I took a bit of a break from writing, a mix of writers' block and depression.
Now I think I can start writing again, but I thought better to get better in the grove with a new story instead of continuing one of my ongoing ones. Been so long, I'll have to re-read them.
This story was inspired by brown phantom's "Hidden Bloodline" challenge, where Naruto gets a bloodline limit with no teachers or guidance on them until a long time has already passed and he already learned the gist of it through trial and error. Thus the bloodline would be a not very known one, or a created one.
In this case, the bloodline would be a crossover with Metroid. Metroid Fusion to be specific, where Samus gets the ability to use her Power Suit in a biological version "thanks" to the Parasite X and a Metroid dna injection. (well technically "more biological" her suit seems to have been made biological to her all along, in the Samus and Joey manga it being said outright it is linked to her dna. But Fusion is the one game it is a plot point… and also the last one in the internal chronology at the time of this writing)
This is, I think, great for a Naruto crossover.
What Naruto will get here is, at first, Samus' initial "fusion suit", although in the original power suit colors because orange, and will slowly upgrade it through the story to the level of the full suit Samus had at the end of Fusion.
It is weaker than the normal Power Suit, but is still a powerful suit, stronger than most non-Chozo ones in the Metroid series… thankfully, because Samus is isolated into a very hostile environment at every game and, in the end, she still survives only by a hair. She does not tank everything because she would definitely die, she outsmarts and out-stubborns everything that should have turned her in mincemeat even with her armor if she got caught for real. Even in Zero Mission, where she at a point loses her armor, she can still evade hostile forces she is unable to kill until she can get a replacement.
Also, eventual alien visitors.
This story, however, goes against rule 5, the pairings, as they are written. I have a specific "pairing" for Naruto, three girls I like but are not done that much even on their own so I'm putting them with him in one story.
But I sent him a message about it, and the answer was "go for it, do what you want".
So… yeah. While not following the full rules as written, the one break was allowed so I think it counts.
…
Oh! One final thing.
This chapter was supposed to be longer. About double the size without author notes, give or take some paragraphs.
But I was afraid so much only for the intro would be boring and drive people away, so I split it in two and will post the first half while I finish the second.
Hope I made the right call there.
IIIII
Sasuke stilled.
He wasn't breathing. Holding his body in his arms, Naruto could not feel his pulse.
Sasuke, the bastard, took an attack aimed for him… and now he was dead in his arms.
His mind went numb.
Sasuke was dead… and it was all his fault. He had been weak. He did not think things through.
He should have sent a clone inside to bring Sasuke out instead of going himself, or covered him mouth and signaled him to follow instead of actually speaking and make it seem like he had no plan. He knew they thought of him as an idiot and would jump to that conclusion.
It was his fault.
It was the hunter-nin… fake hunter-nin's fault too. They didn't really want or need to fight. Old man Tazuna only wanted to build a bridge to help everyone on his country. No matter how he talked as if he had no choice, they were still ruining the lives of a whole village for money.
Naruto had no chance of stopping them by himself. He could not even see the fake hunter-nin, all he was being good for was in being a distraction. Yet Sasuke, the one doing all the fighting, was down for the count.
Dead.
And soon Naruto would follow.
Would Kakashi-sensei finish Zabuza fast enough to save Sakura-chan and old man Tazuna? Or would be made to fight both Zabuza and the fake hunter-nin be too much for him and they would all die together?
Naruto… had no real chance to do anything, right? No chance of surviving.
"…well… Screw it then!" he yelled, standing up, letting go of Sasuke's body.
The fake hunter-nin said something. Whatever it was, hearing it made him madder than ever, and at the same time he did not care to listen.
He drew his chakra, and flooded his body with it. Like when he was training tree-climbing, but all around instead of just on the feet. His skin, his bones, his muscles.
He would probably have his body pretty screwed up if he survived.
If he survived. He didn't think he had much chance if he didn't do that anyway. Better be damaged inside-out with a chance of surviving, or at least saving everyone, than to lay down and die.
And then he exploded in energy.
IIIII
Kakashi stopped mid-battle, looking at where Sasuke and Naruto were fighting. While it was all hidden by the mist, the powerful chakra flooding the area was concentrated so much the mist was tinted in a form representing it.
He felt a chill go down his spine… mixed with confusion.
He knew the Fox's chakra. He knew how it felt, and it was not it.
Also the color. There was so much he could see it…. And it was the wrong color.
The fox's was a dark auburn, almost red but not completelly.
That one was orange. A bit darker than Naruto's clothes, but clearly a different color than the Fox's.
…it also had a form that resembled a giant bird. It… kinda shouldn't have any form at all, but if it did it should not be a bird. It should be a fox. Since the Fox was a fox-shaped beast and all that.
Simple logic.
…then again, the one it was sealed inside was Naruto. He would not doubt the kid turned it into a bird just to be contrarian.
"What the hell was that?" asked a voice in front of him. Ah, right, he was mid-fight.
"I'm not sure. But I'm going to finish this battle right now to find out, if you don't mind."
IIIII
Haku was… surprised. And confused.
That was supposed to be a certain, but painless death to the blond.
She honestly was not expecting the black-haired boy to take the hit based on his behavior until then.
It was… probably very painful too. After all, everything she had been aiming for was in different places.
So she added a few sneak ones to put him in a semi-death state, even if the others would cause a delay. Less pain, and he is out of the way. Win-win.
Call her soft-hearted if you must. Her Zabuza-sama sure did many times.
On the other hand, the blond was not aware his teammate was alive… so Haku tried to calm him down, hopefully make him surrender.
Only when the blond started glowing orange did she remember a comment from Zabuza-sama about desperate people doing stupid things since they had nothing to lose and thus becoming much more dangerous.
"…well, damn."
Then the orange energy dissipated, like mist thinning in the sun.
She blinked once.
Twice.
The orange figure rushed to mirrors, and aimed a punch at it…
In the same strength and speed the blond did every other time before.
A dull sound was the only result of that.
…disappointing.
So Haku just threw more senbon.
They just bounced from the figure. As Haku expected.
Despite a weird design, that figure seemed to be nothing but the blond in a fancy armor, of mostly different tones of orange save for a green visor and a pipe in his right arm.
She really wondered why the blond bothered…
…until he noticed the armored blond seemed to be freaking out at his new apparel, mainly the green pipe. She couldn't hear anything, but his body movements were… expressive. No not say someone who never saw him before would question if they were not theatrics.
Interesting. So it was not intentional.
…wait, does that mean Narut—the blond, not like they really became friends or anything… does that mean the blond had no idea he could… grow an armor?
…and then Naruto seemed to have shot an explosion from the green pipe into his own face.
Marvelous. That was a weapon too. So no one there had an idea how good or bad what the blond did was.
IIIII
As soon as he felt his chakra stabilize enough he could actually do something with it… he ran to a mirror, drawing his arm back.
With the boost of speed and strength the chakra should give him, he would probably break his arm, but if the ice mirror held…
Well, he put more than half his whole chakra in that boost. If old man Hokage was not just making him feel better in why he was so bad with the basic clone jutsu, that was more than either the old man or the Fourth Hokage ever had in their whole lives.
So if the mirror held he had no way of trying again.
He felt the impact on his arm. It was not painful, surprisingly, but it echoed through his whole body.
Yet… the mirror seemed to have not even a new scratch, nevermind a crack.
What the hell was it really made of—
…wait.
What was that orange thing reflected on it?
Looking to his right, to the place his fist was still punching it…
He would think the orange thing was holding his punch away… save for wathever it had in its right arm… was on his side of the mirror too.
That green pipe-like thing was in his arm too.
That orange thing was him! It was him in the mirror!
He jumped back, grabbing his own head and finding only the smooth surface of a helmet under his left hand. His left gloved hand.
And his right hand was still in that pipe.
And his reflection was on-point. He kinda doubted anyone else would be good enough repeating that.
Did… did he just grow armor?
And what was that thing on his right arm? It looked like a pipe, but looking inside it seemed to be closed not long from the fron—
It glowed for a sec. His face exploded.
Ok, so it could throw small explosions like kunais. And the armor could take them. Cool.
He took a step to the side and heard a crunch. Looking down, he had stepped on ice senbon.
So he not only could take them now, he didn't even notice being hit.
He balled his fists.
Well, he would have usually. He actually balled his left fist and shot his own right foot.
The bastard… Sasuke… was dead. He was barely able to see, much less defeat the fake hunter-nin. He doubted Sakura-chan would be able to defend Tazuna against him. Kakashi-sensei was too occupied fighting Zabuza to help her.
…wait.
First order of business. Distract Zabuza. Cause an opening his sensei can take advantage of. He doubted he would have trouble getting rid of the hunter-nin.
So he ran to the mirrors again, this time aiming for the gap between them. They were a bit small, but now he didn't have to bother with the ice senbon, if he could roll through the gap just right…
He ran. He ignored the hits. He tried to roll through the gap.
He freaked out. He was now a ball.
A ball smaller than his body in fetal position. And could see ahead while rolling.
He passed through the gap and pushed himself upwards. He was human-shaped again. What the hell.
The hunter-nin jumped out of the mirror in front of him. He could see from his peripheral vision the mirrors shathering in the air, probably because they were already useless now.
Naruto charged at Kakashi and Zabuza's fight, hoping the hunter-nin would go to stop him more than to attack Sakura and Tazuna.
"I won't let you!"
Only to be tackled by behind. …on the other hand, yay, plan worked.
Before he could gather his bearings he hunter-nin was straddling his body, pummeling his armor while letting out an inhuman roar. He could feel it weakening a bit but it was barely noticeable, while the hunter-nin's hands were bleeding.
He punched back. The mask cracked and flew away.
The face under it was desperate. The eyes, red from the flowing tears were wide and scared, and the punches were clearly more of desperation to keep him there rather than any hope of defeating him.
But the most surprising thing was, he recognized that face. He may never have imagined him making that expression, but that was definitely Haku, the one he met in the woods.
He was also in no condition to talk. Seemed like he really knew what Naruto planned to do, and that was his only thought on how to stop him. Probably running out of chakra.
But… if he didn't have enough chakra for jutsu, he shouldn't have it to keep them in place either.
He put his left hand on the boy's chest to push him away with some chakra to increase his strength—
And thus, Naruto discovered three things.
One, his left hand could feel even through the armor.
Two, Haku had boobs.
Three, the groping of a boob in your hand is instinctive.
He blinked. One second he was going to push Haku out of him. The next he had a hand groping the air and Haku a few meters while covering his chest.
"The hell!" was what Haku… yelled.
"You told me you were a guy!" Naruto shot back.
"And that would make it alright to grope me?"
"It doesn't! But there shouldn't be anything to grope there!"
That did not seem to calm Haku down. "Oh, now it is my fault?"
"Yes!"
"I'm the one groped and it is my fault?"
"Well, I wouldn't have tried to push you away in the boob if I thought you had a boob. And the only reason I thought you didn't have one is because you told me you were a man."
Haku growled… but said nothing.
Naruto slowly stood up. Now that Haku was saner they could try and talk.
Over the sound of a lot of chirping birds that came from out of nowhere?
Looking at the source of the sound, it was Kakashi-sensei, his hand covered on bight energy and being aimed at a Zabuza held in place by… dogs?
Oh, and then Kakashi went to punch Zabuza with his glowing fist.
And Haku disappeared and went to between them, as if to shield Zabuza.
Wait, damn it!
Naruto had no idea what he was doing. Did he think he had a better chance to survive? Did he really think he could avoid the attack, or at least not die?
He didn't know. All he knew was that Haku was his friend, and so he used kawarimi without even thinking to trade places with him… her… whatever.
As the fist pierced through his armor and he could feel it breaking down, all he could think was "this is going to suck".
Then he exploded.
IIIII
When his eyes opened again, Naruto groaned in pain.
Not just from the sudden light in his eyes. His whole body felt like he had been beaten up uncounscious.
It was really annoying. Well, and painful.
And his throat was so dry…
"Ah, you're awake," said a voice by his side. "One moment."
His head was lifted, and a glass of water was gently pressed to his mouth.
And it tasted like heaven. Perfectly cooled to be refreshing yet not cold enough to risk hurting the inside of the throat.
"Thank you," he said after finishing and opening his eyes… and widening them.
The one helping him drink water was Haku. The same face and flowing hair of the one he met in the forest. And the same clothes of the one that he fought on the bridge.
Two thoughts entered his mind. One, there was no way to deny it anymore: they really were the same person.
And two… why was Haku taking care of him? Were they not trying to kill each other not that long ago?
Why was he smiling at him like that?
"You are suffering from chakra exhaustion," Haku said. "Your sensei told me he had it too after his first battle against Zabuza-sama, so you should know a bit of how it is."
"It is too tiring to do anything? He was barely able to stand with crutches even after a whole day resting," Naruto confirmed.
"You are even worse than he was," Haku said with a nod. "You were asleep for two days already. Hatake-san said you recover chakra fast, and considering how low your chakra was he was right, but you still need some days of rest anyway."
"Kakashi-sensei is alive?" The relief was clear in his voice, even though it was still weak.
"Yes, whatever happened when his attack hit your armor make it explode. You, your sensei and Zabuza-sama were thrown away by the explosion, but the most damaged one was you and even so not that much."
"…ah, right. That did happen…" he said slowly, as if still haing some trouble trusting his own memories.
"You will be happy to know that after we recovered Gato appeared and made clear he had no real plan to pay us, so we declared our job over. Zabuza-sama killed Gato himself, and a group of villagers and your sensei were able to drive them back. You are currently in a room in the bridge-builder's house and the bridge itself should be finished not long after you can walk out safely, one more week, two tops if there are no complications."
"Thank you…" he said in relief. That meant the village would be safe from then on.
There was just one person missing. "What about Sakura-chan, by the way? How is she taking… you know? I don't think she took it too well"
Haku raised an eyebrow to that. "I don't know?"
"You know, the bastard… I mean Sasuke's death?"
"Stop telling everyone I'm dead!" said a… very familiar angry voice just outside Naruto's peripheral vision.
"…the hell?"
"Your male teammate was just in a 'false death' state, by the way."
"Like you did with Zabuza that one time?"
"Pretty much. His body is also weakened for a bit too, but in his case it is just too numb to move and not really hurt. Should be able to walk properly around the same time you are better.
Your other teammate insisted to be the one nursing him until then, and I'm the one nursing you."
"Help me," was all Sasuke said to that.
"Uh. That's…" now Naruto felt silly for being so desperate at that time.
He knew he shouldn't. Just because Haku left the bastard alive didn't mean Tazuna would not be killed by Zabuza. But still.
Instead he decided to change the subject. "So you and no-brows are going to stay here until I get better?"
Aaand… Haku's mood went down. Naruto would say his smile just froze in place if it wasn't a pun too bad even for him.
And because it seemed to be a serious issue. That too. Mainly that, if asked.
"So, I said Gato made clear he had no plan to pay us and Zabuza-sama killed him for that. He actually said that a bunch of mercenaries to kill us after we were all weakened from the battle was going to be cheaper than paying us, plus he could sell Zabuza-sama's corpse and… well, he just said 'get compensation' from me breaking his wrist once.
Zabuza-sama… took great offense at that. He decided that payback and making him a message would be the best action at that point… despite being too hurt during his battle and your explosion to run much faster than a genin and hold a kunai with his mouth."
"…Wow," was all Naruto could say for a bit. "I mean, if he was as bad as you say, that just shows how awesome he is. I mean they may be just a bunch of thugs with weapons, but to fight them that weakened and survive is crazy!"
Haku said nothing.
Nor changed expression.
"He was not that crazy to be able to live."
"He was not," Haku confirmed.
An awkward silence filled the room.
Sasuke coughed.
"…wow, I never thought I would want Sakura to come back to annoy me but here we are."
"Oh, shut up teme!"
Sasuke snorted, but said nothing more.
"…hey Haku, that thing we talked about in the forest… the person you that gave you strength…"
"In Kiri people feared those with bloodline limits. To the point of hate, of making lynch groups if they found someone with them.
But when I was young I didn't know of that. So when I found out about my Hyoton I didn't know it was a problem.
Ends up my own father was one of these haters. He got a group of other haters and killed my mother. He then went to kill me.
Most of the house was destroyed by the ice spikes I made in fear. I was the only survivor out of everyone."
Naruto gasped in surprise.
He was an orphan. Or so he was told. As he was hated, he at first thought his parents may have hated him too and left him. After finding out about the fox, he only got a reason for them hating him.
But he always thought it was irrational. They were his parents, right?
…well, there was proof parents could hate their children.
Sasuke grit his teeth.
He was in a similar position. Someone he trusted and loved just out and killed his whole family. But not himself. His brother himself said he was too weak to be killed by him. Was it better or worse for this Haku?
Especially since the father was already killed, but it was just an accident, in self-defense. It would not be vengeance, justice being served. Just… a happenstance.
What would Sasuke feel like if Itachi tripped on a kunai Sasuke threw in their final confrontation and just… broke his neck and died?
"I ran away to another village, as far as I could get. I was living on the streets from food I could find in the trash.
Then Zabuza-sama found me, looked me in the eyes and told me to follow him. That I could be made of use to him. That was when I became his tool, an instrument to help him reach his own goal.
I had nothing. I did not even have a reason to live. Yet he found me. He saved me, even if he didn't say so. He became my reason to live. And now… and now…"
At first Haku's voice was impassive, as if just repeating something from a school book. But at the end it got more emotional, more passionate… until in the end Haku could not speak, just cry.
Naruto… could not even imagine what he would have done if that had been him. He could count in one hand those important to him like that, with fingers remaining… yet each and every one of them was irreplaceable in his mind.
Sasuke just sighed. In the end, Zabuza already did the job to get revenge. The reason they could kill him seemed to be he was going through them to get the true target of his revenge.
"He… he could still tell me his last words," were said between the tears. "How he did not see me as a tool, but as his adopted child. How he wanted me to train to my full potential, instead of wasting myself because of his death. Gave me one last order, to keep living even without him."
Naruto… had no idea what to say to that. For some reason 'guess no-brows wasn't so bad' did not feel like the best idea.
"But… I have no idea how to. All I know now came from him, from my time serving him, thinking of myself as his tool."
The anguish in the words was clear. It was not just for not knowing what to do, but also because of not being able to fulfill the one last order.
"But, well… I got an idea.
Zabuza-sama gave me my life. My reason to keep living.
You saved my life. You allowed me to stay with Zabuza-sama in his last moments. To hear his last words, his last praises, his last order.
Please, take his place. Become my new master. My new reason to keep living."
Naruto… froze. Metaphorically, something important to note in Haku's presence.
"Why not?" Sasuke asked from his own bed. "She is competent, and even though she was hovering over you like Sakura does to me she wasn't annoying."
Naruto sighed. "I… don't think it is a bad idea, only don't think I'm the best choice for this…" he then gave Haku an annoyed look. "But you won't just accept a 'no' for that reason, will you?"
"I would, regardless of the reason" Haku denied. "But I will accept no one else."
"Yeah, that's what I meant," he sighed. "Alright."
"Thank you, mast—"
"But! I will accept it to help you find your own path. You are not my tool. You are my friend. And you'll do your best to make that sink in, not just pay lip-service and keep acting the same way. Agreed?"
Haku just nodded. "I look forward to learning to live from you, Naruto-shishou."
He could feel his eye threatening to twitch… but being Haku's teacher was progress? He was seeing himself as his apprentice instead of his tool?
…he sighed, and hoped he could do a good job. He was not really sure of his own path himself yet.
Sasuke snorted at that. "At least your fangirl is worth keeping around."
"I'm a friend, not a fangirl," Haku pointed out.
Sasuke shrugged. Or so Naruto thought from the sound of his clothes and the bedclothes, he couldn't turn his neck to see.
"And Haku is a guy. So he would be a fanboy," Naruto… "corrected" Sasuke.
Naruto couldn't see his teammate right then, but he was sure he was being stared with the biggest "are you stupid" expression he was able to.
"Naruto, I am a girl."
Naruto looked at his face. Her face.
Yeah, no duh he looked like a her. The only reason he ever thought otherwise was…
"…wait, didn't you tell me you were a boy?"
"Yeah… I kinda panicked so I said that to try and fix it. Seems like it worked?" she shrugged.
Naruto blinked at that. Ignoring the voice of 'you really believed that' in the background.
"Try and fix what?" he asked the other b—the girl, still confused.
"I told you my name was Haku."
"I know."
"My name is Haku."
"Yes," Naruto agreed. "A word used to mean you specifically. That is how names work."
Sasuke snorted from his bed. "The sad thing is, that would be a smartass answer if he knew what you meant."
Haku nodded.
"Naruto-san. I travel with a missing nin. Wearing a mask. I am trying to hide who I am.
I should have given you a fake name."
"…oh."
"…wait, he got it?" Sasuke asked, surprised.
"Nope," was Naruto's simple answer.
"Figures," was all Sasuke could say, besides releasing a sigh from his very soul.
"I mean, I get the idea of using a fake name, and maybe a henge or makeup to change appearance too. I am a prankster, so I know hiding who you are can be useful.
But why say you are a boy if you are so girly? Isn't that more suspicious?"
"Why did you believe me?" was all the now-confirmed-female said back.
"Because you are so girly it would be too hard to believe to be used as a li—oh, right. Panicked."
"…holy shit that makes sense!" came Sasuke's surprised reply from his bed.
Haku just smiled to the two.
Her expected reply of 'because we are both a bit dumb in the head' would never be spoken aloud now.
Never!
"I'm… not really sure why I am surprised," Sasuke admitted. "I mean, we have been in this team for over a month, spending most of the day just competing who finishes our training faster for almost a week. I should already be aware you are somehow able to make stupidity into genius and… no, that's it."
"Couldn't have put it better myself," said a new voice.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaimed, seeing his teacher's gravity-defying hair. "When did you get here?"
"I never left the room," Kakashisaid, and Naruto finally noticed the sound of him flipping a page. "You are not able to move and Sasuke is barely a neck better. Haku here was our enemy not that long ago. Did you really think I would leave you alone with her?" his book made a sound that Naruto guessed was a shrug from the reader. "I just kept quiet so you two could have your talk."
Naruto heard his book closing. "So now that Naruto got a cute little kouhai, let us talk about how to properly make a verbal report, and put it in practice, as soon as Sakura comes back with the food."
"Apprentice," Haku corrected.
"Details."
IIIII
"So, let me just put it into as short as I can," Kakashi said after Naruto finished his report. "Since without Sasuke you were not fast enough to neither hit Haku here or avoid being hit, you decided to try to just pump yourself with chakra. Knowing it would be dangerous to your body, but hoping you'd be able to resist the attacks and break the mirrors by force so you could get in Zabuza's way to get me a bit of time to save everyone else."
"Yup."
"And then when you went to do it actually punch the mirror and it didn't break, only then you noticed you were not dangerously full of chakra anymore, but covered by some kind of armor."
"That's it, yeah."
"The armor doesn't have a right hand so you couldn't do Shadow Clones, but can shoot small explosions, somehow. So since you couldn't distract Haku she figured out your plan and tried to keep you down. While trying to get her away, two important things happened. One, you saw her face and recognized your friend. Two, not knowing she had boobs, you pushed her off you by the chest, and thus groped them."
Sweating nervously under the murderous look Sakura was giving him, Naruto couldn't help to ask, "did you need to point out the second one? I didn't know she had them, is was an accident!"
"Bullshit!" Sakura yelled. "How can you look at her and think she is a boy?"
"He didn't. I told him earlier I was a boy, and the only reason he believed me was because he thought it was too outrageous to be a lie. So this is all my fault, Haruno-san."
Sakura could just look between them with wide eyes. But at least she wasn't angry anymore, to Naruto's relief.
"…outrageous?"
"Too obvious a lie."
"Ah, thanks."
"Seriously, Naruto?"
"What, Sakura-chan? I never heard it before!" he replied, defensive. "I mean, would you be able to just hear someone say 'pneumoultramicroscopicossilicovulcanoconiosis' and figure out right away it is about a lung disease from breathing volcanic ash?"
Sakura blinked once. Then twice. "If that is a real world… point. Also, why do you know it?"
"Some of my pranks use powders. While not as thin a dust so less of a health risk, I still ned to be aware of these problems."
"…what?"
"I take my pranking very seriously, Sakura-chan," Naruto finished… well, seriously.
"It is important, Naruto," Kakashi continued, ignoring their conversation. "Because that separated you but also kept you distracted, enough for Haku to get between Zabuza and a lethal technique I was using on him.
In your defense, that was one of the rare cases being 'distracted by breasts' won't give you odd looks."
"…what?"
"It is not really rare for people around your age to cause problems on missions due to breasts. But most of the time it is because of staring at them, not being surprised they were there. …still not that rare though, especially when the one with them is trying to hide their identity including gender."
"Wait, really?" Sakura asked, surprised.
"Really. And… sometimes some people are able to pretend the other way around too. Without needing a henge like Naruto does."
"Wait, wha—"
"How do they hide—"
Kakashi lifted his hand to stop Naruto.
"I would like to stop this conversation here, only pointing out that while I'm sure some guys, and girls, would appreciate finding it out the same way you did Haku… I'm still not one of them."
He then gave a loud clap, to get back into the point. "So, when you noticed where Haku was, since you considered her a friend and knew she was in danger, you used kawarimi on instinct and traded places. Your armor saved you, but it exploded in the process. And then you passed out."
"That's it, pretty much," Naruto agreed.
"Ok, that seems pretty simple. First point of business. The boob grope."
"Oh, come on!" Naruto yelled, annoyed.
"The problem here is not the grope, but the fact it distracted you. Surprises are an important thing in the ninja world, and while one of them causing a distraction is expected, that can be deadly. You are a prankster, you know the targets are usually stunned enough by a surprise to be hit with something else too. But ninjas can make that follow-up be deadly, and most likely will try to."
Naruto tried to nod. He failed. "I get it."
"Good. Unfortunately the only way I can think of helping with this is experience. Now, I could ask you to make pranks to help as training exercises for the others," he thought aloud, ignoring the fear clear in his other students' faces "but what to do about yourself…"
"Shadow clones?" he offered.
"A possibility. Let us think on that more later.
Now the second point, your friendship with Haku."
"What of it?" Naruto asked, a bit confused.
"Baka, you made friends with the enemy. It is alright now since she didn't try to take advantage of you, but what if it was someone who did?"
"…oh."
"Yeah, 'oh'," Kakashi confirmed. "I am not saying not to make friends during missions, but be careful not to say too much, and always be ready for if they were an enemy tricking you all along."
Naruto sighed. But he knew they were right about that.
"And finally. The armor."
Naruto looked at him. He looked at Naruto. Sakura and Haku were looking back and forth between the two. Sasuke was still out of view to him, but probably was doing the same.
"…why am I strong enough to yell but not to move my neck yet?"
"Because you are Uzumaki Naruto," was Sasuke's answer.
As much as Naruto wanted to fire back something… he basically set him up for that one, didn't he.
"So… anyone has any idea?" Kakashi tried.
"It reminded me a bit of an insect's chitin exoskeleton," Haku finally said. "In parts, at least. And if it is one, there was at least one clan in Kiri, the Kaguya, with a kekkei genkai that allowed them to control their bones. Heal them, harden them, grow them out of their skin, rip them off to use as a weapon, those kinds of things. And of course, quick healing for the skin in the way so they don't bleed to death."
"But… isn't a version of it that only does armor a bit specializes?" Sakura argued. "I mean, you control ice, this Kaguya clan controls their bones, Sasuke-kun's family's eyes can see things better to the point they slow down, but why a version of the bone one just for armor?"
"I didn't say it was," Haku said, rolling his eyes. The girl had some smarts, but was blinded by being told about them so much and didn't get to use them that much yet, from what she saw. "I said it reminded me of them. And before that, of an insect's chitin exoskeleton, if you recall."
"Hmm, a kekkei genkai specialized in just one task in its field is not impossible either, just hard to find," Kakashi agreed. "I've dealt with weirder ones on the field, to be honest. But I believe Haku-kun's exoskeleton thought is more probable. The very fact it can shot explosions, somehow, already points to it having more in it than just bones outside the body."
He turned to Naruto. "We should test it out when you are healed. How much energy it takes to use, to remove, if you can remove it without exploding again… and what else you can do with it."
Naruto sighed at that. He was… not looking forward to it, with the explosion and chakra exhaustion, but… well, what good does having a special power if he has no idea how to use it right?
IIIII
"The signal still did not reappear yet, sir," a voice said, looking at a screen.
"But you assure me it was real and not a false alarm?
"Yes sir."
"Hmm, better assume nthing then. Any idea about the small variations?"
"Not much, sir… although…"
"Speak."
"Sir, it has been too long since she was seen found. Her kind is not that long-lived, and the variation may be small but so is the genetic one among them."
"Her kind is not naturally long-lived. She was given genetic augmentations, from species with long lifespams.
Let us reach there and analyze some more before taking any action. We have time."
IIIII
So yeah, next chapter, experimenting with the suit.
And Sutsu is the word used for the suits in the Japanese games, according to my google-fu (well, Sūtsu but still, I don't know how to make that ū without copypaste or an alt code). Be free to correct me if I am wrong, but google translater does back me up.
Now!
To address what many would see as a plothole, an important note about Naruto's Power Suit (well, more like a Fusion Suit):
For those that know your Metroid lore: it still has that weakness from Metroid Fusion, but no one noticed yet.
It even already showed up. But subtly.
It will not be made relevant for some time though. Even if it may seem like it should be important before then, it will take some time before it is noticeable.
Those that already know what weakness I am talking about, there is a very simple reason it won't be found out for a while.
I will explain more clearly when it is actually found out, but to give a hint: there is a big difference between hitting someone wearing an armor with a lit torch in the summer and setting them on fire.
If you are a Metroid fan… yes, those you are thinking of very likely are the ones in the ending lines. But as said, they will take their time to show up.
Also, one thing you guys may have noticed, and I only did so just now… Naruto did not get to develop his famous Nindo.
Originally it was made, or at least solidified, because of his conversation with Zabuza, how Zabuza said, and later Kakashi confirmed, that shinobis are tools and he would rather keep going on his own path without regrets no matter what.
Everyone takes this as an undeniable part of his core in other fics, even those that avoid this mission. And… it kinda is, but it is only put in words, as a promise to himself and the world, here, and repeated aloud later.
Thus this story is a world where Naruto may never mention his Nindo out loud, even if he will forever fight following it.