Here is Chapter 9. Sorry it took so long. I was busy with school starting up and trying to find some time to write this and do my work. I do not own Naruto. I make up a character in this chapter to lead the village, but he will not be an important character. It was just easier for the story.
Team 7 had arrived in Kusagakure in under a day. After Kakashi had spoken with the gate guards, the team was brought to their local hotel.
"Alright team we have two rooms. I will be taking one, while you three will share the other. We will meet up at 10 tomorrow so I will give you a chance to sleep in." Kakashi said as he handed the keys to the three boys.
"We will be heading to see the village leader tomorrow and hopefully be able to get some training in. I want you all to rest up tonight. We have a long day tomorrow."
Kakashi waved to the three boys and disappeared into his room, leaving Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru to head to their own respective room.
(The next day)
The next morning found Team 7 refreshed and ready to begin their mission. Kakashi led them to the village leader's office where they had to wait to drop off the letter.
"Kakashi-sensei how much longer is this going to take? I want to start training" Naruto said.
"Naruto be patient. The village leader is a very important and busy man. He will see us when he has the time"
Team 7 waited fifteen more minutes before the door to the office opened.
"Cho-sama will see you now" the secretary said as she opened the door.
Team 7 walked into the office and all bowed.
"Cho-sama it is a pleasure to see you again" Kakashi said as he was bowing.
"Kakashi? Is that you? My how you have grown. I haven't seen you in a few years. I think the last time I saw you was when you were here on a diplomatic mission with the fourth."
Kakashi nodded while also looking a bit saddened at hearing his old sensei being brought up.
"That is correct Cho-sama. It has been sometime. I am glad to see you are still in office, but we will have time to catch up later. I am here along with my team to bring you a letter from our Hokage."
Kakashi unsealed the scroll and handed it to Cho. Cho took the scroll and began reading.
"Kakashi-san I will need some time to discuss this scroll with my council. I will need you to return tomorrow afternoon so we can discuss the reply."
"Understood Cho-sama. If it isn't too much to ask, would my team and I be able to utilize one of your training grounds for a bit?"
Cho looked at Team 7 and looked each member over. 'The last Uchiha it seems, as well as a Nara too. That hairstyle is a dead giveaway. Who is this last member? Blonde hair, blue eyes, it couldn't be..'
Cho stared at Naruto a little longer than the rest but eventually nodded.
"I do not have a problem with that. There is a training ground right outside the gates that is a little bit off the path. It is located near a pond and has plenty of space for your training. I will have the guards show you where it is."
"Thank you very much Cho-sama." Kakashi said as he and his team all bowed.
(Out in the training ground)
"What are we going to be working on Kakashi-sensei? Are you going to show us some of your super cool moves?" Naruto asked excitedly.
"Unfortunately no Naruto. Before we begin today's training I want you to tell me where you think your strengths and weaknesses lie. Sasuke you first."
"Well I have been working on my sealing and I believe I am ready for the intermediate level. My knowledge of fire ninjutsu though quite low is still more than most genin our age. My stamina is above genin level, as well as my speed thanks to our weights. My kenjutsu is coming along slowly, and I am skilled in strategy as well. I need to become more well rounded. Possibly learn some genjutsu and work on my kenjutsu more.
Kakashi nodded. He thought it was a fair assessment of his own skills. Sasuke had begun to loosen up around Naruto and Shikamaru and knew he could not be the best at everything. He still had his arrogance about him, but it was slowly going away.
"I agree Sasuke. For today I will be working with you on your strategy and your fire ninjutsu. If you do well I may teach you a jutsu. Now Shikamaru you are up next."
Shikamaru yawned as he began talking, "Well I am the best at strategy. My stamina, endurance and chakra reserves could be worked on as well as my hand seal speed. My reaction time is well above genin level. I could learn a few more lightning jutsu as well. I have become proficient with my weapon recently and have begun trying to use it in conjunction with my shadow."
Kakashi nodded again. Shikamaru was by far the best strategist of the genin. He was probably better than most chunin right now as well. His chakra reserves would be something that he would need to work on if he wanted to keep up with Naruto and Sasuke.
"Understood Shikamaru. I will be working with you on hand seal speed and getting your chakra reserves up. Alright Naruto you're up"
"I am extremely good at being stealthy when I want to be as well as thinking on my feet. I have large reserves but not enough control over them. I could use a few more wind jutsu. I have started to channel my wind chakra into my trench knives but I am nowhere near Asuma-sensei's level. I am almost finished with the intermediate level of sealing and will be ready to move on in a few weeks."
Kakashi looked at Naruto and smiled underneath his mask. Naruto was just like his parents in sealing. He somehow was able to absorb it like it was nothing. Sealing was a hard art to master, but Naruto was well on his way to becoming a sealing expert.
"Naruto we will be working on your chakra control as well as working with your weapons. I am going to be working with all three of you individually for this training exercise because though you are a team, you still need to be able to function on your own. I also want each of you to start thinking of your own moves. A good ninja can master moves he already knows, but a great ninja can create his own. Now let's get to work."
With that Kakashi put his hands into a symbol and suddenly three other Kakashi's popped into existence next to him. "Now each of you will go with one of my clones. I am going to stay here and work on my own training for a bit and then I will join each of you in time."
Each boy paired up with one of Kakashi's clones and went to their own part of the training ground.
(With Naruto)
"Naruto how many Shadow Clones can you make?" Kakashi sensei asked when he and Naruto were far enough away.
"I'm not sure Kakashi-sensei. I try to stick with the 3 that you told me so that I don't overwhelm myself, but when I make them I don't even feel a difference in my chakra. I believe I can make a lot more if I needed to."
"Naruto do you know enough about barrier seals to place one so that they cannot see in on our training? I still don't want Shikamaru and Sasuke to know about your use of Shadow Clones."
"I am not sure sensei. I can try. I haven't done too much work on those types of barriers. Do you want me to add anything else to the barrier seal?"
"No the barrier should be fine for now"
Naruto worked on setting up a an appropriate barrier seal for five minutes.
'Naruto is a natural at sealing. Jiraiya is going to be pleased when he begins to train him. Naruto will without a doubt surpass Jiraiya and his parents in sealing.'
"Kakashi-sensei I believe that this should work. Let me apply these seals to the area."
Naruto spread out the seals he was working on around the area and then made his way back to where Kakashi was standing. Naruto placed his hands into a seal and activated the barrier. Slowly a barrier began to construct itself around the seals.
"It seems as though you were successful Naruto. Now I want to see how many clones you can make, and then we will dispel them in small groups so as not to get a massive mental backlash."
Naruto placed his hands into the seal for the clones and yelled out "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu". After the smoke cleared Kakashi's eye went wide and his mouth dropped. The clearing they were working in was filled with at least one thousand clones.
"Amazing. I have never heard of this many clones being made. Naruto how are you feeling?"
Kakashi looked at the original Naruto who wasn't even breaking a sweat.
"I feel great Kakashi sensei. So what do you want to work on now?"
"I want you to dispel your clones in groups of fives and then leave about twenty behind. I am going to have your clones work on chakra control while I help you with your weapon use."
Naruto began dispelling his clones as he got his trench knives ready for his weapon training.
(With Sasuke)
"Alright Sasuke this is far enough. Today we will be working on your strategy as well as your fire ninjutsu. As you know all Uchiha are fire elements, while you are both a fire element and a lightning element. This will give you an edge later on. The lightning jutsu you acquire later on will be much stronger once you complete your lightning manipulation. Before we work on any jutsu I want to work on your strategy first.
I am going to playing Shogi against you as well as giving you different battle scenarios. I want you to tell me what you would do in each situation."
Kakashi sat down and motioned for Sasuke to sit down as well, before Kakashi opened a scroll and a game of Shogi appeared.
"We will be playing a few games before we work on your ninjutsu."
Sasuke just nodded and sat down.
(With Shikamaru)
"Alright Shikamaru to work on your reserves we are going to be draining them so that when they refill they will become larger. I want you to run up and down this tree using your chakra while also running through all the hand seals for the jutsu you know."
Shikamaru groaned as he walked in front of a tree. "This is so troublesome" Shikamaru said as he began running to the tree.
(3 hrs later)
Kakashi had Team 7 gathered in the center of the training ground. He had allowed them a little break so they could eat lunch before continuing on with their respective training. Shikamaru was sleeping on the ground as he was the most tired, having run up and down the tree more times than he would like to count so that he could drain his reserves. Naruto was sitting on the ground in a meditation position sorting through the memories of his clones, while Sasuke was going over various strategies in his head while they waited for Kakashi to arrive with lunch.
"Alright here you three go. You all worked hard today and deserve this. You have forty five minutes to relax and eat. After that we will continue training." Kakashi threw the boys three lunches and then disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"I bet he is going somewhere to read his perveted book" Naruto grumbled as he opened his lunch bag. "Fruits and veggies. Gross. Where is the ramen?"
"Eating ramen every meal isn't good for you dobe, but I forgot you wouldn't realize that."
"Shut it teme."
"Let's just enjoy our meal in peace please" Shikamaru said as he was suddenly awake now that the food was here.
The boys ate their meals in silence for a few minutes before Naruto finally allowed his curiosity to get the better of him. "So what did Kakashi-sensei have you guys working on?"
"I played him in Shogi and then he would ask me different battle scenarios from time to time, and then we eventually worked on my fire jutsu." Sasuke said in between bites of his sandwich.
"Sensei had me run up and down a tree while using my chakra and going through my hand seals as fast as I could until my chakra was gone, and then I would do it again once I got it back." Shikamaru said in between yawns and eating his sandwich.
"Kakashi-sensei had me working on chakra control and working with my trench knives."
Shikamaru and Sasuke just nodded.
"Shika, have you ever thought of getting into seals like me and Sasuke? With your brain power you definitely would be good with seals. You are the smartest kid I know."
Shikamaru sighed. He had thought of learning some sealing techniques. He had seen firsthand how useful they were when used correctly from Naruto, but Shikamaru didn't want to put the effort into learning it at this moment. "It would be too troublesome right now. I don't have the endless energy like you do Naruto."
Naruto just shrugged at Shikamaru's comment and continued eating. "Naruto how is it you have so much energy? You hardly ever get winded during training and when you do it takes a lot." Shikamaru asked as his curiosity was suddenly peaked thinking about how Naruto seemed to have endless amounts of energy.
'Shit, I can't tell them about the fox just yet. I don't know if I can trust them.' Naruto thought as he heard the question. Naruto began to sweat a little as he thought up of an answer. "I'm not sure Shika, I just always have energy. Maybe it is from all the ramen I eat."
Shikamaru just shrugged as Naruto gave him his answer. 'Hmm.. Naruto is hiding something from the two of us'
"Hey Shika have you ever thought of using your shadows for other things rather than just binding? I mean if I could manipulate shadows I will try to hide myself in them so no one could see me."
Shikamaru looked at Naruto and was dumbfounded. Naruto had actually come up with a good idea for his jutsu. "Naruto, my father hasn't taught me much of our family jutsu yet. He is waiting for me to become stronger. I have never heard of a Nara being able to use his shadow like that though. I will need to ask my father."
Shikamaru began to wonder if somehow Naruto's crazy idea could work. If Shikamaru was able to use shadows as a means to move and hide in them, then his fighting strategies would increase and he would be far more dangerous to his opponents.
Sasuke just sat there and listened to Naruto and Shikamaru talk. 'The dobe does have a few good ideas. If Shikamaru could use his shadow to hide in then he would be hard to detect. I wonder if I would be able to copy something like that with my eyes once they activate. I still need to get stronger.'
As the forty five minutes came to an end Kakashi appeared in front of them.
"Alright now that you guys have rested up a bit and gotten some food in you we are going to resume our training. Each of you will go with my clones again and work on more of what you were earlier." As Kakashi finished speaking he put his hands into a sign and three clones popped into existence.
"I will be right here training on my own when you guys are done. Once the clone dispels come here and we will be finished for the day." Kakashi said as the clones all paired up with one of the boys and went back to where they had been training.
(Cave outside the village)
Kabuto was quickly reading over a scroll given to him by his master. Orochimaru wanted Kabuto to abduct the Tsuchikage's granddaughter. His granddaughter was known to have the lava release and Orochimaru had been trying to get his hands on that bloodline for some time.
Kabuto knew that failure on this mission was not an option. Orochimaru had told him that the Tsuchikage's granddaughter would be passing by this way in a few hours on her way back from a mission. Kabuto was going to take this time to set a trap to capture her. She was only a chunin level ninja so capturing her should not prove to be too hard for Kabuto. Kabuto's information had told him that she was currently on her way back to Iwa with a squad of chunin. 'I need to separate her from the rest of the chunin if I want to capture her. I will need to plan this carefully'.
Kabuto rolled up the scroll he currently had and began organizing his plan to capture his target for Orochimaru.
(Later that night)
"Man, Kakashi's training today was intense. I feel so exhausted." Naruto said as he was in a room with Sasuke and Shikamaru. 'I need them to go to bed soon so I can sneak out and work on my training again without anyone watching. I have almost completed one of the other moves from the Scroll of Sealing.'
"This training is almost over, and besides we will be heading home to Konoha soon once the village leader talks with Kakashi tomorrow." Shikamaru said as he began to yawn and lay on the bed.
Sasuke just sat on his bed listening to his two teammates. 'With this training I can feel myself getting stronger. Was Kakashi right about leaving revenge in the past? He was rumored to be as strong as my brother and he isn't fueled by revenge. I need to think about this some more'
Each of the boys took turns using the shower and getting ready for bed, with Naruto offering to take his last knowing that Shikamaru and Sasuke would most likely be sleeping when he was done. Once Naruto got into the bathroom he created a clone to take his place, and Naruto jumped out the window and headed to the training ground where they had been all day.
'I wonder where Naruto is sneaking off to this late at night. I better follow him to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.' Kakashi thought as he saw Naruto jump from roof to roof. Kakashi was on his way back from making sure the building was secure when he saw Naruto jump through the window and head towards the training ground they had been using.
(2 hours later, training ground)
Naruto was smirking to himself. He had finally gotten this move down. He was extremely proud of himself. He had another A-rank move for his arsenal at his disposal. The chakra the move used was a bit more than he would have liked, but he would ask Kakashi sensei for more chakra control exercises.
'Naruto never ceases to amaze me. That is a very hard move to pull off. I have trouble with that move. His large reserves definitely help him with being able to use it so much, and in conjunction with his shadow clones, he is going to be tough to beat for most genin and most likely most chunin. I wonder what else he is keeping hidden from us. I will need to investigate fur-'
Kakashi's thoughts were interrupted when both he and Naruto heard a female scream "Yoton: Lava lake"
"What was that?" Naruto said out loud as Kakashi thought the same thing from his hiding spot in the trees. Naruto began to jump through the trees to where the voice came from.
'Naruto you shouldn't run into a situation where you have no idea what is going on. If someone is using Lava release then things could difficult.' Kakashi jumped through the trees as well to catch up with Naruto.
(Clearing in the woods)
Kurotsuchi was panting. Whoever was attacking her was good. The figure was masked so she could not see their face and she could not see their headband. They had ambushed her and her squad and forced them to separate. 'I need to hold out for my team. He is too strong for me to take on alone. I wish my team would hurry up and deal with the trap he laid for them.'
Kurotsuchi was forced to duck as Kabuto slashed at her with a kunai. As Kurotsuchi ducked under the kunai, she suddenly disappeared into the ground.
'Where could she be? I knew she was talented with earth manipulation but I didn't think she was this good. I can see why Orochimaru-sensei wants her. I need to capture her soon before her team arrives.'
Kabuto suddenly felt the earth he was standing on to start to move and begin to get hot. Kabuto looked down and saw that the spot he was standing on was beginning to expand. Kabuto jumped away and right as he was jumping away a lava column exploded from the spot.
"That was a close one. You almost had me with that. I won't fall for that again mind you. Now why don't you come out and be a nice little girl and come with me. I don't want to have to hurt you" Kabuto said out loud, unsure of where the young girl was.
Suddenly three Kurotsuchi's appeared from the ground and began rushing at Kabuto. Kabuto wasn't sure which one was the real one, or if any of them were. Kabuto flipped through a few handseals when his hands started to glow a faint green. He ducked under a kick from one of the clones and grabbed onto her thigh, cutting the tendons in her leg. As Kabuto cut the tendons, the clone suddenly exploded into water. 'Shit. She can use the water element as well'. Kabuto was forced to jump away as the other two clones began to throw kunai at where he once was.
As Kabuto landed a few feet away he began flipping through hand signs and then yelled out "Doton: Stone spear jutsu!" suddenly six stone spears appeared from the ground and began grinding into the ground all around the area. Kabuto was trying to force the girl out of hiding. One of the spears hit one of Kurotsuchi's advancing clones and the clone turned into mud. 'Two down one to go' Kabuto thought. Kabuto pushed a little more chakra into the technique and forced all six spears to head toward the girl. As the spears collided into the girl, the spears suddenly began melting and Kabuto noticed that the girl began to melt and turn into lava. ' A Lava Clone!'.
Kabuto suddenly jumped to a tree as Kurotsuchi's hands appeared from the ground trying to pull him under. As Kurotsuchi appeared above the ground she appeared winded and was breathing heavily. Staying underground for that long and creating those three clones had drained her reserves a bit more than she would have liked. She would need to use her lava techniques a bit more sparingly if she wished to survive.
"Don't be foolish. Now that you are out in the open you cannot win. Come with me and you will not be harmed." Kabuto said.
"Like hell I am going to go with you. I would rather die than be captured by you."
As the two combatants began flipping through handseals getting ready to unleash their next attacks, a orange blur burst onto the scene and began firing kunai at the masked individual. "Leave the girl alone. She said she doesn't want to go with you" Naruto said he threw some kunai and began going through his own set of handseals.
Kurotsuchi and Kabuto were caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Naruto, especially Kabuto. 'If Naruto is here, then that means that his genin squad is as well. Kakashi could be close by. I need to finish this quickly and grab the girl'
"Futon: Wind Bullet Barrage" Naruto exclaimed as he fired four wind bullets from his mouth at the masked attacker.
Kurotsuchi snapped out of her daze and finished her handseals and shouted "Katon: Grand fireball Technique" and shot an enormous fireball from her mouth.
The speed of the fireball caught up with the wind bullets and engulfed the four bullets causing the fireball to grow in size.
Kabuto quickly yelled out "Doton: Mud wall" and shot mud out of his mouth and erected a wall to protect him from the incoming fireball. The fireball hit the mud wall and was starting to break through, but Kabuto had already ducked underground and appeared behind Naruto.
Kabuto took out a kunai and turned it around so that the blunt end was facing Naruto and went to hit him in the back of the head to knock him out. As Kabuto connected with the kunai, Naruto did not get knocked out, but rather began to glow a bright white. Kabuto had a feeling this was bad so he quickly used a replacement with a log nearby. As soon as he used the replacement technique Naruto exploded.
'That was a close one. I had no idea Naruto knew the exploding clone technique. That is an A-rank technique. I wonder what else he has been hiding. He is turning out to be far more interesting than I ever could have thought. He almost had me for a second there.'
Kabuto was suddenly dragged from his thoughts as he felt a presence behind him and he grabbed the person and threw them into the clearing. As the person was thrown they flipped mid-air and landed on their feet facing Kabuto. Kabuto looked up and saw Naruto staring back at him. 'Good thing I have a mask on. I wouldn't want to have to explain myself to him. Naruto might catch onto my style. I might need to abandon this mission'
"Leave this girl alone or else you will need to go through me. I won't let you take her."
"You don't even know this girl"
"That doesn't matter. I saw that she was in trouble and I vowed to myself I would help protect her. Leave now before it is too late." Naruto said as he began to take out a few special kunai he had been working on. These kunai had seals on them that would create a barrier around the person that would hold them in place for a period of time.
Kabuto watched Naruto pull out a few kunai from his holder, but realized that they were not typical kunai, they had seals on them. The sealing paper Naruto had used could be seen through the clearing. Kabuto was unsure how far Naruto had advanced in his study of sealing, and wasn't sure know was the time to figure out. Kabuto looked at both Naruto and Kurotsuchi and noticed the two were ready to fight him. Kabuto was sure he could take them on given the right circumstances, but he had gone through a good portion of his chakra fighting already and Naruto had a nearly endless supply.
"You win for now, but don't think this will be the last time I will come for the girl. It is only a matter of time before my master gets her." Kabuto said as he disappeared into the ground.
Kurotsuchi suddenly dropped to the ground and used a jutsu to sense where Kabuto was.
"He is gone." She said as she stood back up. She had taken out a kunai and looked at the figure who had saved her. "Who are you? Why did you help me?"
"Naruto chuckled as he turned around. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and like I said I helped you because you looked as though you needed help. I wasn't going to let that man get a pretty girl like yourself." Naruto suddenly looked away embarrassed that he had called this girl pretty.
Kurotsuchi suddenly blushed at the boys compliment. As Kurotsuchi got a better a look at Naruto her face dropped. 'He looks just like the Yondaime. He even has a Konoha headband. How is this possible? But his last name is different. What is going on?'
Kurotsuchi wanted to get more information out of Naruto before her team arrived. "Nice to meet you Naruto. My name is Kurotsuchi. I am the granddaughter of the Tsuchikage. Thank you for helping me out. I wasn't sure how much longer I could have lasted against that man. I am grateful for your help."
"It wasn't a problem at all. I was in the area training and I heard you yell out some jutsu. I came over to see what was going on and that was when I saw him attacking you. I am just glad I was able to help you escape."
Kurotsuchi studied Naruto as he was talking. 'Everyone always said that Konoha was full of horrible people and that they would slaughter us at any chance they got, but this ninja from Konoha just helped save my life. I will need to speak with gramps about this when I get back home'
"Naruto, though I do appreciate you saving me, let me return the favor by telling you that my team will be approaching shortly and they might not take too kindly to having a Konoha ninja around. It would be best if you left. I will not inform my team of your presence as a way of saying thanks."
Naruto looked at Kurotsuchi again and noticed her Iwa head band. 'Shit. She is from Iwa. I am surprised she didn't jump at me and try to kill me right away. I better leave before her team shows up.'
"Thank you Kurotsuchi-chan. I will not forget this. Maybe one day we will meet again."
'Kurotsuchi-chan?' Kurotsuchi was caught off guard by Naruto. "I am not sure that would be the best idea Naruto. Our villages are not on the best of terms with each other. I suggest you leave now before it is too late."
Naruto took the hint and disappeared into the trees back toward the village. Kakashi who had witnessed the whole interaction sweatdropped. 'That girl was lucky Naruto arrived when he did. She was getting low on chakra. I am not sure Naruto understands the repercussions that this could cause. I will need to speak with him tomorrow about this.' Kakashi thought as he too sped back to the village.
Kurotsuchi watched as Naruto disappeared into the trees and sighed, 'Hmm.. maybe all Konoha ninja aren't bad. And he definitely was cute for his age.' Kurotsuchi thought to herself.
(Next Morning)
Naruto woke up to find that Sauske and Shikamaru had already woken up and headed down to breakfast. As Naruto was getting his things together, Kakashi came into his room.
"Hey Kakashi-sensei. Whats going on?"
"Naruto we need to talk about what happened last night."
"What are you talking about?" Naruto said as he tried to lie to Kakashi's face.
"Naruto if you are going to lie at least please try better than that. Listen I know you snuck out last night and did some more training. I must say I am disappointed that you snuck out, but I am very impressed with you that you learned yet another A-rank technique. I was unaware you knew the principles behind that move. Few ninja use that move as it takes up more chakra than they would like. I also witnessed the fight between the Iwa kunoichi and that masked figure. I am proud of you for helping out the girl. She would have been taken otherwise."
Naruto wasn't sure how to react. Kakashi had caught him sneaking out to train, was upset that he had, but was impressed that he learned another technique and had helped rescue Kurotsuchi.
"Naruto we will speak about this further when we get back to the village because I can sense Sasuke and Shikamaru on their way back and we also need to go meet with Cho-sama."
"Yes Kakashi-sensei" Naruto said.
(2 days later- Konoha village gates)
As Team 7 was approaching the gates, the team was excited. They had just completed their first C-rank mission and it went off without any problems. Well for Sasuke and Shikamaru that is. The team was tired and just wanted to be back in the village. As Team 7 approached the gate, they were greeted by Kotetsu and Izumo.
"Team 7 reporting in from their C-rank mission"
"Alright. I will mark it down. Also Kakashi the Hokage said he would like to see you, along with Naruto." Kotetsu said.
"Ahh man. I haven't even been here in five days and I am still getting in trouble" Naruto groaned out as the rest of the group smirked.
"Don't worry dobe maybe you are getting sent back to the academy"
"Shut it teme. I can whoop your ass anytime"
"This is too troublesome. I am leaving. See you guys tomorrow"
"Yea I'm with Shikamaru on this one. I am leaving as well. Dobe find me after if you want to get your ass beat." Sasuke said to Naruto
Naruto was about to respond but Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Let's go Naruto we don't want to keep the Hokage waiting" and with that disappeared with Naruto in a puff of smoke.
(Hokage's office)
"When will they be arriving back sensei?" Jiraiya asked the Hokage.
"They should be here soon. It is about time for them to be arriving. I also want you here when I speak with Naruto about his interaction with that Iwa kunoichi."
Jiraiya nodded, but his mind was suddenly filled a new story line for a book. He was going to have it be one of forbidden romance between two ninjas from villages that hated each other. Jiraiya was beginning to like Naruto because he was the source of this idea and he hadn't even met him yet.
"Yo" Kakashi said as he suddenly appeared holding onto Naruto who was barely standing up straight.
"Warn me next time you are going to do something like that Kakashi-sensei. I nearly fell over. I wasn't expecting it" Naruto said. Naruto suddenly looked around at where he was and realized he was in the Hokage office. "Who is this guy Hokage-jiji?" Naruto said pointing to Jiraiya.
"I am the great and gallant toad sage Jiraiya. I am one of the three sannin of Konoha –"
"Wait are you the same Jiraiya that writes those orange books that Kakashi-sensei and Hokage-jiji read?"
Jiraiya smirked. "Yes one and the same. I am also a great writer along with being a great ninja."
"Yea whatever Ero-sennin. You're a pervert for writing those books."
Kakashi and the Hokage just laughed to themselves. Leave it to Naruto to insult one of the strongest ninja in the world.
"Listen you brat. I am not just a pervert I am a super pervert!" Jiraiya exclaimed at Naruto.
'Those two are going to fight just like Kushina and Jiraiya did.' "Jiraiya, Naruto that is enough. We have more important business to be taking care of." The Hokage said.
"Sorry" both Naruto and Jiraiya said.
"First things first. Kakashi how did the mission go?"
"Perfect. Cho-sama read your letter and agreed to almost everything. There were a few things that we needed to work out, but everything is all set. I am sure you will be satisfied with the result." Kakashi said as he handed a scroll the the Hokage.
Sarutobi opened the scroll and quickly read through it. "Yes this will suffice. Congrats on completing your first C-rank mission with your team. Now onto another order of business. Jiraiya here has requested that he was hoping to work with a few students on fuuinjutsu and maybe help out with the group training exercises. Now Naruto as you seem to be taking to fuuinjutsu like a sponge you would be working with Jiraiya the most as he is our resident seal master."
"Why am I always stuck with perverts…"
"Why am I always stuck with blonde brats…"
"Anyways, the training sessions will resume in a few days once all the other squads are back from their missions and Jiraiya will be there to help the current genin."
Kakashi nodded. He knew Jiraiya eventually planned to take Naruto on as his own apprentice like he had with his father.
"Now the last thing I would like to talk about is a letter that I had received yesterday while you were away. I have received a letter from the Tsuchikage telling me about a certain incident involving his granddaughter and young Naruto here. Naruto do you care to explain what happened?"
Naruto suddenly felt nervous. 'Will I get in trouble if I tell him about the exploding clone technique I mastered?'
"Naruto I want you to tell me the whole story. Do not worry you are not in trouble. I just want to know the whole story."
Naruto sighed and began retelling his account of the story. Naruto didn't leave out a single detail. He told the Hokage about how he has known the Shadow Clone Technique since the Mizuki incident and that he copied the Exploding Clone Technique as well. Once Naruto finished telling the story he looked around the room. Jiraiya was smiling at him, Kakashi had his same bored expression, but Naruto was sure he could sense that Kakashi was proud of him for helping out a kunoichi in need, and the Hokage sighed and looked down at Naruto.
"Naruto, I must say I am impressed that you managed to learn to A-rank techniques from the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing, but I wish you had told us you had known them. Those techniques are Jonin level techniques and should not be taken lightly. With that said, I am very proud of you for rescuing the Tsuchikage's granddaughter from that attacker. He sends his gratitude along."
Naruto was relieved. He thought for sure he was going to get into trouble.
"Naruto for not telling us you learned two techniques from the scroll you will be given 10 extra d-ranks to do by yourself, and you will not be able to use clones to help you. Now if you will excuse us Naruto I need to speak with Kakashi and Jiraiya alone."
Naruto bowed and then left the office. '10 extra D-ranks to do by myself! Man that is so unfair'.
Once Naruto left the room Sarutobi signaled for his ANBU to leave the room, then Jiraiya set up a silencing seal.
"Sarutobi-sama was there more in the letter?" Kakashi asked, but he knew the answer already from the ANBU being told to leave, and he had a good idea about what it was about too.
"Yes. The Tsuchikage has informed me that he will be sending a team of genin to the chunin exams this year. It is my belief that they will be chunin level ninja sent to get to the finals so that he has an excuse to come and view Naruto on his own. I believe he may suspect that he is Minato's son. The village is too blind with hate for the Kyuubi that they can't see it, but the Tsuchikage would be able to see it instantly."
"What are you planning on doing sensei?" Jiraiya asked
"I'm not sure. I can't deny his genin entrance into the exam and if they make it to the final, he is invited to come and watch as part of the agreement between the villages for the Chunin exams."
"This just means we will need to make sure our genin are better than what he plans on sending." Jiraiya said.
"That could be worked on Jiraiya-sama. This year's batch of genin is full of clan heirs, and they are all full of potential to surpass their parents." Kakashi said.
"I want the training regime for the genin increased, and I want all the genin to be chunin level in skills by the time they enter for that exam. I will tell Asuma, Kurenai, and Gai tomorrow." The Hokage said.
"Hokage-sama are you sure that that is a good idea? Most of these genin just graduated a little while ago." Kakashi said.
"Kakashi you don't need to worry about the genin, with me training them I will personally whip them all into shape. I have some plans for the genin. I have been going over their files and I know just what each one needs to do. With me their helping them I bet I can have your squad closer to jonin when I am done with them. You seemed to have lucked out this year and gotten some talented kids." Jiraiya said.
Kakashi nodded. "Naruto is as unpredictable as his mother and as strong as his father. He is better than both of them with his seals and his creativity is something most would be jealous of. Shikamaru is by far the smartest genin I have ever come across, I believe he will be smarter than his father. He is lazy like most Nara, but he doesn't want to be left behind by Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke is still driven by revenge, but Naruto is slowly bringing him out of that. I believe we might have a chance to save him. Also Sasuke is showing he is more of a lightning type rather than a fire type like most of his family were. I believe these three could be very beneficial for the village in a few years once they have some experience.
Jiraiya and the Hokage nodded. With the right training and guidance those three would become a great team and would become a great asset to Konoha.
"That is all for today Kakashi. Report back in a few days and we will inform the other Jonin senseis about the change in the training regime."
"Hai Sarutobi-sama" Kakashi said as he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Jiraiya turned to his sensei and said, "So what do you think the Tsuchikage is up to with sending genin to the exams this year?"
"I honestly don't know. I just hope it doesn't spell disaster for Konoha. We can't afford to go to war with Iwa right now."
Jiraiya nodded. "I will have my spies see if they have heard anything and hopefully we can get to the bottom of this mess." With that Jiraiya also left the Hokage's office. As Jiraiya left, Sarutobi sighed and opened his top drawer and pulled out his pipe and his favorite book and began to lean back in his chair.
Alright so that is the end of the chapter. Sorry it took so long to get out. I have been extremely busy with school and I have had barely any time to write this story. I am hoping to update again soon. Please review and let me know what you think. I am going to do the Wave mission next chapter, but it will be different than before. Hopefully I can get a chapter out next weekend during the long weekend. Until then.