Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
A/N: Frist official chapter =)
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An Apprentice to a Sage
The client
...
Uzumaki Naruto, sage apprentice to one of Konoha's sannin, rubbed his eyes as he slowly woke up. He slowly got out of his sleeping bag, before rolling it up. He drowsily adjusted his orange scarf which was wrapped around his neck, while flattening his white shirt. He tightened the bottom of his black sweat pants over his black shinobi sandals and looked at his still sleeping master. It's been a whole year since Jiraiya and Naruto left konoha, the latter did so very reluctantly.
"Lazy ass... I guess we won't be sparring this morning." He said, before walking off towards the sound of running water and came across a small stream. He took off his scarf and shirt before bending over and drinking some water.
"Fresh water tastes amazing!" He yelled, dunking his whole head underwater.
He pulled himself out of the water and ran his hands through his blond spiky hair. He then grabbed a folded towel on the ground beside him to wipe himself dry. However, before he could do that, the sound of rushing air made him quickly roll back before jumping away and landing into a crouch. His eyes suddenly widened, as several shirukens struck the ground he was just standing on, tearing the towel he was about to use, apart. He quickly straightened up a kunai in each hand as he scanned his surroundings.
"That was my last towel damn it!" Naruto yelled in anger.
The forest was eerily quiet except for some distant bird calls. He suddenly jumped away, as a man with crazy white hair suddenly came out of the ground, intending to give him a nasty uppercut. They both landed on top of the water, both floating thanks to the chakras coming out of their feet.
They both fell into stances, clear blue eyes meeting shiny ebony ones as they stared each other down. As if on cue, both started moving, rapidly closing the distance between each other. Naruto went on the offensive, while the other dodged and blocked.
"Your attacks are getting more and more efficient, Naruto." Jiraiya, the boy's master, critiqued. "but this won't be enough to beat me." He said, before dodging one of the boy's attacks which he overextended, giving the sannin an opening. He gave the blond boy a rather hard kick in the head.
However, the said boy suddenly turned into smoke, making him hastily jump away as a barrage of shurikens hit the water. He looked up towards the sun, where five Naruto silhouettes were falling at him fast.
"Here I come ero-sennin!" He yelled as the five Naruto's descended on him, attacking in tandem and working with each other.
Jiraiya smiled as he continued to dodge and block, only countering when an opening presented itself. "Very good. You're timing with your clones is very good, and you're creativity really shows with your attacks, but it isn't enough." He said to the three remaining Naruto's.
"You're still too slow." 'POOF'
"You're moves are still too predictable." 'POOF'
"And you're still relying too much on your senses." 'POOF'
Jiraiya was surprised to find out that the last one was a clone too. 'I thought that would be the real one for sure.'
He was even more shocked when a pair of hands suddenly sprang from underground and grabbed both of his feet, making him unable to move away. He didn't have time to pull his legs free as he was hit consecutively.
"U-" Jiraiya was hit with an uppercut to the chin, lifting him off the ground.
"Zu-" He was then kicked upwards from behind.
"Ma-" Followed by an elbow to the gut.
"Ki-" Then a knee to the face.
Finally, as he started to fall to the ground, his arms were grabbed from behind. "Naruto Rendan!" The blond boy yelled as Jiraiya felt himself being kneed in the back, driving him to the ground face first.
Naruto slowly stood up as dust clouded around him. He was shocked to see that at the bottom of the small crater he formed was a smashed log. He had time to say "Damn it!" before he was hit from behind and falling unconscious.
He slowly woke up to the smell of cooking fish. He slowly sat up and painfully rubbed the back of his head. "Ugh... what happened?"
"Your last move would've really been painful if you got me, but I was able to replace myself with a log." A voice replied. "Come have some lunch."
Naruto grumbled about 'stupid perverted old man', before sitting down and grabbing a skewered fish from the fire.
"You know Naruto, It's amazing that it has only been a year since I've started teaching you. Your Taijutsu has come a long way. You've trained really hard with your shadow clones." This mad the boy smile. "However, it isn't good enough for me to start teaching you ninjutsu."
Naruto groaned, remembering the deal that he made with the sannin when he left konoha.
'A ninja must master the art of taijutsu above all else. I know many great ninjutsu and genjutsu masters die in the hands of a taijutsu expert. It's essential to master this style because it requires no chakra for you to beat your opponents.' Jiraiya explained. 'Until I deem your taijutsu good enough, I won't be teaching you any ninjutsus.' He declared to a grumbling Naruto a year ago.
"I know ero-sennin... I'll train even harder." He said.
"Nope, not today. We're going into town today to take on a job." The toad sage said in between bites.
"Why?" Naruto asked. "I've got to do my calligraphy and chakra control in the afternoon."
"Our funds are getting low and I've got to do more research for my book..." This made Naruto smirk, while Jiraiya went glossy-eyed and a slight coloring appeared on his cheeks. The pair have been living off the money they make doing odd jobs here and there. It was mostly Naruto doing the work, using the excuse of extra training for the boy, while Jiraiya went off and did some research for the book he's writing. "Pack our camp after we eat. We're going right away."
Naruto got up grumbling. He grabbed both his and his master's gear and slung them on his back. "Lazy perverted sensei." He said, glaring at the back of said man.
"You're not walking on the road gaki. You're running on the trees." Jiraiya said evilly. "Think of it as chakra control training."
The boy's jaw dropped. "B-but it's too heavy! You've got so much shit! And you've got this stupid ass giant scroll!" He yelled, slapping the said scroll.
"Stop swearing. You're the only seven year old kid I know who swears like sailor." He said with a frown.
"You've only got yourself to blame for that." The boy answered with a shrug.
"True." Jiraiya responded, while rubbing his chin. "Whatever. Anyways, you better not drop a single thing or you're not getting dinner tonight." The man said before taking off on the road.
Naruto sighed and jumped on top a branch landing steadily with the help of chakra. "Fucking lazy bastard." He spat before jumping unsteadily towards the next branch.
.
Naruto, panting and sweating, leaned against the wall of a small bath house in Shukabu village, located at the border of Fire and Tea country. He's a little vexed because he had been running around the village looking for his sensei. "Here's your shit!" He yelled, unceremoniously dropping everything he was carrying while glaring daggers at the crouched sannin.
"Shhh!" He hissed at his young apprentice. "You're going to get us caught."
This made the boy reel back, before sighing. "Is this part of your research ero-sennin?"
"No, gaki. I'm doing some background checks on our client." The man answered, peeking at a small hole on the wooden wall of the bath house.
"Our client? She's in there?" Naruto asked. "Which one?"
"That one right there. The brunette sitting on the left." Jiraiya pointed out to his apprentice who made another small hole on the wall. "Miss Taeko Terumi."
"Wow!" The boy whispered loudly. "Those things are enormous!"
"I know gaki... I know..." The man writing on a small notebook said, before wiping the blood dripping from his nose with the back of his hand.
"So... how are we doing this?" Naruto asked. "Am I going to pretend to be a lost boy looking for his parents again?"
"No, not that one. That one is only good for MILFs. This one's a little younger. Here's what we do..." The two planned their 'attack'.
"Got it gaki?"
"Got it sensei."
They were about to move when they were both hit at the same time on the head. They both turned quickly to find a younger copy of the woman they were just spying on.
"What are you two doing?" The young girl wearing a purple kunoichi outfit, her shoulder length hair tied into a ponytail, demanded.
Naruto quickly stepped up. "I was just helping this old man. He fell and seemed to have hurt himself." He explained.
The young girl looked at the weird man with crazy white hair. "What were you doing here old man?" She asked suspiciously.
"Oh nothing my dear. I was just out for a stroll when I fell and this kind young man was helping me." He answered with a smile.
The girl eyed him suspiciously before nodding. "Alright. Let's get you up then." She said, grabbing one of Jiraiya's arms and started to pull him up.
"No, no it's okay. I'm sure this boy can do it. You can just run along now." Jiraiya said pulling Naruto towards him.
"But the two of us-" She didn't finish as she noticed something odd. "Old man the back of your head is smoking." She said pointing at him.
"Huh?" The sannin asked unintelligently, before turning away and grabbing his head. "What are you talking about?" He asked.
Naruto noticed a small cloud of smoke from behind the man. "It's true!"
The three turned to see steam coming out of the small holes on the wall.
"Why are there holes on the bath house's wall?" She screeched, her cheeks slowly turning red. "You were peeking weren't you?" She accused animatedly, making her bangs fall on her face.
"No-"
"Wait-"
"PERVERTS!" The young girl's scream was the last thing the two heard before everything went black.
.
Naruto opened his eyes and quickly winced as he felt his head throbbing. He groggily sat up and realized there were people talking around him.
"...apologize. I didn't know you were the ones that was going to take the job. Are you alright? I didn't mean to freak out." A woman's voice said. "I certainly wasn't expecting the bath house owner to come out and whack you two on the head with bats."
"No, it's alright Taeko-san. It was just a simple misunderstanding." The distinct voice of his master said.
"Ugh..." Naruto groaned.
"Naruto-kun, are you alright?" A voice asked, while a feeling of someone's soft palm being pressed on his forehead made him quickly look up.
A slow blush crept up to his face as the beautiful face of their client came into focus. "Y-yes. Taeko-san was it?" He asked. "I'll be alright."
The woman, wearing a white shirt and black tight leggings quickly straightened up and smiled. "Alright then. As soon as you are both ready, just come out. Dinner is ready." She said, walking out of the room with her long wavy hair cascading behind her, and closing the door softly.
The pair quickly put on their sandals and left the room they were in. They noticed they were in an old apartment, as they heard noises of neighbors coming through the walls. The place was filled with clothes neatly stacked on top of each other and boxes filled with an assortment of garments.
They walked around until they came upon the kitchen. A genuine smile appeared on their face as they saw the two girls sitting on the dining table. They quickly sat down, hungrily eyeing the modest meal that were prepared for them.
"Itadakimasu!" They yelled as they dug in with gusto.
"This is delicious!" Naruto exclaimed.
"It really is Taeko-san!" Jiraiya agreed.
"I didn't cook this. Mei-chan did." She said pointing at the young girl who were glaring daggers at them.
Unperturbed, Jiraiya grinned. "Thank you for the meal Mei-chan!"
The little girl growled. "Don't thank me! If it wasn't for my sister, I would never cook for a pair of perverts like you!" She yelled, pointing at them.
"But-"
"I saw you! You were peeking in on her while she was taking a bath!" She continued. "Don't bother denying it! I caught you!"
"Mei-chan that's enough." Taeko said sternly. "They're our guests."
The young girl Mei, looked at her sister in frustration before sighing in exasperation. She glared at them dirtily. "She might believe you for now, but I won't!" She yelled before storming off into her room and slamming the door shut.
"I'm sorry. She's just a little protective of me because of what happened when she... when we were young. " she said sadly.
Naruto swallowed before asking. "What happened?"
Taeko eyed the two sitting around the table, before sighing. "Four years ago, when I was sixteen and Mei was about five years old. A group of ninja attacked our home back in Kirigakure." She said sadly. "Father tried to reason with them, then tried to fight them when the negotiations failed." Her eyebrows knitted together. "My father was a good fighter but he was outnumbered and they eventually k-killed h-him." She said, getting up and looking out at the small village through the window. "Mom... they..." She took a steadying breath. "...they raped her... right in front of us." Tears started to fall from her eyes. "They forced us to watch as they..." She shut her eyes, as painful flashbacks appeared in her mind. "...anyways, they killed her after and they decided to come after us. I don't really remember the details, but I remember screaming for my life before passing out." She said frowning, tears still falling down her cheeks. "When I came to, the ninjas were gone while my sister were crying over my parents bodies."
"I'm sorry." Naruto whispered.
"I never figured out why they attacked us..." She said softly. "Anyways, we ran away and have been living here together ever since." She said with a sad smile.
A long silence ensued after, each lost in their own thoughts before Jiraiya cleared his throat. "So, what is this job that you want us to do?" He asked.
The beautiful brunette wiped the tears off her face with her hands. "I want you to escort us to our hometown, the village of bubbling springs, near the border of Kirigakure." She said looking at their eyes. "I plan on opening a clothing business there."
"But I heard there's a civil war going on over there. Are you sure that's the best place for someone to open a business at?" Jiraiya asked.
"I'm sure my parents would want us to." She answered. "The money we make would enable us to help the people over there that are being ravaged by the war."
"Hmmm...Kirigakure..." Jiraiya thought out loud.
She steepled her fingers over the table. "Now let's talk about payment-"
"You don't have to pay us for this job." Naruto suddenly said, surprising Taeko and Jiraiya.
"That's absurd!" The woman yelled. "I can't let you do something like this for free. Jiraiya-sama I-"
"It's okay Miss Terumi." Jiraiya said smiling, getting up and putting his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I agree with my young apprentice. If you pay for the travel cost of this trip, then you don't have to pay us." This made Naruto smile at him before turning towards her.
Taeko eyed the pair, before sighing. "T-Thank you Jiraiya-sama, Naruto-kun." She said with a small bow. "If you're sure about this arrangement then we'll leave early tomorrow morning, so go get some sleep. I'll just clean up the table."
"You don't need help?" Naruto asked, pointing at the dirty plates on the table.
"No I'll be fine. It's the least I can do for you guys." She said smiling.
"Alright we're going to bed then. Thanks for the meal." Jiraiya said leading his young apprentice towards the room they were in.
Taeko Terumi watched the two retreating forms with a small smile. She then started to stack the dirty plates with one thought in her mind. 'Free huh?' She thought with a smirk while shaking her head.
The next day, Naruto was up and early, helping their client, Taeko Terumi, with packing all the boxes they were bringing on a cart.
"Where's that stupid old man?" Naruto asked out loud while he secured the box he just brought on the cart with a rope.
"He said he was going to the market to grab some supplies." A voice behind a big box said. "Here you go Naruto-kun."
Naruto grabbed the box and piled it up on top of another. "Taeko-san, I can do this. You don't have to bring them here for me, they are pretty heavy."
"It's okay." She said. "And will you stop calling me Taeko-san." Frowning, she continued. "Makes me sound old. Just call me Taeko-chan or Nee-chan."
Naruto laughed, scratching the back of his head as he did so. "You're our client, that's why I call you Taeko-san, but if you insist then I'll start calling you Taeko-chan or Nee-chan from now on."
"Good!" She said, winking at him. "I'll just go and wake up Mei so she can help us out as well."
"No need." A voice behind them said. "I'm awake."Mei declared before throwing a box at the boy on top of the cart. Naruto caught it easily, which made the young girl glare.
"Looks like everyone is here!" Jiraiya said happily handing Naruto's gear to him, which the boy quickly strapped on his back. "Are we ready?"
"Yes." Taeko said with a smile.
Naruto secured the last box on the cart, before hopping off. "Good to go ero-sennin."
Everyone turned towards the young girl, who grunted and sat at the front of the cart.
"Yosh! Let's go!" The white haired man yelled. "I'll be in the front. Gaki, you're in the back."
"What about the cart?" The boy asked, securing his scarf around his neck.
"What about it?" Jiraiya asked. "You're pushing it of course."
"What?" Taeko asked in outrage. "It's too heavy. How would he be able to do that?"
"It's okay Taeko-chan." He said with a smile. "Consider it as part of my training." He made a seal with his hands. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" With a 'POOF', three Naruto's stood there, surprising the two girls. "Okay, both of you will be pushing this thing." He slapped the side of the cart, while he directed his clones.
"What about you boss?" One of the clones asked.
"I'll be pulling in the front." He answered.
"But we won't be able to see Taeko-chan's butt from back here." Complained the other, making everyone but the young girl sitting on top of the cart laugh.
"Shut up!" The real Naruto yelled, a slight tinge appearing on his cheeks. "Just go back there and push."
"Pervert..." Mei grumbled.
"But that wasn't me Mei-chan." He argued. "He's a clone."
"Whatever. And it's Mei-san to you!" She commanded.
"What? Why?"
"Because I'm your client and I'm three years older than you." She answered with a superior tone. "Now, go pull the cart."
Naruto glared at her before grudgingly turning around and pulling the cart she was on. "Brat!" He said under his breath.
"What was that?" The girl asked.
"Nothing Mei-san!" He answered sarcastically before childishly sticking his tongue out at her. The two adults at the front laughed at their antics.
Taeko Terumi smiled and looked up at the sky. 'We're going home.' She thought. She then frowned at the man infront of her who was looking at a map. 'I can't believe they're doing this for free... Just what are you up to? Jiraiya-sama, Densetsu no Sannin of konohagakure...' She thought as they started their journey towards the country of water.
Jutsu list
Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Shadow Clone Jutsu
A/N: This is the first ARC of the story.