Disclaimer: Kishimoto can have this. I don't care.
AN: Well, I didn't think I'd need to say this, but I guess I do. Haku is a guy here. I honestly don't think I could really do a FemHaku justice with this fic. Another time, perhaps.
Rivers of Hades
Chapter 10
Two weeks had passed since the mission to Uzu no Kuni. Zabuza and Haku had become Konoha shinobi without much incident. Zabuza was given six months of probation before he could be considered for active duty. His first act as a Konoha shinobi had been to find Gekko Hayate and challenge him to a spar, to gauge himself against the man known as the top swordsman in Konoha. Hayate accepted, and the match was witnessed by the Hokage and several other shinobi. The result wound up being a draw, as the training ground it took place at needed complete restoration afterwards.
Haku had been granted Chuunin rank, and had been assigned to the Academy, as Iruka's assistant. He soon discovered that he enjoyed working there. He also discovered a new appreciation for his Kekkai Genkai, as certain aspects of it, like his mirrors, turned out to be very useful in dealing with the students. It allowed him to break up fights and catch cheating students almost immediately.
His biggest issue with Konoha life were his 'admirers'. When they first announced his acceptance into the village, he suddenly had villagers trying to bribe him into marrying into their families. Even though Haku had been referred to throughout the speech as male, several people had not heard it, resulting in several offers to marry their sons. Haku put up with this for three days, before he ended it, by walking into a public men's room and using the urinal. The villagers with sons withdrew their offers, embarrassed. That still left the families with girls, though.
In addition to the payment for a successful C-Rank mission, Naruto and Team 8 received a bonus for bringing in two talented shinobi and a new Kekkai Genkai to the village. Naruto tried to return his portion of the mission payment, saying that since he profited personally from the mission, he didn't need the money. Sarutobi and Kurenai countered by saying that since he did not hire the team for the mission, he would still be paid. The same would have held true even if the mission had come from the Hyuuga, Aburame, or Inuzuka clans. Naruto grudgingly accepted the money after that.
--
One afternoon, the current active Genin cells were having a meeting in the Hokage's office. It was Sarutobi's idea, so that the Jounin-sensei could exchange ideas about how to best train their teams, and just compare progress. It was optional for the Genin to attend, so Sasuke had declined, preferring to train alone. Sakura had also declined, hoping to get a date with the Uchiha. Ino hadn't known Sasuke wasn't coming, so she was at the meeting. Teams 8 and 10, Gai's team, Kakashi, Sai, and Naruto were sitting, waiting for the Hokage to speak.
Sarutobi cleared his throat. "Alright, it looks like everyone is here that is going to show. Let's begin. How about a general team progress report? Kakashi, why don't you start?"
"Hai, Hokage-sama. Team 7 is... still not ready for a C-Rank. Judging by individual ability, Sai and Sasuke are ready for the bigger stuff. As a whole, though, they still lack the necessary teamwork for a successful mission. Sasuke continues to believe that the others, including me to a degree, are holding him back, and won't work with them. As a result, I'm running low on new teamwork exercises to have them do."
"Why you? And what about Sakura?"
"I include myself because I find myself constantly telling them that they aren't ready for harder missions. Sasuke may see that as me holding him back from, and I quote, 'gaining more power'. Sakura has improved from when she graduated, but not as much as I would have liked. She's improved her chakra control with the tree-climbing exercise, and does well enough with the other genin-level exercises I've had her do. Unfortunately, she is currently unable to properly concentrate whenever Sasuke is around, which on a C-Rank mission could spell disaster.
"I've been trying with varying degrees of success to rid Sakura of her fangirl habits. To her credit, she makes an honest effort every time, but after a while, she backslides, and we have to start all over again."
Asuma raised an eyebrow. "Weird. What got her so focused on improving herself all of a sudden? Everything she's done has screamed 'fangirl'."
"It happened about a month or so ago," Kakashi sighed, "We had just finished training for the day. Sai and Sasuke had already left. Sakura came up to me, rather depressed. She said she felt she was a burden to her team, and was considering returning to civilian life. I asked why she felt that way, and she replied that she wasn't showing improvement in any area. I had noticed this, and had been trying to find a way to talk to her about it for some time.
"I asked her to tell me about her training regimen. She described something a civilian would do to maintain their current weight. A ninja would only do that routine as part of rehabilitation after a serious injury. I told her that, and offered to help, but only if she would take her training seriously. She agreed, and has shown marked improvement ever since."
"So why is she backsliding?"
"She backslides because she is on a team with the reason she became a fangirl in the first place. I can help her with the physical aspects of shinobi life, but I'm helpless at training kunoichi mentally."
Ino huffed, "She's probably trying to impress Sasuke-kun. As if she could. I'm going to-"
"Ino," Asuma put his hand on her shoulder. "I didn't want to say this in front of everyone, but your training is suffering because of the Uchiha too. You don't eat properly, and as a result, you can't train properly."
"Is it a crime to watch my figure? I don't want to gain weight, so I'm on a diet."
"It isn't a crime, but it could cost you dearly later. Besides, if you increase your training regimen, you'll burn off the extra calories anyway."
Naruto added, "You know, pretty much the only thing you and the rest of the Uchiha's fangirls haven't tried doing to win him over is take your duties as kunoichi seriously."
Ino glared at him. "I'll have you know that a lot of kunoichi are chosen for missions because of their looks. Looking our best is one of our duties for those missions."
Kiba snorted, "Yeah, but you don't get those kinds of missions until you're at least fifteen or sixteen and a Chuunin. Naruto's right, maybe if you try being a real kunoichi, you'll stand a chance with him."
Something in the eyes of the boys that knew Sasuke said that they didn't think it would work. Ino didn't notice.
"You think so? Asuma-sensei, I'll be at the training ground." With that, Ino blasted out of the Hokage's office, heading towards the training grounds.
Naruto blinked, then asked, "Okay, I need a judgment call on something. How ghould guilty I feel about what we just did? I mean, we shouldn't manipulate our comrades like that, but we did it so Ino would work on being a better kunoichi, even if she's doing it for the wrong reasons."
Asuma thought for a moment, then replied, "You're right, it isn't good to push the buttons of your fellow shinobi like that, but now that she found the determination to improve, Shikamaru, Chouji, and I can work with her until she's improving for the right reasons. All things considered, it was a big carrot and a little stick."
Sai looked up from his drawing. In a complete deadpan, he said, "Funny you should say that, Sarutobi-san, considering she's after the Uchiha. A little stick is exactly what he's got to work with."
The higher ranking shinobi, along with Neji and Shino, managed to keep a straight face, though the adults were cracking up inside. Hinata was looking very uncomfortable listening to comments on the supposed 'shortcomings' of one of her classmates. Tenten was trying not to laugh, and failing. The other boys, however, didn't even try to stop themselves, laughing out loud. When they calmed down, the meeting continued.
--
The next day, Sarutobi was talking to Naruto in the training field they normally used.
"Naruto-kun, you've met, and in several cases, surpassed, every expectation I had for you. As a result, I think it's time we stepped up your training."
"Okay sensei, but what do you mean by stepping it up?"
"Up to now, I have had you do everything as one person. Now we will start incorporating Kage Bunshin into your training. You already know that they can be used to perform extra work, and now I'm going to help you make the most of your... unique proficiency with that jutsu."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Naruto-kun, no one else has ever been able to make as many as you can. That means that if you use them wisely, you can benefit more than anyone else. Right now, why don't you make about, oh, fifty Kage Bunshin. Then, split them into three groups. Twenty will work on chakra control, another twenty on kunai and shuriken training. The final ten will come with us and work on an advanced jutsu. We can adjust the numbers later if we need."
"Just one jutsu, sensei? If I have ten clones helping me, couldn't I learn eleven?"
"Yes, you can, but I would rather you have a handful of jutsu that you can perform properly, instead of a large amount of jutsu you can't. If you want to use them that way, you are free to do so on your own time. Here, however, we'll do it my way."
"Oh, I get it. Same system as before. Get this one right, and then move on. Alright."
Naruto created the fifty clones, sorting them into their groups.
"So, sensei, what's the jutsu?
"Today, you'll be learning Suiton: Teppoudama Rendan."
--
Naruto slowly left the training ground, completely exhausted. Because of his clones, he had gotten the jutsu down in a short amount of time. As a result, Sarutobi decided to move on to a jutsu from Naruto's clan library. The one they eventually decided on was one neither of them knew, so they would both walk away from today's training with at least one new jutsu. By the time they were done for the day, Sarutobi had two new jutsu, and Naruto had three.
It had been Sarutobi's first chance to really see what had been brought back from Uzu no Kuni. The mission report said there were legendary jutsu in the scroll, and Kurenai had listed some of them by name, but he still wasn't prepared to actually see the seals holding the scrolls right in front of him. It took nearly all of Sarutobi's will power not to unseal the scrolls and jump up and down, screaming gleefully at the top of his lungs, like Naruto had done when he was younger. Of course, every now and then, Naruto would still do that, but it was a rare occurrence.
The first jutsu they chose to learn wasn't legendary, but it was rather obscure, almost forgotten. Sarutobi had only heard of it in the history lectures his teachers, the Shodai and Nidaime Hokages, had given him when he was Naruto's age. Looking over the notes in the jutsu scroll, he realized that this was not the original jutsu. It had been reverse-engineered some time ago, and given to the Uzumaki clan as a wedding gift, apparently.
Ninpou: Tsurugi no Kabe was a variant on Kunai or Shuriken Kage Bunshin. In theory, it was rather simple. A sword would be duplicated many times. Then, chakra would be applied to position and manipulate the swords. The swords would remain in a fixed location, by default pointing vertically up, but their angle could be adjusted to skewer anything it came into contact with, giving the jutsu both defensive and offensive capabilities. Manipulating their formations, it was supposedly possible to create a wall of great height and width, though doing that sacrificed part of its defensive abilities by spreading the swords out.
The jutsu proved rather demanding. Creating the extra swords took a sizable amount of chakra, and forming and adjusting the wall needed at least Chuunin-level control. In order for Naruto to understand how it worked, Sarutobi demonstrated Kunai/Shuriken Kage Bunshin. He didn't show Naruto the seals, saying he wasn't quite ready for it, that he would need to work on seal speed before he could learn it. Naruto wasn't happy about it, but there was a good reason and he wasn't being denied the jutsu completely. Like everything Sarutobi taught him, he would learn it when he was ready, and not before.
Overall, both master and apprentice felt Tsurugi no Kabe was a useful jutsu to know. A footnote said there was a similar, slightly easier jutsu among the scrolls. Locating it, they decided to try that one too. This one was an original, though it was given to the Uzumaki as payment for something, a mission of some sort, most likely.
Doton: Yari no Kabe proved to be much more to their liking. Another jutsu that was both defensive and offensive, it needed less control and the amount of chakra consumed depended on the user's needs. The more chakra applied, the bigger the effect. On use, a miniature forest of sharp stone spears would shoot up from the ground in any direction the user wanted, so it was possible to surround a target, completely trapping them. The spears came up to the middle of Sarutobi's chest, so jumping over them wasn't an option. The downside was that the spears were anchored to the ground, making them relatively useless against an aerial attack.
When Naruto asked why a Doton jutsu was given as payment to a clan of Suiton and Futon users, Sarutobi replied that, to civilians in a non-shinobi village, a jutsu was a jutsu. Deciding that was enough jutsu training for one day, Sarutobi had Naruto move onto the next segment in his training regimen.
--
As Naruto passed a restaurant, he noticed four diners in particular. Asuma, Kakashi and Kurenai were sitting at the same table, along with a Tokubetsu Jounin Naruto often ran into when delivering messages to the Interrogation Department, Mitarashi Anko. She was okay. Crazy as hell, but okay. Asuma and Kakashi had notebooks with them, and were writing in them.
Racking his brain for a reason why the four of them would be together, Naruto remembered that after the meeting, Kurenai had offered to give the two men advice on how to permanently de-fangirl Sakura and Ino. Anko was probably there to help as well. Apparently, a kunoichi can only be 'cured' of being a fangirl through the intervention of other, stronger kunoichi. Or, at least, that was Naruto's best guess.
He just hoped that it wouldn't get bad enough to where Kurenai and Anko would take a more involved role with his two classmates. Neither of them were at all patient with kunoichi who didn't take training seriously.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Kakashi call him over.
"What's up, Kakashi?"
"You done training for the day?"
"Yeah, I am. I figured I'd go home, shower, change, and then find something to eat. Why?"
"Well, we're almost out of a couple things, and completely out of some others. Could I talk you into doing some grocery shopping?"
"Okay, sure. What do we need?"
Kakashi turned to the very back of his notebook. Some of the things Naruto saw on the pages were probably the tips for Sakura. The rest seemed to be notes on some new teamwork exercises, a couple of which Naruto recognized from the mission with Team 8. Kakashi ripped out a piece of the page and jotted down a list of about ten items.
"Here you go. Thanks, Naruto."
"No problem. See you at home." With that, Naruto took off.
--
Once Naruto was out of earshot, Asuma asked a question.
"So, Kakashi, tell us something. Exactly how stable is he?"
Kakashi narrowed his eye. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Sorry. That came out wrong. What I meant was, are there any signs of his... oh, what's the word Dad likes using? Got it! His tenant? Anything new besides what we already know? You and Dad are the two who spend the most time around him."
"The only signs we've noticed are mostly physical. The whisker marks, his rapid healing, and ungodly stamina. His reserves are enormous, to the point where if he concentrates, he can actually create a visible aura of chakra. Problem is, because of that, his control will need constant work. Double, maybe triple the amount anyone else would need, just to keep it in check.
"Mentally, though, we've absolutely no clue. He's been on his own so long, without anyone able to regularly check on him, there's no way to know if he's always been the way he is now. He told me that he used to keep a journal, but they were always destroyed by the villagers, so he stopped."
Anko whistled. "Crap. So he may very well be a time bomb."
"Yeah. Although, if that proves to be the case, the positive turn his life has taken in the last couple years may be enough to buy us time to to defuse the situation. Personally, I don't think there's going to be a problem, so long as no one tries anything stupid. The most anyone's done to him since he moved in with me has been glaring, or yelling insults if they're drunk. Even that has become almost non-existent since Hokage-sama started training him."
"Well, yeah. He's the Hokage's student. No Konoha citizen in their right mind would attack someone under his protection."
"You forget, he's had the Hokage's protection his entire life. It was ignored. Any attack on Naruto has always been considered treason, and punished as such. The only difference is, now Sandaime-sama is taking an active role in it. Right now, an attacking Naruto would be seen as an attack on Sandaime-sama, which no one in the village would want to admit to being a part of."
"So were there any problems when he moved in?"
"There were a couple. Before Naruto moved in, Sandaime-sama had me talk to a specialist, a child psychologist who dealt with cases like this. She explained some of the difficulties that were more than likely going to crop up as a result from Naruto being on his own for so long. So far, she's been pretty accurate. Naruto had a tough time adjusting at first, and it shows up again every once in a while. Despite the fact that he seems like an open book, he's actually rather private with most things. He's also unsure on how to handle his emotions at times. He understands them, he just doesn't always know what to do about them."
Anko cleared her throat. "As riveting as this is, could we get back to what we came here for? Asuma, what I think would work best for Ino is aggressive negative stimuli therapy."
Asuma's jaw dropped. "Anko, are you nuts? I want Ino to take her training seriously! Why would you even suggest that?"
Getting back on topic, the discussion continued for several more hours.
-- -
AN: Okay, now for an explanation for Sakura trying not to be a fangirl so early on.
She still tends to think of Naruto as the 'dobe'. The catch is, since she isn't on a team with someone she thinks of as a worse ninja than herself, she got hit with the whole 'I'm just dead weight' insecurity issue early. Kakashi took advantage of this, and started getting her to improve herself, so she wouldn't feel like that. The problem is, since she's on the same team as the object of her affections, it's a continual battle to maintain her will to improve.
Overall, I'm not so sure about this chapter. Something just doesn't seem quite right about it to me, and I don't know what. If I figure it out, I might repost it when I upload the next chapter. Your help would be much appreciated in this.
-- -
Suiton: Teppoudama Rendan - Water Release: Gunshot Combo
Ninpou: Tsurugi no Kabe - Ninja Art: Wall of Swords
Doton: Yari no Kabe - Earth Release: Wall of Spears
-- -
Next time: A New Experience