Greetings and Bienvenue, True Believers. Heh, just a little V.V. Argost humor for you before we get started on the fanfic. Well, it took a lot of effort; but with the help of my beta-reader, symbiotic, I managed to finally pull it off. Speaking of which, I feel it is high time that he recieve credit for officially naming Naruto's X-Men team, Idenshi-X. Now, when we last left our young, mutant shinobi, they had finally succeeded in taking the bells from Kurenai, but not before she was caught in an illusion that Sasuke created by copying her powers! Now, as she wakens from the event, what lies instore for Naruto and his friends? Read on to find out what happens next...
Chapter 15: Parental Control.
"Ugh, my aching head," groaned Kurenai groggily as she tried to rise to a sitting position and rubbed at her eyes sleepily. She had been dealt her fair share of blows to the head in her time as a Jounin, and a number of them had left her with more than just a splitting headache the following morning. But what Sasuke had done by turning her own powers against her may have been the worst of those ordeals so far. Even now her head was still ringing. That aside, she had to admit they had thought out their plan pretty well. They'd beaten her after all and managed to retrieve the bells without much of an effort.
"That's the last time I every let my guard down fighting those kids," she mumbled as she rose shakily to her feet and looked around. "Heh, great," she sighed sarcastically as she surveyed her surroundings, which reminded her of an old Eagles song she'd heard as a Chunin. 'Welcome to the Hotel California.' While she had hoped to awaken to find herself on the soft, grassy lawn of the Namikaze Estates, she was instead greeted by the gloomy, dark interior of what appeared to be a small, black box. It was spacious enough to allow her to stand and spread her arms out in four directions, yet restricting enough that she couldn't walk but two full steps without hitting a genuinely solid wall. Simple, yet annoyingly effective. Sasuke could hold this illusion for hours (if he so chose to) without so much as breaking a sweat.
"I'll say this for him," she admitted approvingly to herself as she carefully felt her hands along the walls of the box, in search of some sort of weak point, "he's a pretty smart kid." Just as she said this, she felt a gentle sensation caress the open palm of her left hand, caused her to smile coyly in sly satisfaction. Her hand had just run over a small fissure in the north wall of the box, one that was large enough to allow "air" to flow through. Though she knew that what her senses registered as a wafting breeze was in reality a small thread of Sasuke's thoughts that he had allowed to flow through the box in order to create and maintain it.
'Where ever there's an impressive idea,' she reasoned factually as she mustered her own mental strength behind one of her fists and drew it back, poised to strike, 'there's a shred of the imagination that spawned it!' With a harsh "Ki-ya!" her arm shot out in a powerful straight punch that connected against the side of the box where the fissure lay. Seconds later, a series of miniscule, hairline cracks spidered out from the point of impact and spread to all sides of the box. In an ear-splitting crash, the box unceremoniously shattered, allowing Kurenai to be engulfed in a blinding white light.
'They've got a lot to learn,' she smiled knowingly as she allowed the light to take her, sending her mind back to her own body. 'And... I don't think I mind too terribly that I'll be the one teaching them.'
Having successfully broken through Sasuke's ingenious illusion, Kurenai immediately bolted upright from where she lay on the back lawn of the Namikaze Estates, panting slightly from her efforts and wincing at the small headache she'd developed as a result of her capture. Surprisingly, she looked up to see that she was surrounded by Naruto, Sasuke (who was painfully massaging his right temple from the effects of psionic backlash that her escape had caused) and Sakura, who all regarded her with looks of sincere concern. For a moment, she was a bit confused, but then she remembered that this was only an exercise and she relaxed.
"Are you alright, Kurenai-sensei?" Sakura asked, concern and slight worry staining her voice.
"Yes, I'm fine Sakura," smiled Kurenai pleasantly as she slowly rose to her feet, wincing slightly with the sudden flare up of a massive migraine as she rose, but smiling to reassure them she was truly okay. "I will say this though: I don't think I've been happier to be out of that box. Good job by the way Sasuke, that was an excellent illusion. I don't think I could've done much better myself."
"Hmph," shrugged the Uchiha nonchalantly. "Thanks, I guess."
"Still, I'm glad you're okay Kurenai-sensei," Naruto admitted truthfully as he got to his feet and began working an annoying kink out of his shoulder blade. "By the way, think you may have lost something when you fell." Satisfied that the pain had gone down a bit, he wordlessly reached into his left jacket pocket and triumphantly produced the pair of jingle-bells that they had successfully managed to take from her. "I guess this means that we won then," he grinned slyly, twitching his hand just enough to get the bells chiming in a soft ring of victory.
"Heh, I guess so," admitted Kurenai with a good-natured chuckle at the blonde's enthusiasm, extending her hand to signal Naruto that it was okay to give the bells back to her now. As he handed them over, Kurenai allowed her eyes to dart over in the direction of the patio for a moment. Sitting calmly at the table where they had been only minutes earlier, Sarutobi watched her reactions with quiet understanding. After a quick puff on his long pipe, he gave her a warm smile and nodded his head slightly in agreement. Happily returning his smile, Kurenai shifted her gaze back to the three Genin before her and gave them the same comforting look. "Well then, a deal's a deal. You've all three shown me that you have what it takes to be willing to work together and use your abilities to achieve great things. I'll be more than happy to be your team's new sensei."
"You really mean it?" Naruto questioned skeptically, though there was a detectable hint of hope and excitement in his voice.
"Of course I mean it Naruto," laughed Kurenai in amusement. At that moment, she could've sworn that she'd never seen a more happier child than Naruto. The very second she confirmed her acceptance as their new sensei, the blonde let out a joyous yell of excitement and leapt straight into the air, punching his fist skyward at the height of his jump. Sakura had somewhat of a similar reaction, though not as over-the-top as Naruto's, as she happily gave her whiskered teammate a well-met high-five once he came back down. Sasuke simply smirked at the news, barely even batting an eye as though he had expected this all along.
'Well Kurenai,' she said to herself calmly, watching at least two of her new charges celebrate their victory. 'Looks like you'll be training two groups of promising young shinobi. I hope Kiba's not going to be too disappointed.' Considering that such thoughts were best left for later, she turned her attention back to the mutant Genin before her and motioned for Naruto and Sakura to settle down. "Alright, alright, let's bring it all in," she urged them firmly; just enough to let them know that it was time to get to work. "Now, seeing as I'm your new sensei, I say we start on some mental strength training. As you saw earlier with my illusions, your mind's need as much training as your bodies do. So, if you're ready, then let's begin."
A Week and Two Days Later...
Things had really taken off for Idenshi-X following their success in completing Kurenai's Bell Test. Though a bit apprehensive at having a person who could know your every though by their side, Naruto and his friends quickly began to warm up to the idea of having her training them. She in turn used every opportunity she had to help them learn how to fine-tune their control over their newfound powers, teaching them everything she had learned on her own. When she wasn't coaching them about how to use their abilities, she was working on their teamwork skills and forging them into a stronger squad. Although she wasn't sure about some things, such as how to combat certain metahumans, Naruto was more than willing to give his advice and she happily accepted it.
Right now, however, she had more pressing matters to attend to than reminiscing on their short nine days together. She was deeply engrossed in accessing her new charges' performance in the exercise they were currently tasked with. Following the bell test, Sakura had adamantly pleaded with Naruto to finish their unfinished tour of the Namikaze Estate, which he agreed to do seeing as Kurenai admitted that she wished to see more of the mansion as well. Halfway into the tour, he introduced them to a spacious room on the ground floor that he had rightly nicknamed, the "Sweat Shop". It was a large, metallic room twice the size of a standard living room, yet it was crafted with sensors and lenses made from advanced Shi'ar technology that projected solid hard-light images onto the air, capable of creating a vast array of training scenarios. Naruto had said that it was the sister-model of the Danger Room back in Westchester and, after a brief explanation, she had immediately assigned it as a regular part of their training regiment. Even now, as she watched them combat the holographic 'phantoms' of a mock Sentinel attack on New York City from the control center above, she was analyzing every move they made, looking for ways to help them improve and fine-tune their control over their powers.
"Hmm," she mused thoughtfully as she watched Sakura back flip away from a Sentinel's massive fist as it crashed to the pavement where she once stood. The pink-haired kunoichi swiftly responded with a powerful beam of beta-energy to the mechanical behemoth's chest cavity, causing it to stumble backwards and slam into one of it's contemporaries that menaced a group of civilians. The stunned machine then fell over itself and toppled into a building, tearing open the face of the structure before damaging one of its articular joints on a jagged girder. As it attempted to right itself, Naruto sprang into action and tore open the back of its head with his plasma claws, exposing the beast's central processor for Sakura to vaporize with another tightly focused blast of white-hot energy.
"Sakura seems to be getting the hang of controlling the output of power on her energy blasts, good," she muttered aloud contently as she turned her attention to Sasuke, who was using his Sharingan to anticipate the Sentinel's movements and properly counterattack with the plasma claws he'd 'borrowed' from Naruto. Although these opponents were not what they were all used to fighting, both Kurenai and her new team quickly picked up on these mechanized monstrosities' weaknesses and found ways to work together to defeat them.
Even now, the Uchiha nimbly leapt aside to avoid being crushed underneath one of the robot's heels, and then lashed out with a slash at the beast's exposed joints that substituted for its Achilles Tendon as it came down. The mechanical creature shuddered for a moment, then fell to one knee as it suddenly lost mobility in its right leg. Seeing the opening, Naruto quickly lined up the Sentinel's head from where he stood with his claws, then snapped off a short burst of Kami Hanabi, which decimated its brains with a thunderous explosion. "Naruto and Sasuke's teamwork and synergy is also improving as well," she observed poignantly as they continued with the exercise, chuckling at memory from the first time she saw them. 'Heh, it's a hell of a lot better than having them argue in mid-combat like they usually do."
Inside the simulation, Naruto gave Sasuke a momentary thumbs-up before turning his attention back to a duo of Sentinels that loomed menacingly over a busy intersection, its haunting eyes emitting the same eerie glow that sent mutants running in terror... well, most mutants. Naruto, however, was somewhat of a special case. Leaping from carhood to carhood, he slowly closed the gap between himself and the huge giant before him. With one last powerful jump, he launched himself at a nearby brick apartment building, kicked off the side using a chakra-assisted foot and descended upon the monster, his face contorted in a gleeful war-cry. He immediately dug his claws deep into the robot's metal hide on impact, then scurried around to its back and out of reach of its oversized digits. As it twisted and turned in its attempts to dislodge him, Naruto spotted Sasuke and Sakura evacuating some civilians and gave a short, shrill whistle in their general direction. Hearing his call over the dull roar of panicking humans, the two made sure the people were safe, then turned to give him their aid. Skirting around its shuffling legs with superhuman agility, Sasuke repeated his earlier action with the creature's thick ankles and leapt clear, Naruto following suit close behind as he released his hold on the robot's back. Seconds later, the Sentinel dropped to the street with a raucous THOOM!, its spinal column severed by one of Sakura's energy blasts.
'Epic battles, civilians in peril, and nonstop action around every corner,' thought Naruto with a satisfied smirk as he hit the ground in a low crouch, the heat radiating from the Sentinel's smoking frame warm on his back. 'Now this is the kind of training I live for!' Yet, despite the fact that he was enjoying himself in a training environment he was most comfortable in, he caught himself glancing suspiciously to his right, knowing that behind the ingenious hologram Kurenai was most likely taking notes on their performance. 'Too bad we've gotta be watched like little kids the entire time though. But then again, Dad, Scott, and Cable all used to do the same thing back home.'
His thoughts were interrupted, however, by the scream of numerous high-powered thruster jets, heralding the arrival of more inbound Sentinels. Directing his gaze towards their new targets, the young X-Man enthusiastically pumped another surge of chakra into his claws, readying himself to attack once more. Beside him, he heard a soft grunt of momentary discomfort as Sasuke again 'borrowed' Sakura's powers for double the advantage. Looking back to ensure his teammates were ready, he saw Sakura give Sasuke a happy smile, which the dark-haired by returned as he manifested an aura of beta-energy around his clawed hands. Then, just as suddenly as they had begun their ominous descent, the Sentinels abruptly froze mid-flight, hovering in the air. Clearly surprised by what had happened, all three mutants turned their attention to the rest of the holographic surroundings, only to find that it was frozen as well. Bricks halted mid-air, inches before they fell to the crowded streets below; panicking civilians were abruptly locked in the process of fleeing in terror; even the flames from the Sentinel's booster rockets had stopped dead in empty space.
"What's going on here dobe?" Sasuke demanded in an annoyed tone, deactivating his Sharingan and releasing his copied mutations.
"Don't look me Sasuke-teme," Naruto rebutted defensively, sheathing his claws as he tried to make sense of what was happening. "I didn't do anything. I was actually looking forward to blasting some more Sentinels into the scrapheap."
"My deepest apologies, Naruto-kun," answered Cerebra's sincere, echoing voice as her shimmering, blue image materialized before the three of them. "But, it was I who paused the simulation."
"Please tell me you had good reason in doing so Cerebra," pleaded Naruto, a noticeable hint of irritation and disappointment in his voice as he spoke. His eyes darted to the right for a moment, the odd sight of a flock fleeing pigeons hanging in midair distracting him momentarily. "We were about to set a new record for this simulation when you interrupted!"
"Yes, I understand that and you have my sincerest of regrets for disturbing the three of you while you were in the middle of training," replied the A.I. sympathetically as it over rid the projection commands for the simulation, returning the room to it's original, metallic state. "However, I simply wished to inform you that your father wishes to speak with you."
"Dad?!" exclaimed Naruto in pleased surprise, the news causing him to forget all about his annoyance with Cerebra. Upon hearing the mention of Naruto's father, Sasuke and Sakura both felt a bit of genuine excitement take root within them. They'd heard a lot of stories about Wolverine through their conversations with Naruto and Kakashi, yet they didn't really know much about him. Now it seemed like they were finally going to get the chance to meet him! However, based on what they had heard, they also began to wonder if that was a good thing. Sakura was truly excited to get a chance to meet Naruto's father (having heard about him for so long), however she was still a little nervous because of his 'bloody' reputation. Sasuke wasn't as much hesitant as he was curious. With someone as merciless as Wolverine on his side, his goal could be accomplished twice as fast and there was so much he could learn from him too.
"Yes, indeed," confirmed Cerebra with a warm smile, reminding him of his Aunt Moira for a second. "He wishes to know how things are progressing in the village, and with your new team. If you like, I'll put him on screen."
"Put him through," replied the blonde anxiously, barely keeping a lid on his excitement. Nodding slightly in compliance, Cerebra's face became blank for a moment, and then began to flicker and reshape itself as it took on the form of Wolverine's head. As the A.I.'s transformation continued, the silver, automatic door leading to the room retracted to allow a concerned Kurenai entrance into the eminent conversation.
"What's going on?" she asked immediately, confused by the shifting form of Cerebra's holographic image. "Why did the simulation stop? You three were doing really well."
"Cerebra deactivated the program to tell Naruto his dad wanted to talk to him," answered Sakura absent-minded as she continued to watch the A.I.'s transformation with a strong sense of amazement and curiosity. She had gotten to know Cerebra pretty well over the past few days, but she had learned by now that she was full of surprises indeed.
'Naruto's... father?' thought Kurenai warily as she turned her attention back to the reforming, amorphous mass that was Cerebra's face. She had heard both Kakashi and Sarutobi tell extremely vivid war stories about Wolverine's savage bloodlust in battle and his efficiency against Iwagakure's forces during the Third Great Shinobi War, and remembering those tales sent shivers down her spine. If that's what he was like in combat, then what could he possibly be like in a normal setting?
Now, as the four of them watched her, the strange metamorphosis finally completed and the gruff face of Wolverine now hovered were Cerebra's once did. This was the first time that Sasuke, Sakura, and Kurenai had ever laid eyes on the man, but they could immediately tell he was not someone to mess with. He had a handsome face that looked as though it had been chiseled from raw stone, a faint tinge of black stubble speckling his strong chin. His jet black hair was slicked back a bit, but flared out at the sides to resemble something similar to a bat's ears and his eyes held a sort of cold determination within them, letting all who met his gaze know that if they were enemies that he'd kill them just as soon as look at them. However, this steel-hard gaze softened visibly as his eyes fell on Naruto.
"Naruto," he said in a fatherly tone. "It's good to see you again. Feels like the last time we talked like this, you were still in the Academy."
"Aw, come on Dad," Naruto insisted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke. "It hasn't been that long. Still, it's good to see you again. How are things back in the States? Is everyone getting along alright?"
"Yeah, everything's going just fine," Logan said, though he paused hesitantly after that, his expression showing that he'd remembered something contrary to what he'd just said. "Well, almost everything. There's been a couple attacks on the Institute lately. Nothin' major, just the Blob and a bunch'a other dumb-asses who think they're hot stuff. Also, there was a small 'incident' with Venom a few weeks ago that left a lot of us black 'n blue. I've been tryin' to track him down for a couple days now to... 'repay' him fer his visit, but I lost the trail somewhere around JFK International Airport. Thinkin' maybe he skipped town."
"Heh, don't sweat it Dad," smirked the young X-Man nonchalantly. "He'll turn up eventually."
"All the same, you should probably keep an eye out for him in your neck of the woods too," warned Logan precautiously. "A lotta people may not know about the Elemental Nations, but it's better to be safe then sorry, especially were ole' Fang-'n-Tongue is concerned. That sucker's got a bad habit of poppin' up when you least expect it."
"I'll make sure to keep that in mind Dad," Naruto reassured him calmly.
"Good," replied Wolverine, satisfied by his response. It was then that he noticed Sasuke, Sakura, and Kurenai standing a few feet behind Naruto, still watching their conversation in captivated intrigue. "So, aren't you going to introduce to your friends, son?"
Naruto was puzzled for a moment, wondering what his father meant by that. Then he remembered about his friends, and turned to give his dad an introduction. "Oh, right," he said in embarrassment, mentally kicking himself for forgetting his teammates and sensei. "Sorry. Dad, this is Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura, and Yuuhi Kurenai. Sasuke and Sakura are the first two members of Idenshi-X, and Kurenai is our new Jounin-sensei."
"It's nice to finally meet you," Logan intoned respectfully, the holographic form of his head inclining forwards to indicate that he was bowing to them. The three of them started for a moment at seeing someone who was supposed to be a savage killer act so polite, but they thanked him and returned his bow. "As my son has probably told you, my name is James Howlett, though I prefer to be called Logan. But when I'm working, people call me Wolverine." Having said this, Wolverine turned his head back to Naruto. "So, they're mutants, aren't they?"
"Heh, see for yourself Dad," chuckled the blonde in slight amusement, gesturing subtly to Sasuke and Sakura to demonstrate their abilities for his father. A little hesitant at first, seeing as Logan's very gaze unnerved her, Sakura finally took a deep breath to calm herself and shut her eyes tight in quiet concentration. Almost a millisecond later, twin orbs of spiraling, golden beta energy had materialized around her hands. Beside her, Sasuke's dark eyes became blood-red as he invoked his Sharingan to trigger his own mutation and lightly tapped Naruto and Sakura's arms. Both of them shuddered uncomfortably for a moment as the sudden transfer of power took place, while Sasuke grinned madly as the now all too familiar rush of power overwhelmed him. Once all was said and done, the Uchiha proudly sported a set of blazing plasma claws at the tips of his fingers like Naruto and his hands were wreathed in a warm halo of beta energy like Sakura's were.
"Impressive," nodded Logan sincerely as his critical gaze swept over the two Genin. "A kunoichi with energy powers, and an Uchiha with powers like Rogue's, kinda ironic." Then his eyes fell on Kurenai, who had yet to give him a demonstration of her abilities. Her calm, icy stare somewhat unsettled Wolverine when they gaze met. Logan had known many women in his life, and had seen them all display a vast range of emotions when interacting with him in their relationship. And right now, Kurenai's feelings were as plain to see as the nose on her face: her cold, relaxed demeanor spoke of someone who was willing to go to any length to protect her students. Truth be told, she reminded him of a mother wolf defending her pups from a predatory. "And what can you do, darlin'?" he questioned guardedly, not wanting to provoke her.
"Kurenai-sensei here is a psion," interjected Naruto quickly, sensing some latent tension beginning to build between the two of them, "and a pretty powerful one at that. She can create incredibly convincing illusions that feel so real that her opponent's bodies actually feel pain if it's inflicted in her mirages."
"Really?" wondered Logan aloud, prompting a curt nod of confirmation from Naruto. "And how'd you find out that Naruto?"
"She used her abilities on us when she tested us to see how we'd work as a team," Sasuke answered coolly, cutting off Naruto who was trying to think of a way to break that information to his father in a less blunt matter at that point. Now that the cat was out of the bag however, Naruto could see his father's expression begin to harden in disguised indignation at the thought of him in peril, causing him face-palm in annoyance at the situation Sasuke'd just put Kurenai in. His father wasn't trying to play nice with Kurenai now. Just the very mention of someone who was supposed to protect him intentionally harming him was enough to set Logan on edge.
'Oh boy,' sighed the blonde regrettably. 'This ain't gonna be pretty.'
"Is that so?" questioned Wolverine sarcastically, his eyebrows narrowing at Kurenai and paternal rage staining his voice with malice as he spoke. "Naruto, could you and your friends give me and your sensei a moment here? I'd like to talk to her fer a sec about our teaching methods."
"Sure, no problem Dad," agreed Naruto swiftly and compliantly, herding both Sasuke and Sakura out of earshot of their possibly heated conversation with considerable haste. When Sasuke attempted to protest, Naruto promptly clapped a hand over his mouth and motioned for him to shut-the-hell-up. "Trust me teme, that's one talk you don't want any part of. Believe me."
Once Naruto and company were far enough away from them, Logan turned his attention back to Kurenai, who met his cold, steely gaze with a calm, reserved stare of her own. Both of them took their time before they spoke, wordlessly sizing one another up and readying their arsenal of comebacks for their little discussion. After what seemed like an eternity of deafening silence, the gruff X-Man finally spoke up. "Alright lady," he snarled in annoyance as he looked her straight in the eye. "I can understand trying to test their abilities and all, but let's get somethin' straight here and now. You had no right to use your powers on my son, or even his friends, simply to prove a point like you did. Now, I'll just say this right off the bat, I don't trust you as far as I could throw you."
"Trust me Howlett-san," glared Kurenai venomously at the man's blunt rudeness, feeling rightly insulted, "the feeling is mutual."
Now that sort of surprised Logan. Sure, he'd been in relationships with stubborn women in the past, but it was still something he'd never really get used to about all women in general. Although his thoughts were a bit addled by her viper-like comeback, his expression remained unchanged. He'd learned long ago that sometimes your emotions were best to be kept under wraps, especially around shinobi. "In any case," he continued steadfastly, "knowing that my son is going to be learning from you, I'd like to lay down a few ground rules. First off, no more brain-jacking whatsoever. That goes fer the other two as well. I don't care if they're being disobedient or whatever, it's just not the right thing to do. This also applies to keeping tabs on Naruto when he's not training. What he does outside of your teaching is his business, not yours."
"I can agree with those terms," nodded Kurenai respectfully, knowing in her mind that something like that was something unspeakable for her to even think of doing. "You are right, forcing them into something against their will is wrong and I would never willingly do that to any of them." Even if she was supposed to be their teacher first, she still knew there was a fine line between willing obedience and mind-rape. And that was a line she'd sworn never to cross, since the day she finally managed to master her powers onward. If she was to receive any respect from her students, it would be through her own teaching skills and not induced by her powers.
"Good," replied the X-Man contentedly, his tense mood lightening ever so slightly at this news. "Next issue, I don't want them facing any extreme shinobi threats."
"Excuse me?" questioned the Jounin in shocked disbelief. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. "Why would they be prohibited from fulfilling their duty to our village? They are old enough to decide for themselves if they're capable of taking on any threat that they face, no matter what the danger, and I don't see why they should be given special treatment just because they're mutants!"
"Listen Kurenai," Logan reasoned in mild irritation, trying hard to reign in his famous hair-trigger temper as he spoke. "The fact of the matter is, these kids are special. They're different from everyone else and giving them too much face-time this early on in their training as X-Men will spark a lotta animosity, especially as far as the rest of the village's non-shinobi population is concerned. The reality of it is, people always fear what's different than them. That being said, I honestly don't think-"
"Well, I'm sorry Logan-san," Kurenai snapped in genuine anger, cutting off Wolverine abruptly, "but animosity or not, these children are going to serve this village any way they can, and if that means facing shinobi that are more powerful or skilled than they are, then so be it. They won't see any special treatment simply because you are letting your responsibilities as a parent cloud your judgment! All three of them have and feel an obligation to protect this village and its inhabitants, regardless of how they are treated by others for doing so." By this time, an enraged snarl had manifested itself on Wolverine's tense visage and his dark eyes had become like two boiling pits of malice as he glared at Kurenai for insulting him so brazenly.
"Lady...," began the X-Man angrily, furrowing his eyebrows as his voice became somewhat of a low, animalistic growl.
"Try as you might to intimidate me Logan-san, I'm not afraid of you," rebutted the Jounin confidently, looking the growling Wolverine straight in the eye unflinchingly as she spoke to him. "I don't care what you can do or what you've done in the past; you're reputation means nothing to me at all." After saying this, Kurenai's deadly-serious expression seemed to visibly soften slightly, causing Logan to forget his angry for a moment, curious as to her abrupt change in emotion. "Look," she continued more calmly this time, "I know that you care deeply for your son, but the fact of the matter is, he's my responsibility as well, just as Sasuke and Sakura are. I can't promise you that I won't keep any of them from facing opponents that I deem are more than they can deal with, but I will promise that I will do in my power to watch over them and keep them safe. But, I won't hold them back if I feel they are able to handle things by themselves. Can we at least agree on that for now?"
"... Fair enough," grumbled Logan, reluctantly agreeing to Kurenai's reasonable terms. Although he wouldn't admit it aloud, Kurenai was something else indeed. There were very few people out there who were gutsy enough to risk life-and-limb by standing up to him like that, and it was sort of refreshing to see that sort of unshakeable confidence in his son's new sensei. Perhaps there was more to her than he'd first thought.
"Good," smiled Kurenai, happy that they had both managed to reach a mutual agreement on the subject of Idenshi-X's training and her handling of them as a team. Needless to say, she was rather intrigued by Logan's reactions to her proposals and objections. He seemed to always try and keep his emotions in check and not allow himself to fly off the handle in anger. Maybe he wasn't the rage driven beast that all the veteran Jounin spoke of in terrified tones when recalling his bloody escapades in the last Great Shinobi War. "Well, now that we've finally sorted that out, I think you may have cut your son out of the conversation to argue with me. What do you say we get back to him?"
"Of course," Logan agreed calmly, his thoughts returning to speaking with his son as his holographic form floated silently over to the spot where Naruto and his friends had moved to, Kurenai quietly following a few feet behind him.
While Kurenai and Logan had been preoccupied with wrapping up their argument, Naruto and company stood off to the side, well out of earshot of what the blonde was sure to be one seriously heated conversation. He of all people knew how apprehensive his father was when it came to his safety, and just how angry he became whenever he felt that he was threatened. "Man, I hope Dad isn't being too hard on Kurenai-sensei," he thought aloud as he cast a fleeing glace over at the two arguing adults, before turning his gaze back to the person who'd initially instigated their little spat, Sasuke. "Damn it teme, why the heck did you have to go and tell him that?! I would've found a way to break it to him without making him angry at her like that!"
"Why are you talking to me like this is my fault?!" retorted the dark-haired Uchiha in annoyance, a vein manifesting itself above his left temple.
"Because it is your fault, dumb-ass!" rebutted Naruto truthfully. "If you hadn't told him about her test, then he wouldn't be over there about to rip our sensei's head off!"
"Hey, he wanted to know you knew about her mutation and I told him," answered Sasuke spitefully. "It's not my fault your Dad's got issues!" Now, that stuck a raw nerve with Naruto. No sooner had those words left the Uchiha heir's lips than the air around Naruto's hands began to snap and pop in protest as one by one his plasma claws flickered into existence, the heat surrounding them steadily rising as his anger rose with it.
"Hold it right there you two!" remarked Sakura firmly, quickly stepping in-between the two rivals just as Sasuke was about to trigger his Sharingan. Seeing as she was in their line of fire, and rightly upset by their anger with one another, both Naruto and Sasuke let go of their growing hostility and powered down. "Look, I don't care whose fault it is alright? What's done is done and there's no need for the two of you to fight over who started this, okay?"
"... You're right Sakura," admitted Naruto reluctantly, realizing that his temper had gotten the better of him once more. "Sorry about that Sasuke," he apologized half-heartedly to the Uchiha heir, though part of him was still angry with the dark-haired boy.
"Hmph, whatever," scoffed Sasuke nonchalantly in response, not seeing why he had to apologize for Naruto's idiocy. If they had been anywhere else but here, Naruto probably would've responded to his too-cool attitude by trying to gut him like a hooked fish. But his anger quickly subsided as he spotted Kurenai and his father's hologram approaching the three of them, apparently having finished their conversation.
"Okay son," the X-Man said reassuringly as he sidled up next to him. "Parent-Teacher conferences are over."
"So, what'd you two talk about Dad?" Naruto asked curiously, mentally breathing a sigh of relief at seeing his father leagues calmer than he had been a few moments ago, his own anger with Sasuke swiftly forgotten.
"Just like I told you, teaching methods," Logan replied firmly, the stern look in his eyes quietly telling Naruto to drop the subject for now. "That's all there was to it."
'Yeah right,' scoffed Sasuke in the back of his mind as he eyed the floating head skeptically. 'If looks could kill, Kurenai-sensei would already be dead ten times over by now.'
"Fair enough," Naruto nodded compliantly, getting the hidden message behind his father's steely expression. "So, Dad, when am I going to see you again? It's just that... it's been so long since I left for the village, and I can't wait to show you everything I've learned here."
"I understand son, really," Logan acknowledged, his eyes suddenly clouding with paternal regret from what he was about to tell him, "and I can't wait for you to show me. However, that's one of the reasons why I called. I hate to say it, but I've got good news and bad news as far as a visit is concerned."
"Okay then," the young X-Man said in solemn understanding, a sense of unease coming over him. "You'd probably better give me the bad news first."
"Alright," Wolverine agreed coolly. "The bad news is, I ain't gonna be coming in for quite a while now. There's a lotta stuff going on stateside that really needs the X-Men's attention, and there've been some rumors going around about renewed mutant activity in Egypt, right around where ole' Grey-Lips' tomb is. With all this goin' on, Chuck wants me to stay with the team for now until we can get everything sorted out."
"Right, I understand Dad," Naruto replied sincerely, swallowing the sudden urge to gulp audibly at what his father had just said. Simply mention their own private nickname for that guy was enough to cause the hackles on the back of Naruto's neck to stand on end in apprehension and paranoia. He knew all too well who his father was talking about, and he did not want to think about what would happen if he ever came back again. As much as he wanted to see his father again, he knew that his Dad needed to be where he was. "So, what's the good news then?"
"Well," Logan continued dutifully, a lighter tone in his voice at delivering this part of the message, "since I ain't gonna be able to drop by any time soon, Chuck thought he'd make it up to you by issuing some of the others a little... 'mandatory vacation-time', if you will."
"You mean...?" Naruto began excitedly, his previously dour mood now lightened by what his father was saying.
"Yep, some of the gang'll be dropping by in a few weeks to spend some time off in the village," answered Logan with a sly grin, happy to see he'd at least given his son some worthwhile news for once. "Cyke's been beatin' himself up too much because of what happened to Jean, so Chuck an' Frost decided he could use a vacation to get away from it all. Well, once word got around, a couple of the others wanted to tag along to see how you're makin' out for yourself in Konoha."
"Alright!!" yelled Naruto joyously at the thought of a visit from his family. While he was busy celebrating, Kurenai and the others were all wondering the same thing: what will they be like? Of course, they'd all heard stories from Naruto about what his family was like and what they could do, but all that would be nothing compared to seeing them in person. As they mulled this over in the back of their curious minds, Naruto turned his attention back to his father's shimmering form. "So, who all's coming, Dad?"
"Eh, just a couple people besides Cyke," shrugged Wolverine nonchalantly as he smiled inwardly at his son's happiness. "I think Hank said something about wantin' to study the effects of chakra up close, and the Cajun an' Rogue were talkin' about gettin' in some 'alone time' while they were there. But aside from those three, I'm not sure who else is gonna be taggin' along for the ride, 'cept maybe Parker."
"Peter's coming too?" exclaimed the young X-Man in surprise, seeing as he'd never expected to see the Wall-Crawler around the Elemental Nations.
"Yeah," confirmed Logan calmly, understanding his son's reaction, "sounded weird to me too. But, Parker said somethin' about J.J. wantin' him to cover some big story brewing in the Elemental Nations by himself, so he decided to call in one of the favors we owe him and hitch a ride to the village."
"Hmph, figure's Jameson had something to do with it," Naruto rebutted coldly, expressing both of their obviously low opinions on the Bugle's 'illustrious' editor. If it was big news and he could find some way to dramatically deface the public image of metahumans in the process, J. Jonah Jameson would make sure he had the story first. "Still, it'll be nice to see him again, along with everyone else that's coming too."
"Good, I'm glad to hear that son," smiled Wolverine complacently for a moment. Then, something seemed to catch the senior X-Man's attention, causing him to quickly snap his head to the left for a moment, narrowing his eyes darkly at the source of the distraction. After a few minutes of silence, Logan let out a disbelieving sigh of annoyance and turned back to address Naruto once more. "Well, sorry but I gotta sign off fer now. Apparently, Frost and Rachel are havin' another spat over her relationship with Cyke and I gotta help sort things out."
"Okay Dad, I understand," nodded the flame-haired blonde compliantly, remembering the last time Rachel and Emma got into such an argument. It had taken most of the senior X-Men to calm both of them down enough to resolve the matter, and the rest of the Institute's student body and staff to clean up after them, which took about a week tops. "Tell everyone I miss 'em and I hope to see them soon."
"Will do son," replied Logan cheerfully, his son's smiling face and light-hearted attitude helping to take his mind off his difficult troubles... if only for the moment at least. "Talk to you later then. Take care."
"You to Dad, bye"grinned Naruto happily, a miniscule iota of regretful nostalgia in his voice as his father signed off. The exact second Logan hung up on the opposite end of the line, the blue holographic image before them stretched and warped for a fraction of a nanosecond, then abruptly snapped back into place to reconstitute the shimmery, beaming visage of Cerebra. In the brief amount of time it took for the A.I. to reform itself, Naruto was uncharacteristically silent. While he was sincerely happy to have spoken with his father after such a long time and deeply excited to hear that his family would be dropping in for a visit soon, he couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of sadness that he wasn't going to be able to make the trip to the village this time around. 'Still,' he thought to himself rationally, 'Dad's where he needs to be right now.'
"Naruto?" questioned Sakura softly breaking him out of his thoughts. Mentally whacking himself for letting his own emotions get the better of him, Naruto silently cast aside his valid disappointment and turned to address his teammates and sensei. "Did your father really mean that?" Sakura probed further. "The X-Men are really coming here?" The pink-haired kunoichi emphasized that last word by pointing at the ground, as if to ask if they were truly going to grace the soil of Konoha with their presence.
"That's right Sakura-chan," beamed the young X-Man cheerily, forgetting his disappointment for the moment at the memory of the event. "They really are coming here. Oh man, this is gonna be so great! I can't wait to see everyone again and show them how much we've learned!"
"Speaking of learning," interjected Kurenai poignantly, gently placing her hand on the blonde's shoulder to bring him back to reality, "I do believe you three where in the middle of a training drill when this all started, right? If we're going to show your family how much you've all learned, then we should probably keep training so we can give them a proper demonstration of what the shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato can really do. What do you said?"
"I say let's get to it Kurenai-sensei!" laughed Naruto confidently, looking back to his teammates and Cerebra with a determined and mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Come on you guys, let's get back to work! Cerebra, reset the simulation from where we last left off, and add in a few more Sentinels too. I feel like I could bring down a whole armada of those rust-buckets by myself." The holographic face nodded placidly, slowly vanishing into nothingness as it reset the program and the environment began to change. As the world around the Genin shifted and took on a new appearance, Kurenai quietly stepped out of the silvery room and sat back down next to the observation window in the control booth, watching carefully as the air around her young charges shimmered and twisted until they were once more encompassed by the burning wreckage of downtown New York, Sentinels rocketing towards them from on high.
"Hey, leave some for us to, dobe," remarked Sasuke with good natured sarcasm as he and Sakura got into position around him, all three of them activation their mutations in simultaneous accord. Spiked plasma claws erupted from Naruto's fingertips, a separate maelstrom of beta energy flashed into existence around Sakura's dainty hands, and Sasuke's eyes glowed blood red as he brushed against their arms and his mutated Sharingan copied his teammates' abilities.
"Target confirmed," intoned one of the towering Sentinels coldly, raising its arm to prime its lethal atomizer cannon and swiftly turn the three Genin into smoldering piles of ash in mere seconds. "Commencing termination."
"Terminate this Chrome-Dome!" yelled Naruto gleefully as he whipped both arms out wide and flung a tightly focused arc of Kami Hanabi at the drones. Each of blazing projectiles hit the first six Sentinels with near pinpoint accuracy, impaling themselves into the sides of their foot-jets and combustion instantaneously. Barely able to keep themselves aloft any longer, half a dozen metal giants fell from the air like stones, their massive robotic frames groaning in deep protest as the struck the unforgiving concrete. The monsters sputtered once, twice, then fell deathly silent, the inhuman glow in their eyes dimming to blackness as they shut down. "Bring it on, light-weights," quipped the flame-haired X-Man tauntingly as he and his two teammates sprang into action once more, picking off the Sentinels one by one. "We can do this all day!"
Safe behind the shielded wall of the control center, Kurenai simply smiled approvingly as she watched her students at work, returning to the task of critiquing their tactics and strategizing new methods for helping improve their control over they're mutant abilities. 'It looks like that talk with his father really boosted Naruto's morale to say the least,' mused the crimson-clad Jounin thoughtfully as she reflected on the conversation she'd had with Logan only moments ago. Though the man came off as a brutal veteran of combat with nerves of steel, she could tell he had a soft spot when it came to his son, just as it was for the parents of her other students. 'I guess that's just part of being a parent is all: caring and worrying go hand in hand.'
Well, how about that for a plot-twist, True Believers?! Not only are some of the Uncanny X-Men about to pay a visit to Konoha, but the Spectacular Spider-Man is along for the ride as well!! Things sure are heating up for Idenshi-X, so now's not the time to think of tuning out. Stay anchored for... more surprising twists, more mind-blowing action, and more Marvel guest-stars than you could shake a web at! It's all coming up next time, so keep it here and remember to R & R! Excelsior!