Here's another chapter before I shove off for Arizona on another contract job! This time, I won't have a laptop to work on, so any more updates will very slow to non-existant until I get myself another one. Maybe a small Netbook...
Anyway, Here we have what happens upon their return home!
OUTSKIRTS OF TAZUNA'S VILLAGE ONE WEEK LATER...
A week had passed since the battle at the bridge that finally saw Wave's tormentor and self-proclaimed tyrant dead and his mercenary force destroyed. At first, the villagers didn't believe that Gatou was dead and that he was playing another cruel trick on them by toying with them. It wasn't until Kakashi showed them the disgusting little pig's corpse and the girls and women that had been set free that they actually relaxed. Work on the bridge picked up again and was soon completed, now connecting them with the mainland and ready to breath new life into the impoverished nation. A new leader had to be chosen and the people chose Tazuna, due to his actions in getting the ninja to actually come and for building the bridge.
As for the ninja, Sasuke's injuries required a couple of days to heal but he was on his feet again inside of three days. However, once he was recovered, he was on Naruto's case incessantly about how he managed to defeat Haku, the enemy nin that ripped him to shreds, when he couldn't do the job even with his Sharingan.
"I just got lucky and caught him from behind, that's all." Naruto tried to downplay, but he wasn't having it.
"I bet it was that weapon...Give it to me. I can put it to much better use than you." Sasuke demanded.
"You just don't learn, teme...The last time you tried to touch it, it shocked you. This thing only sees me as it's owner, so no dice." Naruto sighed as he explained for what seemed to be the hundreth time.
Off to the side, Sakura stood by and watched as it all unfolded. Now that she stepped back and saw the situation for what it was, she saw that Sasuke was trying to take something that would never belong to him. The old Sakura from a week ago would have been yelling and screaming to let Sasuke have his way, but the thinking she'd been doing lately forced her to re-evaluate how the rest of the world truly percieved her...and it wasn't pretty. Naruto and Kakashi saw her as a rabid fangirl that fawned over the Uchiha to the exclusion of all else, seen pretty much as a stark raving bitch by many, even by her former best friend. As she watched, she then remembered the promise she made to Naruto, to start treating him better and listening to his side of the story for once. Now that she was doing just that, she could now tell that her crush was causing many of the team's crippling problems with his generally shitty attitude.
"Sasuke-kun...That really does belong to him." Sakura tried to intervene and hopefully talk him down.
"Shut up, you useless fangirl!" He bellowed at her as he shoved her away.
"Hey! She didn't do anything, teme! What're you yelling at her for?" Naruto shot back as the arguing got Kakashi's attention.
"What is going on here?" He demanded to know, looking to Sakura for an explanation, this being a test to see if she would keep her promise or not.
"W-well...Sasuke-kun is kind of angry at Naruto for saving him and now he wants that thing on Naruto's back...But didn't Naruto find it somewhere? Doesn't that make it Naruto's?" She answered and asked, gaining a nod from Kakashi.
"That's correct, Sakura. Naruto found it fair and square, so it belongs to him and Sasuke has no right to demand things form anyone. Further more, Naruto saved your life Sasuke and made sure you lived to fight another day, so I would be a little more grateful." Kakashi admonished, the last Uchiha's scowl deepening as he stomped away.
"That boy..." He sighed heavily as he turned to the other two.
"Sakura...I just wanted to say that I'm proud of you for telling the truth." He told her.
"Well, I DID promise Naruto that I'd treat him better from now on." She replied.
"And you made good on it. He needs friends, Sakura. All the friends he can get." Kakashi told her cryptically as they sat for dinner.
The time had come for them to leave Wave, the ninja, Naruto especially, being viewed as heroes for their deeds. He was considered special to them for ending Gatou's life personally. On the way home, Sakura thought about those cryptic words Kakashi had spoken to her, about Naruto desperately needing friends, good friends he could count on. It then made her think about how he was treated in the village, about how many of the adults looked at him in disgust, others with rage. She wondered why they all acted like that when Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei, Sandaime-sama, and the other rookie sensei tried to help him. Even Ino's parents and her own father looked downtrodden when they spoke ill of the diminutive blond.
'Do they know something about him that no one else does? But why won't they say anything?' She wondered, having many questions for her father and Iruka-sensei if she could find him.
Naruto was doing his own soul searching, pondering the speech Kakashi had given him about having to kill. He was somewhat disgusted with himself for taking those lives so easily, but he was even more disgusted with the people he had slain. He came to the conclusion that if he hadn't killed them and let them slither away, more people would suffer.
'Fine then...I'll only kill when I have no other choice...A last resort.' Naruto swore as they continued on.
Sasuke was busy with his own dark and gloomy thoughts, but this mission had shattered his self-image as an unbeatable ninja. There were several ninja out there that could kill him without any difficulty. Haku had him beaten, even with his Sharingan yet Naruto managed to take him by surprize and killed Haku with a single attack. That brought up another sore subject...Naruto's new weapon that he found in the forest.
'A weapon like that should belong to someone like me. I could use it to avenge my clan and kill Itachi, while that dobe would only squander it and probably kill himself with it...I must have it somehow.' He glowered mentally as he trudged on.
Kakashi had to think back on this recent mission and scrutinized portions of it. He admitted to himself that bringing them on this mission was a bad idea, but at least two of his genin were pulling together. Naruto had shown improvements in leaps and bounds in his skills as well as his maturity. Elements of the old Naruto that were quite endearing were still there, but this new path he chose for himself was driving him to better himself. His assistance on the bridge was invaluable and his actions made sure that Wave would never fall under Gatou's oppression again. Sakura was once the most notorious fangirl he's ever seen, but this mission seemed to have knocked it out of her. She had taken a step back and re-evaluated how she handled things and was struck by the realization that she wasn't a very good person at all. All she did was fawn over Sasuke to the exclusion of everything else, even her training and the stone cold truth.
'Now, all I need to do is break Sasuke...But how? And without the council coming after my head? What that brat needed was tough love, not coddling.' The Jounin surmised.
KONOHA
It had been almost a full month since they left on their mission and now they were finally home, passing through the gates of Konoha as Kakashi checked them in with the gate clerks. After that formality was finished, they ventured through the village proper until they reached Hokage Tower. He then turned and faced his team.
"I can take it from here, kids, but Naruto...I'll be needing you to come with me since you made the kill on Gatou." Kakashi explained, but he had other reasons for having the young blond come with him.
"Tch...Fine. I'm outta here." Sasuke scoffed as he stalked away.
Sakura was tempted to run after him, but she had too many things that were bothering her from this mission and she needed them answered as soon as possible.
"When to we meet next, sensei?" She asked.
"At least you bothered to ask...We'll meet again in three days. You all earned the down time, but use it wisely." Kakashi told her as he and Naruto walked into the building.
"Now...I hope my dad's home and not my mom..." She muttered to herself as she made her way home.
HOKAGE TOWER
The Jounin and Genin walked up the stairs that lead to Sarutobi's office, bumping into a few familiar faces along the way, such as Kurenai and Asuma's teams.
"So...I hear you guys went on a C-Rank. How did that go?" Asuma inquired.
"Hm...I'll admit that this has my curiosity as well. I've been thinking about getting my team one." Kurenai added.
"Well..." Kakashi started off the tale with a few minor details left out that were no one else's business save for themselves and the Hokage, but they were highly impressed that Team 7 did so well on an upgraded mission. Their surprize was blown out of the water when they were told how Naruto fared on the mission.
"Well, well! Looks like test scores aren't the best way to measure ability in our line of work, like I've told those old farts on the council for years. Thanks for proving my point, kiddo." Asuma grinned.
"That was...very shocking, to say the least. However, Naruto is now a bloodied ninja, like the rest of us. That is a large milestone in any nin's career." Kurenai supplied.
"Wait a minute...The dobe made his first kills before Sasuke-kun? Are you sure about that?" Ino questioned, but the Copy Ninja would have none of that.
"Yes...He did, Yamanaka-san. He saved Sasuke's life, in case you didn't hear that part either. On top of that, he made the final kill that saw Gatou himself dead, taking out his bodyguards over the water to do so." Kakashi elaborated without embellishing anything. It was the simple truth.
"This just keeps on getting better and better..." Asuma chuckled again.
"No way...That's impossible..." Ino whispered, actually being rent silent for a change.
"That's a nice change of pace. She actually shut up for once, and good on you, Naruto." Shikamaru sighed with a lazy grin.
"Y-yes...Nice work, N-naruto-k-kun..." Hinata stammered out, just barely avoiding passing out in front of the boy she liked.
"Gah...I guess you did alright...for a dobe." Kiba relented, still throwing in a final jibe for which Kurenai fixed him with a glare.
"Well...We should be on our way to see Samdaime-sama. Ja ne." He lazily bid them farewell as they walked up to the doors.
"Kakashi-sama, Uzumaki-san...Here to see Hokage-sama?" The secretary asked.
"Yep." He replied as she buzzed them in.
"Ahh...Nice to see that you are back and in one piece. Tell me, how did your team fare?" The old Hokage inquired, the tale being told in its entirety this time, but Sarutobi saved his questions until after they were done.
"Now...I'd like to ask about this...Cypher Blade that you acquired, Naruto-kun, as well as this new outlook on life." Sarutobi stated, his tone no longer that of a kindly old man, but that of a leader of a shinobi village.
"Jiji...When I found this sword, a message played when I came close. The guy begged whoever took this thing to fight for the same things he did, for justice, peace, what was right. When I saw what was happening in Wave, I...It just clicked. This power the Yondaime entrusted to me...I want to use it to bring some good to the world because I know I can do it." Naruto replied, his tone firm and unwavering.
"Naruto...You realise that this may eventually bring you into conflict with this village, whomever may be running it at the time may see you as an obstacle...One that will need to be eliminated. What will you do?" Sarutobi posed. Kakashi was ready to jump in and help Naruto out, but Sarutobi stalled him with only a gaze.
'I see...He wants Naruto to answer for himself. This is merely another test of his will.' Kakashi theorized, hoping Naruto could find an answer.
"I honestly don't know, but I know one thing. I know the Yondaime would do the right thing for everyone, not just the village." Naruto shot back.
"And how would you know that?" Sarutobi asked.
"...A dream...They came to me. He said I was his son and my mom, Kushina, told me that doing the right thing with our powers as Jinchuuriki will always trump the needs of one village. She said that Jinchuuriki belong to the world, not one person." Naruto answered him, his words shaking Sarutobi to the core.
'Dear Kami...He knows.' Sarutobi thought.
"My old man told me that you have something he wanted me to have. It's in a special drawer where your pervy books are kept, that it has a house key and one of his special kunai inside it." Naruto stated, these things he couldn't possibly have known. No one knew, only himself and those two, who died the night he was born.
"I...I see. I can't lie to you anymore, since you now know the truth. Minato wanted me to tell you when I thought you were ready, and...You are ready. I've only seen a look of such intensity on one man, and that was your father. Your mother, Kushina, truly felt the way you do, as did the woman who came before her, Mito-sama. they felt that they belonged to no one village or country, but they had a responsiblity to the entire world to use their powers responsibly and properly. You truly have made this old man very proud of you." Sarutobi's stern visage melted away to reveal that he actually had a tear or two in his eyes.
"Kakashi...What do you have to say on this?" He asked.
"Honestly, I want to help him. We've already seen too much war in such a short time. Three major Shinobi Wars in only a 70 year span is a bad record to set." Kakashi stated sadly, having lost his teammates to war.
"I understand. Naruto has chosen his path and understands the risks involved in such a massive undertaking. I see no reason to stifle or hinder him, although I am sad that he won't be taking this hat from me. He would hav made a fine Hokage, like his father before him." Sarutobi said as they concluded the briefing, but one final issue needed to be hammered out.
"Just before he died, Zabuza Momochi passed his Kubikiri down to Naruto, but I'm not sure how Kiri would take that. What should we do?" Kakashi asked.
"Hmm..." Sarutobi muttered. This was indeed a huge honor that had been bestowed upon the young Genin, but since Momochi was a Nuke-nin, he was unsure how Kiri would take one of their Genin taking ownership of one of their seven sacred swords.
"Keep it hidden for the time being and we will cross that bridge when we get to it. In the meantime, I would like for Naruto-kun to undergo swordsmanship training. Kakashi, it would be best if we kept this knowledge under wraps so I would like you to begin teaching him the basics of swordsmanship. Once he gets to a certain level, I will bring in Hayate or Yuugao to teach him further." Sarutobi advised, concluding the debriefing. However, looking at it, it was certainly very unique.
"Now that I look at it, this is a very unique design. Hmm...I know someone who can teach you how to use Tonfa, one Tenshu Shimoto. He was once a weapons specialist and now owns a weapons shop near the tower here. Take this note to him and tell him that anything you require can be put on my personal bill. Also, it would be a good idea to made some wooden replicas of this weapon for training purposes, as not to damage the original." Sarutobi advised as the pair turned to leave the room.
"Yeah...That sounds like a good plan, jiji. Hey Kakashi-sensei, wanna hit that place up after we're done here?" Naruto asked.
"I've got nothing better to do today, so we might as well get this done now while we're thinking about it. We can grab some dinner afterwards." Kakashi answered.
Student and sensei both bowed to their leader before heading out the door as Sarutobi gazed upon the portrait of the Yondaime and the Hokage that came before him.
'This boy...He truly is special in a way that we cannot possibly comprehend. All I can do for him is to help illuminate his way through this uncertain world.' Sarutobi thought as he puffed his pipe some more while he got back to his paper work.
HARUNO RESIDENCE
It was a modest civilian home that Sakura grew up in, the daughter to an accountant/salesman and a housewife. Daichi Haruno had once tried his hand at being a ninja, but never went any further than Chuunin. He resigned from the Shinobi Corps but stayed on the active reserves and tried his hand at retailing, where he found his niche in the world. Soon, he had a successful store, then a wife and a daughter. The night of the Kyuubi attack happened when his daughter was only 6 months old, but due to a extreme amount of luck, their residence was untouched since the Yondaime managed to lure it away from the village and then sealed it. He knew about the sealing since he was one of five shinobi there that night after being called back into temporary active service, just at the right place at the right time to hear the truth. He even heard the part about parentage and understood the fact about Naruto being a living prison for the demonic fox, that it could not influence him, but the boy would later be able to draw power from it.
His wife, Shizuka Haruno, was a different story. She came from a purely civilian background, save for an uncle who served in the Second and Third Shinobi Wars and managed to live through both. Even the Kyuubi attack couldn't kill off the hardy old man, but he was the black sheep of the family. Tenchi Shimoto had a son, Tenshu, who followed in his footsteps by fighting in the Third Shinobi War and so on, but we're straying off subject here. She knew little to nothing of ninja affairs and was physically ill at the thought of her eldest daughter becoming a kunoichi. She was even more distraught when her youngest at age 6, Natsumi, wanted to join up as well because of a blond boy she saw. She knew there was only one blond boy in the whole village and it was the Demon Container. She hated the boy with every fiber of her being. She hadn't lost anything the night of the attack. Her friends and family lived through it, but she was one to easily be swept away by the crowd. She hated him just by word of mouth, something her husband chided her for, but she never listened. When she learned that Naruto was to be her daughter's third teammate, she was a hair away from complaining to the Hokage, but her husband talked her out of it. She just settled for letting her eldest hate him in place of that.
"I'm home!" Sakura called out from the genkan, taking off her sandals as just the person she wanted to see greeted her, along with the other person she wanted to see.
"How was the mission, honey?" Daichi asked.
"Didja bring me back something, One-chan?!" Natsumi, her younger sister with very long, wavy pink hair, begged as her elder sister dropped her pack and dug into it.
"Here...Some tea from Nami for dad...and some doll clothes for Natsumi, hand made." Sakura muttered as she divvied out the gifts, the recipients loving them as Sakura told them about her mission, warts and all.
"Wow...So your sensei really lived up to his reputation. I'm also glad you decided to start fresh with Naruto. That was very mature of the both of you." Daichi remarked.
"Kakashi-sensei's that famous?" She asked.
"Oh yes. He was a student of an old friend of mine, and a Jounin when he was your age. He made a name for himself during the Third Shinobi War and now he's pretty famous, an A-Rank nin, almost S-Rank. In my prime, I was a C-Rank at best." Daichi recollected, his daughters in awe.
"Now...Did something happen during the mission, dear? You know you can tell me anything." Daichi assured her, helping her brace herself for the questions she was about to ask.
"Yeah...A few things happened..." She started out, explaining all of the thinking she had been doing in the past couple of weeks, coupled with what had been revealed about her mysterious blond teammate. Her surprize peaked when her father's face grew grim, a pained haze in his eyes.
"Natsumi, honey...Can you go upstairs for a moment? Please?" He asked his youngest.
"Aww...But I wanted to hear about Naruto-sempai..." She pouted on her way up the stairs.
'That girl...She really does admire him...' He thought fondly as he kept an ear out.
Once he heard her plop on her bed, he knew it was safe to talk.
"Now...This must never, never, leave this room, or the Hokage will kill us both without mercy. We were sworn to secrecy on the night he was born, the night of the Kyuubi attack. The reason why people hate him so much is because they believe that he is the Kyuubi reborn...But they aren't entirely correct. You see...The Yondaime gave his very soul to seal the demon into the boy on the night of his birth, his dying wish was that he be viewed as a hero for his role in saving us all...But someone misunderstood his methods and spread it to the villagers, hatred spreading like a plague. Many demanded his death that night and it is nothing short of a miracle that he survived, not having parents to protect him. The identity of his parents have been hidden and very few people know that information, your sensei being one of them I suspect. That is the only reason why I could see Kakashi being so adamant about having him on his team, although Naruto himself might not even know." Daichi explained, his voice low.
Sakura couldn't believe what had been revealed to her. Just when one mystery about him had been resolved, more sprang up in it's place. However, through the shock, her still analytical mind dissected the information that had been provided, working furiously to fill in the gaps. The thought of carrying around something that dangerous inside of her scared her to her core, but for the life of her she could not figure out how Naruto managed to stay sane all this time and not snap. Her respect for him took another huge leap forward just for the will power it must have taken to force that grin on his face. Next, she remembered a picture of the Yondaime Hokage, Minato Namikaze. He had...
'Spiky blond hair...Blue eyes...Naruto has the same...That can't be a coincidence...Only the eye shape is different, but that might have been inheirited from his mother, whomever she was, but the face is basically the same. Kami...How stupid are we NOT to have noticed that?! Add to that Kakashi-sensei being the Yondaime's only surviving student and demanding Naruto be placed on his team...Naruto is the son of the freaking YONDAIME!' She realized, the epiphany clear as day in her eyes to her father.
"I see that you figured it out...Now. I ask that you shut this information away and do not reveal that to anyone. His father had many enemies, both within this village and outside of it. His main rivals were the Uchiha, who's late clan head he defeated for the right to become the Hokage. That would be Sasuke's late father, Fugaku. I knew him as well...Not that it was terribly pleasant. He regarded all of us that didn't have clan blood to be inferior, including Minato, since he was an orphan himself. He deeply resented Minato for taking what he believed was his...The Hokage position and the hand of Kushina Uzumaki in marriage. To be fair, Minato and Kushina were made for each other and everyone could see that they were extremely happy together, but he wasn't. However, no matter what he did or tried, she wouldn't leave Minato's side. He wound up marrying a nice woman named Mikoto, sireing two sons, Itachi and Sasuke." Daichi wound down the tale, standing up with a groan.
"That's about the limit of what I know. Like I said, lock this knowledge away and shut it in tightly. Just continue to be his friend as you have already started to be and he will eventually open up to you. I'm sure he's already asked you this, but I will ask again. When put between a crush and a true friend, which will you choose? One comes and goes, but the other can last a lifetime. It's something you made before with your friend Ino, if you recall." Her father reminded her.
She remembered that day. She came home crying her eyes out that she lost her best friend, but hoped that she would catch Sasuke in the end and make it worth the sacrifice she had to make, thus her nearly single-minded pursuit of the gloomy Uchiha. It took nearly getting killed on her first mission beyond Konoha's safety, and this talk with her dad to realise that.
"I know I made a huge mistake...Trading my friendship with Ino over something that...I don't think will last much longer at this point. All he cares about is power and he doesn't care how he gets it. He even tried attacking Naruto, after Naruto saved his life, just because someone had proved to be better than him at something. I don't want to spend my life with someone like that." Sakura admitted to her dear old dad.
"You definitely inherited my brains, my little blossom." He chuckled, using name for her that he'd used since she was a baby.
It was just one of those things he always did with his daughters to make sure they knew he still loved them and reminding her just how lucky she really was.
"But dad...Won't mom get mad at me for being friends with him?" She asked.
"Don't worry about her. I'll take care of that. You just do what your heart tells you is right." He advised her just as her mother came in the door.
"Oh! Sakura, honey! You're back! I don't know why I let you take up this profession, especially since you had to leave and stay alongside that ghastly Uzumaki boy." She ranted as Sakura tuned her out, just taking her things up to her room and putting them away so she could clean up, eat dinner and get some sleep. An knock at her door alerted her to someone's presence, that of her kid sister Natsumi.
"Tsumi-chan...What's up?" She asked.
"One-chan...What really happened out there? Is there something wrong with Naruto-sempai?" The small girl inquired.
"Tsumi-chan...That's something I can't tell you without getting into a lot of trouble, but he's fine. Better than before, actually. And before you ask...I don't hate him anymore. Don't really know why I even did in the first place." Sakura answered her questions.
"Cool! I was wondering if he would play with me, and Konohamaru-kun, and Moegi-chan, and Udon-kun...And play ninja with us! He sometimes teaches us things that Iruka-sensei teaches in class about how to hide and set traps!" The little girl gushed, Sakura finding it hilarious and cute at the same time.
'If he only knew that he had a 7 year old fan girl...He'd die laughing, if not embarrassment first.' Sakura chuckled inwardly as she had her sister slam on the brakes.
"Hey...We need to get washed up for dinner, okay?" Sakura suggested.
"...Okay!" The girl chirped as she took off like a shot, Sakura now left to her thoughts.
'Okay...Now that I'm thinking clearly, my room is actually kind of creepy. All of these Sasuke pictures and posters need to go.' She realised, tearing down the likenesses of her soon to be ex-crush.
"That's better...Huh. Since I came back, I'm treating my family better, too. Tsumi-chan's getting to be a real cutie, she'll be chasing boys away in a few years, but I never noticed because of Sasuke. My dad is full of useful advice, but my obsession with Sasuke made me blind to it. I think it's for the best...Letting go of that crush." She realised as he went down for dinner.
SHIMOTO WEAPON SURPLUS DEPOT...
IF IT GOES SLASH, STAB, CRUNCH, OR BOOM...WE'VE GOT IT!
STORE CREDIT ON CASE BY CASE BASIS.
Kakashi and Naruto found Tenshu Shimoto's store just fine, but once they entered it was like a weapon freak's wonderland. There were weapons Naruto nor even Kakashi had ever seen before on display. Some were utilitarian in design, while some others just plain looked evil and nasty in a way that would make the T and I spooks shudder with glee, including a metallic shaft with a gigantic spiked ball on the end.
"Whew...That'll come down like the fist of an angry god..." Kakashi muttered, but a voice answered him.
"Yeah, but it's hard as all hell to use!" A deep, masculine voice replied. They spun around to see a large muscular man with soft brown hair and eyes, sporting scars of all shapes and sizes.
"Kakashi! It's good to see you, kiddo! You in the market for a new pig sticker, or do you finally want to use a man's weapon?" The large man teased as he noticed the small blond next to him.
"Oh ho! So you've got a student? Finally broke the tight wad down, huh sport?" He asked Naruto.
"Are you...Tenshu Shimoto?" Naruto asked.
"Damn right I am, squirt! Welcome to the Shimoto Weapon Surplus Depot! If you wanna do some real damage, we've got what you want!" Tenshu greeted them jovially as he wound down.
"So...What brings you boys down here?" He asked them.
"I'm trying to get my student some Tonfa, since he displayed an interest in them. Also, I don't know how to use them so I was hoping you knew someone that did and could teach him." Kakashi mentioned, but beckoned him to come closer.
"Don't worry...He already knows."
"So...You must be Kushina's boy...Probably every bit the hellion his mother was in her youth. Don't know how Minato managed to get a wild beauty like her, as meek as he was around girls. You don't seem like him though...In looks, yes, but that attitude is all hers. Well, don't worry about a thing, brat! We'll fix you up nice!" He grinned widely as he called out to the back.
"Oi! Tenten! We got customers!" He bellowed, a young girl only a year older than him coming out and had on a headband like him.
"What's up, dad? I was working the forge with Gramps." She stated, slightly annoyed as she looked at said customers. One was a Jounin she recognised as the famous Sharingan Kakashi, and the boy...
"I've seen you before...In the Academy, right?" She probed.
"Probably. I mean...I'm only of the only blonds running around in the village." He answered with a shrug.
"You're not a Yamanaka?" She asked with uncertainty.
"Nope. If I was related to that shrew Ino, I'd have jumped off Hokage Mountain by now." Naruto replied with a smirk, making her chuckle at his sense of humor.
"You're alright...So, my old man says you want to learn how to use the Tonfa? It's one of my favorite weapons. Since I kinda like you already, I can help you out!" She grinned as widely as her father, bumping fists with her new blond friend as the adults watched on.
"That kid...Given a fair chance, he can make friends with almost anyone." Kakashi commented with a grin.
"Does my old heart good to see Mito-chan's relative makin' friends with my granddaughter. I think they'll get on fine since those Uzumaki were always a friendly lot." An old wizened voice called out, revealing the old but still well muscled frame of Tenchi Shimoto.
"How're ya doin, Kakashi-bozu? You finally got brats of yer own to train? One of 'em bein' your old teacher's kid?" He asked.
"Yeah...He's a healthy mix of both his parents. Kid's damn crafty and stubborn as a goat like his mom, but he's got sensei's charisma." Kakashi replied.
"How much you boys goin' to be hauling away?" Tenshu asked.
"A few pairs of training tonfa, some training swords since I'll be teaching him swordsmanship myself, standard training weights, seals, the works." Kakashi rattled off.
"That's a lot of stuff, bozu...How you gonna pay?" Tenchi inquired, Kakashi pulling out the note Sarutobi told him to give them.
"Heh...Old Hiruzen's picking up the tab, eh? He's good for it." The old man smirked, turning to his granddaughter.
"Oi! Round up everything on this list and charge it to the Sarutobi account!" He instructed.
"Gotcha', jiji! C'mon, Naruto. Wanna help?" She asked him, the boy nodding as they left to gather everything.
"What's with the wierd sword on his back, Kakashi?" Tenshu asked, his voice serious.
Tenchi Shimoto and his kin were the most trustworthy people in the village, so telling them posed no risk. Kakashi explained what went down in Wave and that Sarutobi knew and recommended them, hence why they were there. The two aged and vastly experienced retired shinobi both nodded in understanding, along with being a little impressed.
"So Zabuza actually gave his sword to the kid? That's a huge honor. Those Kiri swordsmen would bury themselves with their swords if they had to. That kid's got quite a future ahead of him, but I think he can do it. Kami knows he's got his mother's spunk." Tenchi rumbled.
"Yeah...That kid's got a rough road ahead of him, one that might make him an enemy of the village one day, depending on who the Kage'll be once old Sarutobi steps down." Tenshu agreed.
"I told him that heroes aren't heroes to everyone. Minato is a hero here, but to Iwa, his name is like a bitter insult. He said he'd push through it." Kakashi answered them.
"Sounds like the kid's got it all under control. All he needs are the actual skills, now." Tenchi remarked as the two youngsters had everything sealed into scrolls and already rung up.
"Since Sarutobi brought us so much business, we'll comp the scrolls and the training." The old man winked as the teacher and student made their way to get some dinner before going their seperate ways.
"You excited about getting to play sensei, Ten-chan?" Tenshu asked his daughter.
"Yeah! He's a funny guy, kinda smart, too." She remarked, but he knew that tone anywhere.
What really threw him for a loop was that it came from his wildcat, tomboy daughter, who when she was little thought that boys were weaklings and would beat up on them like clockwork. Now, she's a teenager and blossoming into a beautiful young woman, who was now looking more and more like her deceased mother everyday.
'Kisa...I think our little girl just started her first crush...And on Minato and Kushina's boy, too. Fate's funny that way, huh?' He thought with a chuckle as they flipped the sign to closed for the evening and closed up shop for the night.
ICHIRAKU RAMEN
Teacher and student both arrived at one of Naruto's most common haunts, Ichiraku Ramen, owned and run by one Teuchi Ichiraku and his daughter Ayame. The amiable old chef was a friendly man and his daughter a sweet young lady, but since they were friendly to the resident Jinchuuriki, their little Ramen stand didn't get very much business despite having such high quality ramen. They managed to get by with what they had, with a little help from the Hokage and the business he and his clan brought them. Teuchi saw the two of them land just outside the curtain and waved them inside.
"C'mon in, boys! Have a seat." Teuchi welcomed the pair, setting them down.
"You've been gone for a while, boy. What kept you?" The old chef asked.
"I was on a mission for a while!" Naruto told him excitedly, both himself and Kakashi telling the Ichiraku's what happened in Wave... At least what he was allowed to say.
"That's incredible, Naruto-chan!" Ayame gushed as she brought out their bowls, well...Kakashi's bowl and Naruto's cauldron.
They ate their fill there as they continued to talk about other subjects until it was finally time to go.
"Naruto...Your training will be split between myself teaching you Kenjutsu and building your Ninjutsu arsenal while the Shimoto's daughter teaches you to use Tonfa. As for your Taijutsu...I have to call in a favor and since your element is wind, I call ask a fellow sensei to help out, since wind is my worst element." Kakashi summarized.
"Sensei...Why are you doing all of this for me? Didn't those old bastards on the council want you to teach the teme?" Naruto asked, questioning his recent boon.
"Naruto...Since you know who your parents are, I think you should know who my sensei was." Kakashi told him solemnly, Teuchi and Ayame understanding what he was saying. The Ichiraku's are some of the only people who knew Naruto's true heritage.
"You father was my teacher. I once had a teammate that was almost exactly like you, a prankster, joker, dead last in his class. His name was Obito Uchiha, my best friend. He was very much unlike any other Uchiha that I'd ever met, but like I said, just like you. That saying I taught to you the day you became a team, that was his personal saying. This Sharingan eye I have...It was his, given to me upon his death. After he died and I learned that your mother was pregnant with you, I vowed that you would become my student, that I would teach you all I know, like your father did for me. You can say it's a legacy...You see, the Niidaime taught the Sandaime, the Sandaime taught Jiraiya of the Sannin, a dead last like you were. He then taught your father, who taught me and now...I'm teaching you." Kakashi admitted.
That was a lot for the boy to take in all at once, but he digested it slowly. He was the next in line of a grand legacy that stretched all the way back to the first two Hokages.
"Wow...That's pretty intense..." Naruto muttered as they continued to leave the establishment.
Teuchi and Ayame knew to keep silent about what they learned there, so there was nothing to say but farewell for the night as the two took off for the rooftops again. Kakashi and Naruto continued along until they made it to Naruto's small apartment.
"I hope you're ready for this." Kakashi warned.
"I'm always ready sensei! Bring it on!" Naruto stated confidently.
"Good. Good to hear, Naruto. I just hope you won't come to regret it." Kakashi warned again as he flashed away, leaving him to get some sleep and think to himself on the days events.
THE NEXT MORNING
Naruto had awoken the next morning, eager to begin his training under his new friend Tenten. He flew out of bed, ate a quick bowl of cereal, dressed and was out his door in a flash with his training gear to meet at her dad's weapon shop. He made it there in a few minutes, barely even a blur as he rushed over the rooftops to the store, seeing his new friend waiting outside with others.
"I'm not late, am I?" He asked.
"Nope. Right on time." She replied, turning his attention to the others standing there.
"This is my team. Starting from the right is Gai-sensei..."
"GREETINGS, NARUTO-KUN!" The green unitard clad...Person greeted.
"Next is Lee..." We'll just skip that as his response is a mirror image of Gai's. Frightening.
"And finally, there's Neji Hyuuga." Said Hyuuga only glanced at him in disinterest and scoffed, irritating the blond slightly.
"Cool. So...What will we be doing today?" Naruto asked, the question fielded by Gai.
"I am glad you asked! Kakashi-kun asked a favor of me in the form of tutoring you in Taijutsu and I have also been informed of the training agreement between you and Tenten, however I have been informed of your ability to use the Kage Bunshin and it's benefits. You can spar with myself and Lee-kun while you have clones learning forms from Tenten! Does this sound agreeable?" Gai asked, not once referring to youth, or any variable of it.
"Y-yeah...That sounds cool." Naruto stammered slightly as they got moving.
Along the way, Naruto got to know a little more about this odd team, like the fact that this team was almost a mirror image of his own with the way it was organised. Lee was the dead last of his year, Tenten and Neji being the top male and female students in the class. Gai was an old war buddy of Kakashi's, the two sometimes engaging in ridiculous contests, in which Gai was currently leading. Lee had some kind of birth defect that shrivled up his chakra coils, so Nin and Genjutsu were beyond him, leaving Taijutsu as his only recourse. However, that earned the badly dressed Genin some major points in his book, Lee refusing to give up or give in, no matter how many people told him it was worthless to even try. He saw many startling parallels between himself and Lee, his drive serving to further fuel his determination. A voice brought him out of his musings.
"So...I hear that you were the dead last of your class, just like this joke." Neji commented.
"Yeah...So what?" Naruto replied simply.
"Then you should not tempt fate. It had decreed that you will never be anything but a failure and any attempts to fix that are useless." Neji scoffed as he walked on ahead.
"...Jerkass." Naruto muttered.
"Don't mind him...He's always like that, but he's really strong so be careful." Tenten warned.
"Bah...Sasuke's just like him, so that jackass won't bother me too much." Naruto sighed as he dismissed the whole thing with a wave of his hand, his restraint earning him a few points with the rest of Team Gai.
The group made it to the training grounds where Neji was waiting, but before he could commented, Gai spoke.
"Alright! Naruto-kun is here as a guest at the request of a good friend of mine, Kakashi Hatake. Tenten has volunteered to teach him to wield Tonfa, an often overlooked yet versatile weapon, while I will instruct him in a Taijutsu style that would likely suit him." Gai stated.
Neji looked like he wanted to protest, but Gai, for all of his oddities and eccentricities, was no one to be trifled with when he was serious. He was hands down one of the greatest Taijutsu masters in the world, a S-Rank shinobi all on his own, and he earned every bit of that reputation. He was the fastest person he'd ever seen and Lee was quickly growing to the point that he would no longer be a match for him, regardless of his chakra deficiency. He wisely decided to stay silent.
"Cool! Teach me!" Naruto cheered as he put on his training weights and activated them.
"Oof! That's heavy..." Naruto commented as he walked off with Gai and Lee, but didn't notice that he was leaving indentations in the ground when he walked. Tenten just shook her head, knowing that her new friend was just as odd as everyone else she seemed to know, turning her attention to the Shadow clones Naruto left behind...All 50 of them.
"...Right. Okay then, let's get started on the basic forms, shall we?" She stated, getting their attention to begin their training session as Neji looked on.
"...Hmph. If you are not going to help me train, I am leaving." Neji declared as he walked off in a huff.
"Ugh...That guy is the biggest baby, I swear. I don't know what those fangirls saw in him." Tenten grunted as they continued to run through the basic forms and movements required to learn how to use Tonfa effectively.
Over with Gai, the real Naruto was being put through his paces, having been set to spar with Lee and getting the snot beaten out of him. After each spar, Gai would give Naruto a critique of things he'd like to see improved in the next fight and corrected Naruto's form, having him run it through a few times before doing it again. Now...Whoever said that Naruto was a slow learner needs to have full lobotomy, with rusty instruments, from a person with Parkinson's who got their Medical License out of a cereal box.
'Naruto-kun's learning curve is simply astounding...What has the Academy been doing? He learns just as quickly as Lee. The title of Dead Last hangs like a stigma over them, it is not fair to them. They suffered due to the ignorance and sloth of the Academy instructor, being unjustly cast aside. Kakashi did the right thing bringing his deficiencies to my attention and not let pride get in the way.' Gai thought deeply as he watched Lee take it slowly with Naruto, since he was still getting used to the weights.
"You are doing well, Naruto-kun! I will run over the next kata with you now!" Lee cheered as he did just that, aiding his fellow Dead Last as Gai-sensei had done for him. It did Gai's heart good to see Lee and Naruto getting along so well, two fellow Dead Lasts aiding one another.
The day dragged on until the sun had set and Naruto discovered a draw back in using the Kage Bunshin training method. If too many clones disperse at once, the mental backlash would give him a splitting headache, as he unfortunately found out the hard way. After he recovered, Gai asked him if he wanted to go get some supper with them, so he agreed, giving them a suggestion.
"Hey um...You guys wanna go get some Ramen from this place I know?" Naruto suggested.
"Hmm...Ramen sounds great, Naruto-kun!" Gai boomed as he faced the whole team.
"Off we go...To the Ichiraku Ramen Bar to stoke our fires of Youth!" Gai bellowed with a mighty laugh, Lee getting swept away by the moment, invoking the Evil Genjutsu.
"Look out!" Tenten warned, covering Naruto's eyes to avoid being scarred.
"Is it really that scary?" Naruto asked.
"You do NOT want to know." Tenten answered as they too left for the Ramen Bar.
ICHIRAKU RAMEN BAR
The small group arrived at the quaint little ramen bar, Naruto entering first.
"Oi, Teuchi-jii!" Naruto called out, getting their attention. The people inside smiled at their favorite customer and welcomed him inside.
"Naruto-chan! Who are your new friends?" Teuchi asked as Ayame walked out to take their orders.
"Oh yeah...Kakashi-sensei asked Gai-sensei to help me train a bit during our three-day break! These are two of his students, Lee and Tenten-chan!" Naruto introduced them, a small rosy glow lighting up the girl's cheeks. No one else caught it, but Ayame sure did, her big sister senses tingling.
'Oh ho...So this girl kinda likes him, huh? She's a cutie...' Ayame giggled inwardly as she and her father went back into the kitchen to get started on the food while they talked a little more.
As they talked more, a trio of people had been walking back from the bathhouse when one of them spotted a familiar shock of blond hair. The reason why they were there was because the Water Heater at their house went out and he tried to fix it himself, nearly blowing up the house in the the end, he caved in and decided that they should visit the bathhouse that night and a repairman would come in the morning.
'I know that blond hair anywhere...Naruto must be having dinner. From what he told me, this is one of his favorite places in the village.' Sakura thought as she got her dad's attention.
"Hey dad...I'm feeling a little hungry. Think we could stop off for some Ramen?" Sakura asked her father.
"Hmm...Your mom's visiting her friends tonight, so why not? Be nice to catch up with Teuchi." He reasoned, since he'd burn water if he tried to cook.
"Ramen!" Natsumi cheered as they opened up the flap and sat down at the bar.
"Sakura-chan? You eat here, too?" He asked, having never seen her there before.
"Not really, but we went to a bathhouse earlier and we got hungry." She told him, her younger sister poking her head out from behind her.
"Naruto-sempai!" The small girl cheered loudly as she took the seat next to him in a flash.
"Friends of yours, Naruto-kun?" Gai asked, Tenten's interest piqued.
"Oh...This is my teammate, Sakura Haruno and her sister, Natsumi-chan." Naruto introduced as Gai greeted Daichi.
"Daichi-san...I haven't seen you in a while." Gai stated.
"It has been a while, Gai-san. How is your father doing?" Daichi asked of the elder Maito, Han. He was every bit as vigilant with his physical upkeep as his son and his own student, the one-armed 2nd Shinobi War vet still did handstand pushups in his frontyard every morning.
"Oh! He is still youthful as ever!" Gai boomed heartily, spooking little Natsumi.
"Eek!" She squealed, glomping onto the blond on her right, who sighed as Tenten and Sakura both chuckled at the cute sight of the little girl clutching him out of fear, but blushing brightly at the same time.
"She really seems to like him." Tenten commented.
"Yeah...I don't really know how it started, but she idolizes him. It's kind of funny that he has a 7 year old fan girl." Sakura giggled as Gai calmed down at Naruto's request, the expanded group setting to their meals.
"So...What are you doing with another team?" Sakura asked.
"Oh...They offered to let me train with them, so I took them up on it! Gai-sensei and Lee are beasts with taijutsu and Ten-chan's a genius with weapons!" Naruto told her.
"But...Why though?" She asked him honestly. She had already uncovered much of the mystery surrounding her mysterious teammate, but he was like one enigma after another.
"Well...After we got back from that mission, I thought that I should use this time to improve. " Naruto reasoned, making sense to Sakura.
"Oh. Well, that shows a good work ethic, at least. Just be careful and don't take it too far, okay?" She replied, still holding true to her word about being more friendly toward him.
"Heh...Don't worry, Sakura-chan! I can handle what they dish out!" He told her confidently with a thumbs up and one of his wide grins, the small girl next to him nearly melting.
'Oh my...He really has no idea what effect he has on Tsumi-chan...' She giggled inwardly, her father noticing his youngest's reaction.
'Looks like she's got her first crush and on Minato's son at that...Fate really is odd...' Daichi pondered with a soft grin as they continued.
Soon, the group finished their meals and were saying their farewells, Naruto heading home after a fulfilling day of training.
"Huh...Training with those guys wasn't so bad..." Naruto mused as he left for home just before the sun had set, while on a nearby building, Kakashi had been watching him.
"Looks like he's taking to it fairly well, just like I knew he would." Kakashi murmured with an eyesmile as he turned to head home, but an ANBU appeared before him.
"Kakashi-sempai...The Hokage and the Council want you to see them." A purple haired ANBU instructed him.
"Really now...What could they want?" He asked.
"I don't know that...But I'll guessing it has to do with Uzumaki-kun." She replied as they performed a tandem Body Flicker.
KONOHA COUNCIL CHAMBERS
"When will he get here, Sarutobi?" One man growled impatiently, Sarutobi frowning at the disrespect this man was showing.
"When he gets here, Councilman Kitamura." Sarutobi replied frankly as the civilian side groaned, but a knock was heard at the door.
"Kakashi is here, Hokage-sama." A voice stated as they were beckoned inside.
"Finally...Another minute later and we would be pushing for your demotion, Hatake." Another council member, the fat and corpulent Gasho Tojouin sneered. The shinobi in the room scoffed at his threat, knowing he had no authority to do so as Sarutobi called the meeting to order.
"Now...This meeting was called to question the teaching ability of one Kakashi Hatake." Sarutobi read out, not agreeing with it himself.
"Really? I was under the impression I was doing a wonderful job if the dead last has improved so much under my watch." Kakashi stated casually, making the shinobi snicker but the civilian council was boiling over.
"You know damn well what we are talking about, Hatake! You are under strict orders to teach the Uchiha heir ONLY! We must have the Sharingan revived and see to it that he is kept satisfied, or he might go to another village!" Councilwoman Mira Kagutsu ranted, Kakashi's eye narrowing.
"On top of that...We demand to know where the de...Uzumaki brat got his hands on a weapon of such power. Uchiha-sama has demanded that the weapon go to him to help him in his ambition." Kitamura demanded smugly.
'So...Sasuke complained to the council. Damn that brat...' Kakashi growled mentally as he replied.
"I take it that Uchiha-san has come running to you, having been denied what he wants. Well...That sword will never belong to him nor anyone else since the weapon has imprinted itself upon Uzumaki-san. It will allow no one else to even touch it. On top of that, if he tries to go to another village...His head comes off, just like any other traitor." Kakashi told them coldly, but before they could say anything, he spoke again.
"And another thing...You actually have the nerve to demand that I ignore my other students? Under who's authority?" Kakashi questioned them, his lone eye boring into them, daring them to come up with an excuse.
"Well...We can vote on it and if we have the majority vote, you WILL do as we say!" Gasho bellowed, his jowls flapping disgustingly.
"That's if the vote turns your way." Inoichi Yamanaka reminded them.
"And I don't really see that happening." Tsume Inuzuka added.
"Well...Since this is a hotly debated topic, I say that we should just vote on it." Homura, one of the elders suggested.
He was usually neutral in all matters regarding the Jinchuuriki, but he would jump in if something drastic or foolish was to happen, same with Koharu. This time, these foolish civilians wanted to not only demote one of their strongest and most famous shinobi, but also stunt the growth of their future weapon. From what they gleaned from Sarutobi, the boy was taking his shinobi training seriously, damn near religiously and under Kakashi, the boy's father's only surviving student, he would possibly become even stronger than both his parents. This was something that needed to be encouraged, not suppressed. He and his old teammates voted against the civilians this time, much to their displeasure.
"This matter has been decided. The vote is 8:4 in favor of Kakashi carrying on at his discretion." Koharu announced, but another voice interrupted them.
"I see that the vessel has been taking the initiative in it's training. I move that he be given to me, so that I may form him into the prefect weapon." Danzou declared.
"No. That is something I will not even discuss. Naruto-kun's progress under Kakashi has been nothing short of phenominal, making me question the competency of our Academy instructors. I will NOT allow you to take him and make him into a lifeless doll that only listens to YOU." Sarutobi roared.
"You are being emotional and foolish, Hiruzen. A weapon has no need for emotions." Danzou replied, but he got a scathing response.
"That weapon is a young boy, who had no control over what was done to him and who has been hated for something he never even knew until a few months ago. It's a damn miracle that he hasn't snapped and gone berserk, like so many other vessels have done before. Suna's own vessel was turned into a stone cold killer, killing enemy and allied shinobi alike with no remorse. You idiots nearly created a self-fulfilling prophesy!" Tsume Inuzuka snarled, her maternal instincts taking over.
"That...thing harbors the creature that nearly wiped us off the map that night! It must be kept weak so we can kill it!" Gasho shrieked.
"ENOUGH!" Sarutobi thundered, his killing intent floodin the room and even making Danzou tremble, a bitter reminder of why Sarutobi was chosen to become Hokage instead of himself.
"This discussion is OVER. We will adjourn now, and you will NOT countermand my orders. If you do so, death will seem like a release. I will remind you here and now that my power and authority here is not purely political." Sarutobi warned. Not threatened, warned.
"Good day, Hokage-sama." Gasho sneered as they all filed out of the room, but the two elders remained behind.
"Kakashi...How is his training coming along?" Homura asked.
"Well..." Kakashi explained the some of the details behind Naruto's training and they applauded his use of cross training with other teams.
"A sensei must learn to use all resources available. I trust the Haruno girl has changed herself, as well? A sharp mind such as hers is wasted in a mere fangirl." Koharu inquired.
"She's making progress. She stood up for Naruto against Sasuke and the two seem to have bonded on a friendly level. This mission in Wave has helped them both grow exponentially." Kakashi explained.
"Then, save for young Sasuke, you seem to have things well in hand. We shall leave things to you." Homura concluded as the two old councilors bowed and exited the room.
"Hmm...Glad that's over for now. Now to deal with Sasuke. He could become a real problem in the future. Not just for the team, but for the village as a whole if he doesn't change his ways." Kakashi thought as he too left the room, bound for home where he and his Icha Icha could get more...Comfortable.
'Ooh Yumika...You naughty little minx...' He giggled as he went home.
A/N: There you have it folks...The second installment. Now, to explain myself. First up, Sakura's new outlook on life. As I said in the previous chapter, the horrors of death and combat can change people and it did just that for Sakura. Now, she asked her father for more info on her teammate and got more than she bargained for. She always was a smart girl, but her Sasuke affliction constantly got in the way. Now that she's kicked the habit, her mind and eyes are now truly open and accepting, Naruto being someone she felt she owed a massive apology to. She was sworn to secrecy on all that she was told, and in this fic, her father is one person she trusts above all others, so she will not say a damn thing.
Sakura's mother...There are people who easily get swept along with the crowd and she is one of them. People like this can cause some real damage in large groups. The council...I have seen far too many fics we're the two elders hate Naruto with a passion, so I sought to break that cycle. Those two are mainly neutral with Naruto unless the situation is dire. The civilian council is the same as always, since for the sake of a plot device Naruto needs opposition in the village besides the villagers themselves.