Legend:
DISCLAIMER: Hey, guess what? I don't own Naruto. I wouldn't mind owning Anko or Kurenai, though...yeah...that would be nice...
A/N: Never let it be said that I don't reward my loyal readers. One of them got a surprise cameo. You know who you are.
A/N: This chapter features a shitload of original jutsus. These are my creations, and are the result of my time spent on several translator programs. I'm willing to let other authors use any/all of them; provided I get credit for my work. A simple author's note mentioning me is good enough. I would also appreciate a PM letting me know if you're going to use my work; I would like to read/review stories with elements I inspired. And since I'm such a nice guy, I've even provided a complete listing of all original jutsu (OJ for short) at the end of the chapter, with detailed descriptions. Enjoy.
THE BUMP SECTION!
New to welltossedsalad's introductory chatter is THE BUMP SECTION where I thank those who deserve it by means of a bump!
For those of you not in the know, anyone in THE BUMP SECTION should be applauded, and if they are an author, you should check out their work.
Now, with that said...
BUMP! KingKakashi, for several helpful comments.
FINAL BUMP! JH24, my phenomenal betareader. As always, your help was an invaluable contribution to this chapter. Thanks again.
Q and A:
A few questions that keep popping up…
Is Legend strictly NaruHina, or will it turn into a Harem?
Strictly NaruHina. I don't have any issues with Harem fics, but our beloved blonde will remain a one-woman man. That said, don't expect it to be easy for Hinata; I don't believe in any sort of 'true love' or 'love at first sight' so expect that to show through. As things stand now, Hinata is devoted to Naruto, but he sees her as a trusted friend that he wants to get to know better
Are there going to be any other pairings in the fic?
Well…yes, but they won't be important to the story. The only one I've settled on is NejiTen (in an earlier chapter I believe I mentioned they were together), but I may also include ShikaIno, KakaKure (Asuma is dead, after all; Kurenai has grieved, but is moving on with her life), KibaOC…maybe a couple others. These are potentially subject to change, and they may not appear in the story at all – again, focus is on the plot, and the main pairing is NaruHina.
Will there be lemons/M-rated material?
Probably not. There will be suggestive scenes, and the fic will likely earn its 'T' rating (if the violence and my tendency to use naughty words haven't already done it) but I am not currently planning to write any explicit sex scenes. I have tried writing lemons a couple of times, but the end results always seemed inadequate. So unless the vast majority of reviewers are begging for graphic depictions of hot NaruHina shmexing, the story will stay rated 'T'.
WHY IS THERE NO NARUHINA FLUFF?!
Hey, gotta build up to it. But there is fluff this chapter. Enjoy.
"Speaking"
Thoughts / Speaking to inner demon
Sealed demon speaking / Inner personality
"Jutsu"
Chapter 8: Old Enemies and New Beginnings
Naruto's eyes opened slowly. His meditation session had lasted for quite a while; the sun had made significant progress in its daily journey, and was now hovering above the horizon.
He felt somewhat better. While still angry, both at Sakura for a lifetime's worth of injustices and himself for his own behaviour, he had calmed down and was thinking rationally again.
The sound of a throat clearing behind him let him know he wasn't alone. Without turning his head, he spoke quietly. "Hey, Temari. How long have you been there?"
He knew exactly how she would look; slightly sheepish, and trying to hide it. "Since you went into your little trance there. I've just been reading while I waited for you to rejoin the land of the living."
He snorted at this. "Very funny."
She hesitated. "So...wanna talk about what happened?"
He shrugged one shoulder. "There isn't really much to tell. Hearing that kid yammering set me off, so I borrowed Sakura from Tsunade for a little chat to set some things straight. After losing my temper and acting like a jerk, I took off and came back here."
He finally turned to face her. She was giving him a concerned look; they had been quite common ever since the team arrived in Konoha.
Feeling slightly uncomfortable about the sudden silence, Naruto tried to find another topic. "Where are the other two?"
It was Temari's turn to shrug. "Not sure. They left a while ago to get a bite to eat."
The mentioning of food made his stomach growl; he hadn't eaten since lunch at the academy, and the glorious sunset indicated it had to be at least eight in the evening. "You wanna do the same?" The young ninja asked as he stood up, stretching out his arms. "I wouldn't mind a good meal; if memory serves, there's a good sashimi place not far from here. I've never actually been there, but a few of my peers raved about it back in the day."
Temari brightened. "Sounds great. Let's go."
Dinner was a relatively quiet affair; both individuals were too hungry to bother with conversation. At Naruto's request they had been given a private booth; he didn't want to expose his face in public if possible. The mask came off only after the food had arrived and went back on before they departed.
It had been quite the day, so neither party had a problem with going to bed earlier than usual. After briefly meeting up with the twins, they said goodnight and hit the sack.
The next morning, Naruto woke up feeling refreshed. After a bowl of cereal and a quick shower he was ready for the day…but his team was not.
"Hiro! Get your lazy ass out here!"
The young man in question yawned as he wandered out of his room into the hallway. "I'm coming, I'm coming…Kami, stop being such a hardass…"
Naruto glared. "Wanna repeat that?"
"…no, not really…"
"That's what I thought. Now move!"
Hiro slumped dejectedly. "Hai, taichou…"
When the redheaded boy was finally ready, the question the three team members had been wondering (about) was asked by Temari. "So…" she began, frowning slightly, "I thought you said we only had to go to the academy once every four days? What's the change in plans for?"
Naruto couldn't hold back a smile; he had been expecting that question. "Gaara decided that we should split up; there are four age groups, so if we each take one, we'll maximize the amount and the span of the intel we're gathering. I'm taking the twelve-year-olds, Nariko, you're with the elevens, Temari is on the ten-year-olds, and you, Hiro, get to sit in with the beginning students."
There were several groans. Choosing to ignore them, Naruto continued. "Everyone, while it may not be the kind of mission we're used to, it is still a task given us by our Kazekage. We owe it to him to give it our best work."
"Come on, taichou…Temari-chan is his sister, and you're his best friend! Pull some strings and get us back home! Pretty please!"
"No. Now go; I believe you need to go learn about what ninjas are, and how to properly arrange flowers, and all sorts of other great things." Naruto grinned teasingly. "Have fun!"
Hiro glared. "You're a sadist, you know that, right?"
Naruto shrugged. "You guys laughed at me yesterday. It was a choice between this and a three hour session on my personal training grounds back home. He narrowed his eyes, gazing sternly at his subordinate. Which would you prefer?"
Visibly shaken, Hiro replied. "Uhh…I…I think the academy isn't sounding so bad, ya know? I'll just be heading off to class now. See-you-later-bye!"
He vanished in a column of fire.
Naruto chuckled to himself. "I can't believe he fell for that. He knows I wouldn't put him through my training for three hours; one would be more than enough to kill him."
Still smirking, the blonde Shunshined to the academy. He had classes to observe.
After arrival, Naruto quickly Henged into the same skinny blonde kid whose appearance he had assumed yesterday before heading inside. This time he selected a seat by the window; he didn't want another altercation with the children from yesterday.
A voice suddenly rang out from his left. "You. Get out of my seat. Now!"
Are you fucking kidding me?! Not again…He turned around, trying to keep his annoyance hidden. "Genji-san," he replied calmly, "if memory serves, your seat is located two rows ahead and four seats to the right of this one."
"No. This is my seat today. Move."
Naruto suppressed a groan. The brat was trying to bully him. It would have been laughable if it wasn't so damn annoying. "Very well, Genji-san."
As he got up to shift seats, he was struck on the head by a small manicured hand. Great, the fangirl finally makes her presence known. Today just keeps getting better and better… "I told you! You will refer to him as Genji-sama! Don't you forget it!"
Ok…since I'm not in the habit of addressing bratty academy students with any respect…diversion tactics.
"Sayuri-san, you are preventing me from carrying out Genji-san's request. If you would move, I would be able to do as he asks."
She sniffed at this, and her hand twitched as if to strike him again, but she moved aside. Naruto then walked over to another seat and sat down, ignoring the glares from both children he had left behind.
"So, you think you'll pass?"
Naruto turned around. The boy he had sat beside was grinning at him uncertainly. "Umm…pass? Is there some sort of test today?"
The kid smacked his own forehead in disbelief. "You mean you don't know?!"
He slightly tilted his head in response. "No, it would seem I don't, umm…"
"It's Jiro, Hikarishi Jiro."
Naruto gave the boy a smile of his own. "I just transferred into this class yesterday. I don't really know what the schedule is."
"Oh. Well that explains it, I guess…but today is the graduation exam! I hope I do okay…I've been practicing really hard."
Naruto gave Jiro a supportive pat on the back. "You'll do fine."
"Thanks! Uh…I never caught your name."
"Takeshi."
"Good to meet you, Takeshi!" Jiro said, grinning widely
"Likewise." The blonde smiled in return.
Any further conversation between student and undercover operative was cut off when the instructor appeared. "Okay brats, listen up! I'm going to be calling you up one by one for the final portion of the exam, the ninjutsu test! Alright. Aburame Kira, you're up first…"
It was interesting for Naruto to watch the proceedings. Just like when he had taken the test years ago, students were called up to demonstrate the Kawarimi, Bunshin and Henge. The large percentage of students who failed the test surprised him; he had been the only one to flunk out in his graduating class. Must have been a good year when I did it…
The voice of the instructor pulled him out of his thoughts. "Takeshi!"
He hadn't been expecting that. Students had to be formally enrolled before they were allowed to take the test; he and his team certainly shouldn't have been. After a quick scan of the room to make sure the name didn't belong to anyone else, he got up and walked to the front of the class.
A glance at the instructor's clipboard made him wonder. A full file on his assumed student's performance was there, complete with the results of previous tests:
Academy Taijutsu – pass.
Written – pass.
Weapons – pass.
Ninjutsu – .
Naruto suppressed a frown. Why would he have these results? The only one with the authority to doctor the records in this way would be the examiner – and the man had no reason to do so – and the Hokage, which led him to believe that Tsunade was behind this. What are you plotting, baa-chan? I suppose I'll play along for now, but…
After years of gruelling training exercises, being asked to perform such rudimentary skills was laughable. After using each of the techniques he picked up a Konoha hitai-ate from the pile and carried it back to his desk. The idea of actually wearing the thing disgusted him.
Jiro patted him on the back when he sat down. "Way to go! You didn't have any problems at all! How'd you get so good?"
Naruto laughed inwardly at the impressionable boy and answered, "Training. Lots of hard work."
Across the room, both Genji and Sayuri were glaring at him. He winked at them, and chuckled inwardly at how their eyes widened in anger. That's right. I forgot, no one's allowed to do it as well as the class prodigy…
The instructor's voice snapped him out of his reverie once again. The man had begun listing the team assignments.
"…Hoshu Masashi. Team Seven is Takeshi," …oh the nostalgia is killing me… "Haruno Sayuri and Hyuuga Genji. Sensei: Hyuuga Hinata."Well, it makes sense that they would have a Hyuuga teach a Hyuuga… His eyes widened marginally. Wait what? Hinata?!
Hinata walked over to the ninja academy to collect her students. She was excited about meeting her team; it was her first time actually teaching, instead of just being taught. She had a strong desire to help the system that helped her, and becoming a jounin-sensei seemed like the perfect way to do it. The fact that she, as an ex-ANBU operative and by far the strongest of this year's potential jounin-sensei, would be getting the number one ranked male and female students would just be a bonus. Her thoughts were more on her team's third member, though; the two best were paired with the academy dead-last, and she intended to make the child a force to be reckoned with just like his or her more skilled teammates.
When she arrived and was introduced to her team, she couldn't help but laugh. Her new squad was eerily similar to her own year's Team Seven, consisting of a slightly stuck-up boy with black hair and special eyes, a Haruno fangirl with good chakra control who excelled with the theoretical and did decently with the practical, and a young blonde boy who finished last in his class; something about not attending classes.
Hinata frowned. She detected a slight chakra aura around the blonde boy; he was under a Henge. Rather than dispel the technique out of hand, she decided it would be best to talk to him about it later.
"Hello Team Seven. Please meet me on the roof in five minutes."
Suiting her own words, she vanished amidst the swirling of leaves.
When the three prospective genin arrived, she smiled at them. "Since we're a team now, how about we introduce ourselves?"
The little Haruno girl spoke up. "Can you go first Hinata-sensei, so we can see how it's done?"
"Alright. My name is Hyuuga Hinata. I am the Heir of the Hyuuga clan. I spend my time with my friends, my immediate family, and with my sparring partners. I like cinnamon rolls, the local wildlife, and all the people who helped me grow stronger. I dislike rude people and those who are overly judgemental. My main ambition is to become stronger and my dreams... well, I suppose I can tell you one of them. I wish to eventually lead my clan into an age of prosperity." Hinata paused for a moment and then gazed at the girl in front of her. "Alright, because you spoke first, you can answer first.
The brunette gave a self-assured smile. "My name is Haruno Sayuri, of the noble Haruno family. I spend my time with my friends, and..." She began to blush as she looked over at her raven-haired teammate. "I like..." Another glance at the Hyuuga boy. "I dislike annoying people who don't know how to respect their betters!" This was directed with a glare at the blonde boy, who sighed before looking away. "My ambition is to be like my cousin Sakura and my dream is..." Yet another stare at the Hyuuga boy.
Hinata didn't like the child's poor treatment of her blonde teammate, but knew she would have time to work on it later. "Ok, you next." Hinata then pointed at the object of Sayuri's affections.
His response was short and delivered in an emotionless monotone. "I am Hyuuga Genji of the Main Hyuuga Family. I like some things, and dislike other things. My ambition is to become stronger than anyone else."
"I see." Hinata already knew getting her team to work together was not going to be easy. She then turned towards the third team member. "Okay, your turn now." She indicated the blonde boy.
The blonde straightened slightly from his earlier slumped sitting position as he turned to look at her. "My name is Takeshi. I spend the majority of my time training, either with my friends or on my own. I enjoy a good meal - ramen is always nice - and I like many things. There are a few things I dislike, but those are personal, as are my ambition and my dreams."
Hinata smiled warmly. "Ok then! Now that we all know a little bit about each other, I want you to meet me at training ground twenty-two in one hour. Bring all of the ninja gear that you would want to take on a mission with you."
The students nodded and started to walk away. "Takeshi, a moment of your time."
The boy turned around. "Of course, Hinata-sensei."
Hinata waited a few seconds until the other members of her team were far enough away, while looking at the boy before her with interest, who had put his hands in his pockets again and was looking back into her eyes. She then asked him, "Can you tell me why you hide yourself under a Henge?"
He grinned at her, a surprising shift from his bored demeanour earlier. "It would be easier to show you, Hinata-sensei."
She blinked at his exaggeration on the word sensei. Takeshi muttered "Kai!" and was immediately surrounded by a cloud of smoke. And when it cleared…
Hinata's mouth fell open, her eyes widening from shock. It took her a few seconds before she was able to reply.
"N-Naruto-kun?! Wh-what a-are you doing here?!"
He cocked his head slightly, evidently confused. "They never briefed you on the situation?"
"W-what situation?" Hinata answered, still overwhelmed by this unexpected turn of events.
Naruto put a finger on her lips; she wondered briefly if all the blood rushing to her face might be needed elsewhere.
"Hey. You're not still doing that whole stuttering thing, are you?"
She swallowed, then shook her head. "No. Sorry about that."
He grinned at her. "No worries. Anyway, long story short, Suna isn't graduating very many students, so Gaara decided to send a team to check out Konoha's academy to pick up ideas. My squad volunteered."
"I see." Hinata managed to compose herself and was now listening calmly to Naruto's explanation. "But why are ANBU doing such a simple mission?"
He shrugged. "I requested it. Figured it was about time I made good on that promise I gave you about coming back, huh?"
He did remember after all... "Hai. It's... it's good to see you again, Naruto-kun."
He flashed her a calmer, more subdued version of the brilliant smile his younger self had. "It's good to see you too, Hinata-chan. You know, it might be nice to catch up on everything; besides, there's probably enough time to sneak in a meal before your genin test."
Hinata's heart practically stopped. Was Naruto asking her out? Only years of practice kept her from blushing and stuttering. "Umm...I actually have plans for lunch." – She did. Hinata had a habit of eating with her father; he got lonely, most of the clan wouldn't go near him for fear of contracting his illness, despite Tsunade's assurances that it wasn't contagious – "But are you free for dinner?"
"Sure. Tell you what, there's this great sashimi place Temari and I found yesterday, the Azure Dragon. How about we go there?"
She blinked. "Naruto, that's my favourite restaurant. How did you know?"
He shrugged again, grinning teasingly. "Guess I'm just that good."
She giggled at him before they parted ways.
During the entire time she was with her father, Hinata's mind was on Naruto and her upcoming date, even if he hadn't called it that. Her father seemed somewhat amused by her distraction, and eventually asked, "So what's the occasion? I haven't seen you this happy since, well... I don't remember the last time you were this happy."
She flashed him a radiant smile. "I have a date!"
He chuckled. "Well, you certainly weren't this thrilled when you and the Inuzuka boy were going out; who is it?"
"Remember how I told you about Uzumaki Naruto?"
Hiashi looked up in surprise. "Uzumaki Naruto? Yes, he's been gone for over seven years." He put down his drink on the table, but Hinata could see that he only did that to give himself a moment to collect his thoughts. The man stared at his daughter solemnly. "Does this mean he has returned to Konoha?"
"Well, sort of... It seems he's been living in Sunagakure no Sato, and he's here on a mission." She smiled happily. "I finally know where he is, what he's been doing, how he's been…"
"Suna? I see." The sick man arched an eyebrow. "You say he's still a ninja; what's his rank?"
"Jounin," Hinata replied with enthusiasm. "He's also an ANBU captain."
Hiashi smiled and ruffled her hair, glad to see his daughter in such high spirits. "You know how to pick them, it seems."
Hinata glared half-heartedly at her father. "Otou-san! That's – "
She stopped when he groaned in pain, and jumped out of her seat in order to run a quick pain relief jutsu.
When she finished he looked at her gratefully. "Thank you."
"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault you got cursed with this... cancer."
He looked rather embarrassed, though. "So how are your new students?"
Tsunade looked up to see a very different Naruto from the one she had encountered the day before. Gone was the anger, to be replaced by hesitancy and slight confusion. He stopped in front of her desk.
"Umm, I have a question for ya, Tsunade. I can understand that you and Gaara would want me to observe jounin/genin interactions and training, but why... put me on a team? I'm going to be leaving in less than a month, leaving the team minus a member. So why'd you do it?"
Tsunade slowly leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Don't worry about it," she replied seriously, fixing him with a stare. "For the past three years, the members of each team have been switched up after a two-month period; this continues until the jounin-sensei all agree that their individual teams function well. So it isn't a problem."
Naruto nodded and began to leave. "Fair enough. See you around."
After he left, Tsunade smiled, pulled out a bottle of saké, poured herself a half-bowl and silently congratulated herself. Playing matchmaker is so much fun.
Naruto, back under the Takeshi Henge, walked out of Konoha via the main gate. Training ground twenty-two was just outside the village.
He still had about twenty minutes before he had to be there, but arriving early meant that he could check out the area for any little surprises Hinata might be leaving for unsuspecting genin.
Naruto arrived to find Hinata just standing there. "Hey," he said, raising a hand.
She turned to face him. "Hi. Um, what time are we meeting at the Azure Dragon again?"
"Tell ya what, I'll come by and we can walk there. I doubt we'll need reservations, so I'll come by the Hyuuga compound at six, alright?"
She giggled, and he raised an eyebrow. "What's so funny, Hinata-chan?"
"It's just...I can't stop thinking that I'm having this conversation with a twelve-year-old."
The blonde teen couldn't help but smile. However, his retort was cut off when Hinata stiffened. "Do you feel that?"
He did, and his smile vanished. "Four chakra signatures, pretty strong ones too, coming this way fast."
She looked at him. "Let's hope they're friendly."
He looked back grimly. "Indeed."
Any further dialogue was prevented when three figures stepped into the clearing. "Well now, it looks like we have a teacher and her brat. Aramaki and I will take the teacher," came the cocky proclamation from the leader; a hard-as-nails Iwa kunoichi who looked like she chewed rocks for breakfast. With a jaw like that, she probably could, Naruto mused idly.
Hinata answered, sounding confident. "A teacher and her brat indeed... I should warn you, if you don't turn away now, I will be forced to incapacitate you." She obviously wasn't worried about her foes, so Naruto decided not to worry about her. Same old Hinata...doesn't want to hurt anyone, but perfectly capable of doing so if pressed. I wonder how much she's improved...
The three Iwa-nin blurred forward, drawing weapons as they came. Naruto dropped his Henge and drew his katana, having decided to use Dance of the Hummingbird against their opponents. His opponent's eyes widened slightly as the short academy student morphed into a tall muscular shinobi, but that was the man's only noticeable reaction before they engaged each other.
He dodged a stab from his opponent's left kunai and blocked the slash from the right kunai with his blade, before kicking the man in the face - a powerful attack, as his getas sported steel studs. When his opponent's head snapped back, baring his throat, Naruto slashed at man's exposed neck, only to have it clang off of iron-hard skin. "Tetsuhada, (1)" Naruto muttered, somewhat surprised.
The Iwa-nin smirked as Naruto jumped back, creating some distance between them. "So, you know what you're up against. You could just surrender now. I'll try to make it painless."
Naruto smirked back, and sheathed his katana before slipping his mask on.
His opponent blanched momentarily, but soon reverted back to his superior smile. "Nice try, kid," he chuckled, although a slight hint of uncertainty lined his voice. "You really had me there for a second, what with the Henge and the mask. But don't bother pretending to be Subaku no Takeshi; we all know him on sight. Now my offer still stands. Drop your weapons, and I'll give you a quick death."
Naruto threw back his head and laughed, a loud howl of hilarity. His head snapped back down and he stared at his foe. With a voice mirthful enough to almost hide the undertone of predatory anticipation, he replied. "Quick death indeed. Did you know, there are only three ways to defeat a powerful Tetsuhada user?"
The man looked shocked, likely because someone he thought to be a child Henged into a jounin knew how to fight him. Naruto decided to elaborate. He held up a finger. "One. Keep hitting them, and eventually they will run out of chakra to reinforce their skin with, leaving them vulnerable to even simple attacks. Two, hit them with Raiton jutsus; the metal skin conducts electricity. Three, overwhelm them with a stronger force. Unluckily for you, I can kill you with all three. So, let's see...decisions, decisions..." The powerful young ninja crossed his arms, pretending to think deeply about his choices. "Option one takes a while, so that's out, and I don't want to completely devastate the surrounding area. I know, how about we play with Lightning?"
"You talk too much, brat," the Iwa-nin hissed, but it didn't came out as confident as he intended to, and he felt sure his adversary had noticed. For some reason the man couldn't shake the feeling that something was not right here. He shifted into another defensive position. The most important thing would be to remain calm and composed, and to let my opponent make the first move. "Show me what you've got. It's time to back up your words."
Naruto put his hands together in front of him. "As you wish," he replied with a feral grin.
Naruto's chakra, dormant until now, erupted out of him in a wave of blue energy. He raised his hands. "Raiton: Denkou no Zanbatou!" (2) The Iwa ninja staggered backwards, his senses being overwhelmed by the raw amount of chakra that suddenly seemed to be everywhere around him.
When a massive, crackling blade of yellow energy formed in Naruto's hands, the blonde ninja shifted his stance into a low guard position. "You offered me a quick death. I'll make sure you get one." Naruto said, his voice sounding serious.
Desperately his foe leapt at him, stabbing with both kunai; Naruto had no difficulty dodging the hasty attack. "Denkou no Funkei!" (3)
The gigantic sword swung up and sliced through the man's neck as if it were nothing but paper. He didn't wait for the head to hit the ground; instead as his sword disappeared he took off in search of the fourth chakra signature, the one that had been trying to interfere in Hinata's fight with genjutsu.
It didn't take long. With his chakra-enhanced senses, he smelled the man's sweat, heard him breathing, felt every slight movement. He used his Wind Shunshin to teleport directly behind the ninja and then tapped him on the shoulder.
Judging by the smell, the fellow had just crapped himself. Evidently he had seen the way Naruto had handled his comrade. To his credit, though, the man didn't run. The Iwa ninja didn't even look behind him. In a slightly strained voice, he said, "An honourable opponent would allow me to fight with nothing but ninjutsu, and would do the same."
Naruto laughed beneath his mask. "This coming from someone who tried to strike from the shadows while Hinata and I were outnumbered. You might have been successful if she wasn't a Hyuuga; I assume you know just how ineffective genjutsu is on them? Do try to remember, we're ninja. We're not supposed to have honour. Nevertheless, I will grant your request. I'll even try not to kill you too quickly."
The man jumped backwards. After quickly running through a sequence of seventeen hand seals, he uttered, "Doton: Maruishi Hougeki! (4)"
The ninjutsu user raised his arms, and two massive boulders ripped themselves from the earth to float slightly above the ground. The man brought his hands together in the Saru (5) seal and the first boulder rocketed towards Naruto.
The blonde jounin made a single Inoshishi(6) seal. "Fuuton: Kajoudageki. (7)" Naruto then raised his right hand, and a beam of Wind about the width of his forearm shot from his palm at the moving earthen mass. The beam went directly through the boulder without even slowing, and a moment after the collision, the rock exploded outwards, covering the immediate area with shrapnel. The Iwa-nin dove behind a tree for shelter while Naruto made a half-seal with his free left hand. "Fuuton: Kaze no Tate. (8)" A circular barrier of spinning air with an impressive two metre diameter materialized in front of him. Any and all chips of stone that had been launched in his direction were caught by the swirling air and were sent off along a different trajectory.
Naruto had to admit, his opponent had some skill. The speed with which he performed the hand seals was definitely impressive. Even as the Iwa ninja dove for cover, he had completed another sequence. "Doton: Iwa Kasui! (9)"
The ground in front of the Rock ninja bulged, and finally popped to reveal a cluster of thick stone spikes. He let out a chakra pulse, and the spikes promptly shot into the air towards Naruto, who decided to respond in kind. After spitting on the ground, he made a single hand seal. "Suiton: Mizuhari. (10)"
The moisture in the saliva was converted into a number of tiny water needles. With his right hand, Naruto launched his impromptu projectiles at his opponent while he made the Tatsu (11) half-seal with his left. "Fuuton: Touketsu Hitofuki. (12)" At his command, a gust of icy wind erupted from his fingertips, quickly overtaking the slower needles of water. Due to the extreme cold they had been subjected to, each needle froze solid. They sped up, hastened by the tailwind, and raced to meet the larger earthen spikes.
The Iwa ninja was shocked when his considerably larger projectiles simply fell to the ground upon impact with the tiny needles. "What…what happened?"
Naruto laughed. "It's simple physics. Your spikes and my needles had the same momentum; when they hit, they cancelled each other out."
The rock-nin glared. "That's impossible. My spikes are much larger."
The blonde shrugged. "Believe what you wish."
Rather than respond, the man let out another chakra pulse, sending the stone missiles at Naruto again. The blonde smirked beneath his mask. "Ninpo: Demaibakuha. (13)" Each of the ice needles, still embedded in the rock, exploded, turning the earthen spikes into dust.
The man slumped, looking worried, but eventually straightened up and faced Naruto with an unblinking gaze. "Very well. You have shown considerable mastery in ninjutsu, particularly with Fuuton. You are very strong."
Naruto stayed silent as the man rambled on for a while about honour and power, and how he had saved his strongest attack for last. It wasn't worth listening to; the Iwa-nin was a hypocrite anyway, after trying to place a genjutsu on Hinata, while they were preoccupied.
He pulled himself to attention when something of importance finally issued forth from the man's mouth. "Doton: Soudai Gosunkugi Taihou! (14)" His chakra flared, and Naruto watched with interest. The ground in a thirty-foot radius surrounding the Iwa jounin began to quiver. Much like it had earlier with the Rock Spike Technique, pockets of earth began started to bulge, only this time there were several hundred individual bulges. Damn…if it's anything like the last one, then there should be twelve spikes per bulge. That's a shitload of rocks…
The first bulge popped to reveal the expected number of projectiles. The Iwa-nin used a much larger chakra pulse to get them moving than he had before, resulting in greatly increased speed. Naruto quickly summoned his Kaze no Tate again, and was blocking spikes when suddenly one of the more recent salvos didn't fly straight but instead soared in a wide arc around him.
Naruto cursed. He's planning to attack me from behind! Realizing that the shield, which only guarded one side, was now useless, he briefly assessed his options. The other shielding techniques he knew wouldn't stand up to the kind of bombardment he was facing; this Soudai Gosunkugi Taihou had to be an S-rank technique. Since he couldn't defend himself by blocking, the only remaining option was to dodge everything. A sudden grin stole its way across his face as his hands settled into the Ushi (15) seal.
"Fuuin: Inryokyfuuin, ichi tsuujite san, KAI! (16)"
Even as a wall of earthen spikes flew towards him at high speed, Naruto took a moment to stretch, feeling unrestricted power surging through his limbs after he had removed the gravity seals. Then he disappeared in a burst of speed.
Rather than panic, the Iwa-nin made the most logical choice he could – unleash the earth's fury. Instead of launching in a single direction, rocky spikes shot off along every possible trajectory. So thick was the air with them that a kind of dome had formed around the rock ninja; as fast as the dome's components shot away, they were replaced by new ones ready to be sent off as well. They no longer flew truly straight, either; using his chakra, the man was causing his spikes to swerve slightly in the air, making it even harder for anyone to make it through the stony cloud of death.
Nevertheless, Naruto came. Wielding a Rasengan in each fist, he tore into one part of the dome. When a greater percentage of the projectiles began appearing to deal with the new threat, he vanished, only to reappear at another side, a weakened spot were the Iwa-nin had just withdrawn a large amount of spikes away from in order to counter the last attack of his lightning-fast opponent.
When more rocks showed up to block his advance, again he disappeared to attack a weaker point. It was slow going, but the blonde Suna-nin gradually made it closer to the centre.
The Iwa jounin was frantic. Never had anyone stood against his Grand Spike Cannon. It tore through all defences, chased down all opponents, and crushed all who dared defy its power. And yet, this boy was dodging every last strike, all while making his own advance. It shouldn't be possible, yet somehow, a young man, thought to be a genin fresh out of the academy not ten minutes earlier, was running circles around him. He scrambled to come up with a plan, any idea that might allow him to defeat his blonde opponent.
All thought was cut off when Naruto appeared directly in front of him. His hands now lacking their chakra weapons, he jammed a finger onto the tendon on the side of the man's neck, causing him to limply fall to the ground, momentarily paralyzed. Naruto didn't wait for him to recover, and instead withdrew a brush and a small vial of ink. He drew the same seal at five different points on the man's body; on the backs of both hands, on the tops of both feet, and on the forehead. He then pulled out a kunai, poked the man's arm, and gathered the drop of blood that appeared. The slightly bloody kunai was then poked into the centre of each seal, at which point they glowed red before fading into the skin.
At Naruto's utterance of "Fuuin: Tsuyoi Inryokyfuuin, ichi tsuujite go, (17)" his prone foe's eyes bulged. The Iwa-nin was held fast to the ground by his own arms, legs and head, all of which now weighed many times more than they were ever intended to. A powerful taijutsu master might have been able to shift slightly, but the ninjutsu specialist didn't have a chance. Thus, he was perfectly aware of Naruto's next statement.
"You weren't bad, but it's time I stopped playing and got things over with," the young ninja said before chuckling briefly. "Capturing An Enemy Ninja For Dummies. Heh, I should write a do-it-yourself book. Alright, step one, 'render opponent unable to move', complete. Step two, 'break opponent's will'."
Naruto stared into his frozen foe's wide eyes, and began to go through hand seals. "Ushi, Tora, Hebi, Hitsuji, Tori, Tora, Inoshishi, Uma, Tatsu, Saru, Hitsuji, Hebi, Saru, Inu, Tora, Nezumi, Uma, Usagi, Hebi. Magen: Susamajii Osore. (18)"
Naruto's chakra pulsed once, and then silence. It was soon shattered by the Iwa-nin's full-throated scream, which continued until there was no air left in the man's lungs. His eyes rolled upwards, showing the whites, and his lips were covered in frothy spittle and blood from where he had chewed his own tongue. His entire body, despite the immense restraints it was subjected to, thrashed violently.
"Magen: Kai. (19)"
At Naruto's command, the technique ceased. The Iwa-jounin went limp. "And that takes care of step three, 'render opponent unconscious'. Fuuin: Kai." He grabbed his prone foe and tossed him over a shoulder. I wonder how Hinata did with her fight…
Upon returning to the clearing, Naruto's unvoiced question was answered. Hinata was in the process of tying up a stony-faced young man – Aramaki, yes, that's what the leader called him – who seemed to be paralyzed from the neck down.
Naruto quickly scanned the area, looking for the kunoichi leader. Finding her wasn't hard; there was a large red smear on a nearby boulder. Damn…I knew she was bound to get stronger, but this…way to go, Hinata-chan!
He walked towards her, and she spoke without turning around. "It went well then, Naruto-kun?"
He nodded and set down his prisoner's body beside the one she was currently trussing up, only standing up after the gravity seals on his prisoner were back in effect. "Hai. I thought this one here might come in handy; be it as a hostage or for interrogation."
She looked at him, her face grave. Obviously little had changed; Hinata still hated hurting others, much less killing them. "That is the genjutsu user?"
He nodded again. "This one specializes in ninjutsu; the genjutsu was just a gimmick to distract you while we were fighting. He has…odd…views on honour and its applications in combat."
She shrugged and finished knotting the last piece of rope before she turned pale and would have fallen had he not caught her arm. "Sorry; it's just…I'll never get used to it, you know? It's why I had to quit ANBU. I still see their faces. Still, Naruto, after all this time!" Hinata jabbed a thumb in the direction of the red-splattered boulder. "She was one of the worst. She knew in advance that she was going to die and there was nothing she could do. Her face, it was…" Hinata's eyes were wet, her gaze downcast, as though she was afraid to look at him for fear of what he might be thinking of her.
Naruto pulled her into a rough hug. "It's ok, Hinata-chan…you did what you had to do." He winced immediately after speaking; such harsh justifications of violence were not what she needed to hear.
Rather than argue the point, she simply hugged him back, silent tears working their way through his shirt. Realizing that words were useless, he gently pulled her closer and just held her.
Haruno Sayuri was a very happy girl. She was on a genin team with the boy of her dreams; she had, by all accounts, an exceptional sensei; and she was about to have a chance to show Genji-kun just how great she really was while putting a certain blonde dobe in his place.
She walked towards the clearing where Hinata-sensei had told them to meet, daydreaming about her upcoming genin test. Oh no Genji-kun! If it wasn't for that baka Takeshi you would have done it for sure, and now you're injured! Quick, I'll heal you!
You…you would do that for me, Sayuri-chan? I am unworthy…
Oh, don't worry about it. I'll have you fixed up in no time so you can show Takeshi-baka who's boss!
Thank you, Sayuri-chan. How can I ever repay you?
Well, you could always –
Her daydream came to an abrupt halt when she tripped over something on the path and landed in the dirt. She stood up and brushed herself off, before turning to berate the root that had dared to impede her progress. Only thing was, it wasn't a root. She had tripped over the hogtied body of an angry man with an Iwa hitai-ate.
Sayuri shrieked in fear.
"Shut the hell up, kid, and get lost. You can come back for your test in a little while," someone said behind her in a harsh tone.
Still shaking, and desperately trying not to faint, Sayuri turned around. Where's a hero like Genji-kun where you need him?! The girl's eyes widened as she discovered that the speaker was a gorgeous blonde man about twenty feet away, sitting on the ground with his back leaning against a tree. His hand was resting gently on the blue hair of the a woman sleeping on the ground beside him, his lap her impromptu pillow. A woman that looked oddly like… Her mouth fell open. "Hinata-sensei?!"
The blonde man tilted his head far enough to gaze balefully at her with one brilliant blue eye. "Your sensei was just in a fight with two jounin," he explained quietly. "She's fine, just a little tired. Now leave. Come back in half an hour."
She didn't move, though. "How do I know that Hinata-sensei is safe with you? Who are you, anyway?" Sayuri definitely felt worried about her mentor, but she gratefully accepted the chance to ask questions so she would be able to get a better look at the ridiculously handsome ninja in front of her.
He shifted slightly to face her directly. Sayuri didn't miss her sleeping teacher's left hand move up to latch on to the mystery man's pant leg, as if to prevent him from pulling away. Under his intense scrutiny, she felt herself blushing; he was just so…hot! Even hotter than Genji-kun, if that was possible.
"I don't feel like introducing myself to you," he replied coldly. "And while you might be worried about your sensei," here the blonde paused for a moment and looked down with a smile at the sleeping girl, "it seems she's quite happy here."
Indeed, Hinata's head had tilted slightly when the blonde man had moved to reveal a small smile on her sleeping face. Nevertheless, Haruno Sayuri was not the kind of person to be blown off. She crossed her arms, glaring at him intently. "I still want to know who you are."
Little did she know that the blonde warrior was idly considering hitting her with the same genjutsu he had used to crush his earlier opponent. Instead, however, he raised his left hand and pointed at the Suna hitai-ate around his neck, then at the black mask on his belt. "If you're that interested, go back to the village and ask the Hokage's secretary about these." Naruto narrowed his eyes, clearly showing he had enough of this conversation. "Now leave; you really don't want to see me angry."
She finally got the hint; Gorgeous Guy, as she now thought of him, didn't respect her for being a relative of Sakura like the civilians did. As that was the only authority she had, she nodded tightly and walked off. Darn, I wouldn't have minded looking at him some more…
Sayuri was halfway back to the main gate when it hit her. From Suna, with that mask…that has to be Sakura-oneesan's new boyfriend! Why was he cuddled up with Hinata-sensei?She gasped in shock. Oh no…he's cheating on her!
The fangirl now had to decide what to do. Her first idea was to immediately march back to the clearing and subject Gorgeous Guy to a tongue-lashing he wouldn't soon forget. The idea of yelling at Gorgeous Guy horrified her, though, so she settled for telling Sakura. Besides, no one can yell like Sakura-oneesan!
Hinata had been having a great dream. Unfortunately, the world shifted, and she woke up to realize that it was not the world that had shifted, just her headrest. She had been lying with her head on someone's legs.
She rolled over to find herself staring into the amused blue eyes of the other person in her dream, and hurriedly sat up. "N-Naruto?" No, he doesn't like the stutter. "Naruto-kun? I guess I fell asleep. Sorry."
He laughed, a sound that sent tingles down her spine. "It's ok; you earned a little shut-eye."
She was blushing, and refused to meet his gaze. "Sorry for using you as a pillow…"
He tilted her chin up gently so she was looking at him. "Hey, I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself. If I had a problem with it, I would have said something. Naruto grinned, briefly closing his eyes. "Besides, what red-blooded male wouldn't want a pretty girl like yourself using him as a mattress?"
The pink tinge of her earlier blush was nothing in comparison to the deep crimson hue her face had taken on. Naruto-kun doesn't mind me sleeping on him…?
"I told that brat Sayuri to come back later; she showed up about five minutes ago. The kid kept alternating between ogling me and glaring at me; it was…bizarre."
Hinata couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her lips. "I can imagine."
"Oh well…it was better than her behaviour when I'm under my Takeshi Henge. Promise me that you'll keep her from acting the spoiled princess? Anything would be better than a repeat of my time with Sakura under Kakashi-kisama…"
Hinata blinked. Kakashi-kisama?? "Ano, Naruto…why do you dislike Kakashi-senpai so much?"
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Well maybe if the porn-addicted bastard had paid any attention to anyone besides his precious Uchiha, I would have more respect for him. I was his 'student' for what, half a year? The only thing he ever taught me was Tree Walking. Even for the chuunin exams, he tried to fob me off on that idiot Ebisu; it was sheer luck that I ran into Jiraiya-sensei. Kakashi has done nothing to deserve my respect., and a great deal to lose it."
Hinata stared at the ground sadly. "You know, after you left, he was one of your most outspoken defenders. I heard he killed several bounty hunters that were hired to hunt you."
Naruto still looked sceptical. "That's great to hear, but it doesn't make up for everything."
She gently laid her hand on his arm. "Just promise me you'll talk to him, ok?"
"…Alright, I promise. But why the interest in Kakashi?"
Hinata looked Naruto straight in the eyes. "I have a lot of respect for him, and I don't want you to hate him," she replied quietly.
The blonde ninja gave Hinata a weak smile before looking at the passing clouds above him. He remained silent for several seconds. "…All I ever wanted from Konoha was the benefit of the doubt once in a while. I'll give Kakashi a chance to explain himself."
"Thank you, Naruto-kun."
A Haruno in the grip of rage is a fearsome sight to behold. Right now, Haruno Sayuri was stalking towards Hokage Tower, and civilians were ducking for cover. Even the nice old lady that gave her free pocky whenever she went by – anything for a relative of Sakura-sama, Sayuri-sama! Enjoy! – hurriedly went inside and closed her door. Sayuri saw none of it, so focused was she on her goal.
How DARE he?! Sakura-oneesan loves him and he throws her aside for someone else? That's just…just…wrong!
The idea of a boy breaking up with a girl would not truly register with Sayuri until the end of her first relationship, still several years distant. For now, she was firmly of the belief that nothing was over until the girl said it was. It was with this mindset that she stormed into the Tower and brushed aside all opposition before reaching Shizune's desk. "I need to talk with Sakura-oneesan right now. Bring her out."
The Hokage's secretary/apprentice did not take well to this tone of voice. "You will moderate your tone, child, or you will be removed from the premises. Why do you need to speak with Sakura-san?"
"It's really important."
Shizune frowned irritably. "That hardly matters. She isn't here right now. If you must find her, try training ground nine."
Sayuri nodded sharply and stomped off. Shizune watched the child go. A life lesson for you, kid. Try not to piss off anyone with the power to make your life a living hell. She picked up a book from the drawer of her desk and turned over several pages. Let's see…ah yes, under D-Rank Hunter/Retrieval, 'Find and return Tora the cat'. The secretary grinned evilly. I think I might just have to issue your squad mates the day off, just as this is assigned to Team Seven…
Shizune blinked. That idea was surprisingly cruel. She made a mental note to take 'before' and 'after' pictures of the young genin.
Sakura's routine had her practicing the super strength technique after lunch on training field nine. She was quite pleased with her progress, having mastered the second stage and achieved a partial control of the third. Today, though, no accomplishments could remove the dark cloud of despair that hovered over her.
I'm such an idiot…why would he forgive me so easily, after everything that happened? He's right; I'm not worthy of his forgiveness. I have to earn it somehow. I know that he was just lashing out yesterday; he has to have some love for me left, deep down. I just need to bring it back to the surface. Oh, Naruto…I'll make you happy again. I swear it on my nindo.
Now somewhat reassured, she was able to focus on her efforts more, and the nearby foliage suffered as a result.
With a resounding crash, a sizable tree came thundering to the ground, missing a certain genin by inches. Sayuri screamed, and Sakura's head whipped around. "Oh! Sorry, I didn't realize anyone was there. Hi Sayuri-chan."
The white-faced girl was frozen in place, staring wide-eyed at the tree that came within a hairsbreadth of killing her.
"Sayuri-chan? You know better than to distract me when I'm training. So what do you need me for?"
The twelve-year-old finally turned around to face Sakura again. Under different circumstances, the terrified look her cousin was giving her would have made her laugh.
"Oh, and congratulations on making genin!" Sakura said, she tried to smile, but it proved very difficult for her at the moment.
"Umm…arigatou, Sakura-oneesan."
"So…why are you here again? You should be getting to know your new teammates."
"I…I was going to meet with Hinata-sensei and Genji-kun for something – I think it was for training – but when I got there I saw a Rock-nin! Only he was tied up so it was safe but then I saw this hot older guy about your age and he was sitting down against a tree and –"
"Whoa, slow down."
Sayuri nodded impatiently. "So he was sitting there, and Hinata-sensei was asleep and all cuddled up with him, and he told me to go away. So I asked who he was, and he wouldn't tell me, but he showed me his Suna hitai-ate and this crazy black mask with a red wolf on it and told me to ask Shizune-san who he was if I really wanted to know. Then I left to go back to the village, but on the way back I remembered that boy you said you liked, the one who left Konoha but came back a couple days ago, and it was him! He's cheating on you, Sakura-oneesan, with Hinata-sensei!"
Her little diatribe finished, Sayuri crossed her arms and stood back, ready to let her cousin unleash the wrath of Kami on the pathetic – yet gorgeous – guy who dared to spite her. Instead, Sakura looked away with a sad smile. "Don't worry about it. You should go back to your team."
"But! –"
"He isn't cheating on me, Sayuri, we were never…together. I hope we will be, someday, but…"
Sayuri's dumbfounded expression would have made her laugh if Sakura's head hadn't been filled with images of Naruto and Hinata walking together holding hands; gazing deep into each other's eyes; making out on Sakura's own kitchen table…where did that come from?! It amazed her just how much the idea of Naruto with someone else hurt…the entire time she had known him, he had been devoted to her and only her. His earlier words about his feelings for her being nothing but an elaborate hoax couldn't be true; they had to have come from his anger. Her mind wouldn't accept any other explanation.
Sakura slumped, and walked away from the training ground. She wasn't going to get anything more out of this session.
A/N: About Naruto's ability to use minimal/no hand seals when using high ranked jutsus…he trained nothing but chakra control two days out of every week for almost seven years. Including Kage Bunshin training, he has done the equivalent of 57 years of labour: 200 Kage Bunshin; 104 days/year for seven years (minus time spent on missions – negligible) Add to this the beneficial effect on his control caused by training in ninjutsu one day a week for seven years, genjutsu one day a week for seven years, and summoning/fuuinjutsu (both are practiced on the same day) one day a week for those same seven years. Despite the disadvantage he has from having so much chakra (not to mention a massive amount of youkai), Naruto has achieved a level of chakra control comparable to Tsunade's, and a familiarity with his favourite jutsus second to none.
(1) Tetsuhada Kekkei Genkai – literally Iron Skin Bloodline Limit. This trait belongs to one of Iwagakure's most prestigious clans; it is said that two of the previous Tsuchikages have possessed it. Tetsuhada wielders are capable of using their chakra to make their skin iron-hard; it provides a massive defensive bonus along with a major advantage in taijutsu combat, both defensive and offensive – hitting an opponent with an iron fist hurts a lot more than flesh and bone. Ninjas with the Tetsuhada bloodline usually specialize in taijutsu, or to a lesser extent, kenjutsu, as the massive amount of constant chakra input needed to empower the Iron Skin leaves very little for ninjutsu and genjutsu. Ranged attacks are limited to throwing weapons and the odd low-level offensive jutsu.
(2) Raiton: Denkou no Zanbatou – literally Lightning Technique: Lightning Zanbatou. B-rank short-to-mid range offensive technique that creates a massive sword composed of electricity for use in combat. It is a similar technique to Baki's Kaze no Yaiba (Wind Blade) but much larger and from a different element. Lightning blades are interesting in that they do not use the same method of sharpening that wind, earth and water weapons do. Instead, the sheer energy is capable of forcibly breaking the bonds between individual molecules, allowing for extremely precise and clean cuts that self-sterilize. Talented Kumo medics are known for using a smaller version of the technique to create high-precision chakra scalpels.
(3) Denkou no Funkei – literally Lightning Decapitation. Blade technique preformed in combination with a Lightning Blade.
(4) Doton: Maruishi Hougeki – literally Earth Technique: Boulder Bombardment. A-rank technique that allows the user to manipulate any surrounding stone with chakra; as an offensive skill, it launches stones and boulders at the target. Can also be used defensively to block attacks with the manipulated rock; however, this takes far greater chakra control, to the extent that most users ignore it for the simpler Doton: Doryuuheki despite its greater effectiveness.
(5) Saru – Monkey
(6) Inoshishi – Boar
(7) Fuuton: Kajoudageki – literally Wind Technique: Spiral Strike. When Naruto was experimenting with his/Jiraiya's/Minato's Elemental Rasengan idea, this jutsu was something he accidentally came up with; after seeing its usefulness, he decided to invest some time and effort into it. S-rank mid-to-long range offensive technique that creates a beam of spiralling Wind that can be launched at targets. While it is possible to attack with the side of the tube – any matter unlucky enough to get hit by the drill gets shredded – the most effective way to attack is with the tip. At the very tip of the Wind beam, the air particles move far faster than the speed of sound, allowing them to drill through objects extremely quickly. However, due to the amount of force involved, objects that have been drilled into in this manner cannot withstand the strain and will invariably explode.
(8) Fuuton: Kaze no Tate – literally Wind Technique: Shield of Wind. B-rank defensive technique that creates a thick disk of spinning air. Anything hitting the shield is not blocked so much as it is deflected; the air spins quickly enough to alter the trajectory of anything hitting it. Size of the shield and speed of the air particles are purely dependant on the user's chakra control and available chakra; in the right hands, the shield could be used to guard against S-rank techniques, but if used incorrectly it would not be able to deflect a single shuriken.
(9) Doton: Iwa Kasui – literally Earth Technique: Rock Spikes. B-rank offensive technique that compacts the earth in front of the user to create a set of stone spikes, which are then launched at a target via a chakra pulse. The process involved is very simple and thus requires very little in the way of chakra control. It is easily learned and is one of the first skills an Iwa chuunin or strong genin is given to learn. If the technique was less destructive, it would probably be considered a C-rank.
(10) Suiton: Mizuhari – literally Water Technique: Water Needles. C-ranked offensive technique that uses any available moisture to create a series of small needles composed entirely of water. While the liquid is held in a pointed shape, it cannot cause any remarkable damage, making it a useless offensive skill without first 'sharpening' the water by rubbing the molecules together just as one would sharpen a blade of wind chakra. Alternatively, if the water is frozen, the needles are made much more durable and can be used to attack without the need for the sharpening process.
(11) Tatsu – Dragon
(12) Fuuton: Touketsu Hitofuki – literally Wind Technique: Frozen Gale. C-ranked offensive technique that creates a large gust of cold air. It is often used to slow or stun a foe, as the freezing air can send an average human into hypothermic shock in seconds. It can also be used to flash-freeze water, making it lethal when used in conjunction with Suiton techniques.
(13) Ninpo: Demaibakuha – literally Ninja Art: Small Explosion. D-ranked offensive technique where the user detonates a small object that has been previously inundated with the user's chakra to create a small explosion. Larger, more powerful varieties exist. This technique is the basis
behind exploding tags; upon seeing the effectiveness of chakra explosions, seal experts began work on a way to replicate the effect. While the paper variety is more powerful, the Explosion Art requires far less setup.
(14) Doton: Soudai Gosunkugi Taihou – literally Earth Technique: Grand Spike Cannon. S-ranked offensive technique that creates a huge number of jagged spikes and rapidly shoots them at a target or group of targets. The 'cannon' can continue to launch spikes as long as the user continues to pump chakra into the technique, and all projectiles can be manipulated in midair by the user.
(15) Ushi – Ox (sometimes referred to as water buffalo or cow)
(16)Fuuin: Inryokyfuuin, ichi tsuujite san, KAI! – literally Sealing Technique: Gravity Seal, one through three, RELEASE! This command undoes the S-ranked sealing jutsu Inryokyfuuin. Naruto has multiple gravity seals on his body, which can be released and re-applied either separately or simultaneously, whatever the circumstances require. It is preferable to release individual seals separately, as the body must learn to cope with the suddenly reduced weight; Naruto ignores this when releasing up to four seals at a time because his healing ability takes care of the majority of the problem; that said, if he released all of his seals at the same time, it is likely he would not only knock himself unconscious but would also cause long-term damage to his internal organs.
(17) Fuuin: Tsuyoi Inryokyfuuin – literally Sealing Technique: Mighty Gravity Seal. A derivation of the weight seals used for training, the Tsuyoi Inryokyfuuin places gravity seals on the target. The five seals can be activated separately or together, and cause the affected body part(s) to become extremely heavy, far heavier than even the regular version of the technique would cause. Because of this, and also the fact that the skill can be activated or disabled remotely, cause it to be Naruto's weapon of choice when the object of the mission is to capture, not kill. Any resistance can be dealt with promptly by forcing the sealed person to the ground under their own amplified weight. The seal on the forehead can be used to kill; if it is activated on its own, the spinal cord is snapped when the neck cracks forward.
(18) Magen: Susamajii Osore – literally Demonic Illusion: Terrible Fear. S-ranked offensive genjutsu used to paralyze opponents; use as a torture technique is also common. What the target experiences varies from victim to victim, but all agree that it subjects the target to a brutal offense that attacks all five senses. By manipulating the sensory receptor nerve clusters in the brain, the target 'experiences' enormous amounts of pain, while fully immersed in an ultra-realistic vision of their greatest, most secret fear; all their senses indicate that this terror has come to pass and is indeed happening to them. The technique cannot be broken as long as the user maintains a flow of chakra to the target's brain. As most powerful techniques do, it has drawbacks; while the chakra cost is not large (by Naruto's standards, anyway) it requires absolute concentration, making it next to useless in a melee fight. Also, all nineteen hand seals MUST be preformed (the sequence cannot be shortened) while maintaining direct eye contact with the target. The first three seals, in fact, are to prevent the target from closing their eyes or looking away; however, eye contact must be established before the technique can be performed.
(19) Magen: Kai – literally Demonic Illusion: Release. When the effects of several techniques are in effect upon a target, it is best to release them one at a time. This command dispels any genjutsus on the target, while leaving all other techniques in effect. Better chakra control allows the user to pick and choose which genjutsus (assuming there are more than one in effect) are dispelled.
Tsukyomi! YOU SHALL PRESS THE LITTLE GREY BUTTON! YOU SHALL SUBMIT A REVIEW! FEAR THE SHARINGAN! FEAR ITACHI-SAMA! Tsukyomi, KAI!