Somewhere in Wave Country
Naruto and his hanyou family continued to rush through the trees as they made their way to the war stricken zone of Kirigakure. As everyone raced there, people started to go about their conversations. Soon Kiba sped up to Naruto as he brought Naruto out of a daze.
"What are you thinking about Naruto?" Kiba asked the blond hanyou. Naruto was soon brought out of his thoughts as he turned to Kiba.
"Oh its nothing Kiba. Did you want something?" Naruto asked him. Kiba nodded as he started to grin.
"Akamaru and I master the wolf transformation. With this new power, it was much easier. So when are you going to do a combination jutsu with us?" Kiba asked him. Naruto chuckled as he heard that. Kiba did seem enthusiastic about his jutsu with him as he had trained harder to master the technique.
"This war shouldn't take long so, when we return we will try it out ok?" Naruto said to him. Kiba nodded with a smile as he patted Akamaru's head.
"Got it Naruto," Kiba said to him. Naruto chuckled as everyone soon left the trees and landed on the dirt road.
"Alright, we are past Wave's border and after this stretch of water, we will be in Kiri. However we will stop at an island between here and Kiri for a short break, then we will continue our travel alright?" Naruto said to everyone. Everyone nodded in agreement as they seemed to be shaking in anticipation of participating in a war. Naruto smiled at everyone's enthusiasm as they all supplied chakra to the soles of their feet. Due to the war going on no public ships were going to Kiri for travel so the only ways to get there was either by one of the fourth Mizukage's ships or by having amazing control of your chakra to run on the water. Everyone ran off as they headed into the mist of that soon covered their trails.
Back In Konoha
Somewhere in a hidden area of the village, Orochimaru sat in his chair as he contemplated what happened to him about a month ago.
"How in the hell did Anko of all people manage to cause me pain?" Orochimaru asked himself as he narrowed his eyes trying to think of the problem.
"She never had this much power and how come the curse mark didn't affect her? There is no one in the village who is capable of removing the seal not even the competent pervert of a sannin," Orochimaru said as he remembered Jiraiya. Orochimaru sighed as he breathed deeply calming his nerves. Soon Kabuto came through the door with a smile on his face as he neared Orochimaru. Orochimaru wasn't in the best of moods as he looked up.
"This had better be good news Kabuto," Orochimaru warned him. Kabuto felt a drop of sweat leave his face as he nodded.
"It appears that Sasuke Uchiha is continuing to search for the means to power. It appears that he also has two female followers. They are teaching him some of the jutsus they know, which aren't bad I might add Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto said to him with a bow of his head. Orochimaru chuckled as he stood up.
"Excellent, Sasuke will soon seek me out for power and I will finally have the sharingan. I will become the ruler of the world kukuku," Orochimaru said with a slither of his tongue. Kabuto bowed to Orochimaru as his laugh could be heard from outside the door.
With Sasuke
Sasuke had slowly gotten used to Sakura and Ino as he didn't seem to care about them following him anymore. Their rants about him were still annoying to bear, but he seemed to have a better tolerance for them. They did help him train so he figured that they could at least be in his presence. As Sasuke and his banshees walked through Konoha, Sasuke continued to have his ego boosted by the population of Konoha. Sasuke could hear the various comments of him killing some kind of demon that had been in the village. Sasuke didn't understand much, but he didn't really seem to mind. All that mattered to him was his revenge against his brother. As he walked through Konoha, Sasuke saw an absence of a select few people as he looked around.
"What is the matter Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked him. Sasuke turned to Sakura and steeled his gaze.
"Where is the dobe and his band of misfits?" Sasuke asked them. Ino and Sakura looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.
"I heard from one of the Jonin that Naruto left the village to search for his mother. What a loser, he must really need comfort if he has to look for his mommy," Ino said with a laugh. Sakura chuckled as well. Sasuke turned around and began to walk again keeping his usual cold outward appearance, but inside he smirked at Ino's proclamation.
"It's not like the dobe's mother can do anything anyway. She is probably dead or dirt poor just like the dobe was," Sasuke said with a slight smile. Sakura and Ino smirked as they continued to walk through Konoha. Soon the three entered the training field as they fanned out.
"Alright you two. You are going to help me control this curse mark. Kakashi may have thought that it was right to try and seal it, but this is the power I have been waiting for and it isn't going to get away from me," Sasuke said to them. Ino and Sakura nodded as they both took out a kunai. Sasuke activated his sharingan as he looked at the girls.
"And if you hold back, I will make sure to give you hell," Sasuke said to them. Both girls gulped, but nodded as they ran at Sasuke as they tried to help their beloved Uchiha attain his desire. Sasuke smirked as he went through his training.
"Just you wait Itachi. As soon as the dobe kneels at my feet, it will be your turn," Sasuke though as the black flames of his curse mark came across his face.
Hokage Mansion
Sarutobi was currently dealing with the new information that he came across as he looked across from his desk at the Suna shinobi.
"So basically what you are telling me is that the Kazekage is dead and you were tricked by Orochimaru into starting a war with us?" Sarutobi said to them. Baki nodded as did the three genin with him. Everyone decided to come clean now rather than after the war were hostilities would most likely be met. Hiruzen leaned back into his chair as he took a deep puff from his pipe.
"You always were troublesome Orochimaru. I knew I should have killed you back in those days, but soon I will correct that mistake," Sarutobi thought as he looked at the Suna shinobi.
"Since you decided to come clean before this happened we will bear no hostilities towards you or your country, but I want all the information that you and Suna have on the war currently," Sarutobi said to Baki. Baki nodded as he and his genin were escorted out by Anbu. Hiruzen laid in his chair as he sighed.
"I am getting to old for this shit. I think it's time someone else did this job," Sarutobi thought as he looked out the window.
"I wonder if Jiraiya should-," Sarutobi suddenly stopped as he shiver at his thought.
"Never mind, might as well find her after the invasion," Sarutobi said as he made three shadow clones and tackled his paperwork.
With Naruto and everyone else
Naruto and his family continued to run along the water as they soon came up to a large island in the middle of the water. Naruto smiled as he knew that the sun was going down as everyone neared the island.
"Everyone we will stop there for toady and will pick up early in the morning. Judging by the time and our runs, we should be in Kiri by evening tomorrow," Naruto said to them. Everyone nodded as they all came to the island. The island was quite lush as the trees swayed slightly. Tsume, Hana, and Kiba could smell the fruit that appeared at the top of most trees as everyone's stomach began to rumble. Haku and Zabuza tried to hold a laugh as they walked forward.
"We can cook for everyone, so can some people get firewood, water, and some ingredients?" Haku asked them. Everyone nodded as they all split up. Tsume, Kiba, and Hana went to get the required ingredients. Kin, Haku, Zabuza, and Kushina went to get water. Naruto, Kurenai, Anko and Shizune left to gather firewood.
Everyone soon came back with the required things as Anko did a slight katon technique to light the firewood. Kin, Haku, Zabuza, and Kushina set the water down as Haku began to slice the food Tsume, Hana, and Kiba brought with a kunai. Soon the food was made as everyone was ready to eat.
"Mmm this is good Haku-chan, what do you call this?" Naruto asked her. Haku blushed at Naruto's praise as she looked at him.
"My mother used to make it, she called Kokei hābu kai no nabe(Shellfish soup pot with solid herbs)," Haku said to him. Naruto nodded as everyone was in harmony with the dish.
"I just found my second favorite dish as compared to ramen," Shizune said with a smile. Everyone nodded as they all ate the delicious food that Haku prepared for them. Soon everyone finished the meal as they all decided to sleep the rest of the night. Naruto and Zabuza decided to keep watch as they leaned on some trees.
"I never once thought that I would have so much entertainment in following you Gaki," Zabuza said to him. Naruto chuckled as he dropped his henge. Naruto decided to stretch a bit more as his tail swayed around. Naruto turned to Zabuza who stared at Naruto.
"What's the matter Zabuza?" Naruto asked him. Zabuza sighed with a chuckle.
"Even with the added power you gave me, it is still hard to handle such a presence from you," Zabuza said to him. Naruto chuckled as he tried to suppress his chakra level a bit. Zabuza soon relaxed as Naruto sat down.
"Why did you decided to follow me Zabuza?" Naruto asked feeling the need to know. Zabuza looked at the starry sky as the mist seemed to dissolve.
"Well I wasn't kidding when I told Gato that you would be more fun to hang around with. Also, I wanted to get Haku out of the life we had. I basically consider her my daughter and I'll be damned if someone hurts her," Zabuza stated. Naruto nodded as he listened to Zabuza. Zabuza chuckled as he closed his eyes.
"Don't tell her I said that. I don't need anyone thinking that I am going soft," Zabuza said to Naruto. Naruto chuckled also, but nodded.
"My lips are sealed," Naruto said as he looked at the sky. Zabuza soon got a smirk as he took out his sword and aimed it at Naruto.
"And just so you know, I was REALLY uncomfortable with what you did with my daughter," Zabuza said to him. Naruto sweated slightly as he looked at Zabuza.
"Next time put up a damn privacy seal so I don't need to her unpleasant things," Zabuza said to him. Naruto nodded as he soon got up.
"Where are you going?" Zabuza asked him. Naruto chuckled.
"I won't harm your daughter Zabuza and to answer your question, I am just going on a short walk. I will be back soon," Naruto said to him. Zabuza nodded as he kept the watch. He soon closed his eyes as a smile of contempt came across his face as he soon went to sleep.
With Naruto
Naruto sighed as he continued to walk through the dense forest with no clear destination in mind. Naruto scanned the area as he took in the fresh air around him.
"This place could serve as a training ground for some of our allies. It is quite big for an island," Naruto said to himself as he walked through the island. Soon Naruto heard a soft noise as his fox ears twitched. Naruto looked around as he tried to pinpoint the noise. Naruto soon found the direction of the strange sound as he continued to walk in said direction of the sound. Naruto felt his curiosity spark as the noise became clearer to him. After 30 minutes of walking, Naruto soon came up to a cave as he quirked up an eyebrow.
"Well it seems that this island has everything doesn't it?" Naruto said as a smile came across his face. Naruto stepped onto the hard ground as he took the form of the cave into his mind. Naruto channeled chakra to his eyes as he was able to see into the darkness. Naruto continued to walk as he saw a path into the cave. Deciding to satisfy his natural curiosity, Naruto ventured further into the cave as his vision grew darker and darker no matter how much chakra he put into his eyes. Naruto sighed as he decided to conserve his chakra and rely on his other senses.
"Why do I feel like I am being drawn somewhere?" Naruto thought as he continued to walk. Naruto judged the time he had entered the cave and felt that he had at least spent 45 minutes walking the straight path. Soon a small light appeared in the distance as Naruto walked towards it. Naruto soon made it to the light as it danced around him.
"I wonder if I am losing it," Naruto said as the light flew away. Naruto decided to follow the light as it brought him to a dead end. Naruto sighed as he felt this was a prank of some sort. Soon the light disappeared as it left Naruto in the dark. Naruto cursed his luck, but soon more lights flared as Naruto looked around the cave. The cave possessed tiny crystals that seemed to light after the previous light disappeared. Naruto marveled at the size and shape of different crystals. Naruto soon looked at the wall as he saw some strange lettering on it. Naruto managed to read the letters as he narrowed his eyes.
"Challenges are made to test the limits of man. Those who fail to pass their limits will fail this challenge. Take this challenge and you might die, know your limits and break them to attain the power of this challenge," Naruto said as he read the lettering. After he finished, soon the letter glowed as Naruto narrowed his eyes. Soon the wall crumbled as it revealed a sort of door into the darkness. Naruto soon walked inside as he went further to see the challenge. As Naruto walked through the cave, his challenge suddenly began as he steeled his nerves.
"Your goal is impossible to attain," a voice said. Naruto steeled his nerves as he continued to walk.
"You and your family will die,"
"You won't be able to change the future. It is impossible,"
Naruto soon chuckled as he closed his eyes.
"I don't believe that. I know my power and you don't. This isn't simply a goal. This is my path and my road that I walk. You say it's impossible, but you aren't me. For you it might be impossible, but for me it is so possible that I could do it right now," Naruto finished.
"You couldn't do anything even if you wanted so why are you postponing your defeat?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes as he sighed.
"If you knew me and what I did then you would know a critical thing about me and my family. As the Kyuubi's son, I have inherited his tenacity, his cleverness, and his power. I am a hanyou and as such I have been granted the power of eternal life along with my family. So I can wait for as long as I want to have my revenge on the damned Uchiha; however, killing him when he thinks that he is at the top of the world will be oh so sweet for me," Naruto finished. The voice grew quiet as Naruto ventured further into the darkness. Naruto soon thought about the challenge as he continued to walk.
"You know, you say I can't do anything, but you don't know my limits. Only I do and my limits are so damn small that they can be threatened by small useless backtalk," Naruto said to the darkness.
"Do you have the power to finish the path you have set for you?"
Naruto soon stopped for a second, but then continued on.
"I have the power necessary to do what I will. I will do what I must and I will do it right. Nothing will stand in the way of my path and if it does I will move it out of my way," Naruto said to the voice. The voice grew quiet as a light shined in the distance again.
"Your resolve is strong, protect your goal. Let nothing hinder you and use the power that will be bestowed on you," the voice said as it vanished. Naruto soon smiled as he continued to walk.
"You don't have to tell me twice," Naruto said as he came to the end of the cavern. Naruto looked to see a shrine with a candlelight on its stand. Naruto inspected the shrine, but saw something in the center of it. Naruto soon climbed the stairs of the shrine as he soon made it to the top. Naruto looked to see a scroll in the center as he looked at the passage engraved on the wood of the shrine.
"Power comes to those who know how to make the impossible happen. Nothing hinders then and they destroy the barriers that dare to try. Never forget your resolve as you become one with the power that will help your goal,"
Naruto finished reading the words as he reached his hand out. Naruto grabbed the scroll as he took it from the shrine. Naruto soon stepped down the stairs as he stood under the lamplight. Naruto opened the scroll as he looked at the words inside.
"Kuchiyose: Ryu( Summoning: Dragon)," Naruto said as he laid the scroll on the ground. Naruto bit his thumb as he wrote his name in the open space of the scroll. Naruto looked to see that no other name was in the scroll as it showed that he was the first to get to the scroll. After he wrote his name the scroll glowed as a puff of smoke came out. Naruto looked as the smoke settled. Naruto widened his eyes slightly as he he saw a medium white dragon appear out from the scroll. The dragon looked at Naruto with a surprised look on it's face as it checked it's surroundings.
"Are you the one who summoned me?" the dragon asked him. Naruto sighed as he nodded.
"That's right, I signed my name in the scroll and it glowed soon you came out," Naruto explained. The dragon gasped as she looked at Naruto.
"I can't believe someone managed to finish Lord Shinsei's challenge," the dragon said to him. Naruto quirked up an eyebrow as he looked at the dragon.
"Mind explaining?" Naruto asked her. The dragon nodded as she lowered her back. She explained how the dragon clan is one of the most legendary animal clans that anyone can have. They are even more powerful than the toads. She told him that until now, now one was able to summon them. Naruto nodded in understanding as he looked at her.
"So I am now the carrier for this scroll?" Naruto asked her. The dragon nodded as she looked at him.
"That's right. Inside are some techniques that our clan knows that were passed down to the humans," She said to him. Naruto nodded as he unrolled the scroll further to see the techniques she mentioned.
"They are listened in terms of difficulty, the last one is one that only Shinsei-sama was able to complete," The dragon told him. Naruto nodded, but soon looked up.
"So who is Shinsei?" Naruto asked her. The dragon chuckled as she looked at him.
"Shinsei-sama is the Lord Dragon of the dragon clan. All dragons look to him as their absolute leader after you," She told him. Naruto looked at her like she was joking, but the dragon nodded.
"That's right, you are the summoner and leader of the dragon clan. There are eight types of dragons for you to summon," she told him. Naruto nodded as he waited for her to continue.
"First are fire dragons. Second are water dragons. Third are earth dragons. Fourth are wind dragons. Fifth are lighting dragons. Sixth are dark dragons. Seventh are light dragons. And the last ones are the most powerful of the eight. They are mystic dragons," She finished. Naruto nodded as he looked at her. Judging from the white aura around her, she was a light dragon.
"So I am the leader of the dragon clan?" Naruto asked her one more time to be sure. She nodded as she looked at him.
"That's right. I am your personal summon. We, dragons, hold power in absolute regard. We don't deal with those who are weak. Stay strong and we stay loyal to you. Summon us anytime you wish. To summon the different types, just say the element in the summon," She said to him. Naruto nodded.
"So like 'Kuchiyose no jutsu: Kasai Ryu( Summoning Jutsu: Fire Dragon)'?" Naruto asked her. The dragon nodded at him. Naruto smiled at her.
"Well I will never lose my resolve nor my power. I will take care of my summons and I will walk the path that I have set. Thank you," Naruto said to her. The dragon nodded as she was about to leave.
"Wait!" Naruto said to her. She soon turned around as she looked at him.
"Yes?" she asked him. Naruto soon stood up.
"What is your name?" Naruto asked her. The dragon chuckled as she nodded.
"Oh yeah, I didn't tell you. My name is Kiara. I will be your personal summon from this day forward Naruto-sama," Kiara said to him. Naruto nodded with a smile as he scratched her ears.
"Glad to have you as a summon Kiara," Naruto said to her. Kiara let out a low growl as Naruto stopped. Kiara smiled as she was about to go.
"Well I am going to tell the dragon clan that we finally have a summon, see you later Naruto-sama," Kiara said to him. Naruto nodded as he rolled up the scroll.
"See you later Kiara-chan," Naruto said to her. Kiara nodded as she soon poofed out of sight. Naruto picked up the scroll as he began to walk out the way he came. The way seemed to be lighted this time as he walked out. Naruto chuckled as he looked at the scroll.
"I finally have my own summons. I can't wait to see the look on someone's face when I show them this," Naruto said to himself as he soon came to the entrance of the door. Naruto looked to see the green crystals in the cavern as he formed a smirk. Naruto soon took out a kunai as he picked at the shiny gems. Naruto smiled as he managed to gather a bunch of the amazing crystals. Naruto soon sealed them into a blood sealed scroll.
"I will look into these later," Naruto said as he took one more whole crystal and sealing it into his scroll. Naruto soon continued to walk out of the cave as he soon came back to the forest. Naruto saw the moon and stars still in the air. Naruto smiled as he wondered what time it was. Not deciding to think about it, Naruto walked back down to the area where his family was. Naruto looked to see Shizune and Haku keeping guard. Both girls turned to see Naruto carrying a scroll with him as they quirked up their eyebrows.
"And what does Naruto-kun have there?" Shizune asked him. Naruto chuckled as he laid the scroll next to him. Both girls were very interested as Naruto sat down.
"I will tell you later Shizu-chan, Haku-chan. Trust me, you will be the first to know tomorrow, but right now. We all need our sleep for tomorrow. We will be busy so let's go to sleep," Naruto said to them. Both girls were quite curious, but could see that Naruto would surely tell them what happened tomorrow. Both girls nodded as they put their heads on Naruto's legs. Soon everyone was sleeping soundly.
Back in Konoha
Sasuke, Sakura, and Ino were walking through Konoha as they came to see Kakashi at the gate.
"How is gate duty sensei?" Sakura said to him. Kakashi steeled his gaze at her that made her flinch.
"I wouldn't have guard duty if you both fought like you said you improved," Kakashi said to them as he read his Icha-Icha. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Kakashi as he soon smirked.
"Then teach me one more jutsu before the exams. If the Hokage gives you trouble, then I will get the council on him. Teach me one last of your techniques and I will surely dominate the exams," Sasuke said to him with a smirk. Kakashi sighed as he looked at Sasuke. He could see Sasuke was serious as he put his book down.
"Fine Sasuke, but you only see this once and you are on your own. I am not having my ninja status climb down anymore just so you can feel good," Kakashi said to him. Sasuke nodded as Kakashi sighed again.
"Meet me tomorrow morning in the training grounds. I will show you the technique then," Kakashi said to him. Sasuke nodded as he, Sakura and Ino left. Kakashi closed his book as he looked at the entrance.
"I wonder if I am doing the right thing here," Kakashi thought as he looked at his book. As he thought, two other chunin came to the gates.
"Your off duty Chunin Kakashi," someone said to him with a laugh. Kakashi narrowed his eyes as he dropped his book. He soon saw Izumo and Kotetsu in front of him. Kakashi sighed as he left the post.
"It's not that funny anymore," Kakashi said as he shunshined out of sight after the tiresome day. Izumo and Kotetsu smirked as they sat down.
"It was funny to me," Izumo said to Kotetsu. Kotetsu could only nod in agreement as they watched the gates.