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AN: Please note, this chapter was put together on computer, my phone, and paper, then combined later on. So there may be places where it doesn't flow properly, though I tried to catch them all. If you find one, please let me know. Don't forget to check out my challenges. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed. I should have responded to everyone, but if I missed you, I apologize. All reviews/criticism is welcomed. So, without further ado, I give you chapter 17 of Naruto: Shadows of the Mind.
'THOUGHTS'
LINEBREAKS=CHANGE OF SCENE/POV
Chapter 17
Naruto grunted in pain as he slammed into the ground. Snarling, he pushed himself to his feet and dashed into the forest, intent on putting as much distance between himself and his opponent as possible.
Looking back on the last few days, Naruto was struck by just how quickly things had gone to shit.
Flashback
The day started off more or less fine. Naruto had been placed on a team with Sasuke -which wasn't that bad- and one Sakura Haruno, better known to him as Pinky. That was unacceptable.
Not only was the girl horribly unskilled, but she was so obsessed with the Uchiha that she could barely maintain awareness of her surroundings whenever the boy was around.
Outside of her rather impressive ability to study to the point of memorization, the girl had no redeeming features, and would almost definitely be the first to die. Unless of course, she got one of the others killed first.
So, while he was skilled in Genjutsu, Taijutsu, and weapons use, Sasuke covered Ninjutsu, was fairly decent in Taijutsu, and was ingenious when it came to traps and basic weapons use, Sakura contributed…what exactly? Sure, the odds of every team being balanced was next to impossible but really? Did he have to be the one to get stuck with one of the leftovers?
Unfortunately, despite his best attempts, he had been unsuccessful in convincing Iruka to change the teams. As a result, he had been forced to listen to Sakura's attempt to threaten him into silence and gush over how exciting it was to be on "Sasuke-kun's" team. She would probably have had more luck if she hadn't been so obviously nervous at the time.
A little more than an hour later, team 7 was left alone in the room, the other eight teams having been collected by their respective Jounin.
Kurenai had arrived first, and after sending a beaming smile his way, had claimed Hinata -much to Naruto's relief- Shino, and Kiba - much to his dismay.
Needless to say, Naruto intended to have a long conversation with the Inuzuka concerning what was and was not acceptable behavior when with Hinata. Regardless of what the girl might say about how "cute" or "funny" she thinks it is.
Shino on the other hand, he was fairly certain he didn't have to worry about. The Aburame was always respectful of those around him, and rarely showed an interest in anything but insects. Still, maybe he should have a chat with him as well? Just to make sure he understood what would happen to him if anything happened to Kurenai and Hinata.
Asuma arrived shortly after, and picked up Shikamaru's team, which was comprised of Chouji and Yamanaka.
After that, he didn't bother paying attention to the other students or the Jounin who came to get them. If anything, he was hoping he'd never have to see them again.
Instead, Naruto focused on his new "teacher". What would the man be like? Would he be a tolerable man, or just another one of the Old Man's tools?
And what could he learn from this Kakashi Hatake? How long would it take him to make Chuunin under the man's command?
These thoughts and more ran through Naruto's mind. For the first half-hour anyway. The second half was spent inventing new curse words that could be used to describe the absent Jounin.
When the man finally arrived, Naruto was less than impressed. The man had spiky silver hair, and was dressed more or less in the standard Jounin uniform. The only part that stood out was the mask that covered everything from the man's eyes down to his collarbone -perhaps even connecting to the man's shirt- and the hitae-ate he wore tilted so that it covered his left eye. What was visible of the man's face revealed a dark eye that held a look of bored disinterest.
"Well," Kakashi suddenly said, cutting off Sakura and Naruto before they could confront the man in their own ways. "You three are certainly boring."
While Sakura spluttered in protest, Naruto threw out a simple, "Fuck you, Cyclops." Certainly not the most original of lines, but hey, if it ain't broke…
Sakura stared at him in disbelief and horror, while Sasuke merely held a look of disdain. Naruto didn't even bother to tune out Sakura's attempt at scolding him, instead studying the Jounin for his response.
Much to everyone's surprise, the man just gave a slight smile at Naruto's words. "Hmm, so at least two of you are a little feisty. Maybe this will be more fun than I thought…"
He blinked at that, expecting a Jounin to be far stricter with his Genin. Before he could come up with a response, the man cheerfully ordered "Meet me on the rooftop in three minutes." Before disappearing in a swirl of leaves.
Where the leaves came from, Naruto didn't know.
Frowning, he rose from his seat. Silencing Sakura's complaints with a look, Naruto exchanged glances with Sasuke before speaking. "Let's go." And with that, he disappeared in a Shunshin of his own.
When he appeared on the roof, Naruto quickly scanned the area before setting his sights on Kakashi, who was leaning against a railing. As their eyes met, Naruto was shocked to see what seemed to be a slight widening of his visible eye.
'Is that...surprise? It can't be… what could have caused it? That I actually came? Or...could it be because I used the Shunshin?' Before he could reach a conclusion, he blinked. When his eyes opened again, the man looked just as bored as ever. Brushing it off as a trick of the light, Naruto came to a halt five feet away from the man.
Again with that smile-like contortion of his mask.
Suddenly nervous at how little he could read this man, Naruto casually moved to his right, setting himself at a forty-five degree angle from the man, careful to maintain his distance.
That should allow him a few extra seconds to react if the man made a move.
Kakashi watched all this with a lazy eye, yet somehow gave off an aura of laughter.
Naruto tensed angrily at that. The man thought Naruto's precautions were funny. As if anything he could do was pathetically useless.
He despised being mocked.
Fortunately -though it was questionable for whom- Sasuke and Sakura arrived on the roof just then.
Once the two reached them, they stood with Sasuke to his left, with Sakura on the Uchiha's.
"Well," Kakashi said cheerfully as he gave them that smile of his. "Why don't you all take a seat?"
Sasuke and Sakura took his invitation and seated themselves on the steps right in front of their new sensei.
Naruto remained where he was.
"Naruto!" Sakura hissed in what she thought was a quiet voice. "Don't be rude! Sit down before you get us in trouble!"
"Now, now." Kakashi interrupted lazily. "He doesn't need to if he doesn't want to."
Sakura blushed slightly even as she quickly bowed her head in acquiesce. "Hai, Sensei."
"Good. Now, why don't we all introduce ourselves?" Kakashi ordered as he perched himself on the railing pointing at Sakura. "Why don't you go first..."
Catching the hint, she introduced herself. "My name is Sakura Haruno..." She began before trailing off. "Um...Sensei? What exactly do you want to know?" She asked somewhat nervously.
"Oh, you know, your likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future...things like that." Kakashi explained disinterestedly. When Sakura continued to look uncertain, he added, "Here, I'll give you an example. My name is Kakashi Hatake. My likes are...hmmm I wonder...well, my dislikes are...yeah. My dream for the future is...well, I have a lot of hobbies."
Seemingly unaware of the looks he was getting, Kakashi pointed at the sole female. "Go ahead, Sakura." he said in a voice that somehow combined encouragement and boredom, though Naruto didn't have a clue as to how.
"Um, right." Sakura nodded with a glance at Sasuke before perking up. "Well, my name is Sakura Haruno, and the thing I like…I mean, the person I like is…" she trailed off with a blush and giggle. "My hobbies are…" cue glance at Sasuke, followed by blush. "My dream is to- oh I couldn't!" she practically squealed, leaving a painful ringing sound in Naruto's sensitive ears. "My dislikes are…" she glanced at Naruto this time, though with a great deal of uncertainty in her eyes. "Rude people." she finished rather quietly.
Kakashi nodded as if pleased by her answer. "Very good, Sakura. Now, why don't you go next." he suggested to Sasuke with another head gesture.
"My name is Sasuke Uchiha. There aren't many things that I like, and there are a lot of things I dislike. I don't have any hobbies, and as for my dream? Well, I prefer to think of it as something more like an ambition. To resurrect my clan…and to kill a certain man."
Sakura gasped in something resembling awe, while Kakashi and Naruto faces showed little as to what they thought about it.
"All right then!" Kakashi said with a clap. "And now to our resident Rookie of the Year."
All three looked at him to varying degrees. Sakura turned in her seat to face him fully, a look of unabashed curiosity on her face. Sasuke turned his head just enough to focus one eye on him, questions teeming beneath the surface. And last but not least, Kakashi looked…bored. Yet he once again gave off the feeling that he was laughing.
Narrowing his eyes, Naruto met the Jounin's eye, his hard eyes boring into the bored eye of the man. "Naruto Uzumaki." he said simply before falling silent. He had absolutely no intention of giving these people anything that could be used against him.
"Aren't you going to answer the rest?" Sakura asked impatiently.
"No." He grunted in reply, still matching Kakashi's stare.
Not much else had happened that day, other than Kakashi revealing the "Real Genin Test" that was administered by the individual Jounin -which in retrospect, made the Genin Exam the day before seem a little more reasonable. Kakashi had warned them to be at Training Ground 7 the next morning, and to be prepared for a fight. Oh, and he also warned them not to eat breakfast, a warning that Naruto dutifully ignored. After all, Anko had already played that trick on him before.
When he returned home that night, he found Kurenai waiting for him, and after a brief conversation on the Genin Test -as Kurenai refused to divulge much in the ways of details- she had wished him luck, and told him how proud she was of him, filling his chest with a warm feeling, then kissed him goodnight as she had a "meeting with a few of the other Jounin to discuss their respective tests". Her last words as she left were "Don't be afraid to count on your teammates".
He frowned at the insinuation that he would need help, and downright scowled at the obvious excuse that was the "meeting".
He was pretty sure that she was just going on another "date" with Asuma.
The following morning, Naruto presented himself shortly before the set time, meeting up with Sakura and Sasuke shortly after.
Sasuke and he exchanged nods, and Sakura offered a cautious hello, and nothing else.
The two looked tired and hungry, yet even Sakura didn't offer any complaints. Of course, given the fact that she was so busy trying to gain Sasuke's attention/approval, maybe that was to be expected.
Settling into a more comfortable position, the trio waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Then they waited some more.
And with each passing moment, Naruto grew tenser and more paranoid, wondering if the man intended to ambush them as part of the "test".
Finally, just as his nerves were approaching their boiling point, the silver-haired Jounin arrived in a swirl of leaves, his hand half-raised in a lazy salute. "Yo."
"You're late!" Sakura cried angrily, eliciting a slight snarl from Naruto at her volume, which left a distinct ringing in his ears. "Where've you been all this time? We've been here for over three hours! And what about yesterday? You were late then too!"
"Well…I guess you could say that I got lost of the road of life." Kakashi drawled with a sigh.
"What's that supposed to mean!" Sakura growled as the three Genin moved closer to their would-be sensei.
Ignoring her completely, Kakashi cheerfully said, "Now, let's get on with the test, shall we?" Not waiting for their agreement, he continued. "I have two bells here. Your objective is to retrieve a bell by noon. If you do not, you will be tied to this post and be forced to watch me eat lunch.
As if by divine intervention, Sasuke and Sakura's stomachs both growled at the same time, drawing a disbelieving stare from Naruto.
'Did the two morons really not eat?' he wondered in a sort of angry amazement. These were the sort of…of children he was expected to entrust his life too?
Shaking his head, Naruto tried to keep his mind on Kakashi's explanation. "Of course, if you fail to acquire a bell, then you'll also be sent back to the Academy."
The three sort-of-Genin all had a different reaction to that threat. Sakura was panicking, terrified by the prospect of being separated from her "Sasuke-kun" and forced to repeat another year at the academy. The shame would be too much for her to bear.
Sasuke narrowed his eyes angrily. He'd never get stronger if he failed here. He needed to make absolutely certain that he passed this test. He had to get stronger, to avenge his clan, and to see justice finally done after all these years of waiting.
Naruto also narrowed his eyes, but for a different reason. There was no way he'd go back to the Academy, not after wasting the last six years there. Especially not when every second he spent not a Chuunin on Kurenai's team, was a second where he couldn't protect her. And that was unacceptable.
As Kakashi was setting a clock down on one of the pillars, Naruto charged, drawing his knife as he went. He put his full force into his arm, aiming for the Jounin's back, hoping to nick a kidney enough to cause the man to panic. His left arm dipped low to scoop a bell simultaneously.
One second, he was nearing his target, and the next, he was slamming into the ground hard enough to actually wind him.
Flashback Ends
As he dashed through the trees, Naruto could clearly hear Kakashi's voice cheerfully call out, "Now, now I didn't say go yet!"
Gritting his teeth at Kakashi's taunt, Naruto continued to run through the trees. Ignoring the Jounin telling the others to start, Naruto dove into a shallow depression and threw his Konohagakure no Jutsu around him.
Seething at the ease with which the Jounin had put him down, Naruto struggled to remain calm enough to think up a plan.
Even when attacked from behind, the man had been able to defend himself with little effort. And as a result, Naruto had lost his chakra blade. Scowling, he considered how much harder it would be to take the man on when he was on guard.
Frowning, he decided his best bet would be to shadow the others and observe their own efforts. Maybe they'd get Kakashi to reveal something he could exploit. Nodding to himself, he made his way back towards the clearing via the trees, determined to succeed no matter what.
Kakashi smiled to himself as he observed his potential students. To his right, and the easiest to find was Sakura. The girl was hidden right on the edge of the clearing, lying prone under a bush.
Not the best place for a pink-haired girl in a red dress to hide in, that was for sure. Especially when you added in all the perfume and scented soaps the girl used.
What was it with girls these days? Rin certainly never obsessed over her looks so much that was for sure.
Shaking his head, he glanced over to his left, where Sasuke was hidden among the tree branches of a particularly large tree. Better, than Sakura, but still not good enough to slip past him. Both of them seemed to be trying to observe him and pick out his weaknesses. They also seemed to be waiting for someone else to make the first move. A smart move if it wasn't for their time limit.
Finally, he discreetly glanced over his shoulder into the tree line behind him. Deep within them, further back than any of the others was Naruto. Kakashi was pleased to note that the young man was staying as far away as he could, while allowing for him to study both his adversary, and his two possible teammates. 'He's cautious…good.'
Kakashi noted that the boy had even utilized his own, original Genjutsu that was still the talk among certain Anbu, even after it was discovered years ago. The boy must be a natural prodigy of Genjutsu to create his own A rank technique with only his self taught skills, and a handful of scrolls on Genjutsu theory. And at the age of six or seven at that!
Glancing at the knife Naruto had dropped, Kakashi wondered at the odd sheen of the blade. Picking it up -and slightly disappointed that no one tried to take advantage of it- he was surprised to see that it was made of the same metal as Asuma's trench knives. Naruto must have made quite the impression on someone to receive such a rare weapon…or he stole it. 'You'd be so proud of him sensei…and so disappointed in us…' Kakashi thought to himself as he observed the students observing him.
He vividly remembered the Sanada incident, and he could never forgive himself for not seeing through their ploy. And what's worse, he couldn't help but feel that everything could have been prevented, and Naruto raised as a hero, if only the Sandaime hadn't hidden the truth of his heritage. The Sandaime's arguments had all been valid points, and Naruto would have gained powerful enemies from birth had his heritage been known. Yet at the same time, he would have also gained powerful protectors, and an entire village working to protect him. And deep down, Kakashi believed that the Sandaime's true intentions wasn't to protect Naruto, but to protect the village.
After all, how many of Konoha's most powerful shinobi would have to be tasked with protecting an infant Naruto? How many would die fending off the assassin's that were sure to follow? Shinobi that could have, and were put to better use performing missions and rebuilding the village.
He had no proof of these things, but Kakashi couldn't shake them. And so he had decided that the Anbu was no longer his place. No, it was far past time that he see to Naruto's welfare.
With Kurenai having adopted him, and two clan heirs befriending him, Naruto was well on his way socially. But academically, Kakashi could see that Naruto was far more advanced than his classmates, and was more often than not, bored by his classes. He needed someone to teach him at a higher level, and with that in mind, he began taking on and failing Genin teams, hoping that by the time he found a team that met his requirements, Naruto would be among them.
Bringing his mind back to the present, Kakashi decided that if his Genin weren't going to come to him, then he'd just have to bring the fight to them. Tucking Naruto's blade into his pouch, Kakashi disappeared in a quick burst of speed.
Sakura did her best to remain hidden as she peered out from under the bush at her sensei. Not that she expected it would do her any good, as surely Kakashi-sensei could hear her heart pounding. After all, this was a Jounin.
Sighing when she saw Kakashi still standing where he had started, Sakura tried to plan out what she should do. Finding and teaming up with Sasuke was obviously the best option. After all, he was strong, and handsome, and kind, and per-. Sakura quickly shook her head to stop herself from continuing that train of thought, though she still blushed.
'Sasuke would definitely be impressed if I get a bell…or even better, if I helped him get both bells and then he'd give me one out of gratitude, and then we'd start going on missions together…'
Sighing wistfully, Sakura found herself thinking of another reason why she and Sasuke should get the bells. She wouldn't have to be on a team with Naruto Uzumaki then.
Some would say that she hated the older boy, yet that wasn't quite the truth. She disliked him to be sure, because he kept trying to make her Sasuke-kun look bad, but she didn't really hate him. It would be more accurate to say that he confused and frightened her.
Naruto was unlike anyone she had ever met. For the longest time, she and most of the other girls had been convinced that he was actually a powerful ninja, though the reasons for his presence was fiercely debated. And while he had proven to be stronger than anyone else in their class, his obvious disdain for the other children had kept most from interacting with him. Definitely not how the rumors had portrayed him -a sympathetic, lonely boy looking for love and family.
No, what disturbed her was the look in his eyes. Those strange slit eyes that stared at the world so coldly. The way he breezed through the academy, yet took no pride or joy in his accomplishments. The way he was constantly observing, yet rarely interacting. In short, he was nothing like any other child she had ever met. And that scared her.
She grew up with loving parents, day dreaming of getting married to the man of her dreams and retiring to take care of her children. She spent her days playing, and with the exception of that short bout of teasing about her forehead -which really wasn't that big at all! - living an untroubled life.
Naruto did not do any of those things, and was in fact the strangest and most infuriating boy she'd ever met. Anytime someone tried to invite him into their games or to just hang out, he'd stare at them with a mixture of incredulous disgust radiating out from his suddenly too old eyes.
In short, he made her uncomfortable and confused, and that was why she was desperately hoping he wouldn't pass.
"Sakura," Kakashi's voice called from behind her. Her eyes widened as she spun around fearfully. 'How did he-' was as far as she got before making eye contact with the Jounin. Just as she faced him, they was a sudden gust of wind that threw up leaves all around her. Squeezing her eyes shut against the dirt, Sakura opened them in a panic once it had died down.
"Wha-?" Sakura blinked rapidly as she spun around, attempting to locate her opponent. Seeing no one, she began to relax, perking up excitedly when she heard a familiar voice.
"Sakura…"
'I'd know that voice anywhere! Sasuke-kun came for me!' Spinning around with a beaming smile, Sakura's excited cry trailed off into a horrified gasp. Sasuke was on his knees in front of her, covered in blood and a veritable pincushion of kunai and shuriken. Yet most terrifying of all was his arm.
Which was missing.
"Sakura…please…help me…" Sasuke pled with her as he reached for her desperately.
Her eyes growing wider and wider, Sakura struggled desperately to keep herself from hyperventilating. 'This…this can't be happening…this wasn't the way it was supposed to go! Sasuke-kun…Sasuke-kun and I were supposed to live happily ever after! Mommy! Help me mommy!'
Unable to control herself, she let loose a bloodcurdling scream, before fainting.
No sooner did she collapse then so did the Genjutsu that had ensnared her.
Looking down on her stood Kakashi. "Narakumi no Jutsu." he muttered quietly as he glanced from the pinkette into the trees where he knew his more promising student was watching. "I'd expected at least a little resistance from you, Sakura. Perhaps the Academy records aren't as accurate as they should be…"
A swirl of leaves later, Sakura was left alone on the forest floor.
Sasuke had been patiently biding his time since the beginning of the exam, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He knew full well that this Jounin was well out of his league, especially after the ease with which he defeated Naruto's sneak attack.
Sasuke didn't know for sure who would win in a fight -though he suspected it would be Naruto- but he did know who always won in their Taijutsu spars. At first, he had hated the older boy for always defeating him. After all, how could he gain his father's approval if he wasn't the best? However, shortly after that night, he realized something.
After almost every fight he had with Naruto, Sasuke noticed improvement. He was actually learning from the blond with each trick and strategy that he used against him. What he gained, yet didn't know how to put it into words, was experience. Experience that allowed him to dominate all other students in their class.
And with that realization came a grudging respect.
He wasn't like the other students, who gossiped and speculated about the older boy's past. No, he looked at the boy and Sasuke could tell that his past was a bloody one. Something happened, something that drove Naruto just as fiercely as Sasuke was driven by the Massacre.
He didn't know what that something was, and it really wasn't any of his business either. But he did know that if anyone had helped him come a little closer to avenging his family, it would be Uzumaki.
Sasuke was shaken from his musings by a hysterical scream that could only have come from Sakura. Whipping his head over in that direction, he frowned slightly before his eyes widened in realization and he swung his gaze back to "Kakashi" who was now fading away with the breeze.
"Shit!" he hissed as his adrenaline began to pump just moments before he abandoned his position and the traps he had prepared. If there was anything that he had learned from fighting Naruto, it was that there was no shame in abandoning a potentially compromised position/plan.
Dashing through the trees as quietly as he could, Sasuke tried to find a location that would suit his needs. He already knew that his Taijutsu was unlikely to be effective, which left his other specialty with traps as his best chance. Of course, there was also his trump card, but even that would be difficult to pull off effectively.
Frowning, he tried to formulate a new plan. 'Maybe I can-'
Skidding to a halt, he stared in shock at the sight that greeted him when he landed in the clearing. Standing there with his face in a book was Kakashi. "Ah, there you are, Sasuke." Kakashi greeted jovially. "I was wondering when you'd decide to give it a try."
'How?' Sasuke thought to himself as his eyes darted around the clearing. 'How did he predict where I'd go?' Attempting to buy himself some more time, he said the first thing that came to mind. "I'm not like the others." He struggled not to flinch at how that sounded, now wishing he'd thought about it a little more.
Face still buried in his book, Kakashi stated with bored disinterest, "Save that kind of talk for when you get a bell."
Naruto cautiously moved back towards the clearing where they had started. All he had been able to learn about Kakashi's abilities was that he was fast -far faster than he could hope to match- and he knew at least some Genjutsu and Doton Ninjutsu. That was it.
In fact, he had learned more about Sasuke than he had the Jounin -that Goukakyuu of his was certainly impressive- and now Naruto was the only one left to fight the man.
Cautiously making his way around the clearing, Naruto found his target once again in the center, this time he knew it was him as he was standing downwind and could make out the scents of dog, metal, and blood.
Studying the man, he tried to come up with a workable plan. Key word there being tried. In six years, he had never been able to beat either Kurenai or Anko, and Kakashi was probably somewhere around Anko's level, perhaps even Kurenai's. And Naruto's strongest Genjutsu wasn't even workable yet. So he wasn't doing too well in coming up with a plan.
"Sasuke-kun! NOOOOO!" came Sakura's piercing scream from Sasuke's general area.
Kakashi shifted his head ever so lightly to look in that direction and Naruto seized his chance, dashing in under cover of the Konohagakure no Jutsu as silently as he could. As he drew near to the unsuspecting Jounin, Naruto reached out his hand to snag a bell. Closer. Closer. His fingers closed around a bell and Naruto focused in an attempt to Shunshin away. He felt the chakra forming in and around his body, he pictured his destination on the other side of the river…and then he felt Kakashi's knee slamming into his abdomen.
His world spun crazily before his view became obscured by the dirt that somehow got in his eyes, and Naruto came to the startling realization that he couldn't move. He wanted to move, he knew he should move, yet all his mind seemed to be able to register was PAIN PAIN PAIN!
Coughing, he tried to drag the hand clutching his prize under himself, only to feel an iron hard grip on his wrist and a finger digging into his wrist. Not even a second later, his hand was open and the bell was gone, Kakashi lazily walking away as he called over his shoulder, "Nice try."
Grimacing, Naruto forced himself to roll completely over onto his front, then, after what seemed an eternity, forced himself up to his knees.
Once there, he blinked as he found himself staring at his chakra knife, which he had been sure Kakashi had taken.
"Well?" Kakashi drawled tauntingly as he slipped his book away. "What are you waiting for?"
Naruto snarled as he grabbed the blade and broke into a slightly staggered dash towards the man. He led with a left to right swipe aimed at the man's chest, who predictably leaned back slightly to avoid it. Naruto followed through with his momentum by spinning around and lifting his right leg for a roundhouse that would have connected with the man's neck if he didn't casually bat the leg away.
Resetting his stance, Naruto thrust his knife forward with both hands, aiming once again for the silver-haired Jounin's chest.
Moving faster than he'd expected, Naruto found his wrists held in two vice-like grips, halting his motion with ease. Glancing up, Naruto's eyes met Kakashi's one, which he was sure was smirking at him if that was even possible.
Feeling his temper rise, Naruto reared his head back and slammed his hitae-ate against the Jounin's, resulting in a clang of metal on metal and a minor case of dizziness for Naruto.
Shaking his head slightly, Naruto pulled himself a little closer to Kakashi and reared up to send another kick towards the man's neck. This time, the man somehow shrugged a single shoulder and took the foot on the muscle of his upper arm instead of his target.
Growling, Naruto spun the blade around in his hands, forcing the Jounin to release him to avoid the sharp blade. Yet the man still looked at him with a mischievous look in his eye.
"Fuck it!" he hissed to himself as he charged once again, this time slipping his left hand into one of the pouches on his harness. Once again, Kakashi effortlessly deflected him, though Naruto just kept running, dropping a rolled up explosive note as he did so.
He made it five leaping strides before the tag went off with the force of five or six regular explosive tags. He felt the concussion just before it hit, and as such was able to roll with the blast…more or less.
His world exploded into a white haze as he hit the ground hard, before being sent tumbling end over end a good twenty or so feet. When he finally came to a halt, it was all he could do to breath, as he felt like he had bruised about half of his body. Once the world stopped spinning, he carefully got his legs under him.
Dragging himself to his feet -and being careful not to jostle the arm that he was sure was broken- Naruto surveyed the area where Kakashi had once stood. Seeing nothing, he panicked.
He turned around just in time to see the fist that knocked him to the ground.
"Very impressive." Kakashi said jovially as he crouched near him. "I don't think I've ever met a Genin who could make their own explosive tags before. Most people don't have much interest in such an esoteric art as Fuuinjutsu."
Groaning, Naruto tried to roll over, only to feel something tug at his jacket, dragging him back into the tree line in a quick, yet extremely painful movement.
When his vision cleared, he found a mass of something pink covering his face and heard a voice whisper, "I can't tell if he's breathing!"
Blinking at the familiar voice, Naruto pushed the girl's head away as he sat up with a stifled grunt. "Of course I'm breathing, you idiot."
Said girl opened her mouth to retort, yet seemed to fall short as nothing came out. After a moment, she blushed in embarrassment and looked away.
"You're heavier than you look, you know that?" Sasuke said with a tired smirk as he entered Naruto's line of sight.
Glancing over at the younger boy, Naruto asked what to him seemed the obvious question. "What was it like being buried up to the head? Who dug you out by the way?"
Sasuke scowled at him and Sakura blushed harder at that.
The trio sat in silence for a few moments, and then Sasuke suddenly said, "We need to work together."
Blinking, Naruto rose an eyebrow and asked, "Excuse me?" Really, he couldn't help but smirk at the Uchiha actually asking for help. Usually when he wanted Naruto's help, it came in the form of a request for a spar. The boy had never come out and asked before.
"I…we, need your help." Sasuke said with a grimace. "Kakashi is too much for Sakura and me to take on alone."
"Too true." Naruto agreed sagely, drawing a twitch from the Uchiha.
"And even you don't seem to be able to take him on your own." Sasuke continued with what might have been a hint of vindictiveness.
"Also true." Naruto interrupted again.
"Which is why we have to work together to bring him down." Sasuke said in a rush, as if afraid Naruto would interrupt again.
"Won't work." Naruto sighed as he moved back to lean against a tree.
"What do you mean?" Sakura asked angrily. "Surely the three of us working together will be enough to-"
"Doubt it." Naruto interrupted once again. "If we had worked together from the start? Maybe. Now? It won't make any difference."
Sakura looked like she wanted to object again, but Sasuke beat her to it. "Why not?"
"When this test started, we might have had a chance. We were more or less rested, and we hadn't revealed any of our trump cards. Now however, he knows most of your abilities, you're tired, and I'm injured." Despite saying all this, Naruto was desperately trying to find a way to pass this test. Sadly, he wasn't coming up with much.
"How bad are you hurt?" Sasuke asked with a frown. No surprise there, considering that the younger boy had never seen him actually hurt before.
"Ribs might be cracked, my arm is definitely broken, and I probably gave myself some internal injuries with that explosion." He admitted candidly.
"Wait a minute!" Sakura suddenly interrupted. "What do you mean he knows "your abilities"? What about yours?"
"I still have skills that I could try, but like I said, I'm injured." He just barely managed to force himself to say that, always hating to talk about his abilities with others.
"So what should we do?" A visibly deflated Sakura asked. "Do we give up?"
"That won't be necessary." Kakashi said as he suddenly appeared among them. "I'm afraid this little test of ours is over."
"But Sensei!" Sakura protested in a panic, "The alarm hasn't gone off yet!"
Kakashi just tilted his head and smiled in that strange way of his. "Hasn't it?"
"No, it hasn't..." She continued hesitantly.
"Are you sure?" Kakashi drawled lazily, still sending them that smile. When Sakura didn't answer, he continued. "Now, why don't you come with me and I'll explain the purpose behind this test."
"Teamwork, right?" Naruto asked with a manufactured bored monotone to hide his uncertainty.
Kakashi just glanced at him in response. "And what makes you say that?"
Reassured that his guess had been more or less accurate, Naruto just shrugged and turned away. Moments later, Sasuke chimed in. "It can't just be coincidence that you decided to end the test just as we decided to work together. So that must be it."
"Hmmm...Well, you're partly right, as I would have failed you if you showed as much talent as the Sannin yet lacked the ability to work together." Kakashi admitted. "But that's not to say I would have passed so long as you worked together. No, you needed to show some talent to prove you were worth my time."
"But Sensei, we didn't work together at all..." Sakura pointed out in confusion.
"Didn't you?" Kakashi asked amusedly. "Who was it that dug Sasuke out of the ground?" He looked at Sakura here. "Who was it that said teamwork was necessary, and risked themselves to drag an injured teammate away from a superior enemy?" This time with a glance at Sasuke. "And who collected data and observations then shared his conclusions without hesitation?" This time with an eye smile in Naruto's direction. "Teamwork is more than just fighting against the same enemy. It's also more than just agreeing to cooperate." Kakashi paused there to glance at the sun. "Well, that's enough for today...so I hereby pronounce you three Genin. Congratulations, and be here tomorrow at 0800."
They all bid their goodbyes and after Kakashi told him to report to the hospital- to which Naruto only gave a vague mumble that might be confused as assent- Naruto Shunshined to the forest behind the Hokage Monument.
Once there, he quickly checked for any watchers, then proceeded to carefully shed his jacket and equipment. Once done, he dug through a small, foliage covered hole, digging up a small sack. From that sack, he came away with a single book.
It was a medical textbook that described the proper method of setting bones. Flipping to the particular page he wanted, Naruto carefully probed the large protrusion just beneath the skin.
Reading through the various diagrams, Naruto carefully drew one of the medical scalpels he'd "acquired" along with a couple of syringes. Each syringe was filled with a painkiller that would more or less numb his arm for a short time.
Strangely enough, the first time he'd done this, they had lasted far longer than he wanted. The next time, the duration had nearly halved. With each progressive use, the time shortened.
He didn't understand why, though he knew there wasn't anything about that that was normal. People didn't just suddenly become resistant to poisons overnight. Which just added more questions to his already impressive list.
Pondering how much longer until this drug no longer worked on him, Naruto tied a tourniquet around his arm and injected himself, giving it a moment to take effect. Once he was satisfied, he carefully -and somewhat sloppily considering he was doing this left handed- cut an incision to expose the bone.
Grunting when he found out the hard way that the drug wasn't as effective as he'd expected, he quickly gave himself a second dose, hurriedly setting the bone and stitching the incision shut.
No sooner had he finished then he felt a familiar sensation slam through his concentration.
Glancing around, Naruto sniffed lightly, trying to find the general location of his "guest".
'How much did they see? Why are they here?' He wondered as he glanced from the trees to the pile of pilfered medical supplies. Not the best scene to be discovered at by an authority figure.
"You actually thought to use your nose. That's impressive." a young female voice rang out. "Most shinobi never really think about that, especially at such an early age."
Whirling around to face down wind, he was met by a strange sight, even as his "sixth sense" was fading away. Walking out of the trees was a pretty girl, no more than a few years older than him. The brunette was a few inches taller than him, and she wore tight, yet unrestricting knee length shorts, standard shinobi sandals, and a Chuunin vest unzipped just enough to show some cleavage.
That was all he could see for clothing, yet he figured she probably wore a sports bra of low cut shirt under it.
She wore her shoulder length hair in a low ponytail and approached him at an even pace, a friendly smile on her face. A quick glance told him that she bore the Inuzuka clan markings on her very soft looking cheeks, as well as revealing a strange tattoo on her right arm, as well as two other things that captured all of his attention.
One was her slit pupils, the first he had ever seen outside of a mirror -and Kiba probably had something like that as well, but he never paid the moron much attention- and the three wolf sized dogs that walked by her side.
He might have spent too much time staring at her eyes, judging by the way her lips moved but he heard no words, yet it was that same stare that caught her subtle glance at his makeshift operating room.
Narrowing his eyes, Naruto quickly decided that he couldn't let this girl walk away.
Hana Inuzuka pursed her lips in surprise at what she had found. She and the Haimaru Sankyodai had gone to the forests behind the Hokage Monument on a whim, desiring something new for their training that day. So imagine her surprise when she followed the scent of fresh blood on the wind until she stumbled upon a young Konoha-nin, armed to the teeth, performing makeshift surgery on himself.
Frowning at the boy's rather makeshift sewing skills, she cautiously approached, wondering what was going on. 'What's he doing all the way out here? Why didn't he just go to the hospital?' Frowning, she studied the boy closer. He had blond hair -a rarity in Konoha- and was probably around five and a half feet tall. Other then that and his outfit -which looked surprisingly practical. 'So he has some experience…and he looks like he's just a few years younger than me-'
Her breath caught as the boy's head suddenly swung up and seemed to stare right at her. 'No way!' she mentally gasped. 'There's no way he could have found me so easily.' Her curiosity rose when she noticed the boy sniffing at the wind. 'I'm downwind though…so was it a lucky guess that he looked this way? And-'
Her musings came to a screeching halt when she finally took notice of the boy's features. She knew those blue slit eyes anywhere, having been the only ones she'd ever seen like them. She remembered vividly when she picked up Kiba from school a few years ago. There was some kind of scuffle between some of the boys in Kiba's class, and when the dust settled, a single, blond haired boy had been the one to walk away. Yet when he did, Hana got a good look at his eyes. Eyes that were slit just like hers yet bore a color that no Inuzuka had ever possessed.
She had been unable to look away even as he passed her and left the Academy grounds. Hana had even followed after him, dragging a protesting Kiba along with her. She managed to catch sight of him one last time just as he turned a corner, his head tilted back to fix a single dark blue eye on her. This also served to freeze her in place long enough for her mind to take in the two scars that slanted across his face. In the next moment, he had been gone.
She had asked Kiba about him and found out all her younger sibling knew about Naruto Uzumaki. She had tried to find the boy again a few times after that, yet he always seemed to give her the slip, or just plain disappear whenever she decided to look for him.
And now, all these years later, she just happened to stumble on him by chance. Smiling to herself at finally having the chance to solve her long time mystery, she approached the boy with a friendly smile.
"You actually thought to use your nose. That's impressive." she called out in greeting. "Most shinobi never really think about that, especially at such an early age." She could feel his eyes boring into hers as she drew closer, and feeling an odd surge in her stomach, glanced away, taking in the scene.
Mentally shaking her head, she turned back to face him. "So what are you doing out here by yourself? And why didn't you just go to the hos-" She cut herself off as the boy threw his hands into a blurred seal before breaking apart and floating away with the wind.
She had enough time to blink and think, 'What the…' before her companions burst into frenzied, terrified howls and yelps, flopping around on the ground in a panic.
Eyes widening in rage, and a small amount of fear, she moved to aid her companions, only to be hit with the force of a raging bull as something grabbed her and threw her to the ground.
Gasping for breath, she tried to roll to her feet, only to feel a heavy weight throw itself down on her.
Snarling angrily, she struggled with her assailant, cursing herself for not carrying a shuriken holster now that her kunai pouch was pinned beneath her.
Grabbing at her attackers neck and shoulders, Hana tried to get her knees up and between them, hoping to use her leg muscles to throw him off.
Unfortunately, her opponent seemed to be one step ahead of her, as he used her movements to climb over her legs and straddle her stomach, squeezing her middle tightly with his own legs. Realizing how quickly her situation was deteriorating, Hana frantically grabbed at the man's harness, desperately trying to find a weapon.
Moments later, he grabbed her shoulders and shoved her back onto the ground, knocking the wind out of her. As she struggled for breath, she felt his hands move down her arms even as they forced them above her head.
Blinking, she recognized the shape in front of her as a shoulder, and in a move of desperation, she bit down on it as hard as she could, tasting blood immediately after. She was disappointed that the bite didn't force him to release her, but she was determined to make this bastard pay for whatever he had done to the Haimaru Sankyodai.
Feeling her assailant press her wrists together and freeing one of his hands, she threw all of her strength into breaking free. That ended as soon as she felt a blade touch her throat. "Stop it." A powerful voice commanded quietly.
Despite herself, Hana obeyed the command, though she was quick to remind herself of the knife at her throat. She ceased her struggles and released her grip on his shoulder. "What did you do to my partners?" She whispered into his shoulder in a tight voice. 'If he's hurt them in anyway...' She fiercely promised to herself.
"They're fine." The voice said as he sat up slightly so she could see his face revealing...Naruto! "I only hit them with a Narakumi." He continued. "They'll be fine."
"What do you think you're doing?" Hana hissed angrily.
"That's my question." Naruto returned just as angrily. "Why were you spying on me?"
"Spying!" Hana sputtered. "I wasn't spying on you! I smelled the blood and was worried!"
He didn't say anything for a moment, just frowned as he stared down at her.
Chest heaving, she opened her mouth to continue to defend herself, only to pause as she took in the damage she'd caused him. "You tore your stitches open." She pointed out.
The bastard merely rose an eyebrow and replied, "So I have."
Hana blinked, and met his eyes again, this time being met with just a hint of mischievousness in those deep, blue eyes. Scowling she tried to press up against him. "So hurry up and let me up so I can fix you."
"It's not serious." Naruto replied dismissively, causing her to grind her teeth angrily.
"I can see your bone!" She growled in angry disbelief.
"Stop changing the subject." Naruto chided as he lessened the pressure of his blade on her. "What were you doing out here?" He demanded as he stared down at neutrally.
Feeling that strange sensation return, she looked away again, feeling like an idiot as she mumbled, "I already told you."
She saw him moving his free arm out of the corner of her eye and froze when he placed his hand on her chin, tilting her head so she couldn't help but stare in his eyes. "What's your name?" He asked in a calm tone.
Her mouth suddenly incredibly dry, she swallowed and managed to get out, "Hana." Hopefully, he'd know her surname, because she didn't know if she could get her mouth to work a second time.
"All right then, Hana." Naruto began. "I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me. What were you doing here?"
"I already told you." She whispered again.
"Say it again." he ordered softly.
Feeling his breath on her face, she suddenly felt her cheeks warm up slightly.
Naruto frowned as he stared at the panting young woman beneath him. Her words sounded reasonable enough, yet he just couldn't bring himself to just accept that. Why was that? And now that he thought about it, why did he even attack her?
Sure, he'd rather not let anyone know that he was in the habit of patching himself up, but what would come of it if he did? Kurenai would probably scold him and stare at him with those sad eyes of hers -which he still couldn't stand to this day- and Yoshino would probably worry -which would make him feel guilty- but beyond that? Nothing would really happen.
'So why did I jump her?' He asked himself in exasperation. 'What was I thinking?' The thoughts of how easily this whole situation could explode didn't exactly put him at ease. Especially when he realized that as an Inuzuka, she was almost guaranteed to be either a member of the Konoha Military Police, or a relative of one. There was no way her disappearance wouldn't be noticed. Or investigated. Which meant he couldn't just deal with her now, he needed to be sure. Sure that she was working for the Old Man, only then could he dispose of her. Only then would it be worth the risk.
So how to get her to tell him what he wanted to know without making her suspicious?
"You tore your stitches open." The girl suddenly pointed out.
Glancing over at his arm -and getting a good look at his now bleeding shoulder in the process- Naruto looked back to her, quickly coming up with a plan, and turned on his acting skills, before he replied mischievously, "So I have."
The kunoichi blinked, and met his eyes again in surprise. Surprise which quickly turned to a scowl as she tried to press up against him in some attempt to rise. "So hurry up and let me up so I can fix you." She ordered curtly.
"It's not serious." Naruto replied dismissively, carefully studying her reaction, only to see her to grind her teeth angrily.
"I can see your bone!" She growled in angry disbelief.
"Stop changing the subject." Naruto chided lightly as he slowly lessened the pressure of his blade on her throat. "What were you doing out here?" He demanded as he stared down at her.
He was surprised when she averted her eyes almost...shyly? "I already told you." She mumbled quietly.
Frowning at his lack of progress, Naruto reluctantly sheathed his blade, leaned in a little and cupped her chin, turning her so she was facing him, though she refused to meet his eyes.
"What's your name?" He asked in a calmer tone.
"Hana." She said simply, her clan markings making her surname obvious.
"All right then, Hana." Naruto began. "I want you to look me in the eyes and tell me. What were you doing here?"
"I already told you." she whispered again.
"Say it again." he ordered in a soft voice. He wasn't entirely sure this would work, yet he had heard that eye contact could help detect lies, so he figured it was worth a try.
She finally met his eyes, a light blush on her cheeks as she answered. "We were out here training, when we smelled your blood. I was curious, so I decided to check it out. I wasn't spying on you." She said all of this in quick succession, then jerked her chin out of his hand, averting her eyes once again. "Satisfied?" She asked in a sarcastic huff.
Staring down at her, he got the distinct impression that she was telling the truth. Now that he was no longer concerned with her motives -nor planning on the best way to dispose of her body- he found himself examining her more closely, taking in some details that he had missed before.
For one, she was more than just pretty, though not the kind of beauty most seemed to yearn for, she was still quite attractive. Speaking of which, he became aware of the fact that the Chuunin vest she kept partially unzipped had become…more unzipped during their struggles, revealing much more than the socially appropriate amount of breasts…breasts that were still heaving slightly from her attempts to free herself. Naruto also became aware of the fact that he was in fact, a fourteen year old boy.
Feeling the blood start to flow to his face and…other places…Naruto quickly stood and backed away from Hana, turning ever so slightly to release the Genjutsu he had placed on her pets.
It took only a few seconds for the dogs to stir from his Genjutsu, yet that was all the time it took for Hana to rise and brush past him to kneel in front of them. Her pets crowded around her, a mass of nuzzling and soft whines as she anxiously checked them over for injuries. Why, he had no idea.
"I told you, your pets are fine." Naruto pointed out with a roll of his eyes. He was promptly ignored by the Inuzuka girl as she tried to hug, pet, check over and scratch the ears of all three with only two hands.
Feeling slightly awkward, he turned away suddenly feeling the burning pains in his shoulder and arm now that the adrenaline was wearing off. He only made it a few steps before he felt a paw scratching at his leg. Glancing down, he saw one of Hana's dogs staring up at him.
The animal whined at him piteously as it pushed its' head beneath his hand. Naruto froze in genuine surprise, before frowning and slowly stroking the animal's head. "Odd..." He muttered to himself -though not as quiet as he'd thought, as Hana looked up from the other two in surprise. "Animals don't usually like me..." He continued as he experimented with scratching different spots on the dog's head and neck, finding that it seemed to enjoy just behind the ears and the top of the neck.
The animal began wagging it's tail happily as it tried to sniff and lick at his hand without forcing him to stop his ministrations. A moment later, brought the sounds of the other two approaching, apparently eager to meet the stranger now that they'd recovered from his Genjutsu.
Frowning and a little wary, he tried to distance himself from the mass of fur, only to frown deeper when they followed him. "Shoo." He ordered the dogs, feeling like a complete idiot afterward. The dogs promptly ignored him.
"Alright girls," Hana called as she approached them. "He's hurt so help me set him down."
Scowling, Naruto attempted to shake off the "girls" while sending a glare towards Hana. He wanted her to lower her guard and get her to forget about the whole attacking her thing, not try to treat him like some kind of helpless invalid. "I don't need your help. I can take care of myself."
Hana just sent him a scowl of her own. "Of course you can," she huffed sarcastically. "That's why your stitches fell apart as soon as you tried to use your arm. Sit down and let me help."
She nodded to her dogs, who began pawing and nudging him in the direction of his medical supplies.
Naruto glared down at them, and even went so far as to push one them with his foot, only to elicit another round of pitiful whines from them. Whines that inexplicably made him feel bad. He almost wondered if they were hitting him with some kind of Genjutsu.
He made a show of resisting, while intending to avoid it at the last second, but eventually they managed to get him where they wanted, butting against his leg to get him to sit, at which point one laid itself across his lap and another nuzzled it's head under his arm, sniffing and licking at his face. The third sat on it's haunches next to its' mistress, its tail wagging proudly.
"Good job, Mikoto." Hana praised as she searched through Naruto's meager medical supplies. A whine from the dog on his lap drew a chuckle from the Inuzuka, who the said, "Yes, yes, you too Sanae, Kanae."
Hana went through Naruto's supplies quickly yet efficiently, but she was more than a little upset at how haphazard the boy's medical supplies were.
Spying the book the blond had been looking through, she checked what he had been trying to do. "My God!" She shouted in anger and a bit of worry. "You idiot!" She hissed as she rushed to his side to examine his arm. "What were you thinking, trying to set a bone by yourself? You might have done even more damage to yourself!"
Carefully taking his arm in her hands, she slowly peeled apart the incision he had created, only to stare in amazement. The wound was a little dirty from their tussle, yet beyond that, he seemed to have done a decent job with his bone.
"You have to be the luckiest bastard I've ever met." She breathed as she carefully washed out the wound with some water from her canteen.
Naruto visibly winced and tensed, yet he didn't make a sound, though Sanae and Kanae both whined in distress.
"I'm sorry," Hana apologized as she finished cleansing the wound and reaching for his needle and thread. "But you already used your pain killers and I didn't bring any with me."
She chanced a glance at his eyes before quickly averting her eyes at the look of pain in them. "Please, bear with it and try to relax."
He sent her an incredulous look before nodding tightly and making an effort to relax.
Threading the needle, she carefully grabbed his arm and began the slow process of stitching the five inch incision shut. Noticing him tensing again, she tried to think of something to talk about that would take his mind off of what she was doing to his arm.
Saying the first thing that came to mind-and coincidentally one of the things she was most curious about- Hana nonchalantly asked, "So why didn't you just go to the hospital for this? You're a ninja, so they'd treat you for free."
For a moment, she didn't think he'd answer but eventually he grunted out "I don't like hospitals."
Hana rolled her eyes at the expected answer. "Men." She huffed irritably. "Always going around complaining and insisting that you don't need medical attention, and then you end up hurting yourself worse and leaving all the work to women."
"In case you've forgotten, you're the one that bit a chunk out of my shoulder." Naruto retorted, surprising her with the hint of defensiveness.
"That wasn't my fault!" She pointed out quickly. "You're the one that jumped me."
"Because you were spying on me." Naruto said in a calmer tone.
"I was worried!" Hana hissed angrily. "I wouldn't have even come here if you had just gone to the hospital!"
"I told you, I don't. Like. Hospitals." Naruto growled as he glared at her.
She opened her mouth to berate him only to notice that she had finished his stitches. "Let me see your shoulder." She ordered as she carefully wrapped some bandages around his arm.
"It's not serious." The blond Uzumaki asserted as he tried to push Kanae's snout away from his face.
"Stop telling me what is and is not serious." She scowled at him irritably. "Now, lose the shirt." She demanded, suddenly wondering whether the mystery that was Naruto Uzumaki was worth the headaches she got from him.
"No." He said stubbornly.
Hana took a deep breath as she reminded herself that she didn't want to hurt him, no matter how tempting the thought was.
It took awhile, but eventually, she got his shirt off and examined his shoulder. The bite wasn't too bad, as the shirt had taken most of the damage. It only needed some salve to keep it clean and a bandage.
What did catch her attention was the seal placed on his shoulder. "What's this?" She asked curiously as she traced the seal, feeling oddly satisfied as she did.
"It's a seal." Naruto said as he rubbed Kanae's ears absentmindedly.
"I can see that." Hana snorted. "What does it do?"
"It's an old chakra suppression seal that I modified to-." Naruto began only to cut himself off. "That's none of your business." He said with a scowl as he pushed away the dogs and threw his things on. As soon as he was done, he vanished via Shunshin.
Miffed at being left behind without so much as a thank you, Hana glanced over at the things he had left behind. A few scalpels and a single forceps, a few used needles, a handful of bandages, and the medical textbook.
"Typical men. Always leaving a mess for us girls to clean up." She mused to her partners who were gathering around her once again. "Well, he'll have to come to us if he wants this back." She declared as she picked up the book. "And if not...you've got his scent, right girls?" Her companions barked and wagged their tails excitedly.
'You can run, but you can't hide, Naruto Uzumaki.' Hana thought with a grin. 'I'll figure out your mystery sooner or later. Just you watch.'
'Damn it!' Naruto growled to himself as he punched a tree with all his might. 'Damn it, damn it, damn it! What was I thinking letting her see that seal? How could I actually start to answer her!' Each thought was punctuated by more punches, the knuckles of his hand already bleeding from his blows.
He had been grateful that his plan to convince her that everything that happened between them was just a misunderstanding had worked quite well, though he hadn't intended to get cornered by her pets, and became lost in thought over how affectionate they were of him. He only barely managed to regain his senses just before he could spill his secrets to the Inuzuka girl, hastily departing before she could question him further. His anger at his inattentiveness had led him to this training ground, where he took his frustrations out on a nearby tree, careful to punch with his uninjured hand.
That seal was not only important and a source of great pride, it was one of his trump cards! To let that Inuzuka girl even see it was unforgivable! Finally expelling enough of his anger, he glanced down at his once again covered shoulder, and the seal hidden there.
Naruto realized long ago that his unusually large chakra reserves were detrimental to his Genjutsu, and as such he had set out to learn to control it. His goal was to attain a level of perfect control over his chakra, and he poured most of his free time into various chakra control exercises. From these exercises, he had learned that while it was possible for him to completely master his chakra, it would take far too long for his taste. Thus, he had turned his attention to Fuuinjutsu, hoping to come across a seal capable of solving his problem.
No easy task given the rather paranoid nature of Konoha when it came to someone meddling with seals, and combined with the lack of sources for him to study, he had more or less been floundering in the dark. That is, until he came across an old, and he later learned, obsolete seal.
The seal's original purpose was to suppress the chakra of enemy prisoners, rendering them close to helpless against their guards and jailors. Unfortunately, as the seal's creators had learned, the seal didn't completely prevent access to one's chakra, and as a result, prisoners with access to low power techniques could still bypass and escape them. He had been prepared to throw the idea away as useless, until he was struck by a thought. The seal might not do exactly as he wished it to, but having less chakra to control would make it easier for him to do so. With that in mind, he decided to test them out.
He applied a single tag to himself and as expected, felt his chakra decrease as large doses of it was suppressed. Then he tried to mold the chakra that was able to slip past the seal. And it worked. He could control his chakra better than ever before.
So he was left with a seal that accomplished his goal, but at the cost of most of his chakra. But what if he adapted it? After all, he had modified seals before, and they had turned out more or less alright.
So he set to work and over time, had managed to take some of the general concepts and ideas that made up the seal and tweaked them to suit his needs. The end results were better than he could have possibly hoped.
A suitable metaphor would be if one considered a technique to be an empty bottle with a label and a mark on it. In order for the technique to work, one had to fill the bottle up to more or less that line. Too little or too much, and the technique would fail. If one poured in the "water" at a trickle, it could take far too long to actually reach the desired amount, while turning on a hose ran the risk of completely overwhelming it and causing the label to disintegrate. The better one's chakra control, the easier it was to "pour" into the bottle.
What his new seal did, was act as a "paper" funnel of sorts. He could pour in larger amounts of "water", without fear of spilling water all over the bottle and ruining the label, while still maintaining control of the flow. However, the funnel was made of paper, and as such, too much "water" would still overflow, soaking the paper funnel to the point where it broke apart under the pressure, which would in turn destroy the label on the bottle.
At first, he'd doubted whether or not he could make use of the seal, yet he found that with his own practice at various chakra control exercises, he was able to use it reliably, so long as he was careful to maintain control of his chakra. With the excess chakra being bled off by the seal, his "artificial" control was near perfect.
A deadly trump card in the hands of a ten-year-old, especially when his opponents were likely to underestimate his abilities because of it. Add in his continued improvements with his chakra control over the years and his precision soared to heights he had previously felt impossible to reach.
So naturally, Naruto had been careful to keep his seal secret, even from Kurenai. After all, the seal would only grant him an advantage so long as he was the only one who knew and used it. Kurenai, bless her heart, would be certain to share the seal with others so as to increase Konoha's strength and abilities. After all, she was a loyal kunoichi, and Naruto wasn't blind to the sort of possibilities his "funnel" seal could present if it was mass produced.
Feeling calmer, he wasn't too surprised when his mind drifted towards the young Hana. She was an odd girl, seeming to jump back and forth between angry and gruff to quiet and nervous, to sarcastic, to gentle and caring.
What was worse was, Naruto thought she might have been sincere. He didn't like it when strangers took an interest in him, outside of his control and influence. Naruto could never shake the feeling that he was in danger of falling into a trap when they did.
Shaking his head to clear it, he leaned against the tree he had been abusing and studied his arm. That Hana girl was quite the gifted seamstress, judging by the level of expertise she had shown while sewing him up. He almost wondered if he should find some way to "recruit her" -willingly or otherwise- to attend to his medical needs. It also wouldn't hurt to a sympathetic ear in or near the Konoha Military Police.
Growling irritably at his jumbled thoughts, Naruto Shunshined away, intending to return to the apartment and perhaps spend some time with Kurenai. She'd probably be very happy that he passed his Genin Test -however a near thing it was- and might even finally consent to teaching him her Magen: Jubaku Satsu.
Of course, that Bearded Monkey might be hanging around again, in which case Naruto would need to recruit Anko to drive the man off. Walking around Kurenai's apartment without her trench coat usually did the trick in chasing Asuma out, though in recent months Naruto had found the act disturbing in more ways than one.
Feeling his heart rate increase and his blood begin to boil when straddling a panting Hana was one thing. Feeling it happen for Anko was something he didn't want to begin considering. Damn puberty.
TRANSLATIONS:
Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu=Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique.
Magen: Jubaku Satsu=Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death
Goukakyuu=Grand Fireball
Haimaru Sankyodai=I think this means the Three Triplets, but I'm basing that, and their names off another story that happens to be a favorite of mine. Demonic Maelstrom by GrizzlyBiscuit.
AN:
And that is chapter seventeen. Did my explanation on how the seal works make sense? Updates will still remain slow due to my whole deployment thing. Well, let me know what you think. Remember, all reviews, criticisms, etc. are welcome.
Peace, Vaan.