this...this is "fiction" and if I want to deviate a bit from the canon storyline, then I will, and there is no crime in that. There is also a valid reason to back up my claims for having the bookworm meet the taijutsu experts in the early going.
Have you ever heard of background research? Sakura is the wiz-kid of her graduating class, so of course she would do some "brushing up" for the time being, of which I gladly omitted, due to the fact that I would find it taxing to explain everything before the pieces fall into place. That's enough about my soap box for now...
For the next chapter, I will promise to speed things up. And I don't make promises unless I intend to keep them.
Jikai… (Next time…) on Birth of a Legend: The Fox Druid…
Crunch Time! Road to the Exams…
Naruto: I think that I'll be as ready as I'll ever be…
DHO: That's the spirit, Naruto, and I take it that your dream went well…?
Naruto: …I would prefer not to answer about that…
Romaji guide:
Shiogakure no Uzumaki Aka: Red Eddy of the Hidden Tide (eddy is synonymous with "whirlpool," by the way); nickname for Uzumaki Kushina
Okaasan: mother
Otousan: father
Jyuuken or Juuken: Gentle Fist; taijutsu style of the Hyuuga Clan
Ne: "root"; branch division of ANBU, under the control of Danzou
Kage Bunshin Daibakuha: Shadow Clone Great Explosion (Phantom Flame-style): A-rank offensive close-range ninjutsu; upgraded shadow clones explode on account of critical chakra input; explosion attained depends on the energy input (based off Bunshin Daibakuha, or Clone Great Explosion)
Youjutsu: dark arts
Dainamikku Entori: Dynamic Entry
Hachimon: lit. "Eight Gates"; referencing the Eight Inner Gates
Yakiniku: barbecue; literally, 'grilled meat'
Sugoi: amazing