I'm sorry I took so long with this chapter. Completing the last month of my senior year of college and finally graduating took a lot of time away from me.
I was really surprised with just how many people reviewed the last chapter, even if I had offered a vote, especially considering how much I had disliked writing that chapter. I'm happy you all enjoyed it.
I've pondered over the idea of how the Namikaze and Nara lines would be prolonged with Shikamaru and Naruto being together. Mpreg and Ino as surrogate were the most popular of the choices. I can see how both sides think and I'm happy with either decision. I think the main story will follow the idea of Ino as surrogate (with perhaps Kyuubi doing some tweaking so that both Naruto and Shikamaru's DNA somehow being tweaked with the child or something, courtesy of Tachi Kagehara (thank you for bringing that sort of idea up to plate)) with a side story (slight AU) to satisfy the mpreg idea for those who want it.
Alrisce: Thank you for your review. I'm happy you enjoy the story.
RoxasisReal13: Thank you! And might I mention I love your username?
Sefiriot: The last chapter was an unlikable one for me as well but it was, to me, a necessary evil to get through so I could get to the more exciting stuff.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Chapter 26: Unexpected Proposal
"I'm sorry, Naruto, but I can't train you," Kakashi apologized, the Council forcing his hand. "I have to train Sasuke for his fight against Gaara."
Sasuke smirked smugly. Finally, he was getting the attention he deserved as an Uchiha. Seeing the annoyed look on Naruto's face made it all the better. He blinked in surprise when that particularly pleasing expression faded away, only to be replaced by nonchalance.
"I suppose that's to be expected," Naruto shrugged. "Sasuke-teme will need all of the help that he can get if he wants any hope of beating Gaara."
"Why you -" Sasuke growled in offense, only to be held back by Kakashi.
"I managed to ensure Sakura a teacher thanks to your victory but I was unfortunately unable to find anyone for you," Kakashi declared, looking remorseful before a gleam appeared in his eye as he leaned forward to whisper in Naruto's ear. "But if I were you, I'd check out the hot springs."
Naruto was a little confused but realization struck Minato like lightning.
'This should be interesting,' the elder shinobi commented in amusement.
'What will be interesting?' a confused Naruto asked.
'You'll see,' Minato responded. 'Let's go.'
"You two didn't need to come with me," Naruto told Ino and Gaara, who had come to his side as he walked towards the hot springs after he had visited Hinata at the hospital.
"We want to," Ino stated simply with a smile. She was curious to know who Naruto's new teacher would be.
Gaara simply agreed with her. He wanted to spend time with Naruto. That's what friends did, right?
'You'll be surprised who you find there,' Kyuubi told Ino, amusement clear in her voice. She would love to see what the young girl would do when she met the man.
'Who is it?' Ino wondered curiously.
'You'll see,' Kyuubi responded mysteriously, chuckling in an evil manner.
That didn't reassure Ino very much.
As they arrived at the hot springs, Ino realized what Kyuubi had been talking about as the three Genin gawked at the white-haired pervert spying on the women's bath.
Minato sighed in exasperation. 'Sensei will never change,' he mused.
'Sensei?' Naruto repeated. 'He's my godfather?' He wondered what possessed his parents to give that responsibility to this man. He didn't look that impressive…
'I was hoping that he would leave a better impression on you the first time you met,' Minato commented. 'Although Sensei is perverted, he's a great shinobi… and he was like a father to me when I was alive. I would trust no one else to be your godfather.'
'Then why didn't he take care of me when you and Kaa-san died?' Naruto questioned.
'I don't know,' Minato admitted. 'But I'm sure he had a good reason.' He couldn't imagine Jiraiya simply abandoning Naruto. There had to have been something that prevented him from actively doing his duty as Naruto's godfather.
'We'll just have to find out,' Naruto decided before getting a wicked idea on how to get Jiraiya's attention. He beckoned Ino over to convey his plan.
The gleam in her eye showed that she approved.
"EEEEKKK! HENTAI!" she shrieked out loudly, alerting the women in the bath that they were being watched.
Jiraiya's eyes widened in horror and he only got a glimpse of the mischievous Genin before he got the snot beaten out of him by a group of angry women.
'Children after my own heart,' Kyuubi told both Naruto and Ino, both who beamed with pleasure at her approval.
'I can't say that Sensei didn't deserve it,' Minato sighed, wincing at the sound of Jiraiya's high-pitched screams.
After a while, the beating finally stopped and Jiraiya was left to glower at the three unrepentant Genin who had led to his miserable state.
He stalked over to them irately. "You ruined my research!" he scowled.
"Is that what you call it?" Naruto inquired with a raised eyebrow. "I call it peeping."
Jiraiya glanced at him and nearly faltered.
'He looks so much like Minato,' he thought to himself before playing dumb. "Who are you to talk to me like that, brat?"
"Uzumaki Naruto," the blonde spoke proudly. "Future Hokage!"
A small, hidden smile appeared on Jiraiya's face. He had heard of Naruto's decision to strive for the Hokage position. He found it somewhat ironic that Naruto was following his father's footsteps without realizing it.
He quickly hid his fond musing, but not before Minato was able to detect it.
'It looks like Jiraiya really does care for Naruto,' he thought to himself, confirming that Jiraiya hadn't just abandoned Naruto without reason. He wouldn't look at Naruto with such care otherwise.
Scowling, Jiraiya feigned being unimpressed.
"You? Our future Hokage? Don't make me laugh! You don't look like much," he scoffed.
"Just you wait and see, Ero-Sennin," Naruto responded hotly. "I'll prove you wrong."
Jiraiya's eyebrow twitched. "Ero-Sennin?" he repeated. "Where do you get the gall to call me that, brat? Don't you know who I am?"
"Jiraiya of the Sannin… taught by the Sandaime Hokage alongside the legendary medic, Tsunade, and the snake-teme, Orochimaru. You also taught the Yondaime Hokage, also known as my Tou-san," Naruto reported, causing Jiraiya's eyes to widen in surprise.
"You know who your father is?" the Sannin queried.
"Sensei told me," Naruto replied simply. That statement was rather ambiguous. To outsiders, it meant Kakashi. To Naruto, it meant Minato. "I also know that you're my godfather."
"He's told you everything, hasn't he?" Jiraiya mused, disapproving. He thought Naruto was too young to handle the burden of the full truth. He had meant to tell Naruto when he was at least sixteen and a Chuunin.
"It's my life," Naruto pointed out. "I have every right to know."
"I expect that now that you know, you expect me to train you?" Jiraiya asked, wondering if Naruto would actually pull that card on him.
"I don't expect anything like that," Naruto shot back. "If I'm going to be trained by someone, it's not going to be because of my heritage or anything tied to it. I won't become anyone's obligation. If anyone trains me, it will be because they see me for me, no one else!"
'Well said,' Minato replied with approval.
Jiraiya stared at Naruto, feeling the first seeds of respect take root within him. His godson was already beginning to reflect the traits he and Minato valued so much. That, by itself, was very impressive to the older shinobi.
"Well, what do you want?" Jiraiya queried. "You approached me for a reason, after all."
"Two things: your help fixing what Oro-teme did to me and the truth as to why you didn't take custody of me when my parents died," the Jinchuuriki declared.
"What did Orochimaru do?" Jiraiya fixated on the first request as concern took over.
"See for yourself," Naruto raised his jacket and shirt, channeling chakra to reveal the seal.
The Sannin's eyes narrowed as he observed the discrepancy.
"I can see the problem. I can fix it easily and tell you why I couldn't take care of you, but I'll only do it on one condition," Jiraiya spoke, seeing the chance to test his godson while giving him a worthy incentive for trying his hardest.
"What is it?" Naruto asked impatiently. He wanted his father back with him as soon as possible.
"Fight me… all three of you. If you manage to land a hit on me, I'll not only undo the seal and tell you the truth, but I'll also train all three of you," the white-haired shinobi asserted, shocking the three Genin.
'He can't be serious!' Naruto gaped mentally.
'He is… this is definitely something Sensei would do,' Minato sighed with a shake of his head.
Jiraiya wasn't only going to test Naruto's ability in battle but his ability to work with a team not his own in the heat of the moment while testing his two friends to see if they were really up to the task of sharing Naruto's great burden.
Looking at the two other Genin closely, he blinked as he realized who the Suna nin was.
"You're the Kazekage's son, aren't you? The youngest… Which means…" Jiraiya realized.
"I'm the Jinchuuriki of the Ichibi," Gaara finished.
'So he shares that in common with Naruto. I can see how they bonded,' Jiraiya realized. He turned to the Yamanaka. He wondered how she got into the mix.
He was sure he would find out eventually.
"So do we have a deal?" the Sannin asked, waiting for their response.
Naruto glanced at Ino and Gaara. This wasn't just his decision anymore. He wouldn't agree if they were against the entire situation.
"You don't have to do this, you know, if you don't want to," he stated.
"There's no need to say such a thing, Naruto. You can count me in. I want to help you to the best of my ability and I won't be able to do that as I am now. If I back out now, just because our opponent is one of the Sannin, I'd be as useless as I was before," Ino stated. "I promised I'd change… might as well start now."
'That's my girl,' Kyuubi cheered in approval, causing Ino to flush happily. She wondered if this was what having a mother was like. She'd never really known as her own mother had died years ago when she'd been young.
"I'm in as well,' Gaara agreed simply, winning Minato's favor.
Naruto smiled, glad to see his friends were on board. This would be a big challenge for them. He looked forward to seeing what they were capable of doing together.
Jiraiya nodded, glad that everyone was in agreement.
"Meet me at Training Ground Seven in an hour. I'll give you guys that much time to find a way to balance out your team. You're going to need it if you want a chance against me," the Sannin stated before vanishing in a puff of smoke.
'He's taking this seriously,' Minato mused.
'Any advice, Tou-san?' Naruto asked, trying to siphon out information for the upcoming fight. No one, besides the Sandaime Hokage and the other two Sannin, could know Jiraiya as well as his father.
'This is your challenge,' Minato pointed out. 'Meaning you're supposed to gather that information by yourself.'
'That's what I'm doing,' Naruto pointed out matter-of-factly. 'A shinobi ought to take advantage of all of their resources and you are my resource.'
'Smart ass,' Minato grumbled. 'Fine, I'll give you a hint. Jiraiya-sensei is, in my belief, the perfect example of a shinobi. However, he is also human, meaning he has his weaknesses. It is that weakness that you must take advantage of.'
'That seems a little underhanded, doesn't it?' Naruto frowned.
'It's the way of shinobi,' Minato countered. 'Manipulating one's weakness may be the only way to gain an opening against a superior opponent.'
'I still don't like it,' Naruto frowned but he understood the truth behind the matter.
Shinobi were sneaky individuals. They needed to take advantage of any opening that they could. Things like honor and mutual respect for one's opponent didn't hold them back. At least not as much as other warriors, such as the Samurai.
He wondered if that was one of the reasons shinobi and samurai didn't really get along.
Realizing he'd gone off on a tangent, Naruto snapped out of his reverie to address his two new teammates.
"We should try to formulate a good strategy while we have the chance," he finally stated. "Let's start out with learning each other's strengths and weaknesses."
"That sounds like a plan," Ino agreed. "I'll start. In terms of Ninjutsus, I'm mostly limited to the basic three (Henge, Bunshin, and Kawarimi) and my family jutsu. I'm pretty good with Genjutsu and I'd say I'm average with Taijutsu," Ino looked a little frustrated with her limitations. She silently cursed Sasuke for his indirect role in stunting her growth as a shinobi.
"Don't be ashamed, Ino-chan. You may have a late start but you've got a lot of potential. That chakra control of yours is amazing and your Genjutsu ability could balance out my inability to use Genjutsu," Naruto tried to cheer Ino up. "I'll go next. Normally, I have pretty decent Ninjutsu, no Genjutsu strength, and a pretty good Taijutsu to fall back on. However, with my current limitations, I'm mostly stuck with my Taijutsu. My major strength is my stamina and strategy and my major weakness is chakra control."
"My Ninjutsu is tied with my sand. I don't really use Genjutsu and I've never really needed Taijutsu before," Gaara admitted. "My greatest strength is my ultimate defense. My weakness, I suppose it's my lack of Taijutsu." He recalled his fight with Lee. He could see how he would need to rectify his former fighting style so that his newly unearthed vulnerability would no longer exist.
"We each have our strengths, which seem to balance out each other's weaknesses pretty well," Naruto mused. "We could make this work if we tried."
"So what's the plan?" Ino queried.
"I'm working on that," Naruto replied, mind whirring.
Jiraiya observed them from nearby, impressed by what he saw. All three of them were aware of their particulars strengths and weaknesses. Not many Genin their age paid attention to that as much as they should.
He also noticed that Ino and Gaara had deferred to Naruto, seeing him as the leader of the mission without any need for debate. That was another point of interest.
If the three of them passed his test, he was certain they would become one hell of a team.
'Prove to me that my gamble is worth it,' Jiraiaya silently encouraged them. If he did start teaching them, he would need to get permission from their respective teachers to get the chance to do so. The only one had full rights to was Naruto.
In the end, it all depended on them.
Orochimaru was in a foul mood over the course of events. Things weren't going quite as planned.
While he'd succeeded in giving Sasuke the Cursed Seal, he'd discovered just how much of a nuisance the Kyuubi brat was.
Orocohimaru hadn't counted on the boy taking so much after his father. All of the previous reports had led the Sannin to believe Naruto was more like his foolish, hot-headed mother.
The battle in the Forest of Death showed Orochimaru that Naruto had Minato's high affinity for learning jutsu and Kushina's ability to utilize them in the most creative ways.
Observing Naruto fight Kiba revealed a more troubling fact.
The young blonde was already embracing his birthright in the form of mastering his father's great legacy.
If Naruto had already mastered the Namikaze Taijutsu to such a level at his young age, Orochimaru would hate to see how well Naruto would embrace every other jutsu and ability his father had in his arsenal before his death.
The legacy of the Yondaime Hokage was becoming a real threat and that enraged Orochimaru beyond words.
He only wondered how Naruto was learning it all. He didn't believe Kakashi's explanation for a second. There was no way that the Copy Nin could have trained the Jinchuuriki in the Namikaze Taijutsu. He couldn't possibly have known the Taijutsu himself or been able to understand the dynamics well enough to teach anybody. That secret died with the Yondaime, or that he was certain.
On another note, Naruto had already thrown another wrench in his plans.
He had counted on Kabuto gaining Team Seven's trust by helping them get their last scroll… but somehow, the Uzumaki had managed to gather the scrolls within an hour of the Oto team's defeat, allowing not only Team Seven to move on but Team Ten as well.
Kabuto had therefore not been able to observe Team Seven and their abilities, annoying Orochimaru more.
The last thing that confused the Sannin about the unpredictable Jinchuuriki was all this talk about a mysterious guardian angel protecting the blonde.
On one hand, people could merely be mistaking Kyuubi for a guardian, but, on the other hand… they could really be onto something.
'What does it matter now? From what everyone said, the angel is gone,' Orochimaru dismissed that train of thought.
"Orochimaru-sama…" a voice broke through the Sannin's thoughts and he turned to see Kabuto approaching him.
"Any news about Sasuke?" he demanded to know.
"Hatake Kakashi has taken him away for training," Kabuto reported simply. "He's left the girl with another Jounin and left Naruto-kun to his own devices."
Orochimaru smirked. Without someone training him, he was certain that Naruto's frightening progress would be stunted.
"I also thought that you should know… rumor has it that one of your former teammates has returned to Konoha," the glasses-wearing medic stated, causing the snake's smile to vanish instantly.
He knew what would happen if Jiraiya and Naruto were to cross paths. His pathetic former friend would take the blonde under his wing as the sentimental fool he was.
With Naruto taking up his father's legacy so effortlessly, he would become even more dangerous.
He couldn't let that happen.
"Have they met yet?" he asked Kabuto, hoping for a negative response.
"Yes," Kabuto declared, causing Orochimaru to snarl in displeasure. "However, Jiraiya hasn't agreed to train him yet… he's given a condition."
That peaked Orochimaru's interest.
"What is it?" he demanded.
"In order to earn the right for training, Naruto and his two chosen teammates must fight against Jiraiya. If they fail to land a hit within a given time limit, Jiraiya will not train them."
"Who are his teammates," Orochimaru queried.
"Yamanaka Ino… and Subaku no Gaara. It appears that Naruto-kun has won his favor," the spy said.
That piece of news displeased Orochimaru. Gaara had been the secret weapon he had intended to use against Konoha.
In fact, given the circumstances, he could assume the entire invasion would be compromised.
'I've gotten too far to back out now,' Orochimaru thought to himself. Even if Konoha knew about the invasion, it wouldn't change anything. The village would still fall and Orochimaru would get everything he desired…
The Sandaime's death.
Sasuke.
Death to the Yondaime Hokage's precious people.
He just needed to make a few adjustments to his plans…
"Kabuto… summon Dosu and Kin. I'm going to let them have one last chance to redeem themselves.
Jin looked up at the Shinobi Academy with an unreadable look. From what he heard, this was where one Umino Iruka worked.
'Who knew the legendary Copy Nin would settle for falling in love with a mere Academy teacher…' he thought to himself with disdain. 'How the mighty fall…'
He would find out what was so special about this particular Chuunin that made him so precious to two of the remaining links to the Yondaime Hokage. There had to be something of note. Jin would never be satisfied otherwise.
So entering the Academy, he sought out the brown-haired man, only to find him in the storage room.
Iruka was perched precariously on the top rung of a ladder as he tried to retrieve a box of papers from the top most shelf.
Realizing a good opportunity to work out his plan, Jin subtly used his chakra to destabilize the ladder to only the slightest degree.
It was more than enough to send Iruka and the papers flying.
Iruka let out a loud yelp, preparing for impact with the ground,, only to land quite comfortably in Jin's arms while the papers fluttered onto the ground around them.
Blinking owlishly at the larger man, Iruka processed the situation. Blushing in embarrassment, Iruka squirmed out of Jin's grasp.
"I'm sorry," he apologized profusely. "I'm such a klutz. I didn't even see you!"
"That's alright," Jin replied with a 'genial' smile. "I'm sorry that I startled you."
"It's not your fault! I should have been paying more attention. Some Chuunin I am," Iruka joked sheepishly.
"You shouldn't beat yourself up like that. You were focused elsewhere, it's totally understandable," Jin argued, trying to get on Iruka's good side as he helped the teacher pick up all of the fallen papers.
"Still…" Iruka began to protest before he realized one important detail. "Oh! I never introduced myself, did I? How rude of me… I'm Umino Iruka."
"It's nice to meet you, Iruka-san. I'm Kougyoku Jin," the Iwa nin replied genially.
Iruka eyed the man's hitai-ite curiously. "You must be the Jounin-sensei of the Iwa team, right? What brings you here to the Academy?"
"I was curious to explore Konoha," Jin admitted. "This has been the first time in many years that any Iwa-nin has been allowed into the village, after all. I was curious to see how our villages differed in structure and nature."
Iruka looked thoughtful over that matter. He supposed he couldn't really fault Jin for that. Anybody would be curious to explore a foreign village on their first visit. Still, relations between Iwa and Konoha were still very tense and Iruka knew it was a bad idea to allow someone from Iwa so close to their Academy. Not only were their future generations of Konoha shinobi put at risk, but the village secrets as well.
"I'm sorry, but you're not allowed to see too much of the Academy, but if you like, I could give you a proper tour of Konoha later on," Iruka offered. That way, he could keep Jin away from the forbidden areas but still allow him to explore the village.
'He's pretty sharp,' Jin thought to himself. As sweet-natured as Iruka appeared, he still kept the well-being of Konoha close at heart above everything else. Iruka was clearly a good example of the believers of the Will of Fire.
His attempt to learn Konoha's secrets through the Academy may have been thwarted but Jin had gained the opening he needed to worm his way into Iruka's life.
"I would like that," Jin smiled. "I apologize for the intrusion."
He left, barely able to hide the malicious smirk that threatened to split his face.
'Just wait, Hatake Kakashi… I'll make you wish you were dead…' he thought.