Ghost Wolf: "Nine months? What? Were you having a baby or something?"
Quote the Speechless: "You've figured me out." He sighs and turns to show pregnant belly.
Ghost Wolf: He pulls needle and pops the balloon. "You are such an ass. At least you've proven you aren't dead or had given up."
Quote the Speechless: "I never give up." Takes out the popped balloon and throws it away. "I take time off because I don't want the stress of school to affect my writing."
Ghost Wolf: "Well I'm just saying since I've seen your latest reviews. Anyway. We get to see the end of the fight finally."
Quote the Speechless: "Yes, the end of the fight and more. But we'll leave that to be seen, won't we?"
Ghost Wolf: "Yes... Now get back to writing!" Throws a book at him.
Quote the Speechless: "I've already chained myself to my computer. I'm going to keep writing." Showing the chains.
Ghost Wolf: "Good boy." Pats head and turns to the readers. "On with the story folks."
Legal Stuff: Nope, still don't own any of Naruto.
Chapter 16: Sealed
Sakura turned back to the arena as the last of the dust cleared. Rather than seeing a defeated Gaara she saw only a crumbling shell. She choked back a scream at seeing the eerie sight, covering her mouth as the sand just behind lee started to rise and pull away from the real form of Gaara. With a motion sand flew around him and struck Lee fully in the chest, slamming him back against the wall.
Gaara's hands moved back and forth and the sand moved under his command slamming again and again against Lee. It was all Lee could do to block the hardest hits from the torrent of sand. It was obvious to just about everyone that Lee was hurting but not only because of the sand. He was still in a great deal of pain from the attacks he had made that harmed his own body.
"The Lotus Technique is a double edged sword," Gai said. Kakashi baked up his statement by explaining how the speed put a high amount of stress on the body and caused it to tear and break the muscles. Naruto only listened with half an ear as he continued to watch the battle. He could feel the bloodlust radiating off of Gaara and it worried him. He didn't really know Lee all that well but he would still prefer that the ninja didn't die; he was a ninja of Leaf Village after all.
Lee was rolling and doing summersaults, basic movements for a normal person and subpar for all the people watching from the upper levels. It continued for a minute or two. Dodging and only barely missing waves of sand and harsh hard streams that could batter him against the wall if they struck him. It crossed Naruto's mind more than once that the battle would be over if he was hit even one more time but the battle continued.
However though hard for some to watch Lee's teacher smiled down at lee and with the smallest of nods when Lee looked up the boy took off again, his speed renewed. Naruto wondered where the new speed had come from and looked up at Gai for an explanation. "The Lotus of the Leaf blooms twice." To which Naruto rolled his eyes and focused back on the battle. Naruto looked up once more then Kakashi responded to Gai's statement. He seemed angry, or at least a bit upset, more at Gai for teaching the technique than anything else.
Naruto listened to them talk about the Inner Gates. He understood that the gates were limiters put on the body by evolution to stop the body from destroying itself with its own actual strength. Somehow the technique opened the gates and allowed the body to fully utilize the potential of its muscles and adrenaline and other functions. Naruto wondered if anything was happening to his own gates as his body was going through the changes that he accepted when he gained more of Kyuubi's Chakra. Was he getting more or destroying the ones he had or were they cutting him off or letting more of his body's true potential come though? None of these questions he could answer and he wished that Kyuubi was able to talk with him so he could actually know what was happening.
As Naruto pondered these things Lee was releasing the gates. When he was up to the Third Gate blood was rushing though his body at high speed causing his skin to turn red. Everyone could feel the powerful chakra gathered around his body and everyone was impressed or in awe of the difference, except perhaps Gaara who had to focus on how to beat an adversary who was back to the physical peak and beyond.
When the Fourth Gate opened Lee's veins were throbbing and his blood pressure was through the roof, he never paused to think about his own health concerns because it was time to take out Gaara. The stone tiles exploded under his feet with the force he kicked off with. The entire room shook and many people had to shield their eyes from debris that was exploding up from the floor of the arena. No one saw the blow connect but Gaara was flying through the air, cracks running though the armor all over his body. There was a blur and then an explosion that sent Gaara heading in another direction. It happened again and again. Lee was moving so fast he could hit him and then race to where he was going before he landed to strike him again.
Naruto watched as bits of Gaara's armor fell and broke. The force from Lee's consecutive blows was practically ripping the armor off and kept Gaara moving too fast for his other sand to catch up and replenish it. Naruto wondered what it must feel like to have your body breaking apart, ripping it's self to shreds inside. Lee must be in an incredible amount of pain and would require a long stay in the hospital once this battle was over that was for sure.
Even in mid air there was another burst of Chakra as Lee opened the Fifth Gate. Gaara tried to defend himself with his arms but it did no good. Lee blasted in under his guard and delivered a powerful punch to Gaara's middle sending him flying down. However that was not the end. Lee had slipped the end of his bandages under Gaara's sand and once he had flown away about thirty feet Lee pulled hard, halting Gaara's movement down abruptly and hauling him back up towards himself. With an incredible double blow from foot and fist Lee's final attack struck.
Gaara flew towards the ground at tremendous speed. His shield of sand had no way to get to him before he would strike the floor. Naruto watched in fascinated horror. Could it be possible that the container for the One Tailed demon, his brother, who definitely had a higher synchronization than himself, could be beaten? His knuckles were white where he gripped the banister, waiting for the end of the battle to come. Others gasped when they saw that the boy's enormous gourd, that the sand had been stored in, shifted and then changed into its true form which was merely more sand. Naruto had to hold back a sigh of relief. He doubted that his teammate would see that as a good sign, rooting for the enemy or something like that.
Gaara's sand shifted and cushioned the landing on the ground to a great degree and definitely saved him from being knocked out and loosing the match. Lee fell to the ground about twenty feet away in obvious pain. He had no sand to soften to landing. As he staggered up the dust cloud around Gaara faded and he could be seen reaching out for Lee. Much faster than the injured ninja could react the sand rushed towards him in two streams killer intent obvious. However they halted only a few inches from the boy when a voice called out.
"GAARA! THAT'S ENOUGH!" For a moment everything was still, no one moved. Gaara was the first to shift, looking up at the balcony and into a set of red, slit eyes watching him. Naruto had changed, though not into his demonic form. He had reacted out of instinct to save the boy's life. His hair was bright red as were his eyes. His whisker marks were darker and thicker as well. The others turned to look at him, wondering what could have come over him to change him in such a fashion.
Lee made the mistake of trying to take the frozen moment to end the battle. Gaara's sand easily blocked him and then sent him flying into a wall. When the sand pulled away and back to Gaara, Lee fell away from the wall, obviously passed out but still alive. Gaara's sand gathered back around him and returned to its gourd form. The ninja referee called the battle in Gaara's favor. Naruto's reserve of Demonic chakra had been exhausted and his features returned to normal, he even appeared a little paler than usual though none commented on that fact. There was a subtle movement of the teams and Sakura herself away from Naruto's position. Only Kakashi didn't move away from him, possibly out of the curiosity of what would happen to him.
Gai, the teacher who had wanted Lee to win the battle so much that he let him use such dangerous techniques, jumped down from the balcony to where his student was passed out on the ground. Gaara got up and appeared totally uninjured though most were pretty sure there was a layer of sand hiding his injuries though none could be sure. There was a gasp from Tenten, Lee's teammate, and when he turned he saw that Lee was standing up again, even though he was out cold his will to battle still made his body move into a fighting stance. Medic ninjas rushed over to him, their first move was to lightly paralyze him so that he wouldn't resist their treatments. One of them, after inspecting the green clad ninja boy, walked over to Gai and had some whispered words with him. Though the others couldn't hear it the words apparently had a deep impact on the teacher.
Naruto was not watching the medics or anything else. His attention was focused on Gaara and vice versa. It was only after Gaara returned to his teammates that he took his eyes off Naruto. Once he was no longer being watched Naruto sighed and released the banister railing. He was feeling weak after using up his reserves of Demonic Chakra. He knew that it would return to him after a night's rest but all he really wanted was to open up the wall and talk to Kyuubi about what was going on. Kakashi came up behind him and placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"Are you alright?" He asked in a low tone, watching Naruto from his uncovered eye. Naruto shook his head as he turned to look at his mentor.
"Not really, something's happened," he moved one hand down over his belly. "You and I need to talk sensei. Something's happened. My source has been... cut off. I can't reach it." He looked at Kakashi to make sure that he understood. Kakashi frowned under his mask and a serious look came over his visible eye.
"I'll meet you at the hospital when this is done, I'll have people ready to give you a full Chakra check to see what's going on." Naruto smiled and nodded. He looked down at the arena floor to see that the last two had been called. Chouji and Dosu, the last of the Sound Genin. The battle was not a long one and Naruto didn't pay much attention to it, instead spending the time soothing Kasei who had been readily agitated by the end of the last battle and Naruto's use of Demonic Chakra.
For the moment Naruto just concentrated on gaining back some composure and stability after the use of his entire demonic aura. He wondered coolly if this was what a drug addict felt like after coming off the narcotic cold turkey without any warning at all as to what the results would be. He doubted that Kyuubi knew that this would happen or at least didn't think that the chances of something like this happening were so low that they didn't need mentioning. However he probably didn't see them getting completely separated either.
Naruto was feeling quite ill though he tried not to show it. A headache was building just between his eyes and it was steadily growing larger. He closed his eyes to try and control the urges to vomit and pass out and while his eyes were closed the battle ended with Dosu as the winner. Once that was called as the final result all the winners were called down to the arena floor where they lined up in front of the Hokage.
The Hokage explained that they were given a month to prepare for the final stage of the test the reasons were three fold. The first was to allow them to recover from the battles that they had been through so far. The second was to allow time for the important delegates to arrive and get settled to watch the event. And the third was to provide time for them to come up with strategy against the available opponents.
They drew numbers from a box to determine the parings and order of the battles. The pairings were as follows: Naruto vs. Neji, Gaara vs. Sasuke, Kankuro vs. Shino, and Temari vs. the winner of the bout between Shikamaru and Dosu.
It was also revealed that it was not the tournament that decided who would become a Chuunin but that the fights would be evaluated and weighed and then a ruling would come after as to who had the skill to become a Chuunin.
Naruto wasn't really paying much attention at this point. He was holding Kasei in his arms and trying to concentrate on remaining upright. The headache was almost blinding at this point though he sensed that it was starting to ebb away. He pondered for a moment at what point it stopped being a headache and turned into a migraine. But the thought made his head throb so he pushed it away.
Sakura watched above and was honestly glad that she was not involved in the final stage of this test. There were such scary competitors that they made her shiver. The sand ninja, especially Gaara, Neji and his pressure point torture, Naruto's secrets and hidden strength, even Sasuke scared her if she had to battle him. She could wait until the next time, she told herself.
When they were all dismissed they were informed that a Chuunin Squad would escort them out of the Forest of Death so that they would not come to further harm. It was a little while later that they arrived at the outer edge of the forest and were released to do whatever they wanted. Sakura grabbed Ino's arm to walk with her and talk about something though she did not elaborate while in proximity to Naruto.
Naruto on the other hand started off for the hospital where he would get his check up and possibly get his trouble remedied. Kasei followed after him in a playful bounding manner like a puppy or kitten.
Naruto met up with Kakashi just inside the hospital door. He was in a waiting room chair reading his perverted book and giggling occasionally. The other patients waiting had left an undisturbed area around him. Either because they recognized the book or they were worried about what might come from a ninja who giggled all the time.
Naruto walked up and waited for Kakashi to put his book down. When he didn't he made a motion and Kasei jumped up and snapped the book away with his jaws. Kakashi took a moment to respond and then looked up at Naruto. "Oh, there you are what kept you?"
Naruto ignored the question. "Can we get this exam thing over with?" He muttered and started walking back towards the exam room areas.
"Sure thing, but two things first. One, I need to know exactly what happened out in the forest. Both because of what happened to Sasuke and because of what happened to you." With only a minor hesitation Naruto told Kakashi all about the fight with the Snake summon and the man who summoned it.
"Just before he hit me he mentioned something about a seal, though it sounded like his attack." He rubbed a hand over his belly while he looked down at Kasei who was idly chewing on the Jounin's novel.
"I believe his name is Orochimaru," Kakashi supplied. "He's an incredibly powerful ninja, He's the only one who could have both given the Cursed Mark on Sasuke's neck and altered your seal in such a way."
"Well who can undo it?" Naruto sounded hopeful at the prospect of talking with the Kyuubi again soon. Kakashi didn't appear as happy however.
"That might be a little difficult," he looked at Naruto's stern frown. "Don't look at me like that. There are few ninja of that power and skill that are around currently. I'll speak with the Hokage. Maybe he will be able to undo it but don't get your hopes up. The Hokage has to worry about politics and I refuse to get involved in something as crazy as politics." Naruto sighed and looked up at his teacher.
"Well what use will this examination be then?" He suppressed a yawn.
"Well it's very important to monitor any changes in the Kyuubi's seal. Especially if it could be changed by someone as cunning as Orochimaru," Naruto wondered what was it about this man that had Kakashi worried.
"Alright I get it," he sighed. "Let's get this over with then." Kakashi smiled and guided him down towards the exam room with Kasei following behind, book in mouth. Kakashi led Naruto into a room where two doctors were fussing over some charts. They ignored, or perhaps didn't even hear when they entered or when Kakashi cleared his throat. But they definitely heard when Naruto sat down on the examination table. Kasei dropped the slobber covered novel on the floor and jumped up next to Naruto a worried yip was placated by a scratch under the chin.
The male doctor introduced himself as Hakushi and the woman as Kangoshi. They started by instructing Naruto to remove his jacket and shirt and indicate where it was causing him trouble. He indicated his belly and they looked at it.
Hakushi adjusted his spectacles and frowned saying that there was a lot of interference. Kangoshi pointed to the Amulet and Kasei and had him move both to the other side of the room where they would be far enough away that they don't mess with their examination. While Kangoshi got out what appeared to be a series of acupuncture needles Hakushi poked and prodded at Naruto's belly area. It felt odd and Naruto was sure that the man was using Chakra but it didn't hurt or seem to do anything else for that matter so he didn't object, they were supposed to be trying to help him out after all.
Kangoshi moved her hand Over Naruto's belly and occasionally tapped an acupuncture needle into his skin. Naruto watched as they made his belly into a pincushion. It didn't hurt but it was an odd experience to be sure. He looked over at Kasei and saw the small fox playing with his pendant. He wasn't very worried that Kasei would intentional break it but he did worry what might happen if there was an accident and the chakra contained within it went haywire.
"Kasei, stop messing with that," the kit looked up at him, yipped obediently, and sat back and watched.
Hakushi had started touching the ends of the needles in, what appeared to Naruto, to be random order. He frowned and mentioned some medical nonsense to Kangoshi who did the same things in return. Naruto let a hand fall off the table and let his mind wander while he let the doctors discuss whatever was wrong with him. There were three possible outcomes in his mind. The first and most hopeful was that they would find a way to undo whatever had been done, proceed to undo it and he would return to training. The second and less desirable outcome was that they would find out what was wrong but not be able to undo it, and then he would talk with Kakashi about the next step. The last and least desirable option was that they didn't find out what was wrong or how to undo it. If that was the case he would drop out of the Chuunin exam and immediately start heavy duty training, then find the snake bastard and beat him up until he gave up how to undo it.
But in any case it would have to wait for their diagnosis. After a few moment of his arm dangling off the table he felt a small furry head pushed up into it. He smiled and immediately started scratching softly along Kasei's head. The doctors had moved off and were writing things on the dry erase board in what was probably a medical form of short hand. Kasei let out a little, worried whine. Naruto smiled and pat the fox's head. "Don't worry, I'll be fine." This seemed to placate the little demon for the moment.
The cool examination table had warmed slowly with Naruto's body heat till it was a comfortable temperature. The droning of the air conditioning unit somewhere down the hall and the monotonous scratching of Kasei's head all worked against Naruto's desire to remain awake. His eyes slowly closed and he drifted off to sleep as the doctors continued to discuss his future a few feet away from him. Kasei jumped up onto the examination table and curled up beside Naruto's head and watched the doctors.
When Naruto awoke it was well into the night and he was alone in the examination room. His jacket and shirt had been placed over him to keep him warm and Kasei was asleep. Someone had placed his amulet in his hand. He put it on and the chain locked in place. Next he slipped his shirt on and then the jacket. Looking over at the board that the doctors had been using he saw it full of scrawl which made no sense to him. He shrugged and looked up at a clock on the wall. The time showed that it was three in the morning.
Naruto moved as if to lie back down but turned around sharply kunai in both hands when a soft tapping came from the window. He sighed and lowered the blades and put them away when he saw Kakashi was the one who had knocked on the window. Kasei stirred and rolled over exposing his soft white belly but remaining asleep. Naruto walked over and undid the lock on the window. He pushed them open and jumped a little out onto the tree outside his window. Kakashi was leaning against the trunk of the tree looking out at the sleeping village. Naruto joined him in this pastime for a few minutes of silence.
"I'm willing to guess that whatever is wrong it's not easy to deal with," Naruto broke the silence.
"Nope," was the only response, followed by more silence.
"Well?" a pregnant pause.
"Politics," Kakashi sighed when he saw Naruto's frown. "You've had a high level seal placed on top of your seal. Probably a Four or Five Part seal." Kakashi waved a hand towards the Hokage faces carved into the cliff face. "And the Hokage is the only person in the village with enough skill and power to do it in your unique case." Naruto let out a low whistle. "Indeed. And now this is where politics come into it. No Kage may interfere in the case of any single participant or team during one of these competitions, either directly or indirectly." Kakashi looked sidelong at Naruto with his good eye to see if the boy understood all that he had said. The frown indicated that he most likely had. "There is still one option..."
"Drop out of the Exam finals so he can heal me without violating any of the rules." Kakashi nodded and looked out over the city, a slight smile playing under his mask as he heard Naruto's many mumbled curses on the subject of politics. He waited as Naruto thought it over, a cool breeze passing over them. Naruto thought about it for a few minutes.
"Naw, not going to do it." Kakashi turned and looked at the boy with a smile. He had expected this. "Still too many asses to kick." Naruto started ticking off fingers as he listed names. "Neji, Gaara, Sasuke, that sound guy." Naruto shrugged and started walking along the branch towards his window. "I presume there is at least one person looking for people outside the village that wouldn't have politics in the way between themselves and getting my seal back to normal?" He paused at the window and waited for a reply.
Kakashi smiled and nodded though Naruto couldn't see it. "Two Anbu teams under my orders. No involvement with the Hokage at all." Kakashi smiled, Naruto had a sharp mind. "Oh, one more thing." Naruto turned to look back at his teacher. "One level up, two to the left." He pointed to a window on the floor above partially open. "Empty and above all more comfortable bed if you're not going to go back to your apartment." Naruto laughed a little and made a sweep through the room collecting his head band and waking Kasei, and walking up though the inside of the building at a leisurely pace. Finding the room Naruto stepped inside, closed and locked the door behind him and then flopped into bed.
There was a soft click as Kakashi pushed closed the window from the outside and then disappeared off into the night. After all, even Jounin ninja need sleep too.
Naruto was woken the next day by a tug and growl on his sleeve. Kasei was apparently hungry. The boy sat up yawning and stretching a bit. Kasei was yipping and pawing at the door out of the room. Naruto slung his jacket over his shoulder and headed out of the room. Taking his time to wake up, a luxury he knew he couldn't spare much during the coming month. He felt his chakra reserves. His human reserve was full and ready. His demonic reserve, which he was now able to make slowly on his own was also full, though much smaller than his human chakra. He would have to be careful with how he used his demonic skills.
The little fox bounded around Naruto's feet making walking a bit difficult. That was until he reaches down and picked up the demon by the scruff of its neck and held him up to eye level. "I don't suppose you eat Ramen?" Naruto asked. A nurse walking past going the other way giggled when she heard this and made Naruto feel a bit ridiculous. But Kasei just tilted his head to the side and looked at Naruto, obviously unaware as to what 'ramen' was. "No, probably not." Naruto sighed and set the fox down as he walked down the stairs.
On his way out Naruto checked the register at the front desk to see who had been hospitalized from the final fights. Sasuke's opponent didn't seem to be in, Injuries probably weren't that severe. Hinata was still in the ICU, reminding Naruto that he was going to show Neji that fate was not set in stone. Lee was out of intensive care but still being carefully watched over by dedicated nurses. One of the Sound ninja was also in the ICU, apparently with one arm blown off and the other mangled, though attempts were being made to save it. Naruto wondered what that fight had been like to cause something like that. But he didn't worry too much about it. Tenten had been released earlier with only mild injuries. No one else seemed to have been injured enough for them to have been brought to the attention of the nurses and doctors at the hospital itself.
Kasei tugged impatiently on Naruto's pant leg until the boy headed towards the door. Then the fox bounded ahead curious about everything in the city. Some gave the little creature plenty of room, reminding Naruto about the Fox stigma. People from the older generation remembered the Kyuubi's attack. And then it came back to him. Like a bad dream half forgotten. All those angry stares, bad looks pointed in his direction. He looked up, worried that all those looks would be aimed at him once more.
He was right there were a few people that gave the young pup worried looks and edged out of its way but no one said anything or gave the hateful looks that Naruto had grown accustomed to so long ago. Naruto smiled when he thought about how long ago now it seemed. SO much had happened. Things were changing towards a wonderful and bright future so it seemed. He walked. His armor in the bag over his shoulder walking towards the store that he had come to know almost as a second home.
He didn't immediately go to the clothing store, instead stopping at the Ramen store. He was quite famished and proved it by downing 4 of the Mega Sized bowls of Ramen. By the time he was done with his fourth bowl people were paying off bets for or against the probability of him exploding then and there. He was disappointed to find that Kasei didn't like Ramen at all. But he was lucky there that the daughter of the owner, Agama, found the little fox so cute and while Naruto was stuffing himself she delighted in feeding the little fox some meat they had. Naruto collected his own winnings from betting people he could indeed finish that amount and used a portion of it to pay off the meal. Then with the fox trotting after him he headed off to the tailors.
He paused outside Wonderland Clothing and smiled. Then he walked inside. A little string was tripped when the door swung open and a bell rung in the back of the shop. Kibou's voice sounded from the back room where the sound of an electric sewing machine whirred and worked. "Be out in just a moment," he called happily. A few moments later the whirring stopped and Kibou came out. "How may I..." He stopped and smiled at Naruto, then without turning he pulled the curtains away and called back to his wife. "Keito, dear, Put the kettle on, we've got company." He noticed Kasei peeking out from behind the boy's legs and smiled, letting the curtain drop away. "Alright, what are you waiting for?" He spread his arms wide. "Come on, give me a hug."
Naruto laughed a little and dropped the bag of armor on the floor stepping forward to hug the father figure. They spent a minute just holding each other. Naruto was the first to break away. "Uh... about the Armor..." Kibou raised an eyebrow and looked at him wondering what the boy was getting at. Then realization dawned on his face and he groaned.
"You're kidding me..." He shook his head and picked up the bag from the floor, opening it up and looking down at the armor inside. The breastplate was bent there were dings and scratches in the arms and shin braces. "What were you doing to this stuff? Throwing it off a cliff? Repeatedly?"
Naruto started to explain when Keito called out to them that the tea was ready. They came back and she jumped over giving Naruto a big hug and then announcing that they would be sparing after the tea. She wanted to make sure he hadn't gotten rusty. Keito explained to her the state of the armor and she demanded to see it, after all she had worked so hard on it with Naruto to get it right only to have it returned so soon in the condition it was in. Naruto sat and told them all that had happened, not skipping the part with the foxes or the fact that Kyuubi had been blocked from him. He was resigned to the fact that neither of them could do anything to the seal to change it back to the way it was. Kibou exclaimed that it wasn't fair that politics were the reason that he wasn't able to get it unsealed. It was Keito that calmed her.
"The five major ninja nations are each constantly in competition. It's much like trying to balance five marbles on top of each other, each one wanting to be the top ball. Currently it's very precarious with Leaf near or at the top. That makes the other nations uneasy and they may react unpredictably to any sign of weakness or rule breaking." Naruto listened to him as he continued and Keito went to refill the tea. Kasei was taking a nap on a pile of soft fabric scraps. They talked for a while longer, about the battles Naruto fought. He got the impression they knew something they weren't telling him but he wouldn't force them to say anything they weren't willing to talk about. Once they were finished with the tea, Kibou announce it was time to spar.
Taking Naruto by the arm and guiding him out of the back room and to the little area out back. They took up fighting stances and watched each other. Naruto opted for a wide Wind stance while Kibou chose Water. There was a pause and then Naruto attacked. Trying to keep out of the older woman's grasp as he tried to land a few blows on her. However he only managed two attacks before Kibou got one of his wrists. Pulling it behind him and up behind his back and throwing him to the ground. Naruto sprung up and settled into a Fire stance, Kibou chose earth this time. He focused on forming his Chakra to allow for as many afterimages as possible as he ducked and weaved and so he was completely startled when a solid Earth kick landed heavily on the side of his body and sent him sprawling to the ground once more.
"What is going on Naruto?" She asked, settling into her own fire stance and holding it as he got to his feet. "There were early three after images there, and those wind strikes before were slow." Naruto chose to go for the Lightning style. Stepping in and unleashing a volley of fierce piercing jabs with his fingers. However all he ever struck were her afterimages. She didn't strike back this time instead letting him continue attacking for a few minutes, then switching to Water style and throw him once more onto the ground. He lay there panting, in pain and confused.
"What is wrong with me?" He muttered as he sat up. The sparring was obviously over. Reaching down and putting a hand on his belly. "Did I eat too much earlier?" Obviously those four Mega Size bowls had to impeding him.
"No, I think it's something more." Keito said, watching from the door into the back of the store. "I think that you've gotten so used to channeling the Kyuubi's chakra that now that when you try and utilize a skill that relies at least partially on how you channel chakra you can't do it anymore. Like the fundamental nature of the chakra that you use has been changed." Naruto lie back on the ground and let out a frustrated cry.
"Damn. Damn! DAMN!" Husband and wife watched the outburst without comment. It seemed to them that it was something Naruto needed to get out of his system. "The end of the tournament is a month away. How am I supposed to learn how to channel my chakra differently than I have for YEARS?" He cried out in frustration. He tried to calm down and look over at his teachers. "What am I going to do? What can I do?" Husband and wife looked at each other and shrugged. Keito made a movement with his hand Kibou and smiled. She turned to Naruto.
"There are two options as there always are in the Ninja world." She smiled down at him kindly. "Give up or continue forward through any obstacles that come before you." Naruto listened and closed his eyes when he opened them and jumped back up to his feet.
"Well, that takes care of that." He announced and started stretching a bit to loosen up. "So basically I can't fine tune, I need to work my entire body. High level chakra training, right?" Kibou nodded as he continued. "So something like those Tree walking exercises Kakashi had us doing a while back." He looked at them. "Any idea what kind I might do?" It was Keito's turn to answer this time.
"That's simple. Water walking." Naruto sat and listened for a few minutes as the basic technique was explained to him. Keito demonstrated how it was supposed to be done with a simple tub of water. Though it was explained that it was easy with only a few inches of water, and was at its hardest at a depth of roughly six feet, though it did depend a bit on the mass of the person using the technique. He was told that the best place to train it was up behind the Onsen where there was a long stream that's varying depths would be very difficult to master by a beginner.
"While you're doing that we'll both be making your new training gear." Naruto opened his mouth but Keito held up a hand silencing him. "Hey, who's the tailor here? Don't worry. It will be just what you're looking for now that we know you don't need actual armor." Naruto tried again but received a sharp rap on the head from Kibou.
"Trust my husband. You know he's good at this stuff." She gave him a wink and Naruto gave up rolling his eyes slightly. "Alright, come on Kasei." He head out knowing not to bring up the subject of payment. But he would repay them some day for the kindness that they had given him. Once he was out of their back yard and out on the street again he reached down and tapped the little fox on the head with a finger.
"TAG!" He shouted and ran off ahead of the little demon. Kasei was puzzled for a moment then remembered the little games that were played with the other cub mates. Running after Naruto attempting to tag him in return. It took them half an hour to make it to the old Onsen at the edge of the village. Naruto was it again by the time they reached it and Kasei was proving an elusive subject. Dodging around the springs that were too hot for mere relaxation and working their way around the onsen. Naruto lost him for a little while, then figuring that he had jumped over the wall into the bathing area in the back of the onsen to get a moment's breath. He ran up to the wooden wall and grabbed the top of it and heaving himself up to look over to see if the fox was there.
"Hey have any of you seen a-" He didn't get to finish what he was saying because a towel was immediately slapped around his face. Falling back from the shock he didn't notice how hot it was until a second later. "YAAAH!" He pulled it off a moment later gasping for air, his face red from the heat and the mature images playing across his mind of what he had seen. Shaking his head to clear the thoughts he remembered why he was there.
"Amateur." Naruto looked around to try and see where the word had come from. He didn't see anyone but noticed Kasei up a hill. He balled up the towel and tossed it back over the onsen wall then raced after the fox once more.
The old pervert glanced back at the boy and the fox, from his hidden spot in the bushes. Then turned back to the peep hole and giggled a little then took down some more notes in his little book. Maybe he'd give the kid some pointers next time if he ran into him again.
Naruto fell down by the side of the little stream, tired from all the running that he had done as a part of the little game with the fox. A few days ago he wouldn't be nearly this tired from his exertion. It just worked to remind him of how important it was that he starts training in the new method as soon as possible. Forcing himself up, he looked at the stream. Walking over to it he knelt down and placed his hands against the water. Working on channeling some chakra through them he pressed them against the water and felt resistance. He increased the pressure slowly. It was working on his concentration but he continued until Kasei yipped and he was distracted. His chakra control slipped and his arms and torso immediately plunged into the stream. Backing out and gasping for air. The water was quite chilly after the hot towel not so long ago.
Kasei was doing the same as him. Pressing its feet against the surface of the water and testing the method. Naruto laughed a little and sat back. He tugged his wet shirt off along with his other clothes until he was just in his boxers. He also left his pendant on around his neck. He stood and concentrated, forcing the chakra into his feet then stepping out onto the water. It worked for a few moments then a fish darted under his feet and disrupted the chakra and he fell back onto the shore. But that didn't stop him. He got up and tried again. A few more failures but he kept lasting longer and longer.
All the chakra manipulation going on within his body had caused his full seal to become fully visible like a black tattoo against his belly with the various symbols around its edge. The memory of his First Brother, the destruction that he had caused in the tests drove him to work harder. Walking out on top of the water towards the center of the stream where the water was flowing faster and control was more difficult. Forcing him to learn the method faster but at the same time use up much more chakra.
Kasei was also training with him, walking out on the water and forcing chakra through its own feet to support itself. The little demon's progress was fast and it was soon running along the water while Naruto was still forced to walk. It still did occasionally slip a paw under the water when it wasn't concentrating but it only fully feel under a few times early on.
It was getting into the evening and Naruto's stomach was starting to grumble. With Kasei's help they were able to catch four good sized river fish. The little fox gathered firewood and with a little flame from Naruto's flint and steel from his little bag that he always kept with him. With the fish cooking they settled down to relax by the warm fire. It was then that Naruto heard cries from down the hill where the onsen was. A few moments later there was a large band of women running up the hill, all with towels hurriedly wrapped around their bodies.
"Where's that PERVERT!" One of the demanded, glaring down at the seated Naruto. He blinked a few times then pointed off down the river. The woman had scared him slightly. Her tone had indicated there would be a great deal of pain in the future for the one she had referred to as 'pervert' and Naruto wanted to make sure that it wasn't himself. The gang of women charge down the stream, aiming to make sure that the person that had offended them was never heard from again. As they were running away there were a few mechanical clicking sounds from a bush not too far from Naruto.
"You can come out now..." Naruto muttered checking on the state of the cooking fish. "I'm pretty sure they're gone now." There was a rustling sound and Naruto looked over to see a guy in one of the most outlandish costumes he had ever seen, outside of a carnival.
A bright red long vest over loose green suit. He was quite a tall man, easily over six feet and made even taller by his bright red platform geta sandals, so that he appeared to be closer to 6 and a half feet tall. Quite a bit taller than Naruto. His face was marked with two red lines down from each eye going all the way under his chin. A head band similar to a ninja, though it was quite a bit bigger and of a different design. Two small horns coming out near the top. The most bizarre thing of this stranger was his hair however. Pure white and much longer then Naruto had ever seen on a man, reaching well down his back. Though his hair was quite unruly and it looked like the man had never brushed it even once.
"Thanks kid," the man laughed and settled onto a rock across the fire from him. "What can the great Toad Sage do for you in repayment for this kind deed?"
"The 'great' what?" the boy looked at the man in puzzlement.
"Oh, my manners, I forgot to introduce myself," with that the odd looking man stood up and got into a rather odd pose that reminded Naruto of a Kabuki performance that he had been taken to once. "They say there is no man greater than the Fabled Toad Sage. In the North, South, east, and even West, there are none who can be said to be greater then HE!" He hopped from one foot to the other, bringing his hands together in what was obviously something he thought was impressive. There was a burst of smoke and when it cleared the man was standing on top of a fairly large toad, still in the ridiculous pose. "And He stands before you now! I am Jiraiya, the Toad Sage!"
"What, you?"
Quote the Speechless: "Well, not nearly as much as a cliffhanger as I usually leave, but still I believe this ending holds up with my trend."
Ghost Wolf: "The Toad Sage? So I'm guessing that Naruto will begin training with the Rasangen soon?"
Quote the Speechless: "We'll see, maybe summons, maybe something else." He shrugs and smiles enigmatically.
Ghost Wolf: "Just so long as you don't take another nine months..."
Quote the Speechless: "Uh... We'll wait and see. I'm a bit out of practice after all." Hunches over a computer and starts writing.
Ghost Wolf: "Well, we'll see what the readers do to you as things go on... I'll be right over here." Grabs keys to the chains and runs out the door, leaving Quote at the mercy of the readers.
Quote the Speechless: "... Oh fuck..."