Hello readers Here is Chapter 9 of the story. Now I know there have been some complaints about how Kiba shouldn't have been able to give Lee a proper fight, but that will be explained. His team has had some "encounters" of their own that have caused them to pick up their training. So Hinata and Shino are also stronger. Not godly of course, but they are much stronger than in Canon.
Anyways, I'm sorry for everyone that says this is too close to Canon, but I never said that this would or would not follow Canon. It is my version of Naruto. I am sorry and if you don't like how the story has flowed then I understand. There are plenty of other fics that you can read that have nothing to do with Canon.
But personally, I like a fanfic that while it is different, has followed the same story line such as Chunin exams and such until later on in the fic. Plenty of great ones I might add.
So with all that said enjoy the newest chapter and please remember to leave a review.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Chapter 9
Obsessions
"Where is she!?" Naruto screamed as he fought past a pair of Chunin guarding the medic wing.
"Stand back boy!" One of them yelled as they struggled to restrain him.
"WHERE IS SHE!?" He screamed widely.
"Naruto calm down!" Ino yelled in tears behind him.
Suddenly, Naruto was pinned to the ground by his sensei.
"Naruto… stop." He said solemnly.
Naruto pursed his lips, tears silently falling down his face. "She…she wouldn't forfeit… even after we begged her not to."
"It's going to be okay guys… She's going to live." Kakashi assured them.
Naruto's eyes met his sensei's. "It seems your intervention saved her life." He said to the Uzumaki. "Gaara froze when you jumped into the arena. He was on the verge of finishing the job."
Naruto nodded silently as Kakashi helped him off the ground.
He looked to Ino and Rock Lee who was behind her. "The two of you should go back to the arena; I need to talk to Naruto alone."
Rock Lee was surprisingly reverent and nodded to the Jonin. Ino hesitated though. "Can I see her?"
Kakashi shook his head. "She's with the healers right now. They need to reset her bones and perform a few blood transfusions, and then she needs to rest. I'll let Asuma know when she can see visitors though."
Ino nodded. "Thank you" she said and walked away, tears still streaming down her face.
Naruto looked at Kakashi who glanced to the two Chunin who seemed to be giving the Jinchuriki glares.
"Follow me Naruto" Kakashi said as he walked away from the infirmary.
Naruto followed silently, replaying the match in his head.
Shino had informed the two of them what he had witnessed in the forest, prompting Naruto to beg Sakura not to go down to face Gaara.
Sakura had quickly dismissed him, saying that Naruto and Sasuke hadn't given up against Zabuza and Haku and that she was not going to give up now.
The match had been started and Sakura had gotten nowhere fast. Any attack she had thrown at Gaara was instantly blocked by a wall of sand that seemed completely independent of Gaara's will. Then, Gaara had gone on the offensive and decimated Sakura in an instant. He had thrown her like a rag doll across the arena before quickly encasing her in a tomb of sand which proceeded to crush her.
Her screams had prompted Naruto to jump into the arena, yelling for Gaara to stop. Gaara had quickly released the girl, staring Naruto down.
When Naruto saw Sakura's unconscious body, he was sure she was dead as blood was everywhere, and he saw bits of bone protruding from her limbs. That's when the medics had rushed forward. Naruto had seen nothing but red at the point and charged at Gaara, however Rock Lee had held him back.
Gaara did nothing but stare at Naruto with unsympathetic eyes.
"Naruto" Kakashi's voice came, snapping Naruto out of his memories.
"Are you going to be okay?" Kakashi asked.
Naruto thought for a moment. He wasn't sure if he was going to be okay.
"What do you want to talk to me about?" Naruto asked suddenly.
Kakashi frowned. "I'll get to the point then… Sasuke filled me in on what happened in the forest and that he saw a seal on you. I know you didn't tell him the full truth about it, but from his description, it sounds like Orochimaru tampered with the seal…"
Naruto nodded as he lifted up his white shirt and molded some chakra.
The seal quickly appeared and Kakashi inspected it.
"Whatever he did, it's really messing with everything… My chakra control is shot to hell, my healing ability is gone, and I can't sense anything anymore…"
Kakashi nodded. "What about the Kyubi?"
Naruto shook his head. "Nothing… Normally when I get emotional I can feel it… But ever since then, nothing."
Kakashi rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Well unfortunately, Orochimaru used some kind of seal on you that I am unfamiliar with. However, I'm sure that after the exams, the Hokage would be able to look at it for you."
Naruto nodded, staring at the other wall.
"Are you feeling okay?" Kakashi asked again.
Naruto nodded. "I'll be fine, as long as Sakura will be okay."
Kakashi nodded. 'It's good to know that he cares for her as a teammate finally.'
"You know Naruto, your father would be proud of how you've progressed without him or your mother."
This caught Naruto off guard. "You know?" he asked suddenly.
Kakashi chuckled. "Yes. I mean, I was Minato's student."
Naruto's jaw slackened. His sensei was taught by his father?!
"I wasn't sure when to bring it up, but there's never been an opportune time, so I figured right now would be as good as any."
Naruto was at a loss for words at the revelation.
Kakashi leaned against the wall next to him.
"You knew my mother as well?" Naruto asked.
Kakashi nodded smiling. "She was an amazing kunoichi from the Uzumaki clan. She and Minato went to the academy back in the day and eventually they fell for each other."
Naruto smiled. 'I don't know anything about my mother… it's nice to hear about her.'
For the next half hour, Kakashi and Naruto sat talking about his parents, learning information about the two before Minato had become Hokage.
Suddenly Kakashi stopped and looked down the hall. "We need to get you back… They've already finished a few matches."
Naruto jumped to his feet, having completely forgotten that the Chunin Exams were still going.
As Kakashi and Naruto walked back, he saw that the screen was making another selection.
They walked up to the balcony and stopped next to Asuma's team.
"Who's won so far?" Kakashi asked.
Choji answered. "That sound girl lost to Neji, Dosu lost to Hinata, and Shino beat Tenten."
Naruto looked across to see that Tenten was standing beside Neji and Lee, looking very let down, but otherwise uninjured.
Naruto looked up at the screen just as it stopped on two names.
Naruto Uzumaki Vs Kankuro.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. 'So I'm fighting Gaara's teammate.' Naruto grinned. He was going to do his best to make sure this guy was injured.
Naruto was about to jump down when someone grabbed his wrist. He turned to see Ino.
"Please… Don't end up like Sakura…" Ino said softly. "I can't bear to see more of us get hurt cause of these sand freaks."
Naruto nodded. "I know we don't get along, but its fine… Sakura just got unlucky is all. I can handle this guy… For Sakura." Ino let go of his wrist and Naruto jumped down into the arena. Landing, he felt his wound flare up a bit. 'I can still do this… Even with that and the seal… I'll put this guy down.' He stood up tall and approached the proctor Hayate in the middle of the room. Kankuro took his time walking down the stairs. As he did, Naruto watched him carefully. 'What's the thing on his back?' he wondered.
Kankuro finally made it down, leaving Naruto staring intently at the boy.
Up on the balcony, Gaara leaned forward in anticipation. 'Whatever you are… You interest me and the Ichibi greatly.'
Kakashi had stowed his make out paradise book in favor of watching his student fight.
Gai-sensei and Lee were cheering Naruto's name while Neji remained stoic and Tenten smiled at her two enthusiastic teammates. Hinata was silently cheering on the blonde Genin while Shino seemed to stare intently at the two in the arena.
"This should be interesting to see" Shikamaru said, leaning on the railing. "Let's see how strong Naruto's become."
"I'll bet he's super strong now" Choji said.
"Well he is injured right now and doesn't have much chakra left, but I'm sure he's going to give us a show" Kakashi said, a smile unnoticed behind his mask.
Ino pursed her lips. "But this guy is on Gaara's team… Aren't you guys worried that Naruto might get killed?"
Kakashi glanced at the blonde girl. "To be honest, Sakura didn't progress much from graduating to now. Naruto however, has poured all of his free time into becoming a better shinobi, and I will be surprised if he doesn't at least make it to the end of these exams."
Ino glanced down at Naruto. 'We've all been training and we certainly have gotten better… But not to the point where we could take on these psychopaths…'
"Begin!" Hayate declared.
The two stood there facing each other.
"What's your problem?" Kankuro asked, matching Naruto's glare.
"Your friend is my problem… That girl he nearly killed was my teammate." Naruto growled.
Kankuro sighed. "She should have just given up when you told her to… it's not our fault."
"Shut it asshole… I can't do anything against your teammate, but you're the next best thing."
Kankuro smiled. "I doubt you'll be able to land a hit. I can tell you're injured, so you won't be fighting at full strength."
"I don't need to fight you at my best… I can still kick your ass, no matter what kind of jutsu you have."
Kankuro was about to reply when Naruto disappeared in a display of speed.
"What the hell?" Kankuro growled as suddenly dirt flew up around him.
'It's just like that Lee kid… This guy must be pretty strong then.' Kankuro couldn't react as Naruto appeared in front of him and sent him flying with a left hook.
Kankuro landed on the ground painfully.
"Fucking brat…" Kankuro mumbled as he propped himself up. Naruto stood where Kankuro had just been.
"I'll wait for you to get on your feet before I kick your ass!" Naruto yelled.
Kankuro grit his teeth. 'This kid is cocky… but with good reason it seems…' He stood up, taking the object on his back.
"May as well just use the crow…" Kankuro said with narrowed eyes.
The wrappings fell to the ground, revealing Kankuro's puppet.
"A shinobi that still plays with dolls? And people say I'm immature" Naruto sneered.
Kankuro did not rise to the taunt. He had heard the insult plenty of times, but usually after he demonstrated what the crow could do, most people wouldn't insult him again.
Up on the balcony, the rookies stared in at the battle between Naruto and Kankuro.
"How did he improve this much?" Ino asked in shock.
"It's like I said earlier, all of Naruto's free time is spent bettering himself as a shinobi. He's constantly training with Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. He's even bettering his mind when he's not training. Then there's the training I put the team through as well on top of that."
Kakashi smiled proudly. "I have to say that with his determination he could easily become stronger than Sasuke given some time."
Shikamaru and Choji simply watched the Uzumaki, knowing that he would have improved with what they had seen from time to time.
"…Wow… He's definitely better than the rest of us." Ino mumbled. 'I need to pick up my game if Naruto's improved so much and we haven't.'
Temari was impressed with the blonde that was fighting her brother. They had planned on holding back somewhat for later on in the exams, but this boy had forced Kankuro to reveal the crow puppet so quickly. Plus, Gaara had mentioned the boy a few times in an odd display of intrigue.
Something about the boy had apparently silenced the Shukaku a few times, or driven it mad… Well, a different kind of mad.
"What do you think Gaara?" Temari asked.
Gaara's eyes were glued to Naruto Uzumaki. "Kankuro may not survive this…" Gaara said.
"What?" Temari exclaimed.
"If this Naruto is strong enough to interest me, then what chance does that fool have."
Temari bit her lip. 'Come on Kankuro… Win this…'
Naruto jumped back as the puppet flew at him with surprising speed.
"I take it this is your favorite doll?" Naruto asked as he flipped over a strike with ease.
Kankuro said nothing as he manipulated the chakra strings of his puppet.
Naruto blocked a strike from the puppets arm when Kankuro grinned.
Naruto's eyes widened as the puppets arm wrapped around his arm like a snake and began to constrict.
'This way, if he has any ninjutsu, he won't be able to use hand seals to use them.' Kankuro thought triumphantly.
Naruto quickly withdrew a kunai and attempted to hack off the arm binding him when the puppets other arm grabbed his wrist and wrapped around his free arm.
'Dammit…' Naruto thought in annoyance.
He dropped the kunai to the ground but quickly placed his foot over the kunai and used chakra to pick it up and attach it to the sole of his shoe.
He kicked forward and cut the flow of chakra letting the kunai fly towards the puppet master.
Kankuro was so focused on his puppet; he nearly missed the kunai and dodged at the last second.
"Too bad" Kankuro smiled. Suddenly, he was knocked aside and flew into the wall. His chakra strings failed, leaving the puppet limp on the ground and Naruto Uzumaki standing over it checking on his arms.
'I need to end this… I didn't think that would happen' he thought as he winced in pain.
Kankuro looked up and saw that the kunai he had dodged had actually been a shadow clone under a henge.
'This guy is pretty clever.' Kankuro thought as he struggled to his feet. 'He hits fucking hard too.'
The clone walked over to the original Naruto and they both looked down at the puppet. The original kicked it and it flew over to Kankuro.
"I want to destroy you and your doll at the same time…" Naruto said as his clone stood directly next to him.
Kankuro smirked. "I won't be fooled by that a second time."
"This is my last move. I suggest you prepare your own technique."
Kankuro reactivated his chakra strings. 'I'll use the poison hidden in the crow, and then I just have to avoid him until he passes out.' Kankuro thought with a grin.
The crow began to charge Naruto suddenly and the blonde grinned.
Both he and his clone ran through two different hand seals.
"Katon: Gōkakyu no Jutsu" The fireball raged forward but Kankuro was unimpressed. 'The crow can easily handle that level of a fire jutsu…'
"Fūton: Daitoppa" The Naruto clone preformed his jutsu, causing the fireball jutsu to increase in both heat as well as size.
Kakashi grinned. 'Definitely a move I didn't expect from him… Very crafty using those two jutsu together to end the fight. Kankuro can't escape.'
The flames roared as they consumed the crow in an instant. Kankuro stood in shock as time seemed to slow for him. The blast raged towards him, this was it… He was going to die at this point and there was nothing he could do about it.
Then, he was on the other end of the jutsu, watching as the blast consumed what seemed to be Naruto.
"W…what the hell?!" he exclaimed in confusion.
He looked over to see Naruto's foot hit him in the face.
Kankuro fell to the ground unconscious.
"Even if you are an asshole, I'm not about to needlessly kill you." Naruto said.
"Winner, Naruto Uzumaki!" Hayate's voice announced.
Naruto looked up at Gaara and narrowed his eyes. "I'd flip you off but it's not worth the pain…"
With that said Naruto walked up the stairs and joined his sensei next to Asuma, Ino and the others.
"Good job Uzumaki!" Asuma said patting the boy on the back. "Using those two jutsu to beat him, really clever!"
Naruto grinned. "It was nothing! I've been practicing that move for a while to see how strong it could get, definitely a destructive jutsu combination."
Asuma laughed. "I like this kid!"
Ino and even Choji were slightly gawking at Naruto.
'He could decimate us with that attack… The only reason Kankuro lived was because he used the Kawarimi technique… Even then it seemed too close for words.'
Ino stared at Naruto when she blurted out, "What changed?"
Naruto looked over at her, a blank stare on his face.
"What do you mean?" Naruto asked all too quickly.
'Something definitely happened, his reaction seals it.' Ino thought.
"I mean before the academy, you never gave a damn, all you wanted to do was skip class and play pranks on the village. Then we find out that ever since you graduated you've thrown yourself into training! Something had to have happened to kick your ass into gear!" Ino nearly yelled. She wasn't sure why it was bugging her, but something wasn't right and she hated mysteries. Her father worked in interrogation and intelligence and Ino had clearly inherited her father's obsessions.
Naruto was silent for a moment. 'I can't tell her about what happened… The Mizuki incident was only for a few to know, and I can't tell her I was inspired by learning about my parents…'
Kakashi decided to speak up suddenly.
"After graduation, Naruto got involved in some nasty business to say the least. I was there and he saw what he could become if he simply applied himself. It sounds dumb but sometimes the truth is just that."
Naruto glanced at Kakashi and sighed. "It's true… Sorry it was I just realized how dumb I had been."
Ino stared at the two for a moment as Kakashi sighed. 'She doesn't believe us…' Kakashi sighed.
"Come on Naruto… We need to get you to the infirmary and take care of your arms; it's amazing that you were able to use those jutsu so quickly."
Naruto nodded silently, trying to think of a way to start avoiding Ino Yamanaka. She was sure to start stalking him now that she thought he was hiding something. Once in the academy, she thought Kiba and Shikamaru were hiding a secret from her and she had spent the next two months harassing them and investigating them until she had found out that Kiba had found a stash of naughty magazines of Shikaku's and Shikamaru was trying to keep it from reaching his mother's ears.
Naruto could feel Ino's eyes boring into the back of his head as they walked away.
"Thanks for the cover…" Naruto said in a low voice as they went to the infirmary.
Kakashi shrugged. "She's a Yamanaka, so I doubt this is the end of it." Kakashi muttered.
Naruto groaned. "That's just what I don't need right now… If Ino finds out about who my parents are and what I am, she'll tell everyone."
Kakashi rubbed his chin. "Thankfully the records of Minato and Kushina have been destroyed or redacted to protect you."
Naruto looked at his teacher. "What?"
"Well, almost all of them. The Sandaime has a few records sealed away for when you need to claim your right as the inheritor of Kushina and Minato's legacies."
They turned a corner and entered the infirmary.
"If you're here to freak out about your friend again you'll have to leave!" a doctor said sternly when he saw the two enter the room.
Kakashi chuckled. "No need for that. Just need to get my student fixed up, he just won his fight."
The doctor eyed Naruto then glanced at Kakashi.
"Very well… He can wait over there…" The doctor said scowling.
Naruto frowned. 'Great… He knows what I am.'
Naruto sighed as he sat down on a bench and waited while Kakashi stood beside him reading his usual smut.
Soon, half an hour passed, then an hour, and then two hours.
Finally Kakashi looked up and commented on the length of time.
"So this is how it feels for you guys when waiting for me?" Kakashi asked.
"Pretty much…" Naruto grumbled.
"…This sucks." Kakashi deadpanned.
Naruto narrowed his eyes at his sensei. "It really does."
"How are you feeling Naruto-kun?" the Sandaime Hokage asked as he rounded a corner.
"Hokage-sama" Kakashi acknowledged going back to reading his book.
"Jii-san!" Naruto exclaimed.
Naruto stood up and winced at the pain in his arms.
The Sandaime noticed. "Nurse, may we have some privacy?" he asked of the receptionist.
The woman nodded and left without a word.
"Why has it not been healed, surely the Kyubi isn't beyond some slight fractures…"
"The seal has been tampered with Hokage-sama" Kakashi said without looking up from his novel. "My squad, as you well know, encountered Orochimaru in the forest of death and it seems that along with marking Sasuke with the curse mark, and has tampered with the seal sensei used."
The Sandaime frowned. "Let me see it…"
Naruto got up and struggled with taking his shirt off before focusing his chakra.
The Hokage's eyes analyzed the seal on the young blonde. 'A five element seal placed on top of the eight trigram seal… It's interesting that Naruto was still able to use those ninjutsu so effectively.'
"Well I can take care of it quite easily." He rolled up one sleeve as his fingers began to glow purple.
"Gogyō Kaiin!"
The Sandaime struck Naruto the same way Orochimaru had done days prior.
Naruto fell to the floor coughing. "God that hurts…" he coughed out.
The Sandaime's technique faded away just as the seal on top of Naruto's original seal faded out of existence.
"How do you feel Naruto-kun?" The Hokage asked.
Naruto continued to cough for a moment. "Considering everything else that's happened this week, not bad." He got to his feet and felt something seep through him. 'Looks like the fox is finally helping out…' He felt as his arms quickly heal, the pain fading away. Glancing down, he tore of the bandages and watched as the wound from Kabuto slowly closed.
"It's getting faster" Naruto remarked.
"I can see that. Have you accessed the Kyubi's chakra lately?" The Sandaime asked, knowing full well that he had.
Naruto nodded. "When that Orochimaru guy came after us, the fox must have decided to help, but even with all that power, he still beat me."
The Hokage nodded. "Interesting… Did this happen independent of what you wanted?"
Naruto thought for a moment. "Well, I did need the help and without it I might have been worse off. It only happens when I'm out of options."
The Sandaime nodded. 'So he has not been able to use it freely… That may be a good thing for now as we still don't fully understand the seal. I wish that Jiraiya were here to tend to the boy. Being Minato's sensei, he knows a majority of how his mind worked as well as how his jutsu worked.'
"Well for now that will suffice… You had best come join the rest of the winners as the preliminaries are over, and we are about to assign you all your matches for the next exam."
Orochimaru looked upon his one time village from atop a tall building.
He smiled as he imagined what the village was to look like in a month's time.
He glanced at the Hokage monument at the four faces.
'Sarutobi-sensei… I will definitely have fun watching how you react to fighting your peers.'
He breathed in the fresh air, something that normally he wouldn't care for however he was feeling nostalgic for the days when he was a child.
He remembered his two teammates, Tsunade and Jiraiya's constant bickering. 'Simpler times' he sighed at the thought.
He glanced in the direction of the hospital of the village. He had sent Kabuto to try and abduct Sasuke, however if he failed it would not matter. In the end, Sasuke would come seeking him as they always do. It was simply a matter of time.
Naruto entered his apartment at long last. The second part of the exams were finished and the third exams were to be in a months time.
He flopped onto his mattress and groaned. Even though the fox had finally healed his injuries, Naruto felt exhausted from everything.
He looked out his window at the sun hanging in the sky, wondering if he should try seeing Sasuke or Sakura.
'It's going to be weird not to see them nearly every day for a month…'
Still lying in bed, he pulled off his Hitai-ate and stared at the leaf engraved in the metal.
"I'm getting closer…" he said softly. "This is just another step towards becoming your son…"
He placed the headband next to him as he slowly drifted to sleep.
Ino had just gotten dressed after taking a long hot shower, washing away the dirt and grime from her hair and body. She had lucked into the finals. Her name was the only one to not come up and there were no opponents left for her to have to fight. She was grateful as now she had an advantage over everyone but her teammates. Her moves had not been seen by the others so she could take them by surprise.
As she sat and brushed her hair, her thoughts lingered on Sakura and how her hair was now so short.
'We both grew our hair out to impress Sasuke-kun…' she thought with a smile. 'I hope those two are doing okay…' Her thoughts then took a turn and she began thinking about the blonde enigma of team seven. She grit her teeth as with every thought of how much Naruto seemed to be hiding angered her more and more. She slammed her hair brush down. "I need to get to the bottom of it!"
With that thought, she stormed out of her house and marched towards the Hokage tower, where all information about the village and its inhabitants were stored.
She was going to learn as much about the boy as she could to gain insight on him.
Kakashi scowled out the broken hospital window as Kabuto got away.
'The boy is talented… But to come after Sasuke… He's working with Orochimaru.' Kakashi concluded as he turned to his unconscious student lying in bed.
ANBU guards littered the floor, dead.
Kakashi stepped over a body and approached his student. He inspected the seal containing the curse mark to ensure that it had not been tampered with.
Sighing in relief he glanced back at the bodies in the room. "I had better inform the Hokage of this."
Ino huffed as she scanned the archives for the Uzumaki name.
She pursed her lips as the files were not at all organized.
'For a ninja village, we could really use some more organization…' she thought angrily.
Then it caught her eye, the file of one Naruto Uzumaki.
She quickly grabbed it and walked the large file over to the table.
She placed it on the table and opened it to find a picture of the blonde.
'Not a terrible photo' Ino thought at the outfit he was wearing.
She turned to the next page to see his name and rank, and physical attributes and his birthday. October 10.
'Why does that date feel so familiar?' she wondered.
She shook her head and turned the page. Suddenly, she saw pages full of blacked out lines.
'These files were redacted? What the hell?'
She turned the pages over and over, finding nothing but black blocks where words once were.
'That Kabuto guy was right about his file being redacted…'
She continued to flip through the pages and found a few parts without the censorship.
It was dated when they were all about 5 years of age.
Ino felt her heart skip a beat at finally finding some information. The clearly classified information seemed to just make Ino hungrier for information.
It was marked seven years ago.
Ino began reading carefully, ensuring she didn't miss a single detail.
October 10th.
Naruto Uzumaki hospitalized for multiple beatings outside of orphanage. Several Genin detained as well as many civilians.
Ino narrowed her eyes. 'I know Naruto was a prankster for parts of his academy years, but why beat a child?' She thought in horror. She glanced again at the date. 'His birthday? What the fuck?'
She glanced through again and found another incident on October 9th the year after.
Another beating ending in hospitalization.
Ino grit her teeth. "What the fuck?" she whispered to herself. There were two more incidents over the next two years, on the same date, October 10th.
'Well no wonder we never heard when his birthday was in the academy' She thought, remembering that everyone had celebrated their birthdays except for Naruto.
She frowned. 'With all of these things happening, how was he always so happy?'
She flipped through it until she got to more parts that were available for reading. Many of them detailed the many pranks the boy had pulled on the village.
She slightly smiled at some of them; remember how Iruka-sensei had reacted to them.
Then she got to the graduation day. It said that he had initially failed the exams and was to be held back, again.
"Dammit… Again with the secrecy!" Ino nearly shouted. Someone in the large library shushed her and Ino pursed her lips.
Everything else from the day had been redacted again.
She turned the page to find details of the missions they had taken, including reports from their sensei.
Then, she found something interesting.
"A 'C' ranked mission turned into an 'A' rank mission" Ino murmured.
She read through the mission log, how they had encountered the demon brothers, then Zabuza, then the mystery shinobi that faked Zabuza's death. Kakashi's incapacitation, Sasuke and Sakura training, and then encountering Zabuza. Then once again, the sensors struck again.
She punched the hard wood table in frustration. The redacted documents were getting more and more annoying.
She closed the book angrily, knowing after that, came some other missions that meant nothing and then the Chunin exams, if they had been updated recently that is.
She picked the file up, grumbling about how unfair secrets were when another file caught her eye. The name Uzumaki was on it as well.
She stared at it for a moment and glanced around to see if anyone else was watching.
She grabbed the file and ran back to the table with it.
"Kushina Uzumaki?" she read aloud in confusion.
'Never heard of her…' she thought to herself.
She opened the file to find that this file was also quite redacted, but not to the same extent.
"So she's from whirlpool country… Graduated at the normal age… Nothing too crazy."
There was a lot of censorship so she decided to skip ahead.
In the middle of the book was a picture of a beautiful woman with red hair.
'She gorgeous!' Ino mentally exclaimed, becoming slightly jealous of just how pretty she was.
She leafed through until the end of the pages where she saw a date.
"Deceased… October 10th… Thirteen years ago…" Ino frowned. It was once again Naruto's birthday. She looked through the pages to find a cause of death to come across something that shocked her.
"One of the many casualties during the Kyubi attack on the village…"
Ino began to tear up. "Naruto… You never even met your own mother…" she said with realization.
'He never did talk about her… Maybe he didn't know… Maybe he found out who she was… What happened to her…?'
She pulled out the picture and shut the folder.
Leaving both Naruto's and Kushina's folders, Ino left the shinobi archives, wiping tears from her face.
Naruto woke with a start. He looked outside to see the sun beginning to rise.
'I think I just slept for a whole night and day…' Naruto thought groggily.
He got out of bed quickly shedding his clothes and walked to his shower, and got in. He turned it on, not caring that the water was freezing cold.
He stood there simply enjoying the cold drops of water bouncing off of his body.
Finally beginning to wake up he left the shower and went to get dressed. He clothed himself in his typical black outfit and reached for a jacket when he realized he didn't have any left.
He glanced at his father's jacket hanging there and smiled shaking his head.
'I don't think I'll be able to wear it ever… After all it's made for the Yondaime Hokage, not some Genin…'
Naruto closed his closet with a sigh. He walked to his bed and placed his headband on.
He looked out the window at the shining sky and smiled. 'Gotta love Konoha…' He left his apartment and walked through the village, his hands in his pockets, just observing the scenery. He hadn't taken the time to simply just look at the village lately. He noticed a lot of people went out of their way to avoid him, but a few gave him a wave here and there, though it wasn't many.
He finally reached where he had set out to go. Ichiraku ramen. Smiling he entered the stand to see the old man making more ramen.
"Ah my favorite customer!" Teuchi exclaimed.
"One bowl of pork ramen please!" Naruto said enthusiastically.
"One pork ramen coming right up!" The ramen owner. Within a few minutes, a nice hot bowl of ramen was sitting in front of Naruto.
Naruto began to scarf down the bowl enthusiastically when someone else entered the tent.
"It smells wonderful in here Teuchi!" a man's voice exclaimed.
"Ah, Jiraiya-sama!" Teuchi said in surprise. "It's been years!"
"That it has!" An older man sat beside Naruto. He had long white hair and wore a plate on his head with small horns on it and the kanji for oil.
Jiraiya glanced at Naruto and something flashed in his eyes.
'Dammit… Now I have to sit next to another guy that hates the Kyubi…' Naruto thought angrily.
"Hey old man, I'm done for the day, I'll catch up with you later?" he asked.
Teuchi nodded as Naruto passed him the empty bowl. "I want to hear how the exams are going Naruto" Teuchi said as Naruto walked away.
"Naruto Uzumaki eh?" Jiraiya said softly once he was out of earshot.
Teuchi smiled. "He's grown up quite a bit. I remember his parents always coming here… Technically you came up with his name here right?"
Jiraiya chuckled. "That's why they named me godfather. All cause of a book I wrote."
Teuchi smiled. "Do you think you'll finally be able to start helping him?"
Jiraiya nodded. "I don't have a choice… I've learned some things while abroad… Some powerful people are after Naruto and I need to make sure he's safe… He is my godchild after all."
Naruto walked through the forest, his eyes narrowed. The old man from the Ichiraku's was following him currently.
Naruto was awaiting some kind of ambush as he walked on but nothing had happened yet.
He stopped in the middle of a clearing and waited his arms to his side, fists clenched.
The old man had stopped just out of sight and was watching him intently.
Naruto grit his teeth and whirled around, unleashing a handful of shuriken.
As the stars cut through the air, Naruto was anticipating the old mans next move as he clearly was a shinobi.
"AAAAHHHHH!" The old man cried out.
Naruto froze in place. 'Holy shit did I just attack a civilian?!' He thought panicked.
He ran forward through the bushes to find the old man on the ground, tears rolling down his face as three of the stars protruded from his rear end.
"W…why?" the man asked as tears comically poured down his face.
"I thought you were coming after me!" Naruto yelled in fear. If the Hokage got wind of this he was in so much trouble.
"I wasn't following you I was doing some research!" The old man yelled as he stood up and toward over the blonde boy.
"Research on what?!"
The old man pointed past some bushes. Naruto glanced over at the man and slowly stepped over to the bushes, expecting an ambush. What he didn't expect was a view of a waterfall and small creek where four women in bikinis were enjoying the cool water on the warm day.
"You see I am a novelist" The man spoke as he pulled out the same book that Kakashi always had his nose buried in.
Naruto's jaw dropped. 'I just attacked the guy that writes Kakashi's smut! Oh dear god, I hope Kakashi never finds out…' He could simply imagine an infuriated Kakashi at the prospect of what was more than likely his hero dying. 'This guy must be Kakashi's hero for writing those books.' Naruto thought dryly.
"So… You were researching for smut?"
"To put it simply, yes I was." The man said proudly.
Naruto stared at him. "Sorry I thought you were some kind of shinobi…"
The man grinned widely. "Well that I am young man. You see I am the great sage of mountMyoboku!"
He suddenly weaved hand seals so fast, Naruto had trouble reading them. Slamming his hand down, a large toad appeared beneath the man.
"I am the great Sannin, Jiraiya!"
As the man posed, he noticed Naruto's demeanor change.
"Did you just say a Sannin?" Naruto asked, his eyes filled with rage.
Jiraiya frowned. "Yes kid I did…"
Suddenly Naruto charged forward with speed that surprised him.
Jiraiya blocked a strike from the boy, instantly recognizing the form.
'Goken Taijutsu eh? I guess this kid has Gai for a sensei.'
Suddenly Naruto grinned as two Naruto's charged from behind.
'The kid is talented… But he's overconfident' Jiraiya thought to himself.
Without hesitation he threw Naruto off balance and kicked him away to find that it was simply a shadow clone. 'Advance technique' Jiraiya thought as he whirled around and caught the two strikes from the Naruto and tossed them aside.
"Katon: Gōkakyu no Jutsu" A fireball hurdled towards Jiraiya who seemed mildly impressed. 'Last I heard he was completely inept… Guess he got serious with his training.'
He jumped out of the way as another Naruto intercepted him and engaged him in another bout of Taijutsu.
"So kid, what's your beef with Sannin?" Jiraiya asked as he blocked and dodged every hit Naruto dolled out.
Naruto grit his teeth. "You're friend is what bothers me! Whatever Orochimaru did to Sasuke I'm gonna make you all pay!" Naruto roared as he took a powerful swing at the man.
Jiraiya ducked underneath it while blocking another strike from a Naruto clone.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes. 'SO he's fought him has he? I better end this and put things right.'
Naruto smiled as he thought he was beginning to gain some ground when suddenly in a flash he was on the ground with Jiraiya's foot on his chest.
"Enough" he said powerfully, causing Naruto to cringe. This man was not to be trifled with, Naruto could tell now. He had hidden his clones in the trees and was planning a large scale fire and wind attack when they had suddenly all vanished just as Naruto had hit the ground.
"How did you do that?" Naruto asked, completely shocked.
Jiraiya smiled. "Even if you are a decent Genin, you're nowhere near the power of one of the Sannin. But shouldn't you know that since you met Orochimaru?"
Naruto smirked. "Well obviously you're much stronger than him. My team and I had him on the ropes for a bit."
Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at this. "He was obviously toying with your team then… Between Orochimaru and me, we're completely even… He may be just a bit above me even, but that's just because of morals."
Naruto frowned. 'Why did he attack us then?' He wondered. Seeing Naruto's reaction, Jiraiya withdrew his foot.
"Now that you know you're no match for me, what's your name?" Jiraiya asked.
Naruto scowled at this. "You know full well who I am if you're a leaf ninja."
Jiraiya nodded. "I do, but I figured common courtesy was important."
Naruto sat up and glared at him. "So what? You want to come challenge the Kyubi or something?"
Jiraiya shook his head and raised his hands defensively. "No no nothing like that! I already told you, I was doing my research."
Naruto stood up and nodded. "I know you said that, I just thought you were lying since you're a Sannin."
Jiraiya chuckled. "We all have our vices." He was thinking of course about Orochimaru's lack of humanity and grotesque experiments and Tsunade's gambling and drinking problems.
"Well, I'll just leave you to your research then… I need to go train" Naruto said brushing the dirt of his shirt and turning to leave.
"Train? For the Chunin exams?" Jiraiya asked.
Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Figured if I didn't, I wouldn't stand a chance against some of them."
His thoughts lingered on Rock Lee, Neji and Gaara.
He had not seen Neji's fight, but he knew that to be one of Lee's rivals, you had to be strong.
"Well how would you like some help from a Sannin?!" Jiraiya asked exuberantly.
Naruto stared at the man, considering the offer. He was hoping that Kakashi may have been available for some additional training.
Jiraiya noticed his hesitation and grinned. "Believe me, I've trained the best. Surely you know of my most famous student, the Yondaime Hokage Minato Namikaze."
Naruto's eyes widened. "Y…you trained my dad?" Naruto slapped a hand to his mouth realizing he had just said something he had not meant to.
Jiraiya was surprised at this response. 'When the hell did he find out about his father?'
"How much do you know kid?" Jiraiya said. "I thought the Sandaime Hokage wasn't going to tell you about your heritage for sometime."
Naruto scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Some stuff happened and he felt it would be best to tell me about my parents." Naruto sighed. It was weird that this was the second person in the past week that he was talking to about his parents. It felt nice having some people to talk to about it.
Naruto sat down and looked up at the toad sage. "So you trained my dad… Guess that makes you like some kind of grandfather sensei."
Jiraiya laughed at that. "Well, I'm a bit more than that. Let's just say that due to the process of naming you, I became your godfather."
Naruto stared at the man. "So you're my godfather…" he said quietly. "The Hokage said you couldn't be here for me because you were out of the village gathering information."
Jiraiya nodded as he sat down next to the young Genin.
"I've been tracking Orochimaru's activities as well as some other powerful Shinobi."
Naruto nodded. "So you couldn't take me with you?"
Jiraiya noticed Naruto's tone of voice and frowned. "I wish I could have brought you with me, but your parents wouldn't have appreciated it… I was in constant danger and having a child with me would have put us both at risk. If you had come with me in the beginning, we wouldn't be here right now."
Naruto nodded, understanding the answer.
"That doesn't mean that I didn't take care of you though. The money that the Hokage provided to you for living expenses when you left the orphanage wasn't the villages, it was my own."
This caught Naruto's attention.
"Y…you were the one sending me money?" Naruto felt his heart skip a beat.
Jiraiya nodded. "I couldn't be here in person for you, but I swore to Minato and Kushina that I'd take care of you in one way or another. That was the best way I could considering the circumstances."
Naruto smiled sadly as he stared up at the blue sky.
Jiraiya watched him for a moment, thinking of his student that looked so much like his son.
"So… you'd be willing to help me train?" Naruto asked after a few minutes of silence.
Jiraiya chuckled. "Well it's a father's duty to help his son become a man, and since your own father is unable, I automatically fall into that position."
Naruto stood up, feeling a fire welling up inside of him.
"Then please help me! I want to make my father proud and become a Hokage even stronger than he was!"
Jiraiya laughed as he jumped to his feet. "I like the attitude kid! Let's get to it!"
Ino arrived home and ran up to her room and placed the picture of Kushina Uzumaki on her dresser. She stood there and stared at the picture of the beautiful kunoichi for a few moments.
"Why did I take this?" she asked herself.
There was a knock at her door, startling her.
"Ino-chan?" her father's voice called out.
"Come in daddy" Ino said, her heart beating quickly.
Her father entered her room. "How are you doing?" he asked worriedly.
Ino smiled. "I'm holding up alright considering everything."
Inoichi nodded. "Well I just received word that Sakura is awake at the hospital, so if you wanted you could go visit her."
Ino smiled. "She's okay?"
Inoichi smiled. "She'll be in the hospital for a while but she's not in any danger."
Ino ran to her father and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you so much daddy!" Inoichi nodded, however his face had fallen as he noticed a familiar picture on her dresser.
He pulled her away gazing at her with intensity.
"Where did you get that picture Ino?" he asked fiercely. Ino was shocked at her fathers change in demeanor.
"W…what do you mean?" she asked.
He walked to the dresser and held up the picture of Kushina.
"This picture, why do you have it?!" he nearly yelled.
"I uh… It was the shinobi archives. I was just looking into something and came across her picture."
Inoichi's eyes narrowed. "Why are you looking into Naruto Uzumaki?!"
"H…how did you know that I was looking into him?" she asked, her eyes tearing up. Her father had never been like this with her before.
He realized that he was scaring his daughter and took a deep breath.
"I…I'm sorry Ino… Just answer me, why are you looking into Naruto." He asked much more calmly.
"He… he's changed so much so quickly, I just thought it was strange… So I looked for his file to see if I could gain some insight on him that I may not have known."
Inoichi nodded. "What did you find?"
Ino bit her lip nervously. "His file is redacted… there's very little I could learn… Then I found her file… Kushina. She died the same day Naruto was born and I made the conclusion that she was probably his mother."
Inoichi nodded as he considered the photo.
"Ino… I'm not asking you this as your father but as a Jonin of the village hidden in the leaves, stop… Stop looking into this, it doesn't concern you. The boy has his secrets and they involve the village, if you look too far into them you will get into to trouble and there is nothing I can do to keep you safe."
Ino nodded, feeling suddenly scared. "…I….I won't dad… I promise… I won't look into it anymore…"
Inoichi nodded. "I love you sweetie but I do need to report this to the Hokage."
Ino's head whipped around. 'The Hokage?! Why would this concern him?'
Noticing the look on her face Inoichi sighed. "Ino-chan, the secrets about Naruto do concern the Hokage… If you look into this, you could be pout to death… That's how serious it is."
Ino nodded, after thinking that she had it all figured out about Naruto and his mother, they mystery seems to have only deepened. She had been wrong when she assumed that was all there was to Naruto, that he had just found out about his mother. There was a lot more to it, and she wanted to know. But she didn't want to get into trouble with the Hokage. She needed to figure out a way to get the information she wanted without getting caught… Just like a shinobi.
"I promise you dad, I won't look into it anymore."
Inoichi nodded. "Make sure that you don't." He looked at the picture and turned away before Ino asked him, "So is it true? Is that woman Naruto's mother?"
Inoichi stopped and stared at the picture. "Ino… I cannot answer that. The only person that can provide information to you is Naruto himself of his own free will…" With that said, he closed the door behind him.
Ino sighed and sat on her bed, staring at the door. 'So only Naruto can tell me…'
The Hokage narrowed his eyes as Inoichi finished explaining and handed him the picture of Kushina.
"I must give credit to your daughter Inoichi. When she is determined she goes above and beyond" he said amused.
Inoichi sighed. "I'm afraid of how intelligent she can be. If she had just applied herself more in the academy and in her training rather than obsess over Sasuke and Naruto."
Hiruzen chuckled as he set down his pipe. "I believe they are two different obsessions. This obsession she has to find out Naruto's secrets is definitely what makes a great Shinobi."
Inoichi huffed. "Wish she would stop fawning over the Uchiha. I hate that she has a crush on a boy."
Sarutobi laughed heartily at this. "We all must let go Inoichi you must know this! But from what I understand, you won't have to worry about the boy going after your daughter. He doesn't seem interested in any of the girls from his class."
Inoichi smiled. "And I am thankful for this."
Sarutobi looked down at the picture of Kushina then up at the picture of Minato that hung next to the pictures of the Hokage's.
"I must say I did not expect to see a picture of her again" Inoichi said. "She was quite beautiful."
The Hokage nodded. "It's such a shame that Naruto could not have known her."
"Or his father" Inoichi said as he looked at the picture of the Hokage's.
"Now then, about your daughter Inoichi. I'll have Kakashi go through the archives and make sure that there is nothing to link Kushina and Naruto to Minato."
Inoichi nodded. "Thank you Hokage-sama" he said bowing.
Naruto fell to the ground painfully, the Sannin standing over him.
Naruto had a large gash in his forehead that was pouring blood.
"Well, your Taijutsu is interesting and quite powerful… However I think we could improve it. It's far too similar to the Goken which I feel you aren't made for."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. Gai-sensei was a Taijutsu master and had recommended this style for him.
"I think we could change some things around to really utilize your power without having to have you depend on the Goken."
Naruto stood up, wiping the blood that trailed along his face.
"You're ninjutsu are quite powerful and you can utilize them creatively."
Naruto nodded as he touched the gash on his head and winced.
"With Genjutsu…" the older man started.
"I suck… I know" Naruto said angrily.
Jiraiya nodded. "However that isn't terrible. You don't seem like you'd want to use Genjutsu, but we need to teach you to disperse it."
Naruto sighed. "Any jutsu you could teach me? My teammate Sasuke is pretty aware of what I'm capable of and I want to have a trump card to pull out."
Jiraiya thought for a moment. "Well… you could always sign the summoning contract of the toads."
Naruto brightened up at this. "Toad summoning? Like my father?!"
Jiraiya nodded. "Maybe eventually, you could even do some sage training."
"What is sage training?" Naruto asked. Jiraiya shook his head. "One thing at a time kid. Sage training is pretty intense and isn't for everyone."
Naruto nodded, but he would definitely bug the man about it again later on.
"So what do you say Naruto? Would you like to sign the contract?"
Naruto thought of his father before answering. "Yes. Like father like son."
Sakura lay on a hospital bed encased in a full body cast. She was severely uncomfortable however she was no longer in pain. The painkillers were working their magic.
The door opened and in walked her sensei.
"Hey Kakashi-sensei" she croaked out. She had not realized how dry her throat was.
"Need a drink?" Kakashi asked.
"Yeah" Sakura coughed.
Kakashi walked the table next to her that had a jug of water as well as a glass and a straw. He poured water into the cup and brought it to her. He positioned the straw for her and let her drink. Very quickly, the glass was empty and Sakura was thanking her sensei.
"Parents come and visit you yet?" Kakashi asked as he set the glass down.
Sakura tried nodded. "I was just waking up but they were here. They told me what happened."
"I see. Well I wish I had been there for you Sakura and for that I apologize."
"It's fine sensei" Sakura said. "So how are Sasuke and Naruto?"
Kakashi smiled. "Sasuke is resting currently so don't worry about anything, the curse mark isn't a problem anymore. Naruto is off training I think. He won his match so he'll be in the next round." Kakashi said.
"Who is he facing?" Sakura asked quickly, fearing that he might be fighting the boy that had nearly killed her.
Kakashi noted her fear. "It isn't Gaara so there's no need to worry about his safety. I have faith that he'll defeat his opponent."
Sakura was about to ask again who was facing Naruto when the door opened again. She saw her one time friend Ino Yamanaka walk in the room holding a vase full of flowers.
Kakashi glanced at the blonde girl and turned his attention back to his student.
"I'll leave the two of you and I'll check back in with you later Sakura. Just keep resting and I'll let Naruto know that you've woken up. He'll definitely want to know."
"Okay. Thanks Kakashi-sensei" Sakura said as he walked past Ino.
The door closed behind him and Ino placed the vase of flowers next to the bed.
"Did I tell you that you have a hot sensei?" Ino said.
"Oh my god INO!" Sakura exclaimed.
Ino laughed. "Well… he seems handsome. Can't tell with that mask on his face."
Sakura sighed. Leave it to Ino to rate her sensei's looks.
"You feeling alright?" Ino asked as she looked her up and down.
"I'm fine now… I don't even remember the pain to be honest… I just remember the sand coming at me and the next thing I'm here in the hospital."
"He nearly killed you. If Naruto hadn't freaked out, he might have."
Sakura had not heard about Naruto's freak out and was surprised to hear about it.
"W…what?" she asked blushing slightly.
"Yeah. When you were screaming, Naruto flipped out and when they took you to the infirmary, he nearly got into a fight just to see if you were okay."
Sakura thought about her blonde teammate and how things between the two of them had been quite rocky. Things had been getting better but she did not expect him to react in such a way.
"Speaking of Naruto… I found something out about him." Ino said excitedly.
"What?" Sakura exclaimed.
"Yeah… I was at the Hokage tower and looking through his file when I came across another Uzumaki!"
"Who?" Sakura asked, her curiosity taking over.
"I think it's his mother. Her name was Kushina Uzumaki but she passed away the same day Naruto was born."
Sakura bit her lip thinking about that. "Anything about Naruto's father?"
Ino shook her head. But then she began telling her about her father's reaction to finding the picture of Kushina in her room and how the Hokage was involved. Then Ino told her about her plan to have Naruto tell her the information outright.
"You can't be serious…" Sakura deadpanned.
Ino shrugged. "Asking him out for some dates isn't a terrible idea. He isn't as annoying as he used to be and he's kinda handsome."
"Yeah but you don't even like him that way…" Sakura countered.
"Why are you so against this…? Are you jealous?" Ino teased.
Sakura went red. "NO! I only have eyes for Sasuke-kun… But… he is my teammate and you're my friend. I don't want things to get weird between the two of you… What if he gets mad when he finds out that it was all just to get information from him?"
Ino smiled. "I won't tell him that. I'll just say that I don't think he and I would be a good fit and that we can still be friends."
Sakura sat there for a moment. "Would he be okay with that?"
Ino shrugged. "I don't know… But that's what they do in all those novels and movies."
Sakura stared at Ino. "This isn't a novel or a movie though."
"I know that but what else could I do?" Ino asked. "Look… I'll make it clear it'll be as friends… That way he can expect anything. Besides, he's never been on a date, so it's not like he's expecting one."
"Neither have you" Sakura snapped.
"Wow… Maybe you do have a crush on Naruto" Ino teased again.
"Shut up!"
Jiraiya smiled as he handed the contract back to his toad. Naruto had signed it and had noticed his fathers name on the scroll. The boy had seemed to tear up slightly but shaken it off.
"Now then, do the signs that I have shown you and try summoning the largest toad that you can. But don't be disappointed if it's not big enough."
Naruto nodded as he stepped back and bit his thumb, swiped the blood on his palm and ran through the seals. He slammed his down on the ground and a poof later, a small orange toad stood before him.
"Yo" it said. Naruto stared at it before sighing. 'This is all I can do?'
Jiraiya smiled. "Not bad kid. At least it wasn't a tadpole or anything."
Naruto nodded and glanced at the toad.
"Got any snacks?" it asked.
Naruto sweat dropped. "Uh… Not right now… Maybe next time I will?"
The toad stared at him, sizing him up. "I guess that'll be okay. The names Gamakichi. Who are you?"
"Naruto Uzumaki."
The jumped up and landed on Naruto's head. "You look familiar" he said. The toad glanced over at the old man next. "Hey it's Jiraiya!" Gamakichi exclaimed happily.
"Got any treats for me you old perv?"
Jiraiya chuckled and dug into his pocket and withdrew some candy and tossed it into the air. With surprising speed, Gamakichi leapt off of Naruto's head and caught the candy in his little arms.
"Nice!" it said as it saw the selection. "Guess I'll stick around and watch the kid train. I'm assuming that's what's happening?" Jiraiya nodded.
"He's go some potential" the Sannin said. "Try one more time Naruto; channel as much Chakra into it as you can!"
Naruto nodded as he stared at the ground intensely. He built up the chakra, probably using more than he really needed. He swiped his bleeding thumb on his palm again and went through the same seals. Jiraiya noticed the amount of chakra in this technique.
"This should be interesting…"
A large explosion of smoke later and Naruto was standing atop a giant toad wielding a sasumata in one hand and a large shield in the other.
'Whoa… He summoned Gamaken. That's pretty good!' Jiraiya thought in surprise. He had half expected Naruto to summon Gamabunta, but had just been a slight amount of chakra shy of the needed amount of chakra.
Gamaken looked down at the Sannin.
"Hello Jiraiya-sama" he greeted. He spotted the young toad next to the sage. "Gamakichi as well I see. Why have I been summoned?"
Naruto answered from atop his head. "Uh… I was just training and trying out the summoning technique for the first time."
Gamaken nodded slightly, as to not throw the young boy from his head.
"So we have a new addition to the contract. Most impressive from the sound of your voice you are quite young to have been able to summon me."
Naruto jumped down from Gamaken's head and landed next to Jiraiya. Gamaken noted the blonde hair and blue eyes.
"Ah. The Namikaze boy's heir. No wonder he summoned me."
Naruto was surprised that the toad knew who his father was but made no mention of it.
"Well, I am quite clumsy however if you ever need assistance, feel free to summon me to your side" Gamaken said as he bowed slightly.
'I like this guy' Naruto thought with a smile. 'But how clumsy is he?' he wondered.
"Thank you Gamaken" Jiraiya answered him. "You can head back home; we were just seeing if it was possible to summon Gamabunta was all."
Naruto glanced at the man, having not been told that.
"AH… Bunta may not be as clumsy as I, however he is not as patient either Jiraiya-sama." The large toad spoke.
Jiraiya laughed. "Oh don't I know it. Figured he'd like to meet the new summoner though."
Gamaken nodded. "I will bring news of him back to Bunta for you. I bid you all farewell."
The toad vanished in an explosion of smoke, leaving the two Shinobi and the small toad alone.
"Who's Gamabunta?" Naruto asked suddenly.
"He's my father and the chief toad" Gamakichi answered.
Jiraiya nodded. "He's also very short tempered."
Naruto smiled. 'Sounds like my kind of toad.'
"Well, let's try something else; I don't feel like having to hide from Bunta. You seem to not need much help with summoning. How about learning one of your father's original techniques?"
Gamabunta was enjoying lounging among the statues of frogs smoking his pipe when Gamaken appeared before him.
"There is a new summoner Bunta-sama." Gamaken stated.
"Who would this be?" Gamabunta asked, blowing out smoke.
"The son of Minato Namikaze and the student of Jiraiya. A boy named Naruto."
Gamabunta coughed as he heard the information.
"The son of Minato?! He signed the contract?"
Suddenly, a small elderly toad hopped between the two.
"Gramps did you hear?" Gamabunta asked as he lightly coughed.
"Yes Bunta-boy… So Minato's son has finally signed the contract. Perhaps this boy is the one from Jiraiya-boys prophecy…"
Bunta nodded in agreement. "Well I am glad he signed the contract with us already. We shall have to keep an eye on the boy's progress… Perhaps in the future, he could come here and train with us. He could surpass his predecessors with sage training… He is after all an Uzumaki as well."
The old toad nodded. "Maybe Jiraiya will bring him here soon enough…"
Gaara sat upon a building looking at the night sky, enjoying the fresh air. This village was much nicer than Sunagakure. It was warm, not hot. The sun shined, but did not beat down on them. Water was a luxury here, not just a resource. And yet, Gaara longed for the desert. He enjoyed the sand and the sun that he was used to.
"What is it?" he asked suddenly as his two siblings appeared behind him.
"We just wanted to check on you" Temari said. Gaara said nothing as he gazed at the large moon hanging in the sky.
Kankuro looked up at the orb as well then back to his younger brother. "I wanted to let you know I'm heading back to the village to meet with the Kazekage and give him the intel you gave me."
Gaara nodded. "Naruto Uzumaki… I am sure he is like me…"
Kankuro shivered. If the boy was a Jinchuriki as Gaara suspected, he had not shown the same instability Gaara had. Perhaps he was weaker than his brother, or he had more control over the beast he harbored. Either way, he was lucky to have lived through his match against the boy. Which was why he wasn't terribly angry about the fate of this puppet that had been reduced to ash.
"I want to be the one to kill him… Let the Kazekage know this… I want to see if this Naruto is not just a Jinchuriki, but someone that can make me feel alive…"
He turned to Temari. "If he is a Jinchuriki, then he cannot be harmed… You are the one to fight him in the finals, so you will not hold back… Attempt to kill him, show me if he is worthy.
Temari nodded as she remembered how the Uzumaki boy had drawn the number that would pit her against him. They were to be the second match in the Chunin exams finals.
"Yes Gaara… I will."
Gaara returned his gaze to the moon.
'Naruto Uzumaki… If you are like me… Then you shall kill her as I will kill you…'
And that is the chapter. So the match ups have definitely changed and will slowly be revealed during the next chapter.
So I hope you enjoyed the changes and please, review, follow anything like that if you have enjoyed the story.
Till next time.