Chapter 7: Value in Trust
Exotic Waterfall, Konohagakure no Sato
Naruto charged at Jiraiya on all four limbs, his speed boosted exponentially by the power of the Kyuubi's chakra. 'Yes Naruto. Just like that! Use the Kyuubi's power just like that! Learn to control it, harness it, and use it as you see fit!' Jiraiya thought as the boy drew steadily closer.
Jiraiya was proud of Naruto. Somehow, he managed to learn how to use the Kyuubi's power of his own free will, as opposed to allowing emotions to tap into that giant reservoir of chakra. The whole point of the training trip was for Naruto to learn how to use the Kyuubi's chakra outside of Konoha, so that none of his precious people can get hurt. But it seemed that Naruto was already one step ahead of him.
Jiraiya braced himself. The charge was straightforward and simple, much like most of Naruto's taijutsu. However, he wanted to test his own strength against that of the Kyuubi's enhanced physical prowess. It seemed like suicide when Jiraiya first thought of it, but he was more than willing to put his life on the line for the sake of his protégé.
Naruto hit him with the force of a rockslide tumbling down a cliff. There was so much power generated into that one single tackle, it could have easily knock Jiraiya down to his backside. Hell, it probably would have ripped Jiraiya from his feet if Jiraiya had not already calculated the force of the impact and prepared his defenses accordingly.
Jiraiya grabbed onto Naruto's shoulders and began pushing with all of his power. Naruto was supported by all four limbs, whereas Jiraiya was using only his legs to provide force he needed to move Naruto. The two shinobi were locked in a tense stalemate, neither relenting their push against the other. For all it was worth, Jiraiya was having a truly difficult time overpowering the one-tailed Naruto.
"There they are!" a voice shouted, snapping Naruto and Jiraiya out of their stalemate. As they turned to see the new and mysterious voice, a shiver ran through both of their spines. The two were surrounded by impossibly gorgeous ladies with incredibly large busts. They all wore scantly cladded bikinis, doing very little to hide the women's "assets." While both Naruto and Jiraiya wanted to spend the rest of their time appreciating these beautiful woman and the seductive features, the ladies looked as though the wanted to unleash the wrath of the gods to the young shinobi and the old man.
"You…fucking…perverts!" One of the more busty lady accused. As she shook her fist left in right in agitation, Naruto and Jiraiya couldn't help but be conflicted. They were not sure whether they should be scared shitless from the sheer ferocity and killing intent of the sexy babes, or risk their lives going gaga at the motion of their breasts shaking up and down, threatening to let loose the nipples that were dying to pop out.
"How dare you guys have a spar while we are out here…bathing?!" One of the brunettes asked. "I feel so violated!" As if to prove her point, she covered her breasts with her arms. She blushed very deeply, embarrassed that she was even showing herself like this in front of the two supposed perverts.
There were about 15 ladies surrounding Jiraiya and Naruto in a half-arc. Both of the shinobi were trying their hardest to suppress whatever nosebleed threatened to gush out of their noses. They knew that any sign of deriving sexual interest from their predicament would leave them so utterly decimated by the subsequent beat down that they could never be shinobi again.
Jiraiya finally took the opportunity to speak to the infuriated femme fatale.
"Heheheh…" He laughed nervously. "Ladies, it's not what you think heheheh…" He was shaking his hands in a gesture that meant they had no idea of their presence. It was an obvious lie, of course; Jiraiya was planning on resuming his observations after he beat Naruto to a pulp. "Isn't that right Nar-UMPH!"
While Jiraiya was trying to calm the ladies down (futilely), Naruto took the opportunity to tackle his sensei forcefully to the ground before breaking off into a mad dash for his life. Jiraiya could hear his parting message dissipate as his distance grew larger.
"Sorry Ero Sennin!" Naruto screamed as he ran faster. Naruto's affectionate nickname earned Jiraiya a growing ire from the rest of the women in the group. "But a ninja takes advantage of any and all opportunities! Good luck, have fun, see ya in six months!" Not even his chakra cloak could be seen as it disappeared in the horizon.
"Damn that brat!" Jiraiya said rubbing his chin. When he looked up, he felt the intense amount of killing intent radiating from every women in the area. He gulped deeply; the amount of killing intent each woman exuded was equivalent to that of Tsunade when she found him peeking on her. That meant that there were 15 Tsunades all wanting to kill him. He chuckled nervously again, knowing that he was not going to get out of this without receiving multiple concussions and ending up in a coma.
"The blonde brat got away!" The redhead said disappointedly. "Dammit, he left the old geezer and bolted for the hills the first chance he got!"
"Don't worry about the kid." The purple haired female said. "We at least got the perverted old no-life to beat the shit out of!"
Jiraiya, knowing that the end was imminent, decided on leaving one snide remark before he left himself to his demise.
"Now, ladies please." Jiraiya said, sweating profusely at the potential consequence of his actions. "There's more than enough of the Gallant Jiraiya to go around. You shouldn't fight among yourself to see who gets the most downtime! Please, take your t-"
Jiraiya was interrupted when a fist broke his nose and launched him several feet away.
"Gladly," All of the girls said simultaneously before pouncing on him like vicious vultures scavenging the day old meat at the side of the road.
A scream of agony could be heard all the way to Konoha. Subconsciously, all perverts (closet and open) in the immediate area covered their penises and checked nervously around before mourning the loss of one of their kin.
Sasuke ran out of the village as quickly as possible. After coming to the realization that Naruto was the source of the powerful chakra bursts, he moved fast to find out why. He did not want to admit it, but he was a little too worried about his blonde teammate. He could not help it; Naruto was his best friend. But something about the tremendous chakra pulses rubbed Sasuke off in the wrong way.
It was in the Forest of Death. Orochimaru had targeted and attacked Team 7 in order to "gift" Sasuke with his Curse Seal of Heaven. Sasuke was frightened terrifically and was incapable of battle. Yet, Naruto braved the overwhelming odds and fought Orochimaru, despite the clear gap of skill between the two ninja.
Naruto had gained a strange power. He had a slight tint of crimson surrounding him, and his physical power was boosted immensely. He was able to divert a massive snake summon's movement with a simple haymaker. He even stopped the snake in his tracks using only two kunai and his own strength. When he stared into Naruto's eyes, he looked far different from what he used to look like. Instead of his normal cerulean eyes, he had crimson eyes with an animalistic slit to it. The whisker marks on his cheeks were enlarged and his canines were longer and sharper, giving him a more feral appearance to him. For a moment, Sasuke felt as though his best friend was more of a…fox…than a human being.
That moment in time was etched in his mind for the rest of his life. Not only did he realize that he got scared far too often than what it was worth, but he also saw Naruto for the man he truly was; a shinobi who unwaveringly followed his Nindo down to his last breath. His respect for the blonde idiot improved dramatically afterwards, and afterwards Naruto had done nothing but impress him continuously. It even came to the point that Sasuke actually desired to fight Naruto. He still does want to fight Naruto, but Sasuke realized that there was a lot he actually does not know about his blonde teammate.
Now that he thinks about it, there is very little that he actually knows about the Naruto. He knows that he does love ramen, especially the ramen that Umino Iruka buys him. He also knows that Naruto desires to be the Hokage. Yet, outside of that, he knew very little.
Naruto was an orphan, much like himself. But Naruto has no recollection of his former family. He's never even heard of the surname "Uzumaki" before. Naruto does have intense stamina and massive chakra reserves, but it's unknown where or why he that is the case. Could he have some sort of hidden bloodline that gave him those advantages? 'It's funny; Naruto may know more about me than I know about him.' Sasuke thought with an audible chuckle.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when a blur sped past him, as if running for its dear life. Sasuke couldn't see the face, but he could recognize the blonde hair and the orange jumpsuit anywhere. Immediately, he stopped and turned, dashing quickly and boosting his speed with chakra.
"Naruto!" Sasuke screamed, trying to get the blonde's attention. "Naruto! Will you slow down?"
Naruto turned to face Sasuke. He was confused as to why Sasuke was here right now.
"Oh, heyya Sasuke!" Naruto said nonchalantly. "What brings ya over here this fine evening?"
"I felt a weird chakra come from this direction so I went to check it out." Sasuke answered.
"Oh, didya now? Heheheh…" Naruto chuckled nervously. This caused Sasuke to raise an eyebrow in curiosity.
"Did you feel that chakra too?" Sasuke asked with his suspicions aroused.
"Pft. What chakra? What are you talking about?" Naruto asked apprehensively. Naruto's sudden anxiousness piqued Sasuke's inquisitive spirit.
"Dobe, let's be real. The chakra was coming from this direction and you are leaving from the same place. You're telling me that you have absolutely NO idea about the sudden pulse?"
"C'mon teme!" Naruto asked pleadingly. "I'm not a sensor type, I couldn't have possibly felt that!"
"You idiot!" Sasuke called out, smacking Naruto in the back of his head. "Me neither. But it was so strong that I could feel it from all the way back in the village. Just admit it Naruto; You do know something about this, don't you?"
"Alright Sasuke…" Naruto said grudgingly, throwing his hands up in defeat. "I was training with Ero Sennin when this super strong ninja came over and started fighting for no reason!"
"Ero Sennin?" Sasuke asked, almost not desiring to know exactly who the person was.
"Yeah, Ero Sennin!" Naruto said. "Ya know, the pervy sage?" Sasuke shook his head. "Um, the peeping tom?" Another shake. "The…um…frog sage?" Vaguely familiar, but still no dice. "Look, it was that Sannin fellow, Jiraiya! He likes looking at woman will they take baths and shit."
'What?' Sasuke thought in amazement. 'Naruto was being trained by one of the Legendary Sannin?' Suddenly, Sasuke inwardly wished he accepted the offer to be trained by Orochimaru. Sakura got an apprenticeship with Tsunade, and Jiraiya was willingly training with Naruto. Maybe that's where Naruto learned that powerful ninjutsu…
Sasuke was pretty much alone in his training. Maybe he could get Kakashi to focus a little more on training him, but while Kakashi was the infamous Copy-nin, he was not in the same pedestal as the two Sannin.
More importantly however. Jiraiya was a pervert?
"Hmm, your story seems to check out." Sasuke lied. "But I need you to describe the ninja Jiraiya-sama fought with. I felt his chakra before so I have a good idea what he was like."
"You…you felt his chakra before…?" Naruto said hesitantly. "Uh…wow…um…I didn't really get a good look at him. I…uh…was practicing a new jutsu? Yeah! I was practicing this totally kickass new jutsu!"
"Well, surely you must have taken a glimpse. Here, I'll describe what little I remember of him, and you confirm whether or not I was correct."
"Alright…" Naruto said in a sigh.
"Did he have spiky blond hair?"
Naruto seemed to be in deep contemplation. He then slapped his hands with his fist as if he had an epiphany. "Yeah! He had spiky blonde hair!"
Sasuke smirked. "Was he wearing a stupid orange jumpsuit that screamed 'Kill me now?'"
"Yeah, Yeah!" Naruto said excitedly. "Yeah, such a stupid jumpsuit. Like what kinda idiot would wear something like that?"
Sasuke almost chuckled. He needed to keep his calm and serious demeanor to get this to work.
"Did the man have ugly and abnormal whisker marks that made him look like a monster?"
"Yeah! Gross huh? I couldn't believe he was even human!"
Sasuke held his urge to face palm. Was Naruto really that oblivious?
"Did he have this ridiculous grin that read 'I wanna be Hokage, believe it!'?"
"YEAH!" Naruto shouted in excitement. "Such a stupid grin! I mean, who in the right mind would…want…to…SASUKE, YOU BASTARD!"
Sasuke broke into a mad laughter. Naruto couldn't help but smirk. It's not often that Sasuke laughed. But Sasuke was satisfied. He got Naruto exactly where he wanted him.
"So you admit it?" Sasuke asked.
"Admit what?" Naruto asked, still defiant.
"That it was you that burst that weird chakra." Sasuke said. "I remember, back at the Forest of Death. I remember that same chakra. There is nowhere else where that chakra could come from."
Naruto was silent. He clenched his hands tightly, contemplating on what he should tell his best friend. Truth be told, he had no idea how much he should actually trust Sasuke. He only trusted very few people, and he was worried that Sasuke may actually turn the other way and end their fragile friendship. It was the ultimate test of friendship, and Naruto decided to take the risk.
"Yeah…" Naruto said, looking down on the ground. "The chakra is mine."
"Why?" Sasuke asked. "Why do you have different chakra? Why is your chakra so…malicious?"
"I…I…" Naruto stuttered, not sure how he should begin this conversation. He always thought he knew exactly what to say in the possible chance that he needed to disclose his information, but in reality he was speechless. "I…I'm the…the container of the K-Kyuubi…"
Sasuke's mouth slackened. He opened and closed his mouth trying to say a word, but nothing came out. "Wait, what?" He finally said after several minutes of trying to speak.
Naruto looked frustrated. He did not want to repeat this fact, but Sasuke seemed to not comprehend the full implications of his revelation.
"I'm…the container for the Kyuubi no Kitsune." Naruto said clearer.
Sasuke couldn't say anything. What a bombshell announcement. Yet, now that he thought about it, Naruto was abnormally socially isolated. People stared at him with such pure hatred and scorn, as if blaming him for their difficulties. At first, Sasuke could care less about Naruto's predicament. But now…now was different.
"How? Why? I thought the Yondaime killed the Kyuubi."
"The Yondaime couldn't kill it. You can't kill a monster made outta chakra." Naruto said in a surprising amount of clarity. "So he did the only thing he could've did; he sealed the Kyuubi inside of me."
"Why?" Sasuke asked angrily. Naruto flinched at the reaction Sasuke had at the news. He was surprised that Sasuke would actually be so angry at the prospect. "Why would he do such a thing?! Why would he throw away the life of a baby?"
"I…I don't know…" Naruto said hesitantly. "I honestly don't know. I ask that myself that all the time. Why? Why would he…" A tear fell from Naruto's face. Today, he was supposed to beat Jiraiya. He was supposed to be with Sasuke and Sakura for at least another 6 months. He was supposed to go to the Chuunin Exams and pass it with everybody. But now he was revealing his greatest secret to his best friend. It was more painful than he imagined. "Why would he ruin my life?"
"Naruto…" Sasuke said before he trailed off. This was something he had no experience with. Comforting was something Sakura was better at, probably because she was a female. Sasuke had always been a loner. He had poor people skills and it was a wonder how he was even friends with Naruto. But he knew that he had to do something.
"Naruto…I…I don't know what to say." Sasuke said.
Naruto looked down. He expected this, but it hurt him far more than he thought. He turned away to walk back to the village before he was grabbed in the shoulder.
"Naruto, wait!" Sasuke said. "Look…" Sasuke honestly had no words for this. "Fuck! Dammit, I…shit!" He brushed his hand over his head, searching for words that simply would not come. "Naruto, look." He finally said, after some internal debate. No matter what happened in the past, just know that you are still my best friend."
"Sasuke…" Naruto said. He couldn't believe the words that came out of Sasuke's mouth. He still considered him his best friend, despite the horrible secret Naruto had kept from him. Soon, he found himself shedding more tears at this fact.
"Dobe, what are you doin-DON'T HUG ME!" Sasuke shouted. He brushed off Naruto's attempt to hug him before getting back to what he was going to say. "Baka, isn't a ninja not supposed to show any emotions?"
Naruto wiped his tears on his sleeve. "Screw the rules!" Naruto shouted before he sniffled. "It's like I told Inari before I went to the Bridge; a person should be allowed to cry when they're happy!"
"Hmph, whatever." Sasuke said, putting his hands in his pockets and turning away. He thought about how much his acceptance meant to Naruto. Naruto must have led a truly lonesome life if something like that brought him to the brink of tears. How could the Yondaime have done something like this to Naruto?
Then again, Naruto did not simply just give up. He didn't just allow himself to wallow in the hate and despair of his predicament. He braved all of the abuse and neglect, and he came out strong. Naruto was resolute and firm in his conviction, and this was brought about because of the obstacles he had to overcome to get to where he stands now. Inadvertently, the curse that the Yondaime Hokage left Naruto was a blessing in disguise. Not because of the sheer power that Naruto was gifted with, but because of the person that Naruto had become. Overcoming his hatred made Naruto one of the strongest shinobi Sasuke ever knew, surely a worthy rival in his own quest to gain power. More important than that, Naruto was an irreplaceable friend, one who's companionship Sasuke valued above anything else.
Naruto had a lot to teach Sasuke.
From the distance, Kakashi observed the whole exchange between Naruto and Sasuke. He couldn't help but be proud at the growth both kids had gained as humans. Sasuke has become more open-minded and considerate, and Naruto had become more trusting and thoughtful. The once fierce rivalry that defined their early relationship was replaced by a steadfast friendship that was impenetrable.
Kakashi could not believe that this was actually happening. From his solo training with Sasuke, he could tell that the dark brooder was making some progress in terms of teamwork and cooperation. However, he knew full and well that Sasuke was hell-bent on killing his brother and avenging his clan. Often times, the Curse Seal broke out of his control and threatened to engulf Sasuke in its dark desires. Sasuke seemed reliant on Orochimaru's gift to give him the power he needed to learn Chidori. Kakashi managed to convince Sasuke to stop trying to tap into the Curse Seal for the duration of the training trip, but it seemed that his warnings fell on deaf ears.
Kakashi had heard that Sasuke entered a deep coma following his battle with Gaara at the Suna/ Oto Invasion. Sakura explained to Kakashi that Sasuke, while trying to protect her, used Chidori three times. Following the flop of his third usage, Sasuke was overwhelmed by the dark powers of the Curse Seal and incapable of moving. Kakashi cursed under his breath when he heard that. True, he was using the Curse Mark to protect his comrades, but the use of the Curse Mark, no matter how benevolent the reason, sways the infected into Orochimaru's clutches.
The Curse Mark is ingrained deeply within the chakra coils inside of one's cranium. That is the primary reason why Orochimaru bites his victims in the neck to engrave his seal; the coils on the neck intertwine with the spinal cord. There are three Stages for the full development of the Curse Mark. Stage one, "Assimilation," is when the Curse Mark enters the body as a foreign pathogen. The body naturally tries to eliminate. It's rare for subjects to actually have an immune system capable of fighting off the Curse Mark. 9 out of 10 subjects are killed when the Curse Mark overwhelms the subject, shutting down all vital organs, including the brain. The Curse Mark evolves into a symbiotic chakra entity when the body is capable of fighting it off, beginning Stage two, "Rehabilitation."
In the "Rehabilitation" stage, the body is offered augmentations as a result of Orochimaru's incorporated chakra. That is the primary cause for the appearance of the black markings around the subject's body. While Orochimaru's chakra increases the subject's own physical prowess by leaps and bounds, it's also designed to change the mindset of the subject. The subject becomes more bloodthirsty, primal, and instinctive, relying on pure force to destroy the opposition as opposed to wit and tact that shinobi are accustomed to. While the subject is using or relying on the power granted to them by the Curse Mark, the Curse Mark sends signals to the brain, notifying it on where the body is truly receiving the growth; Orochimaru. When the subject becomes gripped with the use of the Curse Mark, it also comes to terms with Orochimaru being the benefactor of the newfound and addictive power. When the mind accepts Orochimaru as the superior, signals are released to the Curse Mark, and the Final Stage commences.
In Konoha, it's generally agreed that there is a third and final stage in the growth of the Curse Mark. Yet, research of Mitarashi Anko's Curse Mark yields no fruit as to what it is exactly. It is possible because of Anko's active defiance against the "whispers" of the Curse Mark, but research as to the makings of the Curse Mark cannot be continued with Anko as the only living subject. Yet, from anecdotal accounts provided by the genin team under Shikamaru, it can be deduced that the final stage is a complete transformation into a more grotesque, but more powerful creature.
Kakashi was worried that Sasuke's overuse of the Curse Mark in the course of the last couple of months would have lead him to that final stage. But his fears were unrealized as Sasuke began to fight the temptations of power in favor of deeper bonds and friendships. Kakashi just found it implausible that Sasuke could actually form such friendships. But, Naruto himself was an enigma. Anyone who came across the blonde shinobi would find themselves enticed by his words and actions, or impressed with his perseverance. It worked with Kakashi himself, it worked with Haku and Momochi Zabuza, it worked with Gaara and the Suna siblings and it worked with Tsunade. Why would it not work with Sasuke?
Kakashi smirked before leaving the boys to their own designs. 'Minato-sensei, Kushina. Both of you would be so proud of Naruto's growth. He's come a long way.' Kakashi thought with satisfaction. 'Obito…I wonder what you would have thought of your cousin, Sasuke? I wonder what you would say to him if both of you were to meet? I'm sure you would've hated him in the same way you bickered with me…but things could have been different, could it?'
Kakashi travelled a little further into the outskirts, trying to find Jiraiya. Before Naruto was discharged from the hospital, Jiraiya told Kakashi of their whereabouts, in case something bad was to occur. From the massive pulse of chakra that Naruto exuded earlier, he knew that Jiraiya was right in his foresight. The fact that Naruto also did not leave with Jiraiya also troubled Kakashi somewhat. It either meant that Naruto was strong enough to brutalize the Sannin (which Kakashi doubted), or Jiraiya must have met with an unfortunate fate, like the moon falling to the planet at the end of three days. Just then, Kakashi remembered mournful feelings for a fellow pervert. No, it couldn't be…
Some distance later, Kakashi arrived at the battle site. His eyes widened at the amount of destruction everywhere. He couldn't believe that his genin was fighting the Sannin and the results were such devastation.
Large craters littered the horizon everywhere. There were tree trunks blown away, possibly from the expansive force of the Rasengan.
A large layer of the forest was scorched. From the burn marks, Kakashi deduced that it was flames that were enhanced using some sort of accelerant, like toad oil. Jiraiya must have used Katon: Gamayu Endan no Jutsu during his battle with Naruto. He also noticed wet mud residue splattered around the ground. Mud most likely from a residing marsh, probably called forth by Doton: Yomi Numa no Jutsu. Such a high level ninjutsu on a genin? Naruto must have really been pressuring him.
There were large and small imprints of toad footprints everywhere on the ground, meaning that toads were summoned to do battle. From the direction of the toad footprints, Kakashi could tell that they were not fighting with each other, but rather against. What exactly went on during this "spar?"
Kakashi explored the battleground further, trying to find whatever was left of Jiraiya. The battle scene was apparently titanic, considering the destruction etched on the landscape. He found Jiraiya battered and bruised, left for dead at the edge of a waterfall.
Kakashi ran up to the Toad Sennin and check for his pulse. He felt a faint beat, meaning that Jiraiya was alive, but barely holding onto life.
Jiraiya was a wreck. He had a Broken nose, multiple broken bones, bruises all over his face, and scratch marks (presumably from nails) over every aspect of his body. 'Impossible!' Kakashi thought. 'Did Naruto really did this all to Jiraiya-sama?'
Jiraiya's body began to wheeze, trying to get in as much air as he could. Kakashi closed in on Jiraiya, worried about the condition of Konoha's strongest shinobi. Jiraiya began coughing violently before he spoke up. "K…Kakashi…?"
"I'm here, Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi said, holding him from his back. "It's going to be okay."
Jiraiya smiled before he coughed again. "Kakashi…come closer…" Kakashi nodded before leaning forward and closer to Jiraiya's mouth. "I…I *cough**cough* I…got it…"
"Got what?" Kakashi asked.
"I…got…my next…b…estseller…ugh" Jiraiya slumped over on Kakashi's arm.
"YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" Kakashi screamed at the top of his lungs after the announcement.
Jiraiya woke up abruptly. The first thing he did when he regained consciousness was rub his nose. Unfortunately, it was still broken from earlier, and a sharp pain ran around his head.
"Ah!" Jiraiya shouted lowly before the pain weakened. "Damn. I really gotta stop being such a pervert. But my books don't write themselves." Jiraiya seemed to have reached an epiphany. "But isn't the job of a shinobi always surrounded with danger? I might as well keep going."
"If you don't keep going, I'll kill you myself." Kakashi said, reading his special edition copy of Make-Out Tactics. "So, what happened?"
Jiraiya rubbed his head to ease a coming headache. "So, me and Naruto got surrounded by a group of these amazing babes, and just as I was smooth talking my way out of the situation, like the Gallant Stud that I am, the brat suddenly blindsided me and ran for the hills! Seriously, what kinda low, underhanded, double-crossing, duplicitous, deceitful, cheap shit was that?"
"No offense Jiraiya-sama, but you do realize that we are shinobi, right?" Kakashi said. "Something like that was to be expected."
"Yeah, I know. I'm still kinda pissed. Hell, I'll be recovering from this for weeks!" Jiraiya complained.
"So…" Kakashi said, trying to change the subject. "I felt the Kyuubi's chakra from the village."
"Did you now?" Jiraiya asked while putting his hand under his chin. "I don't know how the gaki's done it, but he's managed to tap into the Kyuubi's chakra without having to invoke dark feelings and emotions."
"He could?" Kakashi asked in wonder. "The first time I felt the Kyuubi's chakra, Naruto had assumed that Sasuke had died."
"When I first saw Kyuubi's chakra, I kicked Naruto out of a cliff." Jiraiya said nonchalantly.
"You what?" Kakashi asked worriedly. He was really starting to regret leaving his pupil with Jiraiya.
"What? I had an idea and I implemented it. It worked and he didn't die. There, no need to go over small details like that."
"…I see…" Kakashi said halfheartedly. He squinted his eyes to express his disapproval for Jiraiya's methods.
"The thing is, I honestly thought he was never going to be able to tap into the Kyuubi's chakra freely whenever he wanted." Jiraiya said. "I presumed that he would learn that in our training trip, not beforehand. I wonder what happened during that mission. Did Naruto unlock something?"
"Probably." Kakashi said, though in a doubting tone. "We won't know for certain unless we ask him first. Even then, there is a strong possibility that he won't know himself."
"Well, I never go back on my word, so I'll let him stay until the next Chuunin Exams. That move was pretty damned dastardly, but it was a pretty smart and legitimate maneuver. However, I need to leave Konoha to make contact with my spy network. I can't train him at the moment."
"Which means that I need to train him myself then." Kakashi finished. "It's going to be hard training both Naruto and Sasuke, but I guess I can handle it."
"That pink-haired kunoichi, she's apprenticing with Tsunade-hime, right?" Jiraiya asked.
"Yes, she is. We will still be an officially sanctioned team, and we will still go on *cough*D-rank missions*cough*, but Hokage-sama will be personally supervising the training of Sakura for the next three years. I can't do anything about it."
"Well, Tsunade-hime's skillset resonates with the girl more so than yours, Kakashi." Jiraiya said. "It would have been a better idea in the long run; the girl isn't a ninjutsu specialist like Sasuke or the gaki."
"I'm still going to miss my cute little students." Kakashi said affectionately.
"Well, in any case Kakashi. Now that Naruto has unrestrained access to the Kyuubi's chakra, I would like you to start training him in elemental manipulation."
"That's also going to be tough. If he's anything like his father then he…" Kakashi said. Both he and Jiraiya looked pale yet again. Minato was close to the two shinobi, sharing some sort of Sensei/ student relationship at a given moment in time. "I think it'll be interesting."
"Good. Because it will be the first step in completing the Rasengan."
"Wait, you don't think…"
"Yeah, I think the kid has the potential. He's got shadow clones and he's got good teachers. Well, I'm a good teacher. I don't know about you."
Kakashi laughed. If Jiraiya believed that Naruto had the potential to complete his father's greatest jutsu, then he, too, would believe in the blonde. After all, he is his father's son. After that thought, Kakashi turned serious and looked Jiraiya straight in the eye. "There is one thing I want to ask of you."
"It's about the Uchiha, isn't it?" Jiraiya asked.
"Yes. I've reapplied the Fūja Hōin to the Curse Mark, and I am pretty sure that Sasuke will not try to use it any further. However, the Curse Mark can still overwhelm my seal if Sasuke uses too much chakra. Is it possible that you can strengthen the seal, or create a new one?"
"I've worked with Anko's seal when she was first afflicted with the Curse Seal." Jiraiya said in a melancholy tone. That was about the same time that Orochimaru, his former best friend, defected from Konoha. He left everyone he ever held bonds for in exchange for a psychotic pursuit of power and immortality. "Although I could do nothing at the time, due to the seal being new and atypical, now I am certain I can stop some of the effects, like the whispers caused by chakra overuse. I'll take a look before I go."
Kakashi was grateful for Jiraiya's offer. Jiraiya was not the type of man that desired to teach prodigies. Sasuke would never have been his student at any point of his life. However, Jiraiya also wasn't the type of man to let bygones be bygones, especially when he had an option in making it otherwise. With the Curse Seal out of the way, Sasuke can truly commence with his training. And when Sasuke trains harder and becomes stronger, Naruto will train even harder to become so much stronger. That was the nature of their relationship, and Kakashi would not have it any other way.
Unknown Location, Land of Fire
The orange-haired female continued to keep watch on the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and the Last Uchiha, much like her boss commanded her to. She noticed that the two of them rendezvous closer to the village and left together. She really wanted to know what the two were up too, but her jutsu only allowed her to obtain relative locations, not a clear image of their activities. She sobbed a few tears at the misfortune of her circumstance before she felt a disturbance in the space-time continuum close to her.
"Hi Boss…" she said grumpily. She pouted her sorrows away, sniffling the tears she welled up and the mucus that threatened to hinder her voice.
"So the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki has indeed access his Bijuu's chakra?" Her boss asked.
"Yeah." The orange-haired girl answered. "The Kyuubi boy's chakra made stronger than average interference with my own chakra. I guessed that such a spike came from the Kyuubi, though I don't know exactly how chakra the boy used. Probably one or two tails worth, but I can't be certain."
The boss was under deep thought. His subordinate had claimed that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki had activated one or two tails in the last 24 hours. Why, she did not know. She noticed a large chakra presence providing interference with her chakra as well, but not on the same level as the Jinchuuriki. What's more was that the spike settled shortly after it occurred, and the large chakra presence dwindled to nonexistent levels. This meant that the Jinchuuriki had fought someone extremely powerful, possibly an S-rank shinobi, and that he killed him before going incognito.
The S-rank shinobi could not have been an Akatsuki member. All Akatsuki worked in cells of two, with the exception of him (who is not an official Akatsuki yet) and Zetsu. Zetsu was not strong enough to actually engage in battle, and he was too busy searching for the location of the Nibi no Neko before he was summoned by his subordinate.
Well, the identity of the mystery S-ranked shinobi was irrelevant. What mattered was that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki accessed the Kyuubi's chakra, and it gave him enough strength to neutralize a shinobi vastly superior to the jinchuuriki's abilities. This warranted special observation.
"Hmph. It seems as though I'll be revisiting my beloved village yet again." The boss said sarcastically. "I guess it's also time to reveal myself to the Uchiha. I was hoping to do so after he killed Itachi-san, but it seems that my plans must be hastened quite a bit."
"So you really do want Itachi-oniisan to fight with that Uchiha boy, huh?" the girl asked sadly.
"He needs to. To achieve his vengeance is ultimately his greatest desire. No human bond will take that away from him."
"But why see him now? Wouldn't showing yourself make him think otherwise boss? Wouldn't it sway him away from killing Itachi-oniisan?"
"He needs to know the gap of power between the Mangekyō and the normal Sharingan. He must be tempted to seek out the Mangekyō. Only by doing so will he cave into his hatred. He will be easier to manipulate as a result."
"Boss…you're so mean!" she screamed.
The man ignored her again. "I have your next assignment. You will infiltrate the rebel group of the Kiri Civil War under the guise of an Akatsuki agent."
"B…but, I…I'm not in Akatsuki yet!"
"You are indeed not in Akatsuki yet. However, we of the Akatsuki will never dirty our hands with such a massive civil war such as this. Not yet, anyways. We prefer to do solo assassinations, or be hired arms for proxy wars fought between the minor villages. While the rest of the official membership is out searching for the other bijuu and building our treasuries, you are the perfect operative to establish friendly relations with the rebel faction. When the rebel faction wins the civil war, we could have open relationships with the new Mizukage, all without wasting a single cent of our resources."
"You sound as though the rebellion's already gonna win. How are we gonna retrieve the Sanbi then? What about the Rokubi?" the girl asked curiously.
"All will come in due time." The boss said. "You will take a momentary leave of absence when the coming Chuunin Exams occur so that you can gather more data on the progress of the Jinchuuriki and the Uchiha. Other than that, you will not leave your station unless the rebel leader demands it, understood?"
"Yes sir, Boss!" the girl said ecstatically.
The boss looked at the girl from the single hole in his mask. He wanted to tell her that he believed that she would complete the mission without trouble or conflict. But he decided not to. Doing so would show human concern for the girl, and he would not allow himself to be influenced by human emotions ever again. Not after her.
"You will complete all objectives of this mission without fault. That is what I expect of you. Do not let me down." He told her as he disappeared into nothingness.
She held her knees with her hand in a semi-fetal position. She thought about everything that was just discussed right now. The most important topic was the last Uchiha's desire to kill Itachi. Usually, she was indifferent about death, especially of other people. But she felt like Itachi should not die. Itachi was a kind, caring young man who always put others before himself. He even puts Kisame as a higher priority than himself. Sure, he killed the entire Uchiha clan, but…but!
Doton: Yomi Numa no Jutsu - Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld Technique
Katon: Gamayu Endan no Jutsu - Fire Release: Toad Oil Flame Bullet Technique
Fūja Hōin - Evil Sealing Method
Hey Y'all!
Wow, I am pretty damned psyched! Today is the first day of the new schedule! I also had a pretty fun first day at work (or what most people would call a pretty lame first day at work, if you don't consider pushing elderly people to the gym fun, like I do). I'm looking forward to more work and continuing this story, It's getting me really excited!
Now let's see here...Not the kind of end most of you were expecting for the epic fight between Naruto and Jiraiya now where you? I had planned the battle to end just like this since the idea first popped into my head. I have no regrets.
Okay so Naruto beats Jiraiya and is now set for the Chuunin Exams in the coming months. If I am using a reliable timeline, then the Chuunin Exams occured in September. About 2 months have passed since the end of that Exam, and there are 4 months remaining for the Chuunin Exams. Sasuke needs 6 weeks for a full recovery, so he has less time than Naruto to train. But they'll be learning Elemental Manipulation! SWEET! Well, Elemental Manipulation as far as Kakashi could teach them. He's not going to teach them in the same way as Orochimaru would, but it will still be a stepping stone. Who knows? Maybe Naruto will finally have a long distance Fuuton technique!
Naruto reveals his secret to Sasuke and now they have a closer relationship. Will he do the same for Sakura...? Who knows?
Jiraiya is going to look at Sasuke's Curse Mark. It's going to be at least 10 years since he last saw a Curse Mark, but will Jiraiya have the means to reducing its demonic cries? Speaking of which, I hope you guys enjoyed the technical explanation I gave for the progression of the Curse Mark. I checked it with Narutopedia (which, other than the actual manga, is where I get my information from) and I am not going out of line from canon. So this is going to be official fanon for all of my stories.
The masked man is coming for a visit! Everyone, prepare yourselves for the confrontations between the Masked Man, Sasuke, and Naruto. It's going to be pretty sweet.
Is the girl starting to doubt The Masked Man? What kind of relationship does she have with Itachi? Oh its all so confusing!
But enough about that, we have some questions, courtesy of vincent1875. I thank him for giving me these questions to answer, as well as his constructive criticism. Hopefully my writing will improve after this.
Q: Eh, you do realize that Gaara almost got killed by Kimimaro? (Refers to Chapter 2)
A: Yes, I do realize it. That doesn't mean that Gaara was still decimating the crap out of Kimimaro. Throughout their fight, Gaara was always on top, never relenting for an instant. Then Kimimaro does a super overpowered move by erupting bones from under the ground that probably would have killed any person incapable of flight or high jumps (like Gaara was). He also gained omnipresence over his bone forest by merging with his bones and popping out where ever he pleased. Kimimaro ultimately succumbs to his disease, but I could see many ways that Gaara would have still decimated Kimimaro, in spite of his new advantage.
Q: How did Naruto even know Gaara wasn't still crazy since that's the first time they met since their fight? (Refers to Chapter 3)
A: It's not about Naruto not knowing, its about Naruto not judging. Naruto is a trusting man, oblivious to a fault, but capable of seeing the good in people. Given sometime, he could eventually see some worth in a shinobi, no matter how insidious or twisted the shinobi's personality. He's not used to keeping judgments about people for the rest of his life, and can easily form friendships with people that he once hated, like Inari. So, he shouldn't hate Gaara forever. He didn't hate Nagato forever, right? And Nagato was the "leader" of Akatsuki. That's the beauty of Naruto's personality, and we as humans should strive to emulate his open-mindedness.
Q: Why is Sasuke looking away from a potential threat like Gaara if he's not sure about him? (Refers to Chapter 3)
A: Sasuke is more cautious than Naruto when it comes to meeting people. He's not going to immediately attempt to befriend them, rather he would form an acquaintanceship with them. Most of his acquaintances rarely evolve into friends. He's still not friends with Gaara, but its obvious to him that he's not as bloodthristy as he once was. He's still a little sore about his loss, and he might want a rematch. You never know (but I do hahaha).
Q: Why is he giving an after action report to Gaara? Who does Gaara think he is to demand one like that? (Refers to Chapter 3)
A: Sasuke was the only capable shinobi at the moment that could provide an accurate debriefing. Rock Lee was unconscious and Naruto is a lot on the slow side for these kinds of conversation. Gaara was at the employ of the Hokage for the time being, and he was going to debrief the Hokage in the place of Naruto when he returned. After all, Shikamaru would not have known what happened to Naruto after he left to find Kimimaro. Gaara does not think of himself as high-and-mighty, and If my writing makes you think otherwise, than I need to write better. I can't let people misinterpret Gaara's dialogue and actions.
Q: He knew that Kakashi lost to Itachi before this so why is he so surprised? (Refers to Chapter 4)
A: In this story, Sasuke did not know that Kakashi lost to Itachi. He was in a coma during that time.
Q: He knows that Itachi murdered the entire Uchiha clan so why does he think that his mastered Sharingan is all he needs?
A: Sasuke is brash and impatient. All he cares about was gaining power to avenge his clan. He equated gaining that power with unlocking the Sharingan, so once he did that he felt that he was ready to fight Itachi. That's why he charged at Itachi like an idiot. Presumably, he subconsciously erased his memories of Tsukuyomi, because he did not take into consideration Itachi's Mangekyou either. If he thought about what Itachi did to Kakashi during their battle (in canon of course), then he would have realized that he was not yet strong enough to fight Itachi. The dude killed off his entire clan, what was in Sasuke's mind when he stupidly charged at the man? Nothing. Nothing but blind hatred. They say love is blind. The same can be applied to hatred.
Once again a huge thanks to vincent1875 for his constructive criticism. I love your comments and reviews about how good my story is, but I love reviews that critique my stories. I plan on writing more stories following this one, but I need to get better before that can be a reality.
Next Tuesday is another release of True Paths to Power. Stay tune this Thursday for the release of Finding Conviction. Also, June 15th will be the 4th chapter of Release from Pain, formerly titled Redemption. Thanks for reading and enjoy your week!
-Blackrazgriz 6/4/2013 2:16PM EST
NOTE (6/4/2013 2:18PM EST): I've changed the listing of chapters again. It's now according to chronological order of release date.