AN: Another chapter, and at the end I start to introduce the next mini arc before the Ninja Academy. Now, a few people asked whether things would stay purely in the youkai world, and the answer to that is no, but Naruto's pre-Academy days will heavily involve youkai. I do have a mini-arc planned out for when Naruto has only just started the Academy with Yakumo Kurama, but that's the only thing really ninja related I have at present, though any ideas you guys can give me would be awesome!
A link to my forum can be found on my profile, or you can use this: topic/139203/149040634/1/General-Spirit-s-Balance-Discussion
Beta'd by: The trolling SnarkLord
Chapter 6 – Camp Naruto!
After Naruto's trip to the Valley of the End, things proceeded as they normally did. During the week, he woke up on the morning, got ready for school, went to class, came home to the forest, had his daily lesson with Hinoe, and then did whatever he wanted with the rest of the day.
Usually, he'd end up playing some sort of game, but also, and sometimes instead of that, he'd do something else. For example, he'd borrowed a book of short stories from the library one time, and bribed Madara to take him to the Valley of the End so he could read some of them to Ran the Mizuchi. Another time, he'd gone wandering through the forest, identifying plants and collecting reagents for himself so he could make more potions.
On the weekends, Naruto pretty much disappeared from Konoha. He'd spend his time in the forest, practising placing traps to catch squirrels, birds, rabbits, and so on and then he'd skin them and cook them over a camp fire with some wild herbs he collected.
During his time amongst youkai, Naruto had gained quite the taste for 'natural' teas. Hinoe's next lesson, after he'd finished with the light ball, had in fact been to use his spiritual power to heat the water for his tea. The next step after that, as far as heat was concerned, was to heat the metal pots he made his potions in.
Anyway, Naruto's time during the weekend was more varied than during the week. He'd sometimes ask around the local youkai if they needed something doing, and had taken to fulfilling these tasks as a way of experiencing what basic ninja missions were like.
They were rarely difficult tasks. Once he'd had to gather the ingredients for a medicine kogitsune used to change shape, and another time he'd helped sort it out when two friends had had an argument with each other. Simple as things might be, the youkai thanked him with a few small things, such as when one of the bird youkai he'd helped had gotten him a rare plant that didn't grow naturally in Fire Country.
Very, very rarely, sometimes Akiko-sensei came to visit Naruto in the forest. She didn't do it more than once or twice a month, and even Naruto could tell she was rather uncomfortable there, but she was still a bit curious about youkai in spite of her hesitance.
She met some of the youkai capable of taking a form visible and tangible to humans. Riou, for example, could look like a regular human if he wished too, though he had to be careful not to let his wings show. Hinoe could also make herself seen by humans, though she didn't really bother with something so 'pointless'. There were others capable of taking lesser forms, like Benio becoming a butterfly, or some of the lesser inugami becoming dogs, and even the three weasels in the forest, and the single bakaneko in the forest, who was still young and only capable of becoming a regular cat.
Naruto was happy when Akiko took a liking to the teas, or more accurately 'tisanes', that Naruto had made, and he put more of an effort in learning a youkai version which was supposedly able to keep one 'youthful and rejuvenated', whatever that meant.
All in all, Naruto was very happy with the way things were, and he wouldn't change a thing about the way he was living.
xxxxx
Hiruzen Sarutobi was growing more and more concerned as time went by. Naruto, as much as he seemed happy, was drawing further and further away from other people, other humans, as time wore on. He wasn't even turning up at the orphanage to eat any longer, and outside of school hours, no one could find him at all, aside from the times he went to the library.
As much as it pleased the Hokage to hear Naruto doing as well at school as he was, and that he was getting away from the glares and looks of disgust some people threw his way, the whispers too, Naruto needed to develop closer ties to the village, and he needed friends as well.
The problem was that the Hokage, no matter how much power he had, couldn't force people to be friends, especially not young children. The best he could do was set up situations that would hopefully lead to the desired result. Of course, along comes the problem of Naruto just up and disappearing all the time. How could he set up situations for Naruto if the boy in question was never there!
Sighing at the sight of his remaining paperwork, Hiruzen instead directed his attention to his crystal ball. Not really expecting to get a response, he's surprised when it locks onto Naruto, and shows the blonde boy. Taking a quick look around the child, he sees that he's in the library.
Deciding that his paperwork can wait, and checking that he has no appointments scheduled that afternoon, the Hokage leaves his office and makes quick time towards the library, which is thankfully quite close to the Hokage Tower.
When he arrives, the librarian looks up curiously, before straightening up when she realises that the Hokage himself has come to visit. He quietly enquires about the whereabouts of Naruto, and is directed not, as he had expected, to the history section or what few texts are available to civilians regarding ninja. Instead, he's directed towards the crafts section.
His own curiosity roused, he heads down the aisles of shelves. It doesn't take him very long to find the blonde boy who was tucked away in an alcove, a small stack of books next to him. Taking a look at what books Naruto's reading, Hiruzen finds that they are about a variety of topics, such as preserving and tanning furs and hide, basic woodworking, and traps.
"Old man?" Naruto looks up when a shadow falls over him to see the Hokage standing there.
"Hello, Naruto." Hiruzen smiles. "An interesting selection of books you have there."
Naruto nods his head. "Well, if I'm going to be a ninja, I have to know how to look after myself when I'm out of the village, don't I? That means at least learning how to catch and cook wild animals, and what plants are good to eat, right?"
"It's a very good idea, but a lot of people actually forget about things like that." Hiruzen chuckled. "I was one of them back when I was a genin. I relied too much on the rations my team carried, and we ran out about two days before getting back to the village one time."
"Did you manage to catch or find anything you could eat?" Naruto asked. "You had the Nidaime Hokage for a sensei if I remember right."
"We did, but let me share a secret with you, Naruto." Hiruzen leaned forwards. "Neither of my predecessors were very good hunters. In fact, Tobirama-sensei was abysmal. We only managed to catch a deer because he used a kunai kage bunshin jutsu to kill it."
"Shadow clones?" Naruto murmured. "I've read that some villages have solid clone techniques, but what good is a shadow clone?"
"It's solid, like elemental clones, even if it is easily dispelled." Hiruzen told him. "However, what's best about them is that they transfer their experience back to the ninja when they are dispersed. I'm not here to talk ninjutsu though, I came to see you."
"Um… okay?" Naruto seemed confused as to why exactly he was here.
Hiruzen sighed. "Naruto, I worry about you. You might not be my own flesh and blood, but I think of you as a grandson just as I do Konohamaru, my daughter's son. For almost a year now, you constantly disappear goodness knows where, you don't stay at the orphanage, and the only time anyone knows where to find you is during school. Please, Naruto, can you tell me where you are staying?"
"I'm staying in the forest, I like it there." Naruto told him. "There's a small river and lake nearby, and I can fish and set traps and stuff. I also know what plants are good to eat, and which ones are healthy, so it's not like I'm starving or anything."
"I'm glad to hear you're doing well, Naruto, truly I am, but… you need to make some friends as well." Hiruzen sighed. "It's not good for you to cut yourself off like you have. While you might be 'living', you're not developing as much as you otherwise might."
"Akiko-sensei is my friend." Naruto said.
"I'm glad for you, but she's not your age." The Hokage's eyes flickered to Benio settled on Naruto's head, and remembered his theory about butterfly summons. "You need friends, Naruto, human friends."
"I've tried making friends with my classmates before." Naruto told him. "It didn't work."
"Naruto… civilians tend to be wary about things they don't understand, ninjas too, but the latter generally have a much greater scale of 'unusual' that they deal with, and tend to be more… tolerant of oddities." Hiruzen chose his words carefully. "Perhaps if you tried talking or playing with a clan child, or even one who has ninja parents, you might have an easier time making friends."
"If you say so." Naruto said, shrugging his shoulders. "Why is it people don't like me anyway?"
The Hokage's eyes clouded over at Naruto's question, and answered it as best as he thought he could at this point in Naruto's life.
"When they look at you, they see something else, Naruto. It's not your fault, and I'm certain that in time you will prove yourself to this village, and they will see you how you were always supposed to be seen..." He paused then. "I'll make you a deal, Naruto. When you graduate the Academy, as a genin, I want you to introduce me to your best friend. If I see that you truly are close friends… then I will tell you why you are disliked, okay?"
"O-kay." Naruto replied hesitantly. "I'll see what I can do then."
"You do that, Naruto, it will be good for you." The Hokage said, ruffling Naruto's hair. "It seems this blonde mop of yours has gotten quite a bit longer and wilder when I wasn't looking, perhaps it's time to think about getting it cut."
Naruto grinned. "Nah, I like it this way."
"If you insist." Hiruzen huffed. "Now, how about I treat you to lunch, and then maybe you can show me where your little camp is hidden, eh?"
"Sure." Naruto agreed. "Where are you going to take me?"
Recalling Naruto's mother's fondness for a particular type of food, Hiruzen made a decision on where he would take Naruto.
xxxxx
"A ramen stand?" Naruto asked, looking at where Hiruzen had taken him.
"Correct, I have a feeling you'll like what they sell here, Naruto." Hiruzen smiled in nostalgia, recalling how Kushina would devour half a dozen bowels of salt ramen at a time here, despite being quite a good cook herself, or at least Minato appeared to be addicted to her cooking.
"If you say so." Naruto shrugged. "I guess I'll have a… miso ramen, maybe?"
"So will I then." Hiruzen said. "Did you catch that, Teuchi?"
"Of course, Hokage-sama." A smiling man, obviously this Teuchi person, said. "And I see you've brought a friend with you too."
"I have. This is Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto, this is Teuchi Ichiraku, owner of Ramen Ichiraku, and quite the skilled chef as well." The Hokage introduced them both.
"Nice to meet you, Naruto, it's always good to see a new face." Teuchi smiled at the young blonde.
"It's nice to meet you as well." Naruto politely greeted the man.
"Okay then, you're ramen will be ready shortly." Teuchi said, turning away to get to work.
While they did that, Hiruzen decided to have a chat with Naruto, it'd been far too long since he'd done just that, and the small blonde was one of his favourite people.
"So, Naruto, I saw the books you borrowed from the library, and you mentioned something about traps. I'm going to take a guess and say that you want to do something with the skins of the animals you eat, right?" The Hokage said.
"Yeah, that's right." Naruto nodded. "The book says you can use an animal's brain to tan their hide, so I don't have to buy any special chemicals or anything. I have some rabbit and squirrel skins waiting for me back at my camp so I can try it out."
"And the woodworking books?" Hiruzen asked curiously.
"Everyone needs a hobby." Naruto shrugged. "Besides, when I get older, I want to see what Fuinjutsu can do, so practising carving and calligraphy should be a good idea, no?"
"Fuinjutsu?" Hiruzen blinked in surprise. "A rather underused skill that, most focus on ninjutsu and taijutsu, with others preferring genjutsu or medical techniques. Fuinjutsu… a very uncommon discipline, and one with a lot of potential too. It's unfortunate, but there's very few ninjas in the entirety of the elemental nations who are accomplished at seals, and the number of seal masters can be counted on two hands."
"Are seals really that difficult to make?" Naruto asked with a frown. The youkai style seals he'd seen were simple and logical. If he had seen a circuit diagram, he'd actually compare them to each other in how they did what they were supposed to, with no different ways of 'interpreting' them.
"Copying seals is actually rather easy, it's how explosive tags and storage scrolls are mass produced." The Hokage told him. "Creating a brand new seal from scratch, that's a completely different thing, and incredibly difficult. It's also very time consuming, and very dangerous too. If you ever do decide to make your own seals, I'd advise you to have a solid clone of some sort take it somewhere isolated when you first test it out."
"I'll have to be at least a genin to get access to even basic stuff about sealing." Naruto replied. "I don't think you'll have to worry about me blowing myself up for a few years yet."
Hiruzen chuckled. "No, I guess not."
The two of them kept talking as they waited for their ramen to be ready. Hiruzen felt himself relax quite a bit. Despite not having much human interaction, Naruto was more well-balanced than he could have hoped for him to be. Now all that was left was to see where he had hidden himself away, and he'd take a step back.
Telling him that he'd share why the villagers didn't like him if he made a friend might be rather manipulative, but it would be good for Naruto, and it would be good for his peace of mind. After all, was not the Will of Fire all about cherishing strong bonds with others and protecting them?
Their food arrived in good time, and the both of them dug into it. Neither spoke much as they ate their food, but once they'd both finished, Hiruzen turned to Naruto, asking him how much he'd liked it, anticipating quite an enthusiastic response. Instead, he got something less grandiose.
"It was good, really good, but I think I prefer roast squirrel myself." Naruto responded.
"Hmm, not quite the answer I was expecting." Hiruzen muttered, earning him a confused look from Naruto. "Never mind though, shall we go and see your little camp now?"
"Sure." Naruto said, before getting up and leading the way.
xxxxx
Genma Shiranui, one of the Hokage's guards, couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine as he followed the Sandaime Hokage and Naruto Uzumaki deeper and deeper into the forest. He felt like there were dozens of eyes on him constantly, but there was no one around whenever he stopped to look. It was freaking him the heck out.
He also couldn't help but think on all of the monster stories he'd heard that young Naruto had come up with, and a small part of his mind that he didn't want to acknowledge wondered… was he right? It certainly felt like they were surrounded, but he couldn't see anyone, and it was extremely creepy. He'd be happy when this was over and the Sandaime was back in his office.
His unease only grew when Naruto looked back over his shoulder at him with an amused expression on his face.
That did it, Naruto Uzumaki was officially a creepy kid. Regardless of who his parents were – and Genma knew exactly who they were – he was definitely someone that made him feel like looking over his shoulder every two seconds despite knowing he wouldn't see anything.
The other guards that had followed the Hokage weren't exempt from the sensations that Genma was feeling, and they all felt at least some hesitance about coming back to this part of the forest in the future, with two of them even making mental notes to avoid it if at all possible.
When they got to where Naruto's camp was, they were surprised at how good it looked. They'd been expecting something that could be called 'ramshackle' at best, but instead, they found something that at least looked presentable.
There was where Naruto obviously slept, a shelter made from lashed together branches, with another smaller shelter with doors and shelves that held clothes, wooden bowls and plates, soap, and other things like that. Nearby, tied to parallel sticks, were the skins that Naruto was working on. Beside Naruto's sleeping area were a few notebooks that the blonde boy quickly tidied away. The only other particularly notable thing there was a circle of stones and scorched earth where Naruto probably had his camp fire.
"You seem to have done well for yourself, Naruto." Hiruzen said, honestly surprised. He wasn't expecting something as good as this, but then again, Naruto had started disappearing almost a year ago, and if he'd been building up this little hide away of his that long, well, he'd obviously put the effort in to make it as well as he could.
"Yeah, but I might rebuild some of it if I can learn something good from those woodworking books, and if I can get my hands on the right tools." Naruto said proudly.
"Hmm." Hiruzen mused to himself. That was something he could do for Naruto discretely. After all, a basic set of tools was innocuous enough. He paused then as he caught sight of something that was a little more refined than the wooden plates and bowls Naruto had, aside from the metal pots that was.
"Naruto, are those poison vials I can see there?" He asked.
"Ah, Akiko-sensei gave me them for my last birthday." The six year old said. "I've been reading about plants that are good for your health and how to mix them together to get useful antidotes and things, like those chakra pills you can buy. My mixtures are nowhere near that good, but it's good practice anyway."
"Well, you're certainly learning plenty of useful little skills." Hiruzen praised him. "It seems portions of the Ninja Academy curriculum will be useless to you by the time you get there."
"Oh?" Naruto tilted his head to the side questioningly. "What do you actually need to pass the Ninja Academy?"
"Oh, you have to pass several exams." Hiruzen said. "Let's see, there's a history test, a taijutsu test, throwing accuracy and speed with kunai and shuriken, and the academy three ninjutsu." He paused. "You can get a bonus score for showing another ninjutsu you know, aptitude for genjutsu, or skill with a weapon."
Naruto nodded, absorbing all of what he was told. "Old man, what are the academy three?"
"Hm? They're three simple techniques that are quite useful." The Hokage explained. "Henge creates a shell of chakra around you and reflects and refracts light to make you appear as someone or something else. Kawarimi allows you to swap places with another object, though you practice with a log roughly your own weight. The last of the three is Bunshin, which creates illusionary clones that can confuse and misdirect an enemy."
"Wow, they sound awesome!" Naruto exclaimed.
"That's because they are, but aside from Kawarimi, most people tend to forget them for other, more destructive jutsu." The Hokage added. "Most people dismiss them because they are the 'basics'."
"That sounds silly." Naruto commented.
Hiruzen chuckled. "Ah, but there are people who go to the other extreme and become really good ninja just with basic techniques. Shisui of the Body Flicker is a really good ninja, and his signature jutsu is the Shunshin, something that almost every chunin ninja knows, and even a handful of genin too."
"So it's really easy to become a super awesome ninja?" Naruto asked.
"Easy? No, it isn't." Hiruzen gently admonished the boy. "However, if you find out what you're good at early, and train hard, you can become really good without knowing dozens of high level techniques. Of course, strong ninjutsu doesn't hurt, and if you ever want to get to my level, you need to be strong in all areas, but someone who knows what they want, and has the resources, can go a lot further than someone who fumbles about trying everything out and never settling down."
Naruto didn't reply, a contemplative look on his face.
"Now, Naruto, I've got to get back to my office, paperwork waits for no man after all." Hiruzen said. "It was good seeing you today, and I'm happy to see how well you can look after yourself. Just remember to try and make a few friends, please."
"Bye, old man, see you another time." Naruto waved the Hokage and his guards off, still thinking about what his grandfather figure had said.
"I'll be seeing you then. Goodbye." The Hokage bid him farewell too, and left, followed by his personal guards.
xxxxx
Unseen by the Hokage and his guards, there were several youkai present that watched them disappear. Once they'd left hearing range, Hinoe took her pipe out of her mouth and gave Naruto a look.
"Well, that was informative. Now we at least know what you need to graduate Ninja Academy." She commented. "Some of it we should be able to cross off the list quite easily."
"Yeah, I've been reading plenty of history books." Naruto agreed.
"That too, but I was actually referring to two of the 'ninjutsu'. We youkai are capable of both physical transformations and illusions, and I'll start you on both once I feel your primary three are up to scratch." Hinoe corrected him. "We have no equivalent for this kawarimi though, so you'll have to wait for the Academy to teach that to you."
"So, to pass, that leaves me with taijutsu and weapon throwing skills." Naruto mused.
"As well as any of the extra credit proficiencies you wish to look into." Riou added. "I would have thought you would 'overdo' something rather than not do enough."
"Yeah, but I'm already covered with the youkai techniques I know that would count as 'an additional ninjutsu', and I could learn another illusion while I'm faking the bunshin. That only really leaves learning to use a weapon from the extra credit choices. I also have to learn to fight in hand-to-hand and throw standard weaponry." Naruto said. "Is there any youkai that are any good at fighting like a human?"
"No, none that I know of." Riou shook his head. "And Martial Arts isn't something that can be learned at all quickly either. That is something that will take years to learn properly, so it is best to start early if you can. Is there no books in the library on, what do humans call them, cats?"
Naruto laughed at that. "I think you mean katas, and no, there isn't. What's in the library is stuff any civilian has access to, and that means there's nothing at all in there about fighting. I need to learn how to fight though, clan children start learning really young, so they'll have a head start on me there."
Benio snorted. "True, but I doubt many of them have the same drive you do, so things will probably be more equal than you expect, at least when things balance out. I don't think they teach their kids the same level of wilderness survival stuff that you know, and your traps are pretty good already."
"Are there any youkai that can fight with anything resembling a 'style'?" Naruto huffed.
"Not that I know of." Riou smiled lightly. "You forget that almost all of the youkai around here are beast types. The only sort of youkai that might know how to fight like a human are weapon tsukumogami, and they're more common in Iron Country."
"They are?" Naruto asked. "Could we go to Iron Country, and do you think they'd be willing to teach me?"
Hinoe calmed Naruto down. "You won't be going right now, Iron Country is quite far away, and it is very cold there too. Before you go there at all, you will be prepared for the weather, and you will not be skipping any school because of it either!"
"So it's cold? Does that mean I can use a 'heat' technique to keep myself warm?" Naruto asked with a smile. "I could also make something out of the furs I'm going to be tanning too."
Hinoe huffed. "You'll need far better control if you're going to keep yourself warm with your spiritual power, one slip up and you could cook yourself alive! Wearing furs, taking some firewood with you and lighting that, or simply warming up your clothing are all better ideas."
"Then I'll do that then." Naruto nodded.
Riou chuckled, shaking his head at the sight before him, before contributing what he could. "As for them teaching you, weapon tsukumogami tend to fall into one of two categories, the blood-thirsty, and the protective. The former will want nothing more than to kill you in as gory a fashion as they can, while the latter may teach you something, especially as you're still a child."
"So, could I go to Iron Country during school break in two months?" Naruto asked.
"Not without taking someone, or preferably more than one, to take care of you. Iron Country is a dangerous place, and you are not strong enough to deal with even moderate threats from youkai." Hinoe sternly cautioned him.
Looking towards Riou, Naruto was disappointed to see him shake his head.
"This is my territory, Naruto, I can't just leave it, especially not to enter another's domain." Riou shook his head. "Why not Madara? He's never got much to do, and he is rather powerful. Misuzu too, but I don't think you've met him yet, and he's likely to test you in some fashion."
Hinoe nodded to herself. "Yes, Misuzu is the only other particularly strong youkai around here aside from myself, Riou, Madara, and Rokka. Rokka and Riou have their territories to watch over, and I am strong in a different way to the horse and the dog."
"Enough of this for now." Benio interrupted them. "Brat, why don't you go play with the kappa, or the kogitsune? I hear that they were planning something this afternoon, it could be interesting, no?"
"Okay, I suppose." Naruto answered. "See you guys later!"
As soon as Naruto disappeared, Benio looked at the others with a serious expression on her face. "Earlier today, the Hokage made a promise to Naruto. He basically told Naruto to make at least one good human friend, and if he did so then he'd explain why so many people in the village fear and hate him as much as they do."
"Did he say anything about what it might be?" Riou asked.
"Not much, just that when they see Naruto, they don't see the boy himself but something else, and that ninja had a different scale of weird to most other people." She told them. "He's encouraging Naruto to become a ninja, and he seems quite invested with him as well, but I don't know why, can you guess what he's on about?"
Riou sighed. "I can't work it out either. It sounds like Naruto is a jinchuuriki, a host to one of those tailed beasts, but he doesn't feel like one himself. The feeling I get from him is… different, even if it is similar in some ways to what I've sensed from those beings in the past."
Hinoe grunted in agreement. "He feels incomplete, like someone attempted to make him a vessel, but didn't do it properly, or like they attempted to seal something that wasn't actually a tailed beast using the wrong method. Neither answer makes much sense."
Riou nodded. "The nine tails appeared six years ago, right when Naruto was born, so if he was a jinchuuriki, that's the only one he could really have sealed inside of him. That would at least explain his ridiculously massive reserves, but like we have said, he doesn't feel like a host."
"Well, could some of the nine tails loose energy have been sealed inside of Naruto then?" Benio asked. "It wasted so much of its power that everything the area it appeared was absolutely saturated with its power, and if I remember right, the biju actually produce power naturally, so could its chakra be doing the same inside of Naruto?"
"That would explain it..." Hinoe mused. "Without the entire tailed beast, his own power would feel a little similar without being identical, and that connection might just be enough for villagers to despise him, especially if they jumped to incorrect conclusions..."
"However, it changes nothing even if it is true." Riou shook his head. "The nine biju are not youkai, and so our own methods of using our power will not necessarily work for its dense chakra, and could be dangerous for Naruto. Our best option is to gather more information, and if one of the requirements for getting that information is Naruto graduating from the Ninja Academy, well, all we can do is make him the best ninja we can, no?"
"Not like we were going to do otherwise." Hinoe shrugged, a small smirk on her face.
Benio rolled her eyes. "Right, whatever, I'm going to go catch up to Naruto. See you both." She waved to them as she disappeared in the same direction Naruto had gone.
Hinoe groaned and put a hand to her head. "Right, looks like I'm going to have to go over the notes I have for Naruto's lessons and modify them again."
Riou laughed lightly. "Don't try and act like you don't enjoy teaching him."
"I never said I didn't like doing so." Hinoe huffed. "I've never taught anyone like this before, and I do enjoy it, but that doesn't stop it being a lot of work for me."
Riou smiled as he shook his head. "I'll leave you to it then."
"Yeah, see ya." Hinoe waved him off, already working out a new schedule to get Naruto as up to scratch as she could for his trip to Iron Country in just two months.