AN: I NEED INPUT! I don't have a beta reader, so seriously, tell me all of your thoughts! Okay, enjoy!
Chapter 2 –
Naruto awoke to light filtering in through the tree-tops, and Iruka's smiling face. "Hey, Naruto! Nice to see you woke up."
"IRUKA-SENSEI! Are you okay? I saw that shuriken and-" he stopped, for the memory brought up Mizuki's declaration. "I.. I am the Kyuubi?"
Iruka's smile vanished. "No." he said firmly, believing it with every fiber of his being. "You are Uzumaki Naruto. The Kyuubi was sealed inside you during its attack on Konoha, but you were born normal. You are not a monster. Just a container for one." He finished with a smile.
Naruto smiled as well, before he looked over at the bloody patch on the ground where Mizuki once lay, and frowned again. He knew the ANBU must have come and taken him while he was asleep. He wondered how much trouble he would get in for beating up an academy teacher before Iruka spoke again.
"He was using you, Naruto. He was a traitor. If anything comes of this, it will only be praise. Which reminds me. You learned the Kage Bunshin, didn't you?"
Naruto looked around for the Forbidden Arts Scroll, but it, too was missing. He wrote it off as the ANBU, again. He looked up at his sensei's serious face and nodded. "Yeah. And the Chakra Tendrils. But I'm still not as good as what the scroll said it could do."
Iruka stood and helped Naruto to his feet, as well. He couldn't believe it. The kid had learned two jonin-level techniques in less than two hours. "Well, Naruto. In light of recent events, There are going to be some changes around here." The chunin reached behind his head and untied his Leaf forehead protector. "Welcome to the ninja world, Naruto. You pass." He said with a smile as he tied his headband around Naruto's forehead.
Naruto had pocketed the headband Iruka had given him, wanting the fact that he had passed to be a secret. Tomorrow, he would have to go to the academy for the last time and be assigned teammates and a jonin instructor.
But right now, he was walking down the street next to Iruka, looking for a shinobi shop. Iruka had insisted that orange was not a suitable color for a ninja. Naruto hadn't protested. After all, the only reason he wore this outfit was that it was the only thing anyone would sell him, so that he would be an easier target. They were also looking for tools, as well. Naruto only had 3 rusty kunai to his name, and about a dozen dulled shuriken.
Finally Iruka guided him into a store labeled "Shinobi's Spirit". Inside the small shop it was revieled to be… just that. The ground floor seemed to just be the cash register, a few chairs, and three bookshelves filled to the brim with ninja guides, handbooks, and scrolls. There were two doorways, minus the doors, that lead to stairs, one going up, the other down underground. There was a door near the register, that said "bathroom" on it, and it was from here that a young woman with auburn hair tied in a ponytail emerged.
She looked at the boys and blushed, realizing that hey had just seen her exit the toilet. She hurried over to the counter that the register was on and threw on a store apron. "C-can I help you with anything?"
Naruto stepped up and asked the same, blunt question he asks every shop the first time he enters. "I am Uzumaki Naruto, will you accept my business?"
The shopkeeper seemed confused. "Uhm. I'm Yoko, and if you've got money, I guess I'd be an idiot not to?"
Naruto looked at the confusion on her soft face, and smiled. "Sorry if I seem gruff, most people won't sell to me. It's nice to meet you Yoko. Do you have shinobi wear, and weapons?"
Yoko smiled again, then realization dawned on her. This was the boy she always saw tortured in the streets. Her smile turned sympathetic for a moment before she grinned devilishly. "Do I have shinobi wear and weapons? Which one to you wanna look at first?"
Iruka spoke up. "Clothes. As you can see, he desperately needs it." Naruto smiled sheepishly. He knew it was true.
Yoko nodded, looking at Naruto critically. "Hm... well, let's go upstairs then." Barely was this out of her mouth before she turned around and walked purposefully through the right doorway and up the stairs, Iruka and Naruto trailing behind her.
They emerged into a room that seemed to span not only across the room below, but also atop the stores immediately around it. The whole room was filled with clothes. All of them shinobi, seemingly separated into male and female. Yoko lead them over to the male side of the room and helped Naruto pick out about a dozen outfits before ushering him off to the changing rooms.
An hour (and three more trips to the changing rooms) later, and Naruto emerged.
The outfit was eye-catching, but only in the light. He wore a black sleeveless muscle shirt with a maroon sash running from his right shoulder to above his left hip, and a dark blue jacket over it, unzipped. The jacket was just tight enough around the shoulders to ensure it wouldn't slip down his arms at high speeds, while still allowing a full range of motion, and the sleeves went halfway down his forearms. It wasn't thick, which he said was okay. Naruto's body was always a few degrees higher than it needed to be, anyways, which he now suspected was due to the Kyuubi within him. The pants were typical shinobi pants, black with discreetly padded knees, and he wore his kunai holster in its usual place, around his right thigh, his tool pouch set behind his left hip, as well. He had on a pair of shinobi sandals, like his old ones, only these were black.
Iruka looked at him, incredulous. Yoko had more of a calculating stare on her face as she studied Naruto's final choice. "Interesting. I like it!" She finally decided, and smiled.
Naruto looked at his old orange jacket. He stared at the swirling whirlpool design on the back. He somehow felt naked without it.
Yoko noticed the look, and picked up the jumpsuit. "I think I can find a way to get this on there. Take off your new jacket." He complied, and watched Yoko take the two behind a curtain. A few minutes later, and she came out again. "Here." She held up the blue jacket with its back facing him, exposing the whirlpool design sewn onto it.
"Yoko-chan! That's perfect!" Naruto nearly whoops for joy as he takes the jacket and slips it on again, suddenly feeling much better about his decision.
Yoko blushes a bit at the honorific, but otherwise ignores it. "I'm glad, but we're not done are we? You still need weapons, right?"
Naruto reaches into his tool pouch and pulls out a money purse shaped like a toad. He opens it and counts it's contents. "Uhm. I guess I can get a few kunai and shuriken as well as the four copies of this outfit. I have some throw-away training clothes at home, so I don't need to worry about that."
Iruka spoke up for the first time since Naruto emerged. "Well, you can't use the tools you have, so I'd say yes, we do need some."
Yoko smiled wide. "Great! Let's go!" She said before bounding down the stairs with Naruto and Iruka at her heels. She kept going down through the left doorway and they entered a room at least as big at the top floor, if not bigger. Shelves upon shelves of glinting metal. Yoko led the through the shelves to the standard stuff, and as she and Iruka got into a heated debate about the best type of shuriken, Naruto wandered off to the swords.
He looked around at them with an interested stare. He had always been interested in using a sword, but never learned how, and didn't know what kind he would even be able to use. Suddenly he stopped and turned. Two katanas, each about two feet in blade length, if the sheathes were any indicator. As far as Naruto knew, that was fairly short for a katana, but he figured if there were two meant to be used in tandem, it was normal. The sheaths were joined in the middle, indicating that the blades were meant to be worn on one's back. He took them down and examined the set, surprised at how light the whole thing was.
The sheathes were both black, but one had a golden flame design at the opening. The other had silver rings of what looked like a lightning design in the same place. He held the sheathes with his left hand and reached for the handle of the blade in the silver-embossed sheathe with his right. As he exposed the first inch of the blade, he was hit with a static shock, making him jump slightly before continuing.
The blade itself was also silver, like the decorations on its sheathe. In his hand, it felt almost wild, but subdued, as though it were a living animal that would accept only him as its master. He slid the katana back into its sheathe and switched hands, this time grabbing the handle of the golden-embossed sheathe. This time when the first inch was pulled out, a sharp heat struck his fingers, much like if he put out a candle with his bare hand.
Again, the katana matched the filigree on the sheathe. The blade was a golden color, and it emanated a comfortable warmth, as though it was happy just being in his hand. Again, he slid the katana back into its sheathe. He turns around to find Yoko's jaw hanging loose, her eyes wide.
"Uhm… is something wrong?"
Yoko brought herself out of her stupor. "N-N-Naruto? Did you have any trouble drawing those katana?"
The blond jinchuriki looked down at the swords in his hands. "well, one shocked me, and the other burned me a little, but that's it. Why?"
Yoko looked thoughtful for a moment. "Naruto. Have you ever heard of a village in the Wind Country called Hiri?" He shook his head. "They are famous for making much of the worlds chakra blades. Forging metal that reacts or channels chakra is easy for them." Naruto nodded. He had heard of such blades, and even seen a few before. "But a few select people in that town banded together and decided to make blades that did more than just react to chakra. They began forging weapons that were almost sentient, and definitely conscious. Things went so far that eventually the weapons they were making actually chose their wielders." Naruto looked down at the katanas in his hand. "Yes, Naruto. Those are Hirian katanas. And they seem to have chosen you."
Naruto looked up at Yoko, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "So… These swords think I'm… what, worthy? That's so cool!"
Yoko grinned. "I had been hoping someone, ANBU, maybe, would come by and finally unsheathe those. I'm glad they finally found an owner. It must have been lonely rejecting person after person, waiting for the right one to come along." She finished by stroking the silver sheathe.
Naruto looked at each katana in turn before looking up at Yoko with a grin. "How much?"
"For the one to finally open them? Free. Consider it a graduation present." She answered with a friendly smile.
Iruka finally spoke up. "Naruto, how are you going to carry those?"
Before he could answer, Yoko interrupted. "Ill take care of that. Hand me the blades, your jacket, and the sash." Once again, Naruto complies, and the auburn-haired shopkeeper disappears into the back of the room for a while. Iruka and Naruto wrap up his and Yoko's selections for kunai and shuriken, as well as some ninja wire, and explosive tags.
Yoko came back with everything shortly after, and explained that the swords now attached to the back of the sash, and the jacket went on over it, the katanas poking through some slits in the back of the jacket, just below the neck, exposed down to the decorations on the sheathes. He tried on the combination, experimentally slipping the jacket on and off until he felt comfortable that he could to it easily before testing ease of access for the katanas. Satisfied, he grinned, and grabbed Yoko into a hug, thanking her over and over for all she's done for him today.
A blushing Yoko pried herself from the boy's grip and went to modify the other jackets and sashes he was buying the same way, also remembering to put the whirlpool on the back.
When all was said and done, Iruka and Naruto were watching Yoko ring up the items on the ground floor. Iruka slid a few blank scrolls and a couple books on sealing onto the counter as well.
When Naruto looked at him, he said with a knowing smile, "What, did you think I didn't know what you had in mind when you chose that particular kind of sash? This should get you some basic seals by your first real mission. Don't worry, I'm paying for these. It's MY graduation present." This time it was Iruka's turn to be smothered.
Naruto bid goodbye to his former sensei, and headed off to his apartment. Unbolting the door and walking inside, he hung up his new outfits and opened up the first sealing book. Suddenly remembering the aftermath of his fight with Mizuki and what the Forbidden Arts Scroll had said about Kage Bunshins. Quickly making two clones, he has them start on reading the books, while he pulls out a kunai. He extended a chakra Tendril from his right palm, and began flipping the kunai using only the Tendril. "Got to get my control up if I want to use this to its fullest." He mumbles more to himself than anyone else.
Another hour of this and it had gotten dark, so he put the kunai away, and dispelled his clones, which had finished the books and were working on the Tendrils with him. Thankfully, he didn't get even a headache from the miniscule amount of memory that had rushed into his mind from just two clones, but he did have to sift through the information in those books for any of it to make sense. As he did this, he performed his nightly ritual of instant ramen, brush teeth, shower, and finally pajamas. By the time he crawled into bed, he felt confident that he could make a few basic containment seals on his new scrolls and possibly on his sash. The last thought that drifted through his mind before he fell asleep was who would be on his team tomorrow.
AN: Well, it's 5:03 in the morning. I'm going to bed. GIVE ME REVIEWS! IM SERIOUS!