Chapter 27
The wind howled by Naruto as he sat quietly looking at the rising sun. Three days had gone by and every morning he would watch the sun rise, over the destroyed village. The damage could be fixed... But the hearts of many couldn't. Naruto couldn't even face the hokage funeral. If he had been faster. He could have saved the old man.
He spent his time alone. Trying to get his aura calmed, from all the pain that was twisting round in his soul.
Hiruzen Sarutobi was like his grandfather. He was the first to except him. He smiled at the time they spent together... And had wished he could have spent more now. Naruto looked at his right palm and clenched his as he closed his eyes and clenched his teeth. The one who killed the old man would pay. Orochimaru will die a slow and painful one. Naruto wasn't about to let this go.
Lee was fine. But he had taken some serious damage to his body. But he would recover. Slowly.
Hinata was fine. Having helped protect those in the village with shinobi.
Each one of the rookies who could have had some part in it. Naruto had even gone to see Kikan. Who was in high spirits? Even with his whole side sliced, being put off duty in his shape. He was in high spirits... Naruto could only wonder why?
Naruto stood with a sigh. And slowly made his way down into the village. He needed something to heal his wounds...
"Sever me a large one old man!" Naruto roared as he sat down at the ramen bar. Ramen could his sorrows for now.
"Right away Naruto..." Naruto grinned as he sat there. His thoughts going over what would happen now? Who would become hokage and what would happen to the village in the mean time.
"So it's true, you do eat ramen any time of the day." Naruto froze with shiver. That voice... He glanced back to see the old pervert.
"Oi Ero-sennin. What you want now?" Jiraiya twitched at the name. The ramen girl chuckled as Jiraiya growled.
"Come with me..."
"Sorry, but I have ramen to eat... And touch me and I use my katana to cut you a new hole..." Naruto stated as a hand was going to grasp his shoulder.
Jiraiya sighed and sat on the chair. Ordering some ramen as well.
The pair didn't say anything as the ramen was set down. And both dug in.
"I saw how you handled the large points of the war... I've never seen that before." Naruto didn't reply as he ate. Nothing was going to stop him eating his ramen. This old coot would come last to his ramen. Jiraiya sighed and continued.
"Anyway, I've come to drag you along with me for a long term mission. I'll be searching for a teammate of mine and I've requested you to come along... Now I know we hit it off on a bad start. But I wish to train you as a pupil of mine. Teach you the ways of the toad sage and all. I'll even throw in some power jutsu... So, what do you say?" Jiraiya asked with a smile as he turned back to the blond's chair. Having been talking into his ramen.
All he was greeted with was the same monkey giving the middle finger Naruto had given Kankuro. The ramen girl chuckled and passed the bill to Jiraiya. With an annoyed grumble the old man took off. No little genin evades the great Jiraiya and leave him to pay a food bill.
And after 15 minutes.
"I can't find him anywhere..." Jiraiya muttered in defeat. This was not what he was expecting when he wanted to train his student's son.
"Man... You really do suck." Jiraiya blinked and turned around to see Naruto with his arms crossed.
"For a sannin... You're not very skilled." Jiraiya straightened himself and stared back at the blond. "Even for someone who trained the fourth."
"So you know that then do you?" Naruto nods.
"Of course. After meeting Orochimaru, I did a bit of background on the sannin. I studied a small bit of each and found you trained the fourth hokage."
"Then why do you insist on not being trained by me? You can't really expect me to believe you really know what you're passing up do you?" Naruto nods.
"Course I do... I've studied my skills alongside your background. We don't really match up. I use my sword and fists in combat. I have more in common with Tsunade or Orochimaru. You come under the area of ninjutsu. Why would I want to work in that area when I've got that covered to a good extent?"
"I can show you more things than you can imagine. The toad sage isn't as bad as you think. Come with me on this mission. And I'll prove to you I can help you improve..."
"Nope... I've got to go find Ryuunosuke-sensei. I'm looking to learn sword arts. Not anything else right now. "
'Geez... This kids got a one track mind.' "Tell you what, you don't come with me. I'll convince Ryuunosuke to stop training you."
"You wouldn't..." Naruto growled. He was stepping on a fine line.
"I will if you don't come. Now get yourself packed up. I'll see you at the gate in ten. If not. I'm finding him." With that Jiraiya took off.
"Oh you have got to be kidding me..." Naruto muttered to himself. "This old guy just doesn't know when to quit... He better be worth this hassle... If not... I'm serving him to Gai's turtles..." Naruto growled as he took off home.
Naruto grumbled as he walked up to the gate. Jiraiya stood there waiting by the gate wall. He glanced to Naruto. "Come on... Let's go..." With that they walked off.
"So... When do we begin this training then...?" Naruto grumbled.
"As soon as we get some distance. No point telling you and having you run off back to the village,"
"Tch... Like I would run off... If you're so eager to teach me... I may as well see what's so good." Jiraiya smiled.
"Then on ward!" 'It's best to get you out the village... Even though you may think you've won your right as a normal person in the village... You've only gone and made it harder...'
XXXXX
"If it's one of the sannin you want. Then I'll find you Tsunade."
"Then you shall take a team of anbu with you."
"I don't need a team of Anbu... I only require that child Naruto Uzumaki as my companion."
"Very well... It will safer knowing he's outside the village walls. Till he's deemed safe."
"You don't think he is?" Jiraiya questioned the elders.
"The boy is strong... But we don't know if it's his or the foxes doing. He is a danger to us if the fox take control. He has defeat a tailed demon with his power. He is unstable."
"You elders live in the past... This is something you should be embarrassing. The child will defend this village."
"That maybe true... But he is using something no one but himself can explain. And he will not. Till we can confirm he is of no danger to the village around him. We must keep him out as often as possible."
"So you'll throw this child out of the village because you fear the newest thing to the village's safety. Because you deem it not safe? You've got to be kidding me..."
"Just keep the jinchurriki, Naruto Uzumaki some distance from konoha. So that if he does lose control. The village is not in is attack line. Got that Jiraiya."
"Yeah... I got it."
XXXXX
The pair had travelled for a small number of hours. With the constant words being rung out. "Far enough yet?" With the reply. "No." Then. "Now?" Then... "No."
This was beginning to wear the wire on Jiraiya's nerves... Very, very thin...
"Now?"
"No!!!" Jiraiya yelled as he stopped by the sign post. "I will tell you when you can train."
"This sucks... I got dragged on a mission with you. And what do I get. An old man who has nothing better to do than bug a young boy. You weird or something...?" Jiraiya was beginning to think this boy, Minato's son or not. Wasn't worth his time. But he was stuck with him... What could he do to shut him up?
"Here... This will stop you bugging me... Read this old book of mine. If you say anything before we get there. I won't teach you anything till we find Tsunade." Naruto huffed as he caught the book.
"Whatever..." Naruto muttered as he opened the book. 'The tale of the gusty shinobi...'
With that, Jiraiya was at peace. He wasn't sure what book he had passed over. Could have been an old book he picked up to study others work. In order to see how other writers put their stories into context.
And in amazement. Nothing was silent in all this time. Even when they entered the town. Jiraiya glanced down as Naruto snapped the book shut.
"Enjoy it?"
"Oh yeah... I'm enjoying it." Naruto said with a smile.
"Good... So we'll get a room and rest for the time being. Then we'll move on in the morning."
"What? But you promised me training..."
"I said I would train you if you didn't bug me when we got to the town. You haven't so I will train you soon."
"Rip off..." Naruto huffed. Jiraiya sighed as he glanced up and the lovely woman who winked at him.
'Oh boy!' Jiraiya grinned as he passed the blond the keys. "Go rest in the room. I'll see you later." Naruto growled and huffed as he went to his room. If this old man was getting on his nerves.
Naruto sat in silence in his room for a half an hour or so before his door knocked. Naruto glanced to the door. What he could feel wasn't anyone he knew. He summoned his kodachi and fingered the hilt as he opened the door. He looked up at the two men in black cloaks with red clouds.
"Sorry guys. No body with that clothing here... I think you have the wrong room." Naruto replied. The taller blue skinned male spoke up.
"This is the Kyuubi jinchurriki? Doesn't look like much."
'Shit...' Naruto drew his blade.
The apartment exploded and Naruto sailed through the sky backwards. The two men following. Naruto growled and gripped his blade tight. "Kattoha!" Naruto yelled slashing the air.
"Kisame..." Itachi spoke. Kisame smirked and formed a jutsu. He shot two water bullets forward and they collided with the attacks. The pair skidded onto the roof as Naruto hopped back.
"What do you want?" Naruto asked as he summoned his wikizashi. He grasped both tight and got into stance. "If you have something against me. You picked the wrong foe to fight."
"Kid's cocky... I shave his legs clean off."
"Easy Kisame... Naruto Uzumaki is no ninja you should take on. You've heard the word spread out as much as I did."
Kisame snorted. "Like it's true... Look at him..." Kisame stated pointing his weapon at the blond. "Do you really think this squirt battled a demon form? Threw a giant snake and sent Orochimaru running with his tail between his legs? Fat chance. They only want to pump up their glory by saying their jinchurriki did it... Watch... I'll take him down in one swing."
Itachi would have palmed his face if he was any other person. "You're a fool Kisame."
"Hargh!" Kisame swung his sword.
"You know..." Naruto stated a he pressed the point of his left blade to the large weapon of Kisames. Stopping it. "You really should listen to what people say..." Naruto stated with a sigh. This guy wasn't any stronger than Zabuza. Naruto gripped his right blade and drew it back. Naruto then swung it up, slicing clean through the stunned male who was still trying to figure out what the blond had done to block his swing.
Kisame stumbled back in pain and Naruto stepped forward. The left on Kisame's right knee and as the blond jumped a strong right kick was delivered to Kisame's head. The akatsuki member flew off the roof and into the street below. Screams and yells for help being called. Naruto then turned his kodachi to still silent foe. "You want to follow him? Or would it be easier to walk off now and save you the trouble?"
"It is foolish to underestimate your foe... Especially one like me..." Itachi stated as he looked at the blond. His red eyes or the sharingan appeared before Naruto.
Naruto blinked as he felt his world spin. "This is genjutsu..."
"This is the power of the mangekyou... The strongest genjutsu known." Itachi stated. "Tsukuyomi..."
The pair remained silent for a second. Before Naruto dropped onto his hands and knees. His blades clattering to the ground. His body shaking as he gasped.
"The akatsuki want the Kyuubi... My mission is to bring you in. It was foolish to think you could escape."
"Y-you know what's foolish?" Naruto gasped out.
"What?" Itachi asked. Naruto smirked.
Naruto's body vanished. Itachi didn't move as Naruto appeared behind him. His katana drawn back. "Underestimating the jinchurriki's teamwork..." Naruto swung and Itachi burst into black birds. 'What? Kage bunshin...'
"You're skilled Naruto. I guess the kyuubi knows how the mangekyou works?"
"One who's been controlled by them eyes. Normally knows how to help others get passed it. The kyuubi made my body react like it did. I just played along." Naruto said as he looked at the Uchiha, who stood on a high ledge. "You're eyes won't work on me."
"Nor will you hit me..." Itachi stated.
"I'm game to try..." Naruto said with a grin.
Itachi exploded as a clone of Naruto stabbed Itachi in the back. Three shuriken dug into the clones back and it exploded.
"I told you... You won't hit me..." Naruto smirked as he faced Itachi. This was going to be fun.
"Itachi..." Naruto's smirk frowned at this new voice. He glanced over annoyed to see Sasuke. Who was glaring daggers at the older male?
"Ah... Hello Sasuke..." Itachi spoke glancing to his brother. "But I have no time to play now... I have other things more important to deal with."
"Where the hell were you?" Naruto spoke up to Sasuke. "You haven't been seen in a month. What you being doing all this time? Licking your wounds Hinata delivered to you?"
"Go to hell Naruto... This is my fight." Naruto snorted.
"Go suck on a lemon. This guy's not on your level. He's ten levels beyond you... Now if you excuse me... I have someone to defeat here."
Sasuke growled. Itachi was his business alone. No loser like Naruto was going to stop him. "Get lost! Itachi's will die by my hands alone!" Sasuke yelled throwing several shuriken at the blond. Hoping to be rid of him for the time being.
Naruto sighed as he swung his left arm up and a wall of wind knocked the shuriken up into the air. He then focused his left hand out at the Uchiha lad. "Buzz off..." Naruto said as a force of energy hit the Uchiha into the wall behind him. Before he could move. Several shuriken dug into his shirt and clothing. Pinning him there.
"Now that that's done with... Let's get back to business..."
"Argh!" Kisame yelled with a crazed look. His sword ready to crush the blond. Naruto sighed as the blade hit nothing and was blown back into the air. Naruto then elbow Kisame. And the height to elbow left Kisame's eyes watering. The sword then fell back down leaving the mist ninja seeing stars as the pain to his head appeared.
Kisame thudded to the floor with crossed in his eyes. Naruto sighed. Why were things so troublesome?
"Ok... Now... H-hey?" Naruto glanced about. "Where he go?" Naruto turned back to find Kisame gone. "Or for the love of... Why do the good fighters have to run away? Damn you!" Naruto yelled as he pointed to the sky. As if some deity was messing with his love to test his skills?
"Ugh!" Naruto's right eye twitched and turned to Sasuke. Who was trying to get out of the shuriken stuck position.
"This is all your fault Sasuke... Can't you just think for once and use them brain cells... Is everything you think about got nothing to do but with yourself? Seriously, how did Kakashi ever think you were worth his time as a genin...? You should have been sent off to get your head examined..." Naruto said as he knocked the shuriken down with a single swipe of his wikizashi as he sheathed the blades. "Just go home Sasuke... You are worth no body's time till you think straight." Naruto said walking off.
Sasuke glared holes into the blonds head as his eyes turned red.
The sudden screeching noise and a roar of. "Uzumkai!" Naruto sighed as turned to Sasuke, who had his right arm back. "Don't mock me!" Sasuke yelled attacking. Only for a wall of wind to block the raging lightning attack.
"That's it..." Naruto muttered with annoyed look. "I'm going to knock you into next month!" Naruto yelled as he punched forward. Sasuke spiralled through the air and crashed through the wall. Sasuke lay in rubble, unmoving and barely breathing. Naruto merely scowled. He then turned and vanished like the wind. Leaving the unconscious Uchiha to be found and brought back to the village twelve days later.
Jiraiya had returned to Naruto's room to find the blond sitting in the middle of a destroyed bed and completely destroyed wall. "I'm not paying for that."
"The hell you are... Leaving me to be hunted by a couple of men... Akatsuki or something."
"Ah... So they did follow us...? I guess I should have removed the genjutsu sooner...?" Jiraiya yelped as Naruto stood on his foot.
"So you knew? Right that's it come on were going..." Naruto stated leaving. And when Jiraiya didn't follow. Naruto thumped the sage over the head and dragged his out cold form with him out the town and down the road.
Jiraiya didn't wake till the next morning. And when they entered the next town. Jiraiya wanted to take his time before they left. It was time teach the blond his jutsu. The rasengan.
But of course he needed a reason to show it. So after a day of failing to get the right moment. Jiraiya just showed him as he set a bag of water balloons on the floor. What he got after he showed Naruto wasn't what he wanted to hear.
"That's it? That's the jutsu... That's easy." Jiraiya crossed his arms un amused by the blond.
"This is an, a-rank jutsu. It's not easy."
"Course it is... See..." Naruto said as he held his right hand out. The charka began to spiral and instantly the orb whirled to life. Jiraiya's jaw dropped so quickly and so far. You could only think that he had snake dna in his system.
"Th-that's th-the r-rasengan... H-how?" Jiraiya stammered out as Naruto ended the jutsu. He crossed his arms.
"It happened during the month training..."
XXXXXX
"God damn it... The theory sounded so much sounder than it is... A spinning sphere..." Naruto growled as he sat eating his ramen. Him and Hinata had been trying to form a sphere of spinning chakra. But was failing. "Why is it not working?" Naruto mussed as he began to eat his ramen.
"It is harder than we first thought..." Hinata muttered, she was depressed as well. She was hoping this would improve her image in front of her idol.
"The problem is doesn't spin. And when it does... Its breaks apart... My attack orbs do far better damage..." Naruto growled. Chi was so much easier to form. Why did chakra not work the same way?
"Maybe we're going at this wrongly...? Maybe we shouldn't be spinning chakra on way as an orb?"
"Then what? How do we..." Naruto blinked as he looked at his ramen. Hinata blinked.
"What's wrong?"
"Look... Look here..." Hinata looked over and blinked as she saw Naruto's ramen. This couldn't be right.
The ramen noodles were spinning clockwise while the Naruto in the ramen were spinning counter and the water was spinning clockwise.
"Rotating in different directions..." Naruto muttered as he scratched his head. He then looked up to the ramen chief. "Get me a pen and paper!"
As it was put before him Naruto began to put his idea's that seemed to come to him like a raging river. Hinata watched. Naruto drew a sphere. Then Hinata blinked as Naruto began to draw curved arrows in different directions. She blinked as she saw where he was going.
"Single set's of chakra rolling in all angles." Naruto nods.
"I don't know why... But some reason, it seems like its obvious now... By spiralling chakra in different directions. We grinned. Not cut. This where we were failing."
"But... How do we know this is the right idea?" Hinata asked. Naruto smiled as he pointed to his ramen.
"Water. We'll use water balloons to make them burst. This will be the first step."
"Right..." Hinata nods with a smile. Who knew Naruto could think of something like that so quickly.
XXXXXX
"After that... It followed out. It took 3 days to get it down. With Hinata's chakra control knowledge... And some of my own. We were able to quickly pop a set of water balloons. Course we only had a few weeks before the finals.
"I see..." 'Who'd have thought he would come up with the rasengan while making another jutsu.' "So what happened then?"
"Well... We had the idea of popping it. But we needed power. That was when I thought of a more solid form. Hinata thought of a rubber ball. But, we couldn't find any with water. Only air filled rubber balls. This made it harder to focus. This is when it got harder for Hinata and myself. As we had to use more chakra to destroy it."
"It is a rank for a reason... So what happened?"
"Hinata couldn't do it. So she worked on the next idea she thought of."
"That being?"
"Well... Hinata said that we would need to make sure we need to keep the sphere contained and keep it powerful. I could see where she was coming from. The jutsu would be incredibly unstable if the orb isn't contained correctly. So she went with the idea of using air filled balloons that we used for water. We need to make sure the jutsu continues to remain stable and yet pack a punch. This is all while in our spare time. And we knew we couldn't keep spending it trying to focus on the orb. So we decided we push it aside. And move onto the idea we were spinning off it."
"Go on..." Jiraiya asked. This was interesting to hear.
"Well... We had to make a flat stable disk like blade of chakra. We had the idea of the thread of chakra we could spin. We just needed the idea to hold it. As Hinata could only spin it within her fingers. This is where he case of the orb jutsu came in. Hinata is really good with chakra control. Far better than myself. She was able to form a wire of chakra in three disks on her palm. And was able hold it by connecting them with chakra. The chakra would spin like a blade. And would only work if she kept her palm flat. This form isn't as taxing on the chakra when I asked Hinata later on. And it's rather dangerous... And while she worked on that. I worked on the rasengan. Hinata is still working on it."
"So how did you complete it?"
"Well condensing it was the hard part. So I worked from big to small... Forming a larger orb and then shrinking it to make it more powerful. I did this with the help of shadow clones. Gai-sensei pointed out to me when he taught me the jutsu. Of its strengths and weaknesses. True that the jutsu would split my chakra out evenly to each of my clones. But with my levels it won't impact me too much. And that if I made to many clones. It would mentally exhaust me and most likely pass out. This was incredibly helpful what I fully focused on the sword skill. Because while I'm working my body to memories the body positions as my body improves. The clone can help with memorising the chakra control and focus of the jutsu."
"I must say... You have surprised me Naruto." Jiraiya stated. He never knew Naruto would have come up with that jutsu. Then it hit him. The jutsu took his father 3 years to make... But Naruto...
'3 weeks... Outstanding.'
"Good... So you got anything else then. Since Rasengan is no good now..." Jiraiya rubbed his chin.
"Give me some time."
"Great..." Naruto growled. "More waiting..."
"But, because of the fact you've proven your worth as a student to come up with the 4ths own jutsu on your own. We shall move on ahead of time to find Tsunade. Let's go..."
"Woah, woah, woah... Can we rest first? Seriously, it's the end of the day for crying out loud."
"Ok, ok... We'll rest. Then go on. I promise you, I will have a jutsu for you soon for you to learn."
"You better..." Naruto grumbled as they walked into the town again. "Can I choose where to eat?"
"As long as you pay..."
"Oh that sucks..." Naruto grumbled.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Haha, that was an interesting out come... And yes I came up with that whole event with Naruto and Hinata on the spot. But the rasengan idea being known came at the time of the chunin exam.
I hope you've all enjoyed this. And I seriously loved the nut crunching and head bashing scenario with Kisame. Haha.
I hope this story seems sound. And yes, I'm owning Sasuke too much. But seriously, he will remain a emo arrogant jerk. And I'm sort of sticking to the Madara said to Naruto in the manga. Naruto and Sasuke will always fight each other. But in this case Naruto will always win.
I have already received the outcome to Tsunade. I hope it comes out well. And we are slowly getting closer to the end of this story. Also does anyone know which member of the sound four I killed off? I don't think I was clear. But I know who I did. So can you guess?
Till next time my readers!