Chapter 16: Clouds Approaching
Tenten woke with a start. Slowly she opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. She was in her room in the Headquarters. Next she noticed she was almost naked but covered with a warm blanket. Turning her head to the side she noticed Lee sitting on a chair next to her bed, a bowl of water and, from what she smelled, herbs on his lap. Tenten quickly corrected herself, Lee was asleep. Trying to raise herself, she felt a weight on her right hand, looking at it she realized it was Muramasa, the black sword. It looked somehow... comforting? No, more like it always belonged there. Almost immidiately she felt a tug in her mind, a strong urge to kill. Tenten almost without realizing it raised her sword over Lee, before restraining herself. Consiously lowering her arm, she let the sword go from her hand. Choosing to think about it at a later time, she wrapped the blanket around her to preserve her dignity and gently shook Lee awake. The sleepy boy muttered something about water and fire and Gai before realizing who exactly shook him away.
"Tenten-san! You are awake! YOSH! You have recovered from the power of that unyouthful sword! Your flames of youth are burning as strong as ever!" Lee yelled happily. Tenten at that moment had half a mind to follow Muramasa's will and take Lee's head off. She had just woken up damnit! Forcibly calming herself down and making a mental note to speak to Naruto about the sword she 'playfully' slugged Lee at the head, sending him sprawling on the ground.
"Geeze Lee! I just woke up damnit, can't you speak calmly for once? Now get up and get out, I want to get dressed, and if I ever find you were the one to remove my clothes, I'LL KILL YOU! Got it?"
Lee felt the urge to meep at Tenten's furious face before scrambling up. "Yosh! I shall go let Hinata-chan that you have recovered! She was the one that took care of you at first, then the rest of us took turns. If I can't tell her in less than 20 seconds I'll-"
WHAM!
Tenten slugged Lee again, letting him know it was time to get going. Lee scrambled out of the room, all the while screaming about flames of youth. Tenten quickly got to getting dressed. Getting Muramasa's sheath that was placed next to her bed by someone, probably Naruto, she sheathed the demonic blade and strapped it to her waste.
Hinata and Haku came first, almost tossing Tenten back to the bed in order to check her wounds and chakra coils. Tenten barely had time to avoid the two barreling, over-zealous and worried medics. Of course they wouldn't relent so easily, quickly mananging to force Tenten on the bed to check her, despite Tenten's cries that she was fine.
"I'm fine damnit! Let me go will you? Come on I feel perfect!"
Tenten's cries were silenced though when she saw Hinata's look. Something had worried her. With a calm, cool and powerful commanding voice Hinata spoke.
"No you are not. Now shut up, calm down and let us do our job. You have no idea what happened to you while you were unconscious, so don't even try to get out."
Tenten gulped at the seriousness of Hinata's voice. Choosing to wait instead of further angering her, Tenten calmed down and let them examine her.
After what seemed like an hour, Hinata and Haku gave the OK for the weapon master to get up. Hinata sent Haku to fetch Naruto, he'd be needed for what was about to come. Meanwhile Hinata tried to prepare Tenten for what had happened.
"Tenten-san, do you even realize what happened? Do you realize that you almost died, or worse became a soulless killing machine?"
"Umm yeah, Muramasa kind of explained that to me." At Hinata's obvious question Tenten continued. "Muramasa is the sword's name. I had to fight him for superiority."
Hinata sighed. "Tenten, that sword is one of a kind, forged in a demon's blood and not just any demon, but the Kyubi no Yoko. Understand what I'm telling you? While your body is fine to your eyes, it isn't to mine. Weapons like that... change people. It has changed you. You are more aggressive now, easier to anger... but that's just the obvious. You were changed more than simply on an emotional level. You-"
The door opened at that moment to reveal Naruto in his training clothes. He walked up to Tenten and she could see that he was barely holding himself back from kicking her ass there and then.
"Tenten, do you have any fucking idea what you did? What the fuck were you thinking when you picked up the sword? Didn't I tell you to not touch it?"
Tenten felt angry at Naruto for yelling at her, not even realizing her hand moved closer to Muramasa.
"Yeah so fucking what? You left Muramasa in plain fucking view. If you didn't want us to get these weapons then don't leave them in plain sight. Better yet don't make them at all you fucking idiot."
SLAP!
Tenten reeled back from the slap she got from Naruto, shocked out of her anger.
"Listen to yourself Tenten! Shouting at me for something YOU did wrong. Do you have any idea how worried we all were? Do you have any idea how I felt when I ordered Anko, yes ordered her to kill you if you became a thrall to your weapon? Do you have any idea what the concequences of this sword being unsheathed will be? Tell me Tenten, do you have any fucking idea exactly what you did?"
The girl reeled back by Naruto's force of words, before realizing he was correct about her. She managed to stutter an apology before asking what happened. Naruto rubbed his temples to calm down a bit before turning to Hinata.
"Hime, please explain to Tenten what happened to her before I explain her both her punishment and her new duties."
Hinata nodded before looking carefully at Tenten. "When you picked up the sword, your body was unused to the youkai that it radiates. In order for you to survive, it forced your body to create a secondary chakra coil system, wrapping and communicating with your original one, in order for you to be 'compatible' to the sword. Your chakra flows into this secondary system, condensing and becoming youkai, demonic energy." Tenten gasped and her eyes widened as she began to understand just how severe things were. "However, youkai doesn't revert to chakra to fill your coils, something that almost killed you via chakra exhaustion. The youkai in itself, flowed into the sword, Muramasa, where it was absorbed. You... you are more like a jinchuuriki now than a human. Luckily, very luckily, the youkai in you is much weaker than any Bijuu's so it doesn't poison you or others. Its color is a mixture of red and black, as opposed to blue that was your normal."
Naruto nodded along Hinata, before taking the lead. "Muramasa was forged out of my own blood, the blood containing Kyubi if you recall. The combination of youkai, demon blood and a sword's 'calling' to cut things could very easily destroy your mind, making you a soulless killer. But the problems don't stop there. Muramasa is an extremely powerful sword, you will have people after your head and your sword in no time if this gets out. While yeah, you have a great advantage, they might well come after others to get to you. Even in Konoha you'll have problems. For example that damn Uchiha might think he 'deserves' the sword and try to take it away from , you can deal with him, he will go whine to the council about needing that weapon. Try defending yourself from these bastards. Want me to go on? If they find you can use youkai, even watered down, they will force you to have sex with any male clan heir they can find in hopes of replicating it. They may very well try to force artificial insemination in hopes of increasing another kekkei-genkai's power. Not to mention a certain warhawk that may very well try to kidnap you by staging your death, brainwash you and have you and your children serve him as loyal puppets. It will also draw other, just as unscrupulous people, like Orochimaru, to you. Not to mention many civilians will hate you because I have 'corrupted' you with my 'demon magics'. Want more? It will attract attention to me in order to make them more swords like that. Do you understand just how much attention you brought our way? The wrong kind of attention."
Naruto sighed and took a deep breath. "You are forbidden from using Muramasa from now on when onlookers are around. Even then, only the most dire of circumstances would justify drawing Muramasa. Meanwhile, I have to train you personally in order to both learn how to channel youkai, somewhat safely, as well as to learn to control the sword's urges. You pretty much fucked up the whole thing now Tenten. As further punishment, you have proven you are not ready for a specialized weapon from me. You will first master Muramasa and prove to us all that you have complete control. Only then will I make you a weapon. Not that you'll need it really. Even now I can feel Muramasa's power and knowing Kyu, that's not a tenth of its real power. Be happy that Jiraiya was here to start preparing a room that contains youkai. Otherwise, I'd have to confine you here, unable to use any youkai because half of Konoha would find us."
Tenten was floored. What the heck had she done? She had just drawn a sword and... and she screwed up royally. Reeling back from the information she just got, she fell on her bed. Now she realized that when Naruto says something, it really is in your best interest to listen...
Ducking her head Tenten did the only thing she could, accepted her fate and failure. Naruto looked at the disheartened kunoichi.
"Good, it seems you understand the extent of things. Now that you realize the concequences of these actions, we can work from here. Now, despite how angry I sounded, I was more worried than anything else. Like it or not, you're my responcibility, just like everybody else in this plan. Also, despite me not allowing to use Muramasa, you will have to learn how to use it and possibly be forced to use it at some point. I must consult the old man and Ero-sennin on what we can do to keep it down or at least out of the council's hands. But with jiji being so old... it'll be hard unless we get a replacement." *sigh* "Now get some rest, your chakra's almost out, despite you feeling good. Try to contact Muramasa again but do not draw the blade. You are more aggressive than usual and we don't need any more fuck ups today, what with Lee and Zabuza..." *mumble about overzealous idiots with oversized weapons* "Anyway, now go back to sleep. We start training first thing in the morning."
Naruto left the room, his shoulders slumped, feeling much older than he should. Hinata stayed a bit to help Tenten feel better about her screw up, knowing that she needed the support.
Zabuza, Kiba, Haku, Shino and Lee looked up at Naruto as he approached. Shino was the first to speak.
"How is Tenten, Naruto? I mean apart from physical condition. Not to mention you seem troubled. Share your burden with us."
Naruto sat down, getting a bottle of juice to calm down a bit before sharing the news with everybody else. It drew several troubled looks and muttered curses. Even Lee didn't shout about youth, much more concerned about his teammate's future. When Hinata came back to the group, she placed her head on Naruto's lap and his hand on her hair, letting him know she was just as troubled as he and wanted someone to calm her down. Later the group was replaced by Anko and Kurenai that had gone out to get food and weapons.
The scene Anko came across was one of Prime, with a true capital P, blackmail material. Naruto had his head on Hinata's lap, his arms wrapped around her, his face nuzzling her stomach and he was making a 'mmrawr' sound, sounding more like an overfed, overgrown and overpetted cat than the war-machine he usually was. When Hinata's hand started petting his head, Naruto actually purred. Obviously the only reason Naruto allowed himself to that state was because everyone else had left for their own training. Anko had barely enough time to snap a photo of the two before Kurenai screamed 'kawai' waking the two lovebirds from their tender moment. An event that caused Hinata and, amazingly enough, Naruto to pout. A second flash of light ensured even more blackmail for Anko.
Meanwhile, Zabuza was training Lee on how to properly use his weapon, now properly identified as a Quan Dao ( or Kwan Dao or Qwan Dao, its the same really, just different ways to write it). Lee could attack with both the bladed end and the spiked-ball end, while the weight of the weapon made sure the blows were devastating. The fighting style Zabuza was teaching to Lee was an adaptation of his own Zanbatou fighting style named 'Flowing River'. The principle was rotating in the same direction. The weight of the weapons made sure that the speed increased, as well as making it much, much harder to defend as the enemy's arms would grow numb within seconds from the violent attacks. Using advanced physics, learned through practice rather than theory, the practicioner was later able to quickly reverse the attack without loosing any momentum or speed, making it an insanely effective style. The enemy was mainly reduced to one of three options. Either dodging the blow, that had the unfortunate side-effect of the weapon increasing in speed, becoming progressively harder to dodge, blocking the blow that, depending on the momentum of the attack could shatter bones, or taking the hit, which was even worse for obvious reasons. The style also used twirling of the weapon very close to the body in order to both defend as well as gather momentum before an attack.
Lee was working hard on the style and Zabuza had to hand it to the kid, he was one serious hard worker. From before daybreak to past nightfall, Lee would continuously perform the forms of the weapon, adapted for use with his polearm. The adaptation was mostly adjusting for the counterweight of the spiked ball as well as integrating it in attacks. The only problem? Lee's strength was so great that the weapon was showing signs of abuse from just two days of training. The stress put on the steel was too great and it was showing signs of breaking. Zabuza chuckled inside, Konoha must be filled with retards if they couldn't see how badass the kid could become given a decent chance, a decent weapona and a decent sensei. Now that he'd get something more than decent in all three areas... he'd show them the meaning of a prodigy. Zabuza himself was quite surprised when he found out how much weight Lee carried, only to be shocked when he learned that Lee was dissapointed because he had run out of space for weights and couldn't train himslef even more! Obviously Zabuza had already tasked Naruto with making a couple of things for Lee. First was a set of more powerful weights that would affect the entire body, instead of just the legs. Second was a brand new weapon for Lee to use, one that this time would be able to withstand the abuse.
Zabuza was quietly watching Lee perform the katas when Lee did something he didn't expect. On a move that required a jump followed by a downward slash from the weapon, as a sort of defence-breaking move (think Dante's Helmbreaker attack to get you an idea of what I mean), Lee hit the ground so hard he actually made a deep crater followed by a shockwave. Then the much abused weapon broke in Lee's hands.
Lee had been feeling rather angry lately. Naruto's life, Hinata's abuse from her family, the lack of human contact Shino had experienced, Haku's childhood, the team had shared most of their stories, binding each other as something more than just team-mates. They were brothers in arms, what affected one, affected all. That's the kind of camaraderie Lee felt with his new team. Then came Tenten's new trial, slowly pushing Lee over the brink the more he thought it. Lee's anger hitting the maximum during his kata, something snapped inside of him, an anger he knew he had to channel somewhere. Some weird... power surged within Lee,slightly reminiscent of something he couldn't really remember and with a warcry Lee hit his Quan Dao on the ground. The results stunned Lee as well, not only did his weapon break, but also the ground he hit... shattered. In an explosion of earth and dust, Lee made a crater simply by smashing his polearm to the ground. Slowly he turned to his sensei to see him sporting an identical look of shock.
Zabuza had seen a lot of things in his life. He'd seen the power of the Sandaime Mizukage, he had stood in front of the full KI of Sandaime Hokage, he had been pushed back by a bloody 13 year old brat (though the spars that followed that event were good enough that Zabuza would loose all over again if he had to), he'd seen a lot of power and strength. But this shocked him. Sure Naruto could do the same if he wanted, but sheesh Lee wasn't Naruto. Lee didn't even use chakra! What hit the ground was raw physical strength. Strong enough to create a bloody crater! What's with him getting all the super-powered brats Zabuza wondered somewhere deep inside his mind.
Naruto came running out of the hidden house, him and Anko easily feeling the shockwave due to their advanced senses. Anko chose to hide herself in the shadows behind Naruto in case of a sneak attack. Of course no one expected the spectacle of a stunned Lee and a just as shocked Zabuza. Worrying for a second if someone hit them with a Genjutsu, Naruto used the 'kai' technique to release them from it, drawing no results. Slowly Zabuza turned to Naruto.
"That's it brat, I'm done. I'm not training anyone anymore and I'm running away from this place. Every brat that I came across since I met you goes super-powered in a bloody week."
Naruto slowly managed to calm down Zabuza and Lee, well restore Lee to his normal 'flames of youth' state. When Zabuza managed to explain what had happened, Naruto did the unexpected again. He grinned widely and smacked Lee on the back.
"You did it Lee! I knew you would!"
Of course Lee was confused as to what it was that he did, not to mention it sounded pretty important. "Naruto-kun what did I do? All I remember was fanning my flames of youth with some basic excercises" *cue cough by Zabuza at the 'simple' excercises* "when suddely I felt my youthfulness exceed everything I had felt before and before I knew it, I had broken my youthful weapon on the ground."
Naruto laughed a bit at Lee's explanation before replieing to the gathered team, since Lee's crater creation pretty much called everyone sort of Tenten who was still resting in her room.
"Lee do you know what chakra is? Quite simply chakra is spiritual and physical energy mixed together right? You are not able to create chakra, but that doesn't mean you don't have spiritual or physical energy. If anything, both reserves are truly huge compared to our peers. Now here's the fun part. Chakra is very easy to use and control, because its made of both types of energy. In doing so however, both energies are diluted in a sense, making them much less effective than they should be, even though they are easier to use. Because you can't use chakra, I had a theory that's quite revolutionary. In my opinion, if you were pushed far enough, whether physically, mentally or emotionally, you'd be able to harness and control raw physical energy. Something that noone apart from you can do. While yes, using physical and spiritual energy separately is very hard and practically impossible for most shinobi, you are different. Most ninja would use their chakra when looking for their power within, simply because its easily accessible. You on the other hand, don't have chakra, so if you pushed hard enough, you'd get to the separate energies. Lee, while you still cannot use ninjutsu, you now have a power that is greater than that. While you'll never be able to spit fire or control water, do you really think you'll need it if you become physically stronger than Tsunade, tougher than me and faster than Haku?"
Everyone was gaping at the revelations. Kurenai, being a genjutsu specialist and Hinata, being a Hyuga, were much more familiar with the specifics of chakra. What Naruto suggested was both insane and... possible. It would be insanely hard to actually use physical energy, but like Naruto suggested, physical energy became diluted when mixed with spiritual energy, therefore become much less effective. If what Naruto said was true, then Lee had just opened a brand new view on chakra and its origins. It could also explain why Tsunade had physical strength noone else was able to copy. She must have found a way to either use physical energy or affect the mixture of chakra, reducing the presence of spiritual energy to near zero, something that was possible considering how much Tsunade had mastered chakra control. If Naruto was correct... Lee was a genius, no a prodigy not seen before.
Kiba walked up to Lee, looked at him seriously and spoke. "Well you did it Lee, you've proven you're a true prodigy. I must say I'm kinda jealous that you're all getting so strong. But if you think I'm gonna give up, you're mistaken. Lee, better learn to use your physical energy well, otherwise, I'm gonna BEAT YOU UP!"
Everyone laughed at Kiba, knowing it was his way of saying 'good job' as well as issue a rivalry challenge. Lee smiled at Kiba before getting up and shaking hands.
"Yosh! Kiba-kun! We're rivals from now on! Our flames of youth will grow strong!" Both Lee and Kiba smirked at each other.
Kiba had been practicing too when Lee's shockwave reached him and Akamaru. While his sister Hana always made fun of him and Akamaru, Kiba knew that he could and would be stronger than her. The only thing left to do would be actually forcing that potential out. Knowing his family's taijutsu alone wouldn't cut it in the specialties he had chosen, he knew he had to add some variety in his combat capabilities. So he had asked Kurenai to get him a chakra testing paper, which revealed he had a powerful lightning affinity. After Naruto showed Kiba the basic excercises for lightning manipulation, Kiba had spent quite a bit of time learning elemental recomposition. However he didn't stop there. His father was supposed to have been able to use ninjutsu through his nin-dog, something that Kiba sought to replicate. Of course he knew he wasn't anywhere near that level, but that didn't mean he wouldn't try. What he found on the other hand, was that while Akamaru couldn't channel ninjutsu from Kiba, that didn't mean he couldn't use chakra. What was more interesting, was the fact that Akamaru also had the same element as Kiba. Of course the puppy didn't have anywhere near Kiba's reserves, so Akamaru couldn't really use any jutsu higher than D rank.
Kiba had also started looking for a proper weapon, so far coming up with two choices. He had found a pair of clawed gauntlets in the armory, weapons that allowed him to both defend and attack, not to mention they were very similar to his clan's jutsu. On the other hand, his eyes were also drawn to a pair of chain linked kama. Having faced Shino's deadly kama in a spar, he knew just how powerful a weapon they could be, while the chain would help him in capturing an enemy alive. Not to mention the combos he could do with lightning chakra and a chain. In the end he chose both, so that even if Naruto improved only one of them, he'd have the other one as support, just in case he'd need it. So Kiba spent a lot of time every day practicing both his weapons, using some of the tricks Tenten had shared with the team in switching from style to style. So Kiba would spend hours in the dojo, dashing through the dummies, attacking them with kicks or claws or chained kama, unleashing a tempest of attacks on the unfortunate dummies. Akamaru on the other hand was learning how to channel his chakra better, increasing his tiny reserves in the meantime as well. It wasn't easy for the puppy, but if his partner would train to the limit then so would he. After all the two were a team.
Haku and Shino on the other hand were having the closest thing to a date Shino could come up with. The poor bug user, while he had accepted his feelings for Haku, with Haku admiting she felt something for him as well, he was terribly limited in knowledge of what a date is. His fumbling constantly made Haku giggle, his attempts to woo her failing so miserably, she actually thought he was cute. Well she at least could see he really was interested in her, something that was a definite plus, despite his shortcomings in the dating department. Besides, the girl knew he had already done things for her he wouldn't do for anyone else, so she knew he liked her. The problem was finding where she stood with him.
In the mean time, countless clones of Naruto were working with a certain perverted sage. The sage had tasked some of them with learning the basics of Rasengan, knowing that just the chakra excercise Naruto would get from it would be invaluable. Another group of clones were working on seals and ideas while the last part was being helped by the aged Sennin in using said seals. Nearly twenty clones were working on the Sandaime's armor alone, others preparing Lee's future weapon for use. Poor Jiraiya didn't have time to do his research from the workload Naruto had managed to dump on him. Then again, the aged ninja surmised, the things he was doing with Naruto were definitely more interesting than research. From elemental seals, to reverse gravity seals to advanced storage seals to storage with storage seals, Jiraiya was astounded by the gennin's talent with sealing, a very difficult art to begin with.
The week came and went. The team never stopped practicing, never stopped improving. Near the end of the week the aged Hokage came and visited the group (like he wouldn't know where they were). Naruto called him, Jiraiya, Hinata and Tenten to the second room in the armory where they could discuss things without any interference. When inside, Naruto explained to the Sandaime what had happened to Tenten, looking for ways to protect her from the council's greed. To say the Hokage was saddened would be an understatement. The old man was quite hard pressed already to have Naruto sent to ROOT or executed. With Tenten drawing more attention... it would be seriously hard to keep the council in check. Until Naruto gave him an idea.
"Jiji... how about this? Muramasa and the way to make others like him will be listed as Namikaze clan techniques and relics. Since I was planning on revealing my heritage to the village anyway, Tenten here would become a retainer for my clan. If Sasuke wants the sword, or Kami-forbid Tenten, he'd have to either fight her or me in an one-on-one battle. Something that he has no chance of winning, trust me. If they want to marry her off to a clan, they'd have to get through ME since she'll be a retainer for MY clan. Lastly... I've had ero-sennin look into the council with some of my help in infiltration. We found quite a few things, including an underground HQ for ROOT, something that, together with mine and Inoichi-san's testimony of what happened 5 years ago, would easily get the asshole convicted. Of course the council won't take it easy but you can convict them for being accomplices. Jiji... I know you're tired and all, but these assholes are tearing Konoha apart. Sure I may not harbor the same feelings as I used to, but that doesn't mean I don't care about my prescious people like you and Tenten or Hina-chan. As long as you remain here and Konoha is prescious to you, then I'll protect it. Jiji, you may have to retire soon, maybe find a replacement for a Hokage. We need someone that can and will fight the councils..."
The old man sighed, showing his years. Naruto was right about everything but he couldn't just up and execute some council members because of the Demon Brat's sayings. While he agreed, he knew the civilians wouldn't agree and that would cause much, much trouble.
"Naruto-kun, you do realize of course what the civilians will do right?"
"Jiji... quite frankly SCREW the civilians. What have THEY done to YOU other than tire you out even more? What have they done for Konoha? NOTHING. They are tearing the place apart. Besides after I reveal the true cause of the Kyubi's attack along with my heritage... they are going to worship me as much as they do the Uchiha. Fucking sheep..."
Tenten just had to interfere at that moment. "Umm Naruto, what do you mean about your heritage and what's the reason behind Kyubi's attack?"
Naruto just gave her a sad smile. "You'll have to learn along with the rest of this fucked up village. Trust me when I say though that a LOT of things will change. A clan will be disgraced and another will rise to apparent glory. It won't be pretty but its necessary. Now Tenten, could you flare your youkai a bit for Jiji to see? I need his opinion on the matter."
Tenten complied to Naruto's command, letting the Hokage see the powerful energy that now flowed in her along with her chakra. The red and black aura erupted around her like a double helix, one helix being the soft blue of chakra, the other one a red and black color. Sarutobi was quite floored when he witnessed the power now hidden within the petite kunoichi. However he also noticed how quickly she got tired. Of course he realized, Tenten's youkai was mostly made of highly compressed chakra, its natural to tire her out quickly. Still, revealed at the right moment, it could be quite the trump card. Jiraiya interferred by revealing he had made a seal that hid Tenten's secondary chakra coils from the Byakugan, so noone would find out before it was time.
Tenten the left the room, allowing the shinobi inside to discuss other matter she wasn't privy to. Naruto got up and showed Sandaime his modified battle armor. Now it had quite a bit more metal on, with a breastplate to protect him as well as quite a bit of leather and metal in other parts to shield the most vulnerable points on Sarutobi's body. Naruto then started explaining.
"The armor here is one of a kind jiji. I'll explain as I go with the order of donning. Now the jumpsuit underneath is worn at skin level, covering the entirety of your body. You should notice that it has dark grey lines running through its length correct? This was a joint creation from me, Jiraiya and Hina-hime here. The lines are in fact a multitude of seals aligned to your chakra coils, improving the flow of chakra as well as shielding you in just about any aspect. On the back of the suit is a large seal array that, well for lack of better description, substitutes a combat medic. It detects damage and threats to your body and releases chemicals accordingly. It has countervenoms, nutrients, combat chemicals, painkillers, the whole deal. I have also placed a couple of chakra storing arrays, so you can have the extra boost needed for a long fight. Now moving on to the leather protections. The leather is in fact two layers of leather, with a weave of steel fibers underneath. Chakra-reactive seals make sure you can harden them to the point of a steel plate if the need arises. Over the leather goes the steel plates I have added. The greeves and boots have advanced storage seals filled with water and mud, since I know you have quite a few jutsu of both elements. A small burst of chakra will release the amount needed, ready for usage. The bracers are equipped with a mass of seals. Mostly storing seals, I have placed a large amount of weaponry inside. First of all are the wrist blades on top of your wrist. I know, they aren't much of a weapon, but they themselves have storage seals holding large amounts of poison, not to mention they are mostly for hidden strikes. Underneath and to the sides of the bracers are explosives and other nifty tricks. Explosive pellets, smoke pellets, poison smoke pellets, flash pellets, you name it I have it. By the way, I've already stored a mass of kunai already wrapped with explosive tags behind your belt. Quite the nasty surprise. Anyway, that's the gauntlets. Your helm... now that's a piece of work. I have placed chakra sensing seals, which means you can feel if an enemy is behind you or when a big jutsu is being readied. Linked to it is a chakra releasing seal that will blast any genjutsu away the instant its placed on you. The visor and mask cover your face completely while filtering out any harmful agents, meaning smoke and air-born poisons won't affect you. Lastly your breastplate has only one array apart from the regular strengthening seals. My pride and joy, the magnetic shield array. In short, it locks away a part of your chakra, about 1% I think, to form a powerful magnetic shield around you. Anything metallic or ferrous that comes near you will be automatically deflected away. If you need more power, you can consciously focus more chakra into it, increasing both range and strength of the barrier. Otherwise, you can command it to cover only one direction if you need to."
Naruto took a deep breath to recover the oxygen he had just spent explaining the armor. Continuing he added. "The entire armor is finally sealed away in the convenient form of a necklace. Unfortunately using it will shred all clothes away, but it could make for a nasty surprise if you have to hide it. In total, I have stored about one thousand explosive pellets and tags, more than two hundred smoke pellets, not counting the poisoned smoke ones. Thanks to Anko-nee-chan, me and Ero-sennin have placed enough poisons inside to take on a battalion of jounin and come out on top. However, there are some downsides to it. First of all, for all its power, its still just an armor. In other words, do try to dodge jiji, I haven't tried it against something like Kusanagi, so I think you'll still have to dodge. Also, you'll have to wear the armor for a couple of days to let it align itself to you, as well as store your chakra into it. I think that's all. Hina-chan, Ero-sennin, did I forget anything?"
Hinata shook her head while Jiraiya laughed. The gaki just passed off the creation of the most powerful armor as if it were nothing but discussing the weather. But the fact remained, that he HAD forgotten something.
"Actually yeah you did. On the soles of the boots are not just the storage seal but an elemental array for wind. Sensei, when you use that seal, it will cause a blast of wind to erupt, propelling you away. The same arrays are on the front of the gloves and the backside of the armor. Should help you dodging some more."
Naruto nodded with Jiraiya, he had indeed forgotten about these seals, them being the first he had applied almost as soon as he got the armor.
Sarutobi... well he was just gaping at the armor in front of him. Simplistic-looking, deceptively light yet so insanely strong. He slowly started looking it over, hoping it wouldn't be just a genjutsu. Sure he might be old, but he was still a shinobi and if there's one thing all shinobi like, its getting new equipment. Especially high grade equipment. Sarutobi just realized that high-grade didn't even fit this wonder. Nope, it seemed Naruto needed a whole new scale on his own. Then again the kid had found a way to form electricity out of raw chakra, so that should very well point at how good Naruto really was.
The old hokage laughed. He was stupid for not realizing just how good Naruto was.
"Well Naruto-kun, Jiraiya-chan, Hinata-kun, I think a reward is in order, after all you must all have worked tirelessly to make this in time. It really is the greatest suit of armor to be worn by a Kage and I am very, very proud you let me use it. I can't imagine how much you must have have worked on it."
Naruto rubbed the back of his head while Hinata blushed at the praise. Naruto put his other hand around Hinata, happy at the praise she was getting. He then continued to make sure poor Hinata would blush a new shade of red in praise. "Yup it was real hard. Hinata-chan here had to memorise the location of every tenketsu on your body and then replicate it here, along with the shape, form and size of your chakra coils. Not to mention it had to be done perfectly in order to make the whole array effective." The statement made the aged Kage go wide eyed at the implications. It meant that not only had she gotten close enough to actually memorize every detail about him, but it also spoke volumes about her skill with the Byakugan. It showed why Neji's humiliating match in the Chuunin Exams was not surprising to her team.
Naruto and the others went out of the room to let Sandaime don the armor properly. After a few minutes the Kage came out, covered from head to toe with his new armor. The jumpsuit was made out of an elastic material to fit on his aging body, while the metal was surprisingly light though obviously not fragile. Naruto grinned and you could feel the grin hidden by the mask of the Sandaime.
The month progressed slowly as everyone learned more and more of their abilities.
Lee now was training harder than ever, his new Quan Dai being a major part of his fighting style. It was a truly magnificent weapon, still bringing a gleam of greed from Tenten every time she saw it. The blade on top seemed to come out of a dragon's roaring head with the kanji for dragon written on the blade. The spiked 'egg' on the bottom of the blade was just as damaging when striking the enemy. The reason? Some of Naruto's new seals. He had compressed the steel to the point of possessing the equivalent of 300kg (660lb) of steel in the same size and shape. The reason it didn't weigh as much was Naruto's and Jiraiya's combined work on gravity seals that reduced weight instead of increasing it. Of course the momentum generate was still insane, but Lee was anything but normal, managing to properly wield the weapon regardless of the insane force genenrated. Lee had also started working on his own fighting style, named Ryuken, or Dragon Fist, mostly after Naruto's insistence that it sounded cool. By using raw physical, or in a couple of cases spiritual, energy, Lee was capable of feats that would leave any shinobi with their jaws hanging. As Lee himself though said, he had only mastered one attack, a poweful spinning kick named Dragon Tail. The reason he knew he had mastered it? His kick actually broke the sound barrier, sending shockwaves of force, even if the kick itself didn't manage to hit. Needless to say, getting hit by that kick was an instant KO for just about any opponent. Lee's fighting style earned him the name Ryushin (Dragon God) by the group.
Tenten had made a lot of progress with her weapons as well, able to hit targets in any direction with any speed. She could easily use present obstacles to make her thrown weapons rebound and hit a target in a blind spot. However that was nothing compared to her mastery of the black sword, Muramasa. Being thrown into Naruto's training regime 'buckle up or die', she quickly grew in terms of speed and strength. When using Muramasa, her fighting style consisted of rapid attacks, focusing on the part that the blade is mostly unblockable. Taking a leaf from Naruto's book, she had also started working on ninjutsu, just in case. What she found out was rather stunning. If she recomposed her chakra into an element before leaking it to Muramasa's coil, it would retain its elemental features, in some cases becoming much stronger than the original. As a result she had practiced quite a bit after finding out that her elemental affinity was fire, while she was showing signs of developing a wind one, thought that was still far outside her reach. Never-the-less, she was fast becoming a powerful sword master, fit for her sword Muramasa. With Muramasa being a demonic sword and Tenten being his master, he gained the name Maken no Tenten (Tenten of the Devil Sword) from the group.
Kiba had learned quite a bit, stealth from Haku, enemy appraising from Zabuza, tactics from Shino and obviously spar practice from Naruto and Anko. Naruto had enhanced both of Kiba's chosen weapons. His kama were now linked by an adjustable chain while also possessing seals enabling Kiba to from real lightning and control it by using his own chakra. His claws were similarly enhanced, with the addition he could store a variety of items inside a few storage seals on the gauntlets for quick usage. While the month progressed, Kiba made several leaps in his skill, now that he had someone to help him get better. Using several lightning jutsu Naruto... liberated from the Shinobi library, Kiba spent a lot of time reworking them to fit himself and his fighting style, Rai Ookami (Lighing Wolf). He used both his own lightning affinity as well as his weapon's true lightning generating features to enhance his attacks, letting him pierce just about any barrier. Kiba had initially tried to copy Yondaime's shunshin technique, but found out it would be impossible without mastery of seals. Instead he thought of using electricity and lightning chakra to boost his speed for short bursts. It would have worked, but Hinata stopped him, telling him that the slightest overcharge of the technique would fry his nerves, rendering him immobile for life. To remedy that, she had Naruto make Kiba a pair of greaves that would regulate and limit the chakra sent through him. Kiba named his new movement technique Inazuma Gari (Lightning Flash Hunt). While it was true that Kiba gained high speeds while using it, he was still only as fast as Haku's Makyo Hyosho and only for short bursts. It still was very helpful for the aspiring oi-nin. With Kiba's speed and new weapons, he obviously wasn't a dead last anymore. Instead he now was a serious shinobi, set on defending his pack. Woe betide those that pissed off Kiba, as the team had learned his temper made him more powerful rather than sloppy. Kiba's jutsu and style gave him the name of Ikazuchi no Ookami (Lightning Wolf, like his fighting style).
Shino's skills may not have skyrocketed like the new member's did, but that didn't mean he slacked. Instead both Kurenai and Anko worked him to the bone, forcing him to get stronger, faster, tougher, better with his kama, the whole deal. Shino's reserves had also increased a bit, enabling him to use the occasional genjutsu, something that due to his own prowess could be very, very dangerous. While not a master of the Kama, he was definitely on par with most chuunin and even a couple of jounin. When using his insect allies, he became someone you seriously didn't want to meet on the battlefield. The reason? With Anko's help and his own father, Shino was able to adapt some members of his colony to use poisonous bites. Now a few poisonous bites wouldn't be dangerous, but say, oh about 100-200 poisonous insects maniacally biting, trasferring neuro-toxins... it definitely isn't a good thing. Shino's original technique of using his insects in a dome around him, letting him perceive attacks even in his blind spots had now increased considerably. He had to or Haku would have beaten the crap out of him with her new sword.
Speaking of Haku, she had learned how to use her new katana to deadly effect, especially in conjunction with her Makyo Hyosho, her wind affinity and the very, very useful chain on the other side. The chain could quickly wrap around an enemy, restraining him before Haku moved in for the hit, either to incapacitate or to kill. While Haku's ninjutsu repertoire hadn't increased that much, the extra chakra stored inside her blade was a definite plus, letting Haku unleash frozen death on her enemies for much longer. Not to mention the combo of Zabuza-Naruto-Anko that was in charge of the training regime had done wonders for the kunoichi. Now she was faster, stronger and had more endurance than ever.
Anko had spent a lot of time training with Naruto, increasing her own familiarity with her body, becoming progressively more powerful. Her lighning fast strikes now would leave any enemy reeling by the sheer fact that her combos never ended. Between her natural flexibility, a feature that was enhanced by her kekkei-genkai, her insane speed and her reflexes being sharper than ever, she flowed from attack to attack like water, never giving the slightest chance to the enemy for a counterattack. Anko's ninjutsu had increased as well, with her improved chakra reserves and control, she was able to learn the jutsu she always wanted, becoming even more lethal. She still had some trouble with Kyubi's youkai, but mostly because she couldn't stop attacking when under its effect. Kyubi had told her that her DNA wasn't as unstable as Naruto's, meaning she could channel a bit more than Naruto without getting youkai overload.
Kurenai had finally received Naruto's long promised gift. A wine-red battle kimono, extremely resistant to both tearing and other elemental attacks. Protected by the same magnetic shield array that was on Sarutobi's armor, it made sure the red-eyed jounin would not be as easy a target as she used to be. The flight feature on her back still needed some getting used to, but Kurenai could use it when needed in combat. As long as fuuton techniques weren't used. The pair of wings were made out of a lightweight metallic sceleton, covered by reinforced cloth with a few seals that created wind out of chakra. Kurenai's genjutsu list had also increased thanks to Kyubi's teachings, enabling her to attack in ways not even a sharingan would be able to confront. Thanks tot the excercises though, Kurenai's control had increased even more, to the point that now she could easily use some high leveled ninjutsu. Of course the fact that Zabuza and Anko worked her to the ground along with the rest of the group might have had something to do with it.
Zabuza had worked hard as well, sparring with Anko when he couldn't spar with Naruto. Being in Konoha had also helped the once missing-nin grow into using other techniques apart from Suiton as well as increase his own repertoire. One of his favourite attacks was surprisingly made by Hinata of all people, the powerful Suiton: Santouryudan no Jutsu (Water Style: Triple Headed Dragon Blast Technique), an attack that far dwarfed his own water dragon. He was also somehow pleased whenever he saw Hinata or anyone else use things he taught them or helped them create. He briefly wondered if senseis feel like this when teaching their students, in the end deciding he didn't really care what he felt, just that it was nice. He could however do without the pranks Naruto, Anko and Hinata pulled on him occasionally. He still shuddered sometimes when he saw them speak with those annoying grins on their faces.
Hinata had grown quite a bit in all her interested areas. Her medical ninjutsu were good enough to easily use them in battle while her Jyuken was getting better and better with all the spars she had gotten in. Hinata had also improved her Suiton affinity, even creating her own ninjutsu that she taught her sensei. She knew she had nowhere near his chakra, but what she lacked in chakra, she more than made up for with her insane affinity to water. An affinity that surpassed even Zabuza's own, even with all the years of practice he had had. Of course, Hinata was rather modest about the fact, still blushing at the praise. She had to admit though, seeing her jutsu in action brought a great sense of achievement to the young Hyuga. If only her clan would see that changes like that were welcome, they would have been so much better as a whole. Hinata had also started adding some genjutsu to her repertoire, making her a very well rounded, very adaptable and therefore very powerful kunoichi. Truly, woe betide the fools that pissed her off when she it was her time of the month. She had broken quite a few bones of Anko when she made the wrong comment at the wrong time. Of course she almost went into a depressed state when she realized what she had done, but the message was clear; Hyuga Hinata is strong, independent and not someone you want to mess with. Surprised by the strength she had displayed, Hinata had started training in order to replicate it, managing to copy Tsunade's technique to a degree. It was nowhere near Tsunade of course, besides the fact it used a different focus than Tsunade. Hinata used medical chakra on her muscles to increase efficiency for a short duration, mimicking Lee's gates to a certain, limited degree, while also gathering a mass of chakra at the point of impact. With her enhanced muscles she could attack in an instant, while the chakra gathered on her palm or tonfa would explode on impact, shattering everything it came into contact with. The fact Hinata could do this in an instant, not to mention she had to split her attention into to, very delicate processes, spoke volumes of Hinata's control.
Naruto had little time to himself, with the constant spars with his group members, Jiraiya's teaching's, his quality time with Hinata and his own sealing inventions, he was worked to the bone. However, that had several positive effects. With Jiraiya's help and Hinata sneaking into her clan's compound to retrieve the notes on the caged bird seal, Naruto was well on his way to finding a way to remove and replace it with a better seal. Well the new seal was complete, but he'd have to remove the caged bird seal before applying the new one if he wanted the Hyuga to change. He had also finished another seal, this time based on his father's Hiraishin kunai. It was a summoning tatoo. Through it, the owner of one such tatoo, could summon any other owner of the same tatoo to his location. Of course it was still limited by chakra expenditure, but it was worth it, being able to summon his team to himself in a time of need. Zabuza, Anko, Kurenai, Haku, Team 8 and the Hokage all had one of these tatoos, while Jiraiya had graciously refused. He had also changed his clothes. Now he wore black pants covered with red tribal designs, a shirt that let enough of his muscled arms show while unzipped just enough to reveal the muscle underneath. A black vest that was completely unzipped covered part of Naruto's shirt. What was important though, was the trenchcoat he had gotten his hands on. It was black with blood-red and orange flames on the background, the words First Maelstrom written in red on the back, an orange fox surrounding the kanji. Numerous seals were of course employed on the items, mostly to prevent them being destroyed due to Naruto's wild fighting style and sudden, radical transformations.
Naruto now was lieing with his head on Hinata's lap after a romantic picnic, followed by a make out session. The sunset's light falling on Hinata's calm face made her look like an angel to Naruto. Slowly he moved his hand to a pocket and took out a small box. Giving it to Hinata, he was pleased to see her face light up when she saw a ring with an amethyst on it. Naruto gave a soft laugh.
"Well, I know we're too young to get married or anything, but I just couldn't help myself when I saw it. I thought you'd like it so, I bought it for you Hime. Hope you like it."
Hinata leaned and kissed Naruto before giving her reply. "It looks beautiful Naruto-kun, thank you. I love it."
When the date ended, Hinata was practically skipping for the rest of the day before she went to sleep. When she entered her room, she spotted a beautiful battle kimono lieing on her bed with a small note on it, saying 'Now you will look like the princess you really are no matter where. I hope you like it.'. Of course Hinata recognized Naruto writing and blushed a new shade of red before putting it on. It was a soft lavender color with white depictions of flowers of the lower hem. The cloth was cut on her shoulders and emphasized her cleavage with its neck cut. Her chest was protected by a simple, light breastplate that didn't substruct from its elegance, it too being covered with flower depictions. The lower hem of the kimono ended up above her knees, showing off her legs but without it being slutty, simply elegant. The sash that was used as a belt already had a place for her trusty tonfa. While the cloth was very light, it was slightly stiffer than normal, even though it looked, and felt, like silk. Looking at the back of the card, she saw some notes on her new dress. According to the 'mysterious admirer', like she didn't know who it was, the cloth was improved like Kurenai's own battle kimono, while possessing some features that were 'secret', made specifically for Hinata to find. Hinata absentmindedly noted that the kimono fitted her perfectly, making a mental note to ask Naruto on how exactly he was able to get her exact measurements. Hinata giggled as she made a few dancing moves with her new kimono, admiring its simple beauty. She giggled some more when she went to a nice restful sleep.
Naruto for his part smiled towards the moon before too retiring to his home for the month and retiring. Besides the next day would be the Chuunin Exams and he'd need everything he had. Not for Neji, no, but for Gaara. He knew the boy was unstable but extremely powerful, no doubt they'd meet in the finals. Naruto sighed a bit before drifting to sleep, Hinata's scent still fresh on his clothes.
Daybreak came and the group got dressed, with the girls admiring Hinata's new dress, and had a good breakfast. Though one would call it a feat fit for kings had they seen the amount of food consumed. With their weapons secured, in seal or sheath, the group moved out of the place that had become their home for the past month. A sun surrounded by a rainbow ring greeted the team and Naruto and Anko shuddered involuntarily. The snake coiled around the sun, a beautiful, if disastrous omen. They glanced at each other, gaining strength from each other before moving out for the village.
A/N: Must... stop... writing Proto-Naruto... must... focus on... other fics...
Damn it's not working... I got addicted to my own fic O.o
Ah well, things could be worse I guess :D
So, review and tell me your opinion. I hope you like this chapter too and I'm not rushing things too much.
Anyway something that I thought I should say about the previous chapter. Haku's sword ISN'T Hyourinmaru. Yeah they sound pretty similar and they are. However I never started Haku's sword with the intention of making it a copy
of Hyorinmaru. Storage seals for water are a MUST for Haku, considering that most of her jutsu list is suiton and hyoton. The freezing seal on the blade is also good 'cause it helps her weaken her enemies for either live capture or taking them down easier. The chain is also for the same reason and of course it required a weight to balance it. As I said to a reviewer who told me I gave Hyorinmaru to Haku, the idea for the chain-and-sword came from an old D'n'D weapon I once read about (gyroblade I think, its been sooo long since I last read those books). The crescent looked cool and frankly, much more elegant than a 'dry' sphere or cube counterweight, not to mention it can work with Haku's affinity for wind (ice is water and wind after all). The hilt's guard isn't a four pointed star, its an eight-pointed star, looking like a snowflake. Also it will have a different name from Hyorinmaru (no it won't be Daiguren Hyorinmaru, nor is she going to shout BANKAI).
Lee has the POTENTIAL to be stronger than Tsunade, that doesn't mean he can already do it. Don't forget that Tsunade has had 50 years to practice, so she's got one heck of a headstart. Lee WILL be strong however and he WILL kick ass, especially later on, when I can really cut loose with his techniques.
If you think that Tenten's punishment is harsh, think about my fic's backstory. Konoha is VERY hostile to anything relating to Kyubi, foxes or demons in any way shape or form. However most of the council are also power hungry bastards. So what Naruto said is definitely a possibility, one that to him is a fact, considering what life he had led to a point. Don't forget that Naruto is extremely paranoid in some cases, even if he doesn't always show it. Also he's very, VERY vindictive. Don't cross him and you'll be fine, cross him and they won't find your remains.
*Runs away in fear of the Kage's Exodus fans waiting for a new chapter*
Today, on this 9/6/2012, I, Soulblazer87, do hereby leave this site, possibly forever.
I shall not update this, or any other story.
I shall leave them on, however. Should you desire to follow my stories, do so in my new site of residence: www dot yourfanfiction dot com.