[A/N]Here comes Chapter 10. I owe my friend Ace6151 a lot for helping with brainstorming for this chapter. He has TONS of ideas for new stories, and they're all up for adoption:
( forum/Original-Characters /118194/)
( forum/Plot-Bunnies /118331/)
( forum/Original-Powers-and-Abilities /118859/)
Make sure to pay his pages a visit if you're interested! ^_^ Now, because you've been waiting for so long for this, let's get on with our standard fare. Once again, if you're going to review, PLEASE make an account so I can properly reply to you. They're free to make, last I checked, so you don't have to pay for anything. ^_^ [A/N]
KONOHAGAKURE TOP-PRIORITY PRISON, MAXIMUM SECUIRTY ZONE FLOOR THREE ~~~
Guren sat on her cot, watching her two guards. During the past sixteen hours, she'd gotten to know her other four guards rather well. The first two had been only too happy to talk to a pretty woman, while the next two had been only too happy to intimidate her into total silence. These two, however, didn't seem to care any less. Their indifference was best demonstrated with how they both sat with their backs to the bars, talking in hushed tones about a specific series of book the girl of the two seemed to like.
Thinking back, Guren cursed herself for not having figured they'd try to mess with her head.
The first two guards, Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu, had seemed like stern, duty-driven soldiers. However, the first time Guren had to go to the showers, both men had been only too pleased to poke their head around the corner and watch her. She'd decided to tease them with enough of a show to make them pass out, but had taken too long to do so. Just as the two guards hit the floor with massive nose bleeds, her next guards had stepped in. Well, to be more honest, one had stepped in; the other had APPEARED through the shower floor and plastered her to the wall with an advanced Suiton Jutsu that seemed to act as a sort of adhesive.
After grabbing the two guards and forcing them to leave, the two had locked Guren back in her cell, half naked, before blandly introducing themselves as Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, ex-missing-Nin from Konoha and Kirigakure, respectively. She knew that Itachi had killed his entire family minus his little brother, and that Kisame was a rogue after purposefully defecting due to unknown reasons… so what were two exceedingly dangerous men doing here as GUARDS?
She had asked them this question and gotten nothing more than a predatory glare from Kisame, along with the question, "Hey Itachi-san, are you sure that punk-assed little brat said we can't rough her up a little and make her quiet down? I'm getting tired of hearing her voice, and it hasn't even been ten minutes yet."
Itachi, having been resting his back against the bars, had simply turned to face her… and hit her with a dose of his specialty Tsukiyomi genjutsu. The resulting burst of pain and suffering tore through her at an accelerated pace, leaving her huddled in the fetal position in the far corner of her cell, whimpering like a frightened child.
With a half-interested query of, "Is that quiet enough for you?" He had sat back with his back to the bars, soon joined by Kisame. Both men had promptly passed out, neither needing to watch the woman while she rocked herself to sleep in the corner.
Hours later, the trio had been interrupted when the last of the six guards came down to relieve their fellows. Itachi had quickly stirred Kisame and both were out of the building before anyone could say a word.
Thus, Guren had been informally introduced to Oni and Hyo. Guren flinched and backed into the corner once again, knowing full well that should she act up in any way, these two could and WOULD filet her alive.
So, with that knowledge, Guren had gotten up only twice to use the facilities and once to eat in the five hours Oni and Hyo had been there. In that time, she'd moved from the floor to the cot and back several times, while also trying to get an accurate handle on the conversation her guards were engaged in.
Although, with the way Hyo was moving her head silently and Oni was talking, it seemed like Oni was talking to a brick wall instead of his partner. After several nearly unsuccessful attempts at creeping up on the bars, she finally managed to sneak a peek at a series of book in Hyo's hand. Once she had snuck back to her bed, she laid down on her side to contemplate what she'd seen.
'Valentine Rose?' Guren thought frantically, scared out of her wits once more, 'why on earth would a brute like Oni be talking about a cheesy romance series like that?' The possibilities and hidden depths of this revelation spun circles around Guren's mind as she tried to figure out what they were plotting.
Were they going to torture her by planting her by the wrists into the ceiling with roses made of ice?
Would Oni simply stare her into total submission and interrogate her?
Or would things take a much… DARKER turn?
Guren shivered to think of that possibility. So wrapped up in her thoughts was she that she didn't hear the cell door creak open, nor when the person who entered her cell draped a thick blanket over her, fearing she might be getting cold. Guren only realized something had happened when she heard her cell door close.
Wait… the door closed?
Moreover, for that matter… when did it open in the first place?
Once more, Guren found her mind reeling and spinning, with no definite end to her mental struggles in sight. Zabuza and Haku simply shrugged their shoulders at the sight of their prisoner and went back to discussing the books.
~~~ MEANWHILE, IN NAMI NO KUNI~~~
Naruto awoke to a disturbing feeling. Namely, his newfound worry was caused by inexplicable lack of Hinata's weight and presence on top of him. Naruto shot out of the couch, his eyes darting left and right in utter panic as his senses went on red alert. His Hoshigan activated to Level 4, scanning everything in sight for any trace of his wife:
On the table was a half-eaten plate of pancakes and bacon.
On the stove sat a pan covered in grease, which someone had used to cook both the pancakes AND the bacon, in that order. His senses relaxed a tiny bit.
On the counter was a foil-wrapped plate. His senses relaxed a bit more.
A light was on under the bathroom door, and a shadow could be seen moving about within the light. Naruto's mind settled down and his eyes turned off. He sighed deep and lay back against the couch once more, relaxing in the fact that Hinata was in the bathroom and hadn't finished her breakfast yet.
'Damn…' he thought to himself, 'That witch Guren really fucked up my head… I'm going on high alert… I need to relax a bit more…'
"Oh, you're awake? Breakfast is on the counter for you."
Naruto was jarred from his thoughts by Hinata's voice, and he turned.
"W-wow…"
Naruto could find little else to say as Hinata strolled toward him, now carrying the foil-covered plate. However, it wasn't the food that got his attention… it was Hinata's choice of apparel that had his eyes bugging out of his head.
He must have been dead tired, because to have been able to sleep through Hinata's awakening, extraction from his arms, and changing into no more than a thin nightgown, followed by her cooking breakfast was a feat to which no other man could attest. The main reason for THAT being that Naruto was really the only man she'd ever dated.
Hinata sauntered over, removing the foil from the plate while balancing it on one palm like a professional server. Naruto could only watch as Hinata got up close to him, gave him a beaming smile, and then…
… Grabbed his hair and plastered his face in the food.
Naruto stayed stock still for a moment, stunned, as the syrup from the pancakes dripped from the ends of the slices of bacon that had become wedged in his nose. The pancakes were now crumbled and scattered across his face, dotting the whiskers marks on his cheeks like perforation lines. He kept his hands at his sides as he slowly rose and stumbled his way into the bathroom, bumping into three walls, stubbing his toes twice, and hitting his head on the bathroom counter after tripping on the floor trim along the way. Soon, the only sound that rang in his ears, aside from the water from the faucet, was Hinata's laughter, coupled with the sounds of fists and feet pounding the floor. He couldn't believe it; she'd cooked him breakfast… just to smash it in his face and laugh at him?
IT WAS THE BEST PRANK EVER!
As Naruto thought of all the elements of what Hinata had just done, he had to admit to himself that she'd gotten him good. If she hadn't been wearing that nightgown or walked towards him the way she had, he would have been able to pick up on subtle hints, like a slight blush on her face.
As soon as he felt the last of the sticky, greasy mess leave his skin, he turned off the water and waited, watching Hinata roll on the floor in hysteric laughter, until he was sure she was turned away from him. Now, he would HAVE HIS REVENGE.
Hinata yelped in surprise; when she'd last saw him, Naruto had been washing the mess of his ruined breakfast off his face, so how'd he manage to get behind her so quickly? She didn't have much time to think about that, however, because no sooner had Naruto's arms clamped around her from behind than his fingers began to work trails up and down her stomach and sides that left her sputtering and giggling madly.
Naruto grinned wickedly to himself; his tickle-torture revenge plan was working. A few more minutes and he'd stop, jump in the shower to cleanse his hair of the remaining bacon grease and syrup, and then run down stairs for a quick breakfast before returning to pick up his brilliant bride for a day on the town.
The two rolled around for several minutes, Hinata doing her best, though to no avail, to remove Naruto from her back and catch her breath. The blonde boy could only laugh like a lunatic as he continued tickling his indigo-haired wife in a frenzied trance for several minutes. Finally, when both were out of breath, Naruto let her go and flopped onto the floor next to her, while Hinata lay on her stomach, limp, on the floor, breathing heavily.
Naruto gasped a bit when he felt Hinata drag herself into the crook of his arm, but he smiled and sighed pleasantly when he heard her breathing quietly. Once again, Hinata had fallen asleep with a beaming smile on her face. Naruto could do little more himself and passed out with her in his arms.
This scene met the housekeeping staff when three women in their early twenties entered the room pushing their carts. The three stopped, smiled fondly and shared an "Aww" moment before turning their carts around silently to walk out of the room. They resolved to come back later.
Meanwhile, in their dreams, Naruto and Hinata were back in the Caged Room, where the spirit of the Kyuubi no Yoko had once resided. Naruto stared almost longingly at the empty cage, whose doors were still slammed open and almost torn off their hinges.
Hinata smiled and held Naruto tight to her before gently kissing his lips. He smiled and leaned in to reciprocate.
Seconds later, they let go and Naruto smiled.
"Thanks, Hina-chan… You and you alone make this all worthwhile!" he said happily, letting a chuckle escape his lips as she giggled and rested her head against his shoulder.
In a voice that showed how exhausted she was, Hinata asked, "Could you continue your story, Naru-kun? I don't think you finished it last time."
Naruto smiled and nodded, before allowing his expression to grow pensive.
"Absolutely… I believe we'd just concluded our first meeting with Zabuza-san, right?" Naruto asked, continuing as Hinata nodded softly…
_
CHAPTER 10: THE SPICE OF LIFE & EBB AND FLOW
OP: "RE:MEMBER" - FLOW
~ I hadn't used much chakra with the eye-based abilities, but the star jutsu drained my reserves by a bit, my being just a fledgling, after all. Regardless, I was still OK for most of the trip to Tazuna-san's house. From there, I knew things were going to hit a new level. ~
It took a few more hours, but the group finally made it to Nami, where Tazuna led them to his house, making a point to show them all the horrible things Gato had done to the village over the time he'd been there. Once they arrived at Tazuna's house, they were quickly introduced to his daughter, Tsunami, and her son, Inari, who spent most of his time moping around muttering about things being "useless" or "pointless". Naruto had a feeling he'd be doing something about that poor boy.
For the moment, however, Naruto knew what had to be done. He'd awakened Level Two of his Hoshigan hours before, and he needed to get a handle on his training quick.
It was five after six in the evening; Naruto stepped out through the backdoor and made for the forest behind the house. For the first two minutes, Naruto meditated, getting an idea from his cousin of what was necessary.
~ I couldn't believe what Kozu-kun told me: three days of working my chakra control in each affinity. ~
Naruto spent a good portion of his first day in the deepest part the forest, alternating between elemental control and standard chakra control exercises; he would spend three hours on an element, then switch to a basic control exercise for an hour before turning to another element. He started with earth, as according to Kozue, it was his weakest element and needed the most work. To that end, Naruto spent the first three hours of his training focusing on rocks and stones that littered the forest floor, trying to pull them towards him and change them during movement, using ONLY his chakra. For the first two-and-a-half hours, he made little to no progress at all. However, during the last thirty minutes, he managed to finally move on small stone towards him, and, as he moved to inspect it, found a small dent on one side that he knew hadn't been there from before.
After this, he switched to tree climbing. He had known not to expect much for his first attempts, but after thirty tries and no progress, he was beginning to feel the seeds of doubt and worry set in.
He also heard, for the first time since he arrived, the gurgling of an empty stomach. He forced himself to ignore the rumblings in his gut to continue his training. It took him until his last minute to make any hint of progress, which came in the form of sudden burst of concentration and focus that propelled him to make it five feet up the trunk before he fell backwards and slashed the trunk to mark his progress. He smiled; he was getting there!
Next came three hours of Fire Element practice. This was accomplished by simply holding a leaf in his hand and setting it aflame, but holding his chakra around the leaf and the fire to keep the leaf from burning. Once again, he had little luck for the bulk of his practice, but managed to get the hang of it around the end of the second hour. This raised his spirits considerably. From there he moved to water walking, which Kozue had informed him could also count towards another round of elemental practice. Thus, Naruto extended this particular session's time limit to four hours.
He started out simply running at the water, keeping a constant flux of chakra exuding from the soles of his feet; when this inevitably failed, he switched to coating his entire body in suiton chakra to keep from sucking in any water. This part of his training seemed to be easier than most. He managed to keep up his water barrier until he reached the shore. Several more times he attempted this the same way, and wound up underwater, protected by his water shield, each and every time.
However, he was beginning to realize something important. He had an affinity for water; he'd seen it at work with how long and how strong he could make his protective field. So, he reasoned, why wouldn't it make sense to use that same affinity to enhance his water-walking practice? It counted as the same thing… right?
As Naruto soon discovered, he was both right and wrong. He proved his theory well enough as he proceeded to dash across the lake and back to the shore without once losing his grip on the water. It was when he tried going without again, however, that he discovered the weakness I his plan. His water affinity did nothing to boost his normal chakra control in that respect; he'd have to do all the work on his own and only rely on his water affinity for going under… at least, for now.
So, for the duration of his four hours, Naruto struggled hard, forcing himself to exude extra chakra to pop up on the surface of the water. Just before his time limit run out, he managed to stand on the water without sinking. Naruto nodded and walked back to the shore, nodding to himself contentedly; after all, even a small amount of progress was better than no progress.
With that finished, Naruto spent the rest of his first day repeating that cycle, switching every three hours, then again after one, and then every four for his water training.
~ I really enjoyed the first day. By the end of it, I'd almost mastered my Fire Affinity, and my Water Affinity was strong enough to rival a jonin's. My Earth Affinity still needed a bit of work, but I knew I had time for that later. My biggest problem at the time was my stamina. I'd been able to go a few hours without food before; the mobs had been VERY sure that I was weak and stumbling on several of their "raids".
I'd never been more than four hours without food or rest, though. By the end of the first day, I was already running on about half a tank of energy, and I was losing strength fast. I knew I had to press on, though. I had no time for rest, no room for error. ~
The next twenty-four hours were more straining on Naruto's body, but for a less obvious reason: Naruto was training his Lightning, Wind, and Chaos affinities, following the same basic schedule as the day before.
To that end, he started into three hours of Wind training, which involved unleashing a single burst of Fuuton chakra to lift the leaves off the forest floor, and then manipulate and monitor his chakra output to keep the leaves suspended, while simultaneously using small, subtle blasts of extra futon chakra to slice the leaves into pieces. Unlike the day before, he found himself progressing quite quickly in this training, as he'd managed to suspend the leaves AND himself six feet in the air, AND dice the leaves into atom-sized pieces by the time his time limit ended. Giving a contented sigh, He nodded and moved on to Tree Walking again.
After the day before, Naruto had managed to make it half-way up one of the massive trees before he fell off. However, during his first hour the second day, he managed to run eighty-percent of the way up the tree before he fell off. He was quick enough to release a quick burst of Fuuton chakra to slow his fall. By the end, he'd manage to reach his goal: the ninety-percent mark. He released another contented sigh before smiling wide and setting about his next bout of training.
~MEANWHILE~
In the trees not too far away from Naruto was a lone figure. The figure belonged to none other than Haku, who was there on orders from Zabuza to spy on "that blonde little brat" so he'd have an idea of what to expect in their rematch. However, she hadn't exactly been able to follow through on her orders as planned. Watching this boy struggle, and similarly, seeing his progress over only twenty-four hours, had her getting that strange feeling in her stomach again. However, once she saw him go twenty-four hours straight, and then keep going with another set of training, that strange feeling escalated to a strange itch that she couldn't seem to be rid of, no matter how hard she scratched with her nails. Seeing how powerful he was with Fuuton chakra only made things worse, as the itch now became a burning sensation that simply refused to go away, no matter how hard she fought to ignore it.
After watching him slowly and accurately slice the leaves around him into infinitesimal pieces, Haku could barely control herself anymore, and, using the breathing techniques Zabuza had taught her for assassinations, she allowed her right hand to approach her body and an agonizingly slow pace. It started weak; a little personal petting over the clothes so it wouldn't be noticeable…
However, as Naruto reached the three-quarter point on his chosen tree, Haku's control broke down completely. She gasped silently as her right hand slid into the opening of her kimono, while her left snaked its way into her panties. Haku struggled against herself for a moment, but one more glance at Naruto caused her to throw caution to the wind. Within seconds of watching Naruto create an array of leaves on the ground and then lift them over a foot off the ground via a current of Raiton chakra…
Haku suddenly felt a massive pain in her head.
She sat up, realizing she was "standing" on her shoulders, with her head nearly perpendicular to the ground. She looked up and shook her head before darting off to the base she shared with Zabuza. She'd figure out how to deal with her… problem when she finished reporting in.
Unfortunately, she wouldn't be so lucky this day. She realized she wouldn't be getting back for a little when she felt a pull on her collar. She turned to see Naruto standing alone in the middle of the clearing…
However, if he was standing in the clearing… who was tugging her collar?
~IN THE CLEARING~
Naruto shook his head as he pulled, using a quick burst of his Fuuton Chakra to yank Haku over to his position. When she landed on her rear and looked him in the eyes through the holes in her mask, he smiled a bit.
"I knew you were there, Haku-san. Why don't we do each other a favor?" he asked innocently. Haku's shoulders slumped at his tone, but tensed again at the hint in his voice.
"W-what k-k-kind of f-f-favor did you h-have in m-mind?" she stuttered, suddenly very afraid of the boy that had edged her master out of the running for "Strongest Shinobi ever" in her books.
Naruto just kept smiling as he intoned, "I need a living partner to test my control of my Konton Jutsu on. You help me test it, and I won't use it against Zabuza-san in our rematch. Sound fair?"
Haku barely had a chance to nod before she realized that the entire clearing had been drained of its light, and that she was only able to see things around her through white outlines. Over the next three hours, Naruto left no room for relaxing her guard as he chased Haku around the clearing, holding his technique as strong as he could. No matter what Haku did, she found herself incapable of utilizing her Hyoton jutsu. In fact, she found it to be exactly the opposite.
She wasn't able to use her Hyoton in this setting, but was more than capable of injuring herself trying. Several times in one minute she tried firing a sharp icicle at Naruto to fend him off, but instead found herself collapsing to the ground when the icicle she tried to make froze the finger she made it with and snapped it clean off. By the time Naruto's three hours were up, Haku's hands were no more than thumbs and frozen stumps. Naruto spent two quick seconds flash-healing her hands, and, before Haku knew it, her hands were entirely back to normal.
- . . . You used HAKU-SAN, as a training partner against her will? -
~ For lack of a better way to phrase it, yes. If she'd kept moving towards the tree she'd been in, she'd have been able to escape; I made it so she could leave if she wanted to. It's not as if I really FORCED her to stay. I aimed her towards that same tree several times, hoping she'd take the hint and run, but she never did. It was as if she was trying to play with me, or something. ~
- Maybe she was… I'll have to have a talk with her about that when we return to Konoha… -
~ As long as you don't cripple, maim, or kill her in this 'Talk', I'm fine with it. Anything that keeps her from either the hospital or the Morgue is acceptable. She's still on active duty, after all, and we have a LOT of enemies kicking about. Now… where was I? ~
As Naruto switched to water-walking again, he nodded to Haku, signaling she should leave, and that he'd hold up his end of the bargain.
Haku stopped before leaving and, after a moment's debate, asked, "Naruto-san, would you be alright with me returning to further aide you in your Konton training? I could be quite useful to you in that respect, and I'm sure you could use all the help you can get."
Naruto, just stepping back onto the shore from another Suiton-controlled swim, thought for less than a second and said, "Alright. Just make sure you pass it by Zabuza-san first. We wouldn't want him going after you for helping me get stronger!"
- . . . I honestly don't know whether I should strangle YOU or maim HER. -
~ Hina-chan, please, try to understand. I couldn't logically come back to Tazuna-san house and ask you, Shino or Sensei to help me train when I'd already been out for more than a day on my own. In that vein, I'd be wasting time, and I wasn't allowed to pause my training until a full three days were up. With me needing a living person to test my Konton control on, what else was I supposed to do? And please don't give me the pouting eyes; at the time, I had no other choice. I'd have had to stop and restart my training, which could, in all seriousness, resulted in the failing of our mission. I couldn't let that happen. ~
- You make it sound so easy to make this stuff up… -
~ . . . Did you REALLY Just say that? I'm not making this up, Hina-chan. I was running on the same logic I've been using since that day. I wouldn't lie to you, nor would I fool around behind your back. You know that! It was nothing more than training. I swear on my life! ~
- I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out that way… I swear! -
~It's all right… I just wish we didn't keep having these little misunderstandings… ~
- It's what happens in a relationship, Naru-kun… -
~ I know… I just… I don't know. What say we move back to the story now? I'm getting kind of depressed talking about this stuff… ~
With that, Haku nodded and took off in search of Zabuza. After she reported and gained permission to train with him, she'd set off immediately, leaving Zabuza to his own training. Luckily, she was long gone when his fist impacted the torso of a large training dummy he'd been using to improve his kenjutsu… and exploded it as he shouted a simple four letter word that conveyed his rage.
"FUCK!" Zabuza shouted, pulling his fist form the center of the dummy, "That little BRAT HAD To go and learn a powerful technique! Now none of my water skills will be useful! Got to think on my feet now… what's the best way to make this work… DAMN IT ALL TO HELL, THINK ZABUZA, THINK!"
While the hulking brute raged to no definite end, Haku had returned to the clearing and, more specifically, to her perch in her tree. She watched, intently, as Naruto returned to his Wind Training. She marveled at his intuitiveness and creativity; instead of replicating what he'd done before, Naruto had chosen instead to try and control the flow of the wind itself through wide, circular arm gestures.
At first, she saw nothing happening at all. However, several moments later, she watched, awestruck, as the wind, following Naruto's arm motions, turned into a helix-shaped lateral storm that gusted left and right, but was quickly brought to a head by Naruto's steady movements. Eventually the gusting winds calmed to a slow, gentle breeze that Naruto wrapped around himself to "levitate off of the ground. He kept the miniature tornado at his feet by chakra control alone for the remainder of his now two hours, all the while leaning in different directions and discovering the wonders of "flight".*
Haku could barely contain herself, as each and every new accomplishment the small boy tacked onto his belt only served to stoke the flames within her. She had to form a small casing of ice around herself after she nearly fell out of the tree again, and only came out when Naruto called for her help in his training. She made sure not to let him find out what she was really doing in her little… hideaway.
As it came to pass, the second day ended and Haku leapt away, smiling at Naruto under her mask. Her smile widened when she saw the fading sight of him smiling back at her… and then vanished completely as she contemplated whether he could actually see her face behind the mask. She had to force the thought to the back of her mind for the time being as she barely avoided slamming full-force into a tree in her distracted state.
Back with Naruto, he'd quickly placed his body on auto-pilot and gone into his mind to sign the contracts for his stronger Heaven and Hell powers, then jumped back into his body to begin his training. He nodded to himself, going over the seals and motions he'd need.
~ I'd gotten the feeling that the Heaven, Hell, and Chaos techniques would be difficult to learn… However, after two straight days with no breaks or food, I was fighting back the urge to give up the ghost. I'd never gone that long without food before… It was more challenging than the Graduation test! Still, I wasn't about to give up. ~
Naruto nodded to himself, forcing his conscious mind to stay active. He needed to stay awake for the remainder of his training. He didn't have the ability to rest yet. So, it made sense to him that he start off with the Tenton techniques, as most of them were healing techniques, and some even helped in the restoration of chakra.
He sat still on the ground for several minutes, forcing himself to continue practicing his control over the powers of heaven. For the first half-hour, he felt nothing, and made no progress. However, at the forty-five minute mark, he finally felt the strength in his body start to pick up: he was making the technique work! At an urging from Kozue in his mind, he put his body back on auto-pilot, allowing him to enter his subconscious for a time.
For the remainder of his time limit, he talked with his parents, carried on a nice, quiet chat with Kozue for a while, and then, as his time limit approached, bade his family good bye and returned to his body.
Over the remaining twenty-one hours, Naruto continued to sharpen his skills, his body slightly reinvigorated from his practice of Tenton healing techniques. Over his first few hours, he managed to establish a rather tenuous control over his Makaiton techniques. However, as he neared the end of his final day, Naruto managed to get his control up to what he considered mid-Chuunin level.
Little did he know he'd crossed that particular threshold several hours before; he was closer to high-jonin control by the end of day three.
Therefore, it was in his semi-revitalized, yet still completely exhausted state, that Naruto dragged himself through the back door of Tazuna's house. He was awake for less than two seconds before he passed out; strangely, he found himself in a small pair of arms, rather than on the floor half a second before he felt his body shut down.
"H-Hinata-san…" he said weakly. That was the last thing he said, or even thought, before everything went black.
~ Ah, the sweet bliss of unconsciousness… Although, I believe you'd know more about that than I would; am I right, Hina-chan? When you awoke to Level 2, you were out for two weeks… ~
- I know. It was too hard to stay awake that long… I had to keep starting over! How on this earth did YOU manage to stay up so long? -
~ Let's just say that evading those flash mobs for the first few years of my life instilled a sense of paranoia in me that I don't let many people see… I somehow get the sad feeling that, even now that I'm Hokage, I'll still be looking over my shoulders every time I go out in public… ~
- After what you've been put through, Naru-kun, I wouldn't blame you… I'd probably have run away by that point, though… I wouldn't have been able to handle the stress and pain… -
~ If our roles HAD been reversed, Hina-chan, you still would have had me for a friend. Two kindred spirits don't just find each other and leave each other alone. I'd have willingly banished MYSELF from the Hyuuga Clan and gone with you wherever your feet took you, protecting you to the best of my abilities. ~
- … When did you become such a romantic? -
~ You really think I'm joking, or trying to be romantic, don't you? I'm being DEAD serious here. I would have left with you if our roles were reversed. Each of us would STILL have been the only friend the other could trust, and I wouldn't EVER let you go anywhere alone. Everyone needs one good friend to can rely on. Had our places been reversed, I'd have stuck by you to the end in a heartbeat. No lies, no jokes. ~
- I know, Naru-kun. That was a test, and you passed with flying colors. You've made it abundantly clear over the past years that you would have been there for me regardless of what came our ways… And if our places had been switched at birth, I would have been elated to have someone like you for a friend. -
~ I know you'd do the same for me, after all. I'd be one hell of a horrible person if I didn't reciprocate your kindness! Now, what say we get back to our story? ~
Naruto came to several days later and immediately set about looking for food with which he could fill his roaring empty stomach. Tsunami was only too happy and willing to let Naruto clean out the family cupboards; after hearing what Naruto had put himself through for the three days he was gone, she thought it was only right he be allowed to eat as much as he wanted.
She wasn't prepared, however, for Naruto's voracious appetite. Not only did he clean out their cabinets, he all but dragged the poor woman through the village in search of EVERY scrap of food he could possibly find… after he'd cleaned out his personal supply of emergency food rations and dried meals from his backpack. The poor woman was floored, to say the least, as she watched the boy all but pick the village down to the foundations of its buildings in his quest to fulfill his seemingly bottomless appetite.
She was relieved when Naruto stopped eating several hours after his awakening, but had to restrain herself from slapping her face with the palm of her hand when Naruto nonchalantly proclaimed that he was only half-full.
This was simply too much for poor Tsunami to take With everything he HAD eaten, which included such indigestible items as nearly an entire forest worth of trees, roots and all, and several steel swing sets, he was still only half-full.
If this were truly the case, how would he fully sate his hunger next? Would he take to hunting the animals and birds of the forest? Would he start consuming the ground beneath their feet, right down to the infertile bedrock? Or perhaps he'd take up cannibalism and begin eating the villagers… starting with her? The thoughts swimming in the poor woman's head caused her to promptly faint. She didn't know what she'd wake up to see, or if she'd wake up at all… but at the time, she couldn't care less.
- Did you REALLY have to tell her you were only half-full? Why couldn't you have kept that to yourself so your team could deal with it? You know we could have sent for emergency supplies if we needed to. -
~ I know, really I do… I didn't mean to scare her that badly! I was still running on half a brain at that point; I was still half-asleep! That makes for a bad combination with me. You know that better than anyone else does; we've been living together for a couple years now, after all. ~
Naruto hoisted the taller woman into his arms and made for Tazuna's house, where he burst through the door and set Tsunami down on the couch. It only took a couple of hours for Tsunami to awake to the sight of Naruto sitting over her with a worried look; a look that, despite its intent to convey his worry and concern, served instead to send the terrified woman into screaming fits for ten minutes that only ended when she passed out from over-exertion.
~ I couldn't do much to help her… Nevertheless, I felt I should leave her alone for a while. In any case, I think we should skip the next couple days, as nothing interesting happened, and go straight to the rematch. ~
Over the next several days, Team Kurenai continued their individual training regiments. Hinata took to using the trees as Jyuken training dummies; she called is "training with dummies", but she was really using them to unleash the majority of her pent up familial frustrations. Since the moment they'd arrived, Shino had been working tirelessly on restoring the numbers in his hive, and he was proud to know that he was almost back up to full strength. He'd started sending his bugs out to varying places to map them out so he could get around easier.
Kurenai, despite being of Jounin rank, knew she had a LONG way to go if she wanted to be anything but the back-up for her powerhouse students. Thus, while Naruto, now bearing what he CLAIMED to be the Hoshigan's third level, continued to further his control and mastery of his abilities through more tiring training, Kurenai sat in a tree, slowly working a genjutsu over her students that reacted differently with each of their minds.
When the illusion hit Hinata, she couldn't tell anything was different and just kept hitting the trees. However, after about three more hits, she noticed that her attacks were doing much less damage to the bark then before. Then again, she had already struck quite the dent into the trunk of her current "dummy", so she moved around to a side of the tree that wasn't damaged. One punch was all it took to convince her that she was either tiring out, or that the trees were somehow sentient and trying to prevent her from harming them further. Thus, without realizing it, after a drink of water, Hinata continued punishing the trees around her, continually doing no more physically than flicking them with her fingers. Kurenai watched as, with the continued rise in Hinata's frustration, the amount of damage she dealt continued to increase exponentially. Kurenai eventually had to switch trees three times to avoid being discovered.
Shino was a little harder to trick, as he was blind, and since insects had compound eyes, there was little she could do to stump the boy. Therefore, she turned her sights on Naruto, who was once again working on his Katon control. As the illusion hit him, he sneezed violently, not only creating a very LARGE plume of fire from his mouth, but also temporarily breaking Kurenai's illusion. Kurenai was surprised when it happened… mainly because Naruto's sneeze sounded like "KAI". So, without a second thought, Kurenai reactivated her genjutsu, working it strong into the two of her students could actually SEE it. Once again, Hinata returned to unleashing the full power of her growing fury.
Shino continued to expand the numbers of his hive until he was almost literally overflowing with new larvae. Naruto continued strengthening his elemental control. At one point while practicing his Suiton control, he accidentally soaked Hinata with a burst of water shot from his hand like a softball. The blast, which had, actually, been the size of a small sphere, soon expanded and formed a small tidal wave that not only served to soak Hinata down to the bones, but also to cool down her ever growing rage.
- I still should thank you for cooling me off, Naru-kun… maybe after we wake up I'll give you a little… PRESENT. -
~ Why do I suddenly get the feeling that I should back away slowly when I wake up, or face running down the streets with my hair on fire screaming about my balls bleeding? ~
- I don't know WHAT you're being so paranoid for, Naru-kun… Now continue the story, please. -
~ Y-yes, ma'am… ~
Thus, the rest of the week passed, and the day finally came. Team Kurenai stepped onto the bridge, having promised Tazuna that he wouldn't break the bridge too badly. Tazuna had gone into a rage at this declaration, but had calmed as a small caravan of traders showed up in the city square. Naruto sensed something odd about the traders, and told his team to hang back and deal with them, and that he'd meet them on the bridge… when everything was over and done.
This sent of warning signals in Hinata's head, but not knowing what Naruto was planning, all she could logically do was consent his request. Therefore, as Naruto ran off to the bridge, Hinata, Shino and Kurenai stood by, watched as the merchants open up their carts…, and pulled out weapons, while flashing the villagers ruthless, blood-thirsty grins. This set them moving, and the three shinobi tore into the group of attacking mercenaries.
Meanwhile, Naruto had just arrived on the bridge to see Zabuza waiting.
"There you are, Namikaze-gaki… You certainly TOOK long enough," said the taller man, a hint of boredom and annoyance in his voice. Naruto shook his head.
"Well, what exactly do you want from me?" Naruto asked, "We met a convoy of Gato's men on the way here. I found a temporary way to keep my team out of our little affair, but Haku-san's aide will most definitely be needed. So, shall we get started?" With that, Naruto stopped talking and stood absolutely still.
Zabuza couldn't understand the boy's stance; there was no intent to attack or defend. Was there some weird trick, or a hidden style? He'd have to be EXTRA careful.
- Was there really a secret style at work? -
~ No, there wasn't actually, not at all. I was just trying to scare him a little. I think I accomplished that rather well. ~
Zabuza was careful as he settled into his own stance; crouched just slightly on one leg with both arms cocked at the elbow, he considered himself ready for battle.
The two warriors stared each other down for a solid two minutes before the first move was shown.
Zabuza activated the Kirigakure Jutsu again and covered the entire battleground with thick mist. Naruto, knowing what was coming, Activating his Hoshigan, Naruto turned on his Suiton control and quickly filled the mist in the air around him with his chakra. Soon, the cloud of thick, white mist had become a thrice-thickened mire of blue fog thicker than the thickest pea soup. Finding himself trapped in his own technique, Zabuza stopped cold, looking back and forth with eyes wide from paranoia, sweating slightly.
'How the hell did this brat learn to do that?' Zabuza asked himself, feeling the first pangs of fear in years.
"Scared yet, Zabuza-san?" Naruto asked, his voice echoing through the mist. Zabuza's eyes darted from side to side as he scanned for any sign of the little blonde brat.
Unfortunately, he was ill-prepared for Naruto's first move. Naruto burst through the fog and threw a strong left hook that connected with Zabuza's cheek; this made the taller man stumble to one leg. When Zabuza regained his footing, Naruto had disappeared.
'WHAT THE HELL?! WHERE DID THIS LITTLE PUNK HAVE THE TIME TO DEVELOP THAT LEVEL OF SPEED?!' Zabuza thought. He was forced from his thoughts and into the ground by another powerful punch to the face, courtesy of his petite foe.
Thus, the sequence continued for about a minute, with Zabuza rising slowly to his feet only to be knocked back down again, each time charging a different element into his fist; a burst of flame, a crack of thunder, a blast of wind, a deluge of water, and a crushing boulder, all one after the other.
~ It was all for a reason… one he was soon to discover. ~
Through sheer force of will, Zabuza managed to stay awake after the boulder punch while planning his next course of action; the next time Naruto zipped in to clip him, he grabbed the boy by the wrist, catching him off guard. Zabuza didn't waste any time and pressed his advantage by hoisting the small boy into the air by his wrist and repeatedly punching his stomach. Naruto winced with each strike, feeling a series of bruises spring to life on his muscles while several ribs began shifting out of place. After about two minutes of this, Zabuza held the now weakened boy in the air, grinning behind his bandages.
"So, RUNT," Zabuza said, overconfidence oozing thick in his voice, "you ACTUALLY expected to beat me? Looks to me like that weird power of yours from a week ago was more of a one-off than anything else!"
~ He was so smug… good thing I got the chance to fix him of that. ~
Naruto's face twisted into a crazed smirk and his vocal cords loosed the sound of insane laughter.
~ I was trying to unnerve him. Somehow, I think I accomplished that. ~
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LAUGHING AT, YOU LITTLE PUNK?" Zabuza snapped.
Lifting his head to stare Zabuza in the eyes, Naruto said, "I'M LAUGHING BECAUSE YOU'VE STEPPED INTO A TRAP, LOSER!" With a single kick to the ribs, Naruto loosed himself from Zabuza's grasp and rolled a few feet away.
Meanwhile, outside the fog cloud, Haku was watching intently… and was trying to make sense of what she was feeling. In her heart, she knew she should be rooting for her boss, Zabuza, who'd picked her up on the street at a young age; he was like a father to her, as he'd practically raised her himself. However, in a deep, dark part of her mind, she felt she should be rooting for the blonde boy, the pint-sized brat who had proven he was FAR more than a match for her master; he was quickly proving himself to be her master's superior, and he was less than a third of Zabuza's age!
She'd watched in morbid fascination as her boss threw down the gauntlet and went in for the kill by using his Kirigakure jutsu; however, she had found herself once more in awe of the blonde boy's power as the mist thickened into a fog thicker than the thickest pea soup. She watched as the fog colored itself blue to match the chakra he'd used to override Zabuza's control of it. Once more, she found herself feeling that burning sensation inside, and she knew there was little she could do to stop or stem it.
Then, she heard a twig snap.
As she turned to face the possible threat, she discovered it wasn't a twig that had snapped, by a dead body; impaled through the chest on a tree branch two yards away was the upper portion of a grown man, while what appeared to be his legs lay abandoned on the ground below. Looking up from the grisly sight, she saw three people approaching.
The first was a young girl in a cream-colored sweater who was sending her a glare with creamy white eyes that seemed to burn with anger. The second was a young boy with shades who hid his face behind a high-collared jacket, but seemed to be quivering in place. The last was a young woman in a strange sort of red-and-white dress that resembled interlocking bandages with a rose thorn pattern. The older woman's eyes were blood-red and had an extra ring around the pupils.
Haku moved to intercept the smaller girl, only to be met with an evolved death glare that could have melted her in place.
"I cannot allow you to pass," Haku said, sending her own weak glare back at the creamy-eyes girl, who barely seemed fazed.
"YOU WILL GET OUT OF MY WAY NOW, OR I'LL DO WORSE TO YOU THAN THAT THUG BACK THERE GOT!" Hinata shouted angrily, her body literally shaking with rage. Haku almost took an involuntary step back; something inside her was screaming at her to run and hide; she could care less about the consequences now!
However, the logical part of her brain knew the only course of action was to stand her ground and defend the battleground.
"I'm sorry, was I speaking another language? I do believe I spoke clearly… Let me try again," Haku said, the eye slits in her mask glowing an icy blue as a large ice spike erupted from the ground between her and Hinata.
"YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" Haku shouted, her hair breaking free of its ponytail and whipping about like the hair of Medusa, while an aura of death flared around her.
Hinata wasn't even fazed; instead, her own hair started whipping about like serpents, and an icier aura of pure rage and destruction sprang to life around her.
"YOU WILL LETT ME THROUGH OR I'LL DESTROY YOU! THE DEVIL WON'T BE ABLE TO PIECE YOU BACK TOGETHER WHEN I'M DONE!" Hinata screamed back, her eyes erupting with fire… before completely changing color and gaining a rose petal design in the pupils.
Things had JUST gotten serious, and Kurenai wasn't about to let it continue.
"BOTH OF YOU STAND DOWN AT ONCE!" she screamed, silently wondering if Hinata had been in contact with any grey-haired wizards in the past few years.
Her shout wasn't enough to stir the two girls from their anger-fueled Aura war. Shino had long since jumped into a distant tree to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.
Kurenai had to think fast or things were going to escalate to cataclysmic proportions. She knew there was only one thing that would end this, so she acted on it:
"UZUMAKI NARUTO, GET YOUR LITTLE BUTT OUT OF THAT CLOUD OR I'M COMING IN AFTER YOU!" Kurenai shouted. Almost instantaneously, the cloud of fog burst into a den of electricity that forced BOTH Hinata and Haku away from it. A loud, rumbling scream emanated from the cloud of fog mere minutes before it began dissipating.
When the fog cleared, what they saw was…
- I know you've explained it multiple times, but could you tell me what happened again? -
~ Absolutely, my little princess, as you wish. ~
~MOMENTS EARLIER, WITHIN THE CLOUD ~
Inside the cloud, Zabuza was glaring holes in Naruto's head.
"What do you mean, a "trap"? I don't think you've got what it takes to make a god one!" Zabuza said. Naruto simply glared at him.
"You haven't figured it out?" Naruto asked, slightly dumbfounded, "The elemental punches I've been nailing you with have been charging the atmosphere around us! We're in a CLOUD OF FOG you fool! Use water to add precipitation, ass fire to evaporate it, a little wind to stir it together and start a storm front, and throw in some lightning and debris from the Earth Punch for extra injuries! I'VE TURNED THIS DAMN CLOUD INTO A THUNDER CLOUD! IN ADDITION, I'VE GOT THE ACTIVATOR IN MY HAND; The second I turn this thing on, you'll be struck from every conceivable direction by hundreds of bolts of lightning, all at once. I wouldn't be surprised if you survive… I'll be surprised if you're still CONSCIOUS after you get fried."
Zabuza's eyes widened, and he took a step back as a bolt of lightning arced out, passed his face, and shot back into the cloud. This little BRAT had him cornered! Nevertheless, he wasn't out of ideas yet…
"You think I'm done? I've still got a few tricks left, brat!" Zabuza said as his hands began forming a series of handseals. Naruto's eyes widened comically as he watched a series of small projectiles form on the tips of Zabuza's fingers.
"Suiton: Hayai-Renzoku Tepodama no Jutsu!"* Zabuza shouted, unleashing three rapid-fire bursts of five water projectiles, spraying them over a large area. Naruto could only duck and roll to avoid being hit by one.
"How?" the boy asked; Zabuza smirked and chuckled.
"This cloud is MADE of water, you idiot!" Zabuza shouted, gesturing to the cloud around them, "This thing may only respond to your command, but by the same principle that allowed you to hijack my Kirigakure and turn it into this, I can still use the water inside it to attack you back! SO GET READY FOR MORE!" With that, Zabuza flashed through another set of handseals and held his arms aloft.
"SUITON: SANMIZURAPPA RYUDAN NO JUTSU!"* Zabuza roared, unleashing a giant wave of water from behind him. The wave surged toward Naruto, only to split into three large dragons made entirely of the wave's water. Naruto's eyes almost popped out of his head as he frantically dodged to avoid the three dragons. He succeeded, but only by a thin margin.
Zabuza flashed through those same handseals three more times. This sent nine more dragons careening at Naruto, who stumbled back into the cloud to avoid being hit. Naruto saw Zabuza readying one more round, and waited.
When Zabuza launched his fifth round of water dragons, Naruto struck.
~ The next technique I used had to have been the single most insane thing I'd thought up. Not counting anything I've invented recently, of course… I think that Galactic Rasen Shuriken I used the other day kind of tops a giant thunder cloud of laser projectiles… ~
With the Water and Lightning Points of his eyes shining brightly, shouted, "RANTON: SATSUI REIZA KOUSEN SHO NO JUTSU!" with a simple clap of his hands, the cloud burst to life, launching hundreds of thousands of small, piercing projectiles. Zabuza managed to avoid a few and dodge a few more, but ultimately was brought down to his knees when, following a single blast grazing his side, the projectiles converged on his body and pierced his chest.
Zabuza could do little more than utter a rumbling scream of pain that sounded like a lion roaring. Naruto held focus on the technique for a good minute or so, but stopped when he saw Zabuza's arms fall limp to his sides. With that, the entire cloud began to dissipate. He walked over, grabbed Zabuza around the back of his neck, and started dragging him.
This scene met the eyes of Haku and his team as the cloud fully vanished from sight: Zabuza out cold, with Naruto dragging him along behind him by the neck. Haku subconsciously raised her hands to cover the location of her mouth, forgetting that her mask was actually on.
Hinata stared at Naruto with a mixture of shock and wonder, while Shino simply quivered like a leaf in the wind. Kurenai, on the other hand, fainted cold. This kid was simply a MONSTER of a ninja; no nine-year-old since Kakashi Hatake had EVER had that level of power.
Hinata gasped seconds later as Naruto stumbled and collapsed, hitting the ground on his face. The pale-eyed girl ran up and picked him up, helping him regain consciousness moments later.
Naruto passed out again soon after awaking, and his condition was determined to be chakra exhaustion. He'd have to spend a few days in bed to recover. Therefore, once Kurenai awoke from her fainting spell, she jumped to the reins. She and Haku shared the taller Zabuza, helping each other lug him back to Tsunami's house while Hinata and Shino helped Naruto to his feet and helped him walk back to their lodging.
A few days later, after Naruto explained the circumstances behind his rematch with Zabuza, and after Hinata had gotten through giving him a thorough beating for almost costing her his presence with his stupid bet, the six shinobi had a surprise visit from Gato and his men at Tsunami's house while Tazuna was out finishing the bridge.
Zabuza had easily dispatched Gato's goons before Tsunami and Inari surprised everyone by tossing a pair of kitchen knives with terrifying accuracy at Gato as he fled the house. Naruto's eyebrows ratcheted up a few notches when the two knives pierced the short man's head fifty feet away, shredding through his brain. Zabuza had earnestly praised mother and son for their incredible teamwork and accuracy. Tsunami revealed that while her father was at work, she had been slowly training Inari in the art of knife throwing in order to protect their home, and then both mother and son revealed a set of harnesses under their clothes lined with sharp knives. Naruto blinked and laughed. ~
Moments after finishing his story, Naruto and Hinata awakened on the floor of their hotel room, still curled up together the way they had been after Naruto's bout of tickle torture revenge. The two smiled at each other and set about their business; Naruto had to change his clothes, as they still had traces of maple syrup and bacon grease on them, while Hinata had to shower and change for the afternoon. Being tickled for so long had made her break a sweat, and now her nightgown was soaked.
The two quickly finished their business and left for an afternoon together, hoping nothing else would happen to royally screw up their plans…
~ THE END… FOR NOW… ~
Hope you liked it! ^_^ Just to let everyone know, the next chapter is going to be a ways away; not only do I have to do a bit of planning, I have a couple plot bunnies that need to be put to words so they stop ripping my brain apart. ^^; Just so you're forewarned. ^_^
And by the way, for those wondering, I borrowed that little bit about 'circular hand motions' from "Avatar: The Last Airbender", and, in particular, the Wind Bending Tribe's techniques. AND I'M TALKING THE ORIGINAL ONE; I' have never watched Legend of Korra and will never even consider picking up M. Night Shyamalan's "The Last Airbender". Not an option; I'm a traditionalist. Besides, in my opinion, they royally screwed up Dragon Ball Z by making it RL and changing EVERYTHING, so to my way of thinking, no matter what anime they touch next, they're just going to RUIN it. I feel it's best to stay pure and true to the original. ^_^
For those wondering, the various technique names are thus:
Konton: Sou Tennen Hanten=Chaos Release: Total Natural Inversion: The ONLY Chaos Release jutsu Naruto is capable of using, as it is the only one known to exist. At its core, Sou Tennen Hanten is, as it name implies, a total reversal of the laws of nature, to the point of a shinobi's strongest affinity becoming their worst asset. In addition, their weakest affinity now becomes their strongest, and only a shinobi who has trained their weakest affinity to a certain degree will be able to make it work to their advantage while under the effects of this jutsu. Additionally, this technique also completely negates the use of genjutsu of any kind or strength. Naruto can also use this technique to break genjutsu, as the effects of this jutsu work on any genjutsu, whether the illusion was erected prior to or during the use of Sou Tennen Hanten. This technique is, however, Naruto's most powerful, and most draining, next to the Saigo no Ten. It is ONLY to be used as a last-ditch move to throw his foe off enough to finish them off with one strike.
Suiton: Hayai-Renzoku Tepodama no Jutsu=Water Release: Quick-Succession Water Bullet Technique: Zabuza creates a small water projectile on the tip of each finger, then fires while forming another immediately after. This works for three launches minimum; maximum depends on how much chakra the user pumps into the technique.
Suiton: Sanmizurappa Ryudan no Jutsu=Water Release: Three Wild Water Wave Dragon Bullets Technique: Zabuza uses the seals for the Mizurappa and Suiryudan techniques three times in quick succession, interlacing them together to summon a massive wave that spawns three Water Dragons.
Ranton: Satsui Reiza Kousen Sho no Jutsu=Storm Release: Murderous Laser Light Show Technique: Having created a large storm cloud from a cloud of mist and fog, Naruto activates the cloud, sending bursts of electricity and energy arcing through the air. These bursts of energy and lightning will continue to go wild until they catch their target, at which point they'll stop, turn and converge on the enemy from every possible angle.