The Pathless Sage
A/R: It never ceases to surprise me. 8 reviews in less than 12 hours and a total of 11 after the last update. That sure is impressive. I really have nothing to say, other than the fact that I decided to just full on answer reviews in the Rants section with the reviewers name because I can't think of anything better that isn't painfully boring for me.
Okay, so that takes up a lot more space than I thought. I have received no opinions on the matter regarding the behaviour of Sasuke or Sakura, so I shall proceed in a neutral manner. I now officially classify Naruto as soon to be Semi-Godlike. Meaning he won't be walking around taking people's souls, but he will probably Jounin level pretty soon. With a good explanation, of course. I don't plan on just doing things for the fun of it without actually explaining it. That of course includes the Seal at the very beginning of the story, which shall also be explained.
Ranting for too long. ALADEEN MOTHERFUCKERS! (Nobody got that one?)
On with the story!
Jumping from rooftop to rooftop with some limited use of Chakra on Naruto's part and just pure muscle strength from Kisame and Itachi's. Though their appearences were severely altered, their muscle mass and strength were retained, much to their joy and Naruto's chagrin. He wanted to see them both fall down and destroy a couple buildings.
They were making good time on their way towards the Hokage Tower. Despite having no access to their Chakra, the SS rank missing nin were fast, and were seeming held behind by Naruto, who was sprinting over the buildings to the best of his current abilities. He didn't go about using Kyubi Chakra everywhere.
"Kisame-san, are you still annoyed about these Transformations?" Naruto asked the red head on his right, to which the red head only scowled up at him without giving an actual verbal response, "I'll take that as a yes."
"So, what do we do once we get to the Hokage? I assume you have a plan?" Itachi, the brown haired girl on his left, asked. He was anxious, to say the least, to meet the Hokage again. He hadn't exactly left on friendly terms with the Old Man.
"I have a meeting with the Old Man, once I get through with that, I plan on springing that fact about you two," Naruto seemed to think for a bit, "But I don't know if you will be allowed to stay for the meeting though, it might include some sensitive information."
"That's fine. We respect the Village's need for secrecy. We will sit it out if we need to." Itachi replied. Out of the pair of them, Itachi did most of the talking while Kisame did most of the slaughtering and threatening.
They travelled in silence for a while. Naruto didn't have the liberty to choose where he lived, so his apartment was quite far away from the Hokage Tower. Even via rooftops, it took a while for them to make the journey. Naruto was the first to break the silence.
"Out of curiosity, why were you guys sleeping on my couch? Seeing as you have been fugitives for so long, wouldn't one expect you to be on high alert at all times?"
"We travelled for a few days without rest. We were planning on just waiting up for you, but since you took so long, we ended up falling asleep," this time, it was Kisame that decided to answer. Surprisingly, his answer didn't involve murder. "The fact that the couch was comfortable helps too."
Naruto's only reaction to this was a prompt sweatdrop that he soon wiped off.
They had arrived at the cylindrical tower where the Hokage resided and worked from. It served as the main operational base where all the main offices in the Village resided, including the Hokage's Office and the Missions Centre.
"Alright, let's go in through the window. I don't like doing in through the entire damn Tower, the glares and the shouting matches are too troublesome and I don't feel like dealing with them." Naruto muttered to his companions.
Walking up the side of the building with the use of Chakra, Naruto didn't notice that the other two didn't follow him. Walking up to the Hokage's window, he perched on the windowsill and looked down, seeing the two's predicament.
"I guess you guys can wait out here. I'll talk for you guys, that might be better to calm the Old Man's nerves." The two simply nodded up at him.
Going in through the window, he found the Hokage deep in conversation with what looked to be a Jounin with a navy blue facemask that covered most of his face up to the bridge of his nose. His hitai ite was slightly crooked, covering his left eye.
"Kakashi, it's about time you returned to full duty. I needed some reinforcements to my ranks soon. Someone as skilled as you would be a great help." Just then Naruto decided it was the perfect time to drop in and interrupt the party.
"You wanted to see me, Jiji?" Naruto asked, ignoring the cyclopean ninja for now.
"Yes, Naru-bou, give me a moment," Sarutobi turned towards Kakashi, "Go to the Mission Center, I have a mission ready for you." Kakashi silently nodded and shunshinned straight out of the chair.
Naruto walked around the Hokage and sat on the chair that his senior previously occupied. The mood instantly turned somber as the gravity of the situation caught up with Naruto.
"Well, first of all: I got a report saying that you were leaking Kyubi's Chakra in the hospital. Tell me Naru-bou, what was that about?" The Hokage asked. Naruto sighed, and proceeded to relay the story of what happened with Kurama.
Needless to say, Hiruzen Sarutobi was shocked beyond his ancient years. To think that the Kyubi, the Great Demon Lord, would take a liking to the boy and actually strike a bargain with him. It was a ridiculous idea.
As Naruto relayed more and more of the story, the Old Man's reactions started to become more and more pronounced. Starting with wide eyes, he quickly moved onto sweating, then shaking and beyond. Though, to his credit, he managed to not wet or soil himself.
"So let me get this straight, Naru-bou. You basically released the Seal that the cost us the life of our greatest hero, the Fourth Hokage, your father- ooops" Sarutobi quickly went silent. He was scared of what Naruto's reaction may be to finding out that it was his father that condemned him to a life in hell.
"It's fine, Jiji. I already know about Minato Namikaze being my father, though I am still curious to this time about who my mother was. Father made some references to my mother, though he never mentioned her name outright,"
"Right, you will have to tell me the story of how you found out about that at a later date. But anyhow, back to topic. You basically wasted his sacrifice and set the Kyubi free and then struck a bargain with him that he may or may not respect?" He sounded more incredulous than shocked. He learned from years of experience that Naruto wasn't the most predictable person in the world.
"Quite accurate."
"You shock me to no end."
"That isn't the end of it, I believe. Would you like me to introduce my guests in person or would you rather have me talk on their behalf?" The Hokage's eyes narrowed in suspicion. There was no way this child was going to surprise him any more than he had already done on this night.
"I think I would rather meet them."
"Very well," Naruto's voice was barely above a whisper, hardly audible to Sarutobi's old ears. Naruto stood up and walked around to the window. Not sparing the Old Man another glance, he jumped straight out of it.
Itachi and Kisame looked up to see Naruto walking towards them. Worldessly, he grabbed both of them around the back of the collar and walked back up to the Hokage's office. Neither of the missing nin voiced their opinions on Naruto's mode of transport, deciding to keep it to themselves.
"Well Naru-bou, I see nothing that could shock me so far..." Naruto decided to take his spot on the chair once again before responding, setting his guests on the chairs that were beside him.
"Oh, that's due to the fact that they are under the effect of my Transformation Jutsu." Looking towards his companions, he raised his hand in half a Seal. "Release!"
Both of their transformations went up in a poof of smoke. Once the smoke had cleared, both had returned to their original appearence, though Kisame was missing his dear great sword, Samehada.
Noticing Itachi and remembering the identity of Kisame from a Bingo Book, Sarutobi only pointed and sputtered. Shock was written all over his face, his eyes wide and his mouth opening and closing in a good imitation of a fish.
"What are you doing here?" Sarutobi roared, though he controlled his voice so that nobody outside his Office would become suspicious. The last thing he needed was to have some civillian clerk coming into his Office to see either of these two men.
Naruto and Kisame looked towards Itachi, as if expecting him to answer. The usually calm man looked slightly flustered, though he still explained about their sudden appearence in his Village.
"Basically, up until now, we were part of a secret organisation called Akatsuki. The person that leads the group calls himself a God and expects all of us to bow down to him. The two of us decided to leave the group, seeing as it didn't sit well with us," Itachi took in a breath before he started explaining about their plans. "Akatsuki plan to capture the Bijuu and eventually take over the world. The two of us leaving stalled their plans, but it's not a permanent solution. To resolve the issue permanently, we came here to train Naruto, the Kyubi's Jinchuriki in an attempt to permanently thwart their plans."
"What was your reason for coming here to train Naruto? Why not one of the other Jinchuriki?" Sarutobi asked, though the man had calmed down somewhat and was no longer roaring, he was still suspicious. Why wouldn't he be? He was sitting in front of men that could destroy nations if they so wished.
"There are several reasons. Naruto is the carrier of the strongest of the Bijuu. I am originally from this Village. This Village is the most accepting and has the most understanding leader," Itachi was done explaining to the Old Man, and now moved on to his requests. "We request that you allow Kisame to take up a position as a Jounin and allow me to take over my former position as an ANBU Captain. Also, please keep my return a secret from the rest of the Village. As for our residence, we can manage to stay with Naruto. Are these terms agreeable for our residence in the Village?"
Sarutobi sighed. On one hand, if this wasn't a trap, he would gain two very strong ninja for his rank and two personal tutors for Naruto. On the other hand, this could end up destroying the Village if it was a trap. The Hokage, old and trusting as he was, decided to believe it was the former.
"Alright. Come back here in a couple of days to pick up the paperwork for you to be instated into our ranks," Itachi, Kisame and Naruto all looked pleased. "And Itachi, welcome back to the Village."
-TT-
Beams of sunlight poured in through the open curtains, lighting the room in a warm, orange glow. The Sun was barely up over the horizon, but Naruto was already awake. It was going to be his first day back at the Academy after the break and it was going to his first day training with Kisame.
The Village had taken the news of Kisame joining the ninja ranks surprisingly well. They completely ignored the fact that he was formerly an SS ranked criminal and a part of an organisation that was planning on world domination. What they focused on was the fact that they would see a strong Jounin join their ranks.
Itachi and Kisame had decided to let the latter handle the basics of Naruto's training, like Taijutsu and Kenjutsu, since he was a better teacher for Naruto. Plus, he was better at those two subjects than Itachi anyway.
Itachi and Kisame had been living with him for a couple of weeks now, and they hadn't started their formal training just yet. Well, not the techniques and Jutsu portion, anyway. Itachi did, however, teach him a Jutsu to help him train faster.
-Flashback-
Naruto had just walked into his apartment after a sweaty day at the training grounds. The students got a two week break after the Graduation Exams are over and Naruto was using his to train. Suddenly, Naruto found his way blocked by a hard body that was slightly taller than him and felt akin to a steel wall.
Itachi stood there, looking at Naruto's sweaty, red face. He looked as if he was contemplating something, looking at him with his Sharingan active. Sharingan, not Mangekyo, so it wasn't as scary for the boy as it could have been.
"Naruto, come outside with me to the training grounds for a while. I'll teach you a new Jutsu." Itachi said, but he didn't get the hyperactive response he was expecting.
"Yes, Itachi-nii," Naruto mumbled, before walking back out the door he just came in from.
-TT-
They were currently stood in training ground three, a small grounds used for drills and Taijutsu practice. Training dummies and wooden posts littered the training ground, some battered and in tatters while others looked brand new.
"So Itachi-nii, what Jutsu did you want to show me?" Naruto asked, already tired from his day-long training session earlier. He had spent the last ten or so hours kicking away at a wooden post to improve his Taijutsu, and he wasn't exactly energetic after all of that.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu," Itachi said in his monotonous, deep voice, though there was an underlying tone of humour, "I heard from the Academy teachers that you are terrible at the Clone Jutsu so I decided to teach you something better."
Naruto only sighed. Itachi was right, of course. Naruto was terrible at the Clone Jutsu, no matter how little Chakra he put in it, it would always overload and end up looking like a pale ghost that just finished emptying the entirety of its stomach and bowels. Including the intestines.
Itachi, knowing Naruto learned better through experience and actually doing things, decided to give Naruto a demonstration. Putting his middle and index finger together, he crossed them over and muttered: "Shadow Clone Jutsu," and immediately, two clones appeared either on either side of him.
Naruto copied exactly what he saw Itachi do, and manipulated his Chakra the same way he felt Itachi do it. Pushing Chakra out of his body, and manifesting it into a body similar to his own outside his own body. That's what he saw Itachi doing.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu," something wasn't right. Naruto had Chakra reserves that rivalled Kages, so why was he feeling so drained from something so simple? Itachi had made two perfect clones and he didn't even look fazed. There was no way Naruto's Chakra control was so bad, was there?
Itachi chukled lightly. It was the first time Naruto heard him do such a thing, and frankly he was scared.
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked.
"Leave it up to a Jinchuriki to create two thousand clones on the first try."
Naruto looked around behind him to see a legion of clones stretching into the woods behind him. He promptly passed out from Chakra Exhaustion.
-Flashback End-
Naruto swung his legs over the edge of the bed and instantly felt heavy. He was still trying to get used to the weights that Kisame had made him wear starting a week and a half ago. He must have been insane, I mean, who started a 10 year old kids training by strapping twenty pound weights to each limb and thirty pounds on his torso? And he told him to not take it off even when he slept!
Naruto groaned. At first, he couldn't move an inch off the floor after the weights were strapped onto him, but now that he was slowly getting used to them, his movement started to become easier. Though it took some effort, he was now capable of walking, running, doing push ups and sit ups. That, however, was all that he was currently limited to.
His daily training schedule comprised of spending five hours doing non-stop running, an hour of rest, three hours of constant push ups and two hours of relentless sit ups. Kisame had said something about increasing base strength and stamina before beginning speed and actual technique training.
That on it's own, would have been an effective training schedule, but the added weights and the thousand clones that were training with him meant that he was actually training for ten thousand and ten hours a day. Normally, the physical fatigue and exhaustion would kill a normal ninja, seeing as dispelling a Shadow Clone not only returned the memories and results of training, but also the fatigue that had been built up through training.
Naruto, however, was alive and perfectly healthy, courtesy of the Fox that was sealed within him. Even though he did roughly 420 days worth of training in one day, a good night's sleep did wonders to revive him.
Walking over to the wardrobe on the other side of his room, he pulled out his 'Kill me now' orange jumpsuit. Naruto sighed, this was going to be a long day at the Academy.
A/R: Another long chapter, this time 2.8k without the notes and review responses. I hope you enjoyed reading.
Sorry for not including the Academy scene into this chapter, but the chapter was getting kind of long and I wanted to end it. I will start out with the Academy scene next chapter.
If you enjoyed reading this chapter, please be so kind and leave a review. There is no need to have an account to review as anonymous reviews are accepted and all reviews are highly appreciated. Also, spread the love and let other's know about this story.
Not much to rant about this chapter, other than the fact that I haven't been receiving that many responses to the poll. If people don't tell me their opinion on the matter, I will just write things out my own way.
=*=*=Personal Opinion Rant=*=*=
Personal Opinion Rant strikes again. This time, it is concerning how the character Naruto develops.
Near the beginning of the story, Naruto is utterly pathetic. He can't throw a kunai or a shuriken straight, he can't do a Clone Jutsu and he can't fight for shit. How is it that he is able to run the hell away from ANBU Black Ops with that kind of abysmal abilities?
Evasion skills. Right, so how does he run away? He has to be fast right? Then why the hell is he so slow in sparring matches? Why is it that Rock Lee can be an awesome dude with non-existent amounts of Chakra through sheer hard work, whereas Naruto's hardwork seems to do nothing?
Is it just me, or is Masashi Kishimoto completely and utterly incapable of maintaining any sense of fluidity in his work?
Next, during his Academy years, hard work does nothing. Then, as soon as he graduates, he suddenly becomes almost as strong as Sasuke. WTF!? Random power boost? Sure, you got Shadow Clones, but it's not like he was using them to train yet. Then how is it that he suddenly became so strong? Because he went all berserko-emo on himself and stabbed his hand?
If he is so bad at Chakra control, how is he able to master the Rasengan through NORMAL training, when NORMAL training did jack shit for him while he was in the Academy?
IT MAKES NO SENSE!
=*=*=Personal Opinion Rant End=*=*=
Again, if you read the rant though you didn't wish to, please remember you were given ample notice from the very beginning. If you did read it wilfully, please be so kind and answer my question, the last ones were interesting to say the least. Also, if you have something negative to say that isn't backed up with cold hard facts, then keep that opinion to yourself. By that, I mean opinions such as "Shut up! You know nothin, Masashi Kishimoto is a God and he can't do anything wrong!" Those responses are just plain annoying.