"Ready, Konan," Rinpu asked, several attackers around her daughter. Konan looked around, noting the ones with and without weapons. Martial arts skill test, hand to hand combat, hand to weapon combat, weapon to hand combat, weapon to weapon combat. It was going to be an interesting day.
"Nya," she said in confirmation before springing to the side. Dropping into a round, she did a handstand and spun while spreading her legs, knocking three to the ground. Jumping back to her feet, Konan looked at the rest of them coming at her. "Mreow!" Slipping a foot under one of the stunned fighters, she flipped him in the air before her and kicked him at the oncoming attackers. Sensing an attack from the side, Konan stepped into the swing and raised both her arms for him to hit his forearm against hers. Konan then twisted her back arm around it, keeping it in place, while the other slid up the arm to deliver a chop to the side of the person's neck. Followed by her other fist hitting the man's jaw, dropping him like a sack of potatoes.
A man with a staff came at Konan from behind, intending to put her on the ground as well. Lunging, he made a stab with the staff only for Konan to jump and spin, kicking a foot against the end of the pole-arm. The staff splintered and broke apart, slivers of it flying around and hitting against everyone and thing there. "Watch it, young lady," Rinpu warned her, having to sidestep a piece coming at her.
"Yes, mom," Konan said as she spun and leapt, dodging several sword slashes. A man with a katana slashed at her when she was rising. Konan caught the sword by the hilt as well as the blade close to the hilt where it was dullest, twisted to throw the man to the ground over her shoulder, and then threw the blade into the ground between his legs, the back of the blade just missing his crotch.
"Are you crazy," he shouted at her, getting a cat grin in return.
Facing the three remaining opponents, she grinned. One was without a weapon, the other two held a pair of daggers and a pair of tonfa. Feeling excited, Konan threw her arm to the side, a flurry of paper sliding from her hand and forming into a staff. "Nya!" Konan said in a battle cry before rushing forward. Using the staff as a pole-vault, she jumped up and came down in a drop kick on the unarmed man's shoulder. At the loud CRACK! From his collar bone, Konan rubbed the back of her head and chuckled. "Eh, oops?" She dropped down and spun away as a tonfa was swung through the air she just occupied. Spinning the staff around, she faced the two. "I want meow mix, I want meow mix," she sang happily as she toyed with them.
"…Now," the dagger wielding one said, the two coming at her at once from the sides. Both attacked high and low so Konan went the only place safe, in between. Holding onto the tonfa user with both feet and tail tight around his neck, she held the other by his neck with his hands. And as their attacks had crossed their arms, they just looked at her, and she smiled back. Konan let go of the dagger user, dropping her upper body to the ground, grabbing it, and throwing the tonfa expert into the wall. Using the forward momentum of throwing, she jumped to her feet; bring one end of the staff on the man's strong hand wrist to make him drop that weapon. Then holding the staff out in a bar, she blocked the next slash and then let the paper go limp again, wrapping it around his arm and jumping over his back while still holding the two ends, pulling the arm with her. Standing there with his arm crossed over his chest, he tried to pull away from her only to find her hanging onto his back to keep him from doing so. She purred before pulling back, rolling, and then kicking him away, slamming him into the wall as well.
"I won," Konan cheered, giggling. "…Whoa!" She dropped down to avoid a fireball being thrown at her.
"Who said that was all," Rinpu asked as a mage stood there holding another fireball ready, tossing it up and down as she waited.
"Oh, in that case…" Konan crouched down, mana pulsing off her boots. "Typhoon gale!" She gave a kick from a dozen feet away and even Rinpu had to hold herself down a little from the wind she kicked up. The mage, a far frailer person than Rinpu, was of course carried off by it.
"Nice try child," the woman said tumbling in the air a few times before righting herself and freezing in it. "But it'll take more than a breeze. And you eight! Get off your lazy rears and clear the room!"
"Oi, you old hag," one of the growled, jumping to her feet. "You know the rules, once we're down, we stay down," he grumbled. "Blasted woman." A bolt of fire shot at him, setting his hair on fire.
The mage, Mad Madam Mim, giggled and said, "Oops, missed."
"Blasted woman," he growled after putting the fire out. "Alright, alright, we'll clear off."
"Good," Mim said taking a stance still in the air. "Chain…"
"Wait until we're gone," one of them shouted, jump over the wall to get clear.
"Lightning!" Madam Mim held her hand in a fist but with her index finger pointing down at the ground. A bolt of lightning shot from it and hit the ground, lancing out at the closest and jumping to the next person. It was about to hit Konan when she did something she still couldn't fully explain how she could do. She switched places with the farthest one there and leaned up against the wall near her mother who offered a mug of coffee like she was drinking. "Hmm, nimble little girl, Rinpu," Madam Mim said with a chuckle.
"You…evil…harpy," one of the shocked men said from the ground, smoke coming from his hair and body.
"Ah, you're Uzu, a very hardy people," Madam Mim dismissed. "You'll survive that and worse. Plus, I went easy on you," she said while waving a hand at the smell of burnt hair. "Hmm. Okay, we did fire and lightning, time for ice and cold." She raised her hand in the air and several ice crystals formed above her, all aiming at Konan, who was still next to her mother.
Rinpu widened her eyes and looked to her calm daughter next to her, then Madam Mim, then back to her now grinning daughter. "Don't you dare, Mim!"
"It's for experience," Madam Mim cried out happily before throwing them. Predictably, Konan once again escaped. Rinpu wasn't so lucky.
"…Kaasan?" Konan tapped her knuckle against the ice the mostly encased her mother.
Luckily, Rinpu's head wasn't completely covered, she had gotten her coffee in the way thus leaving her head locked in one direction instead. Her teeth chattering, she growled out, "Y-Y-You ar-r-r-r-re s-s-s-so gr-r-r-roun-n-nded, young l-l-l-lady."
"Nya, it's worth it," Konan said, holding a hand near her cheek innocently.
—oo000oo—
Naruto stood before his sensei, his bokken held in hand once more. They said nothing as they began to move, their steps even and sure as they circled. "Anger is a weapon only for your enemy," Naruto said to himself in an extra reminder. He needed to be patient and calm like the surface of the water. He needed to be water. His sensei made the first move, rushing across to meet him. In the first step in how she placed her steps Naruto knew which move she would do and made the proper counter. The bokken made a clack as they met and she followed through with the steps. Naruto spun, raised his bokken and made a slash after her. A glaive of mana flew from the blade. Suzuka felt it coming and flared her own mana, creating a shield for it to hit. Much of the Spellblades attacks were the physical enhancement and manifestation of their magic. Suzuka nodded to him and lifted her sword in challenge. Naruto nodded back and lowered his sword before running at her and raising it curve up and pointing to her. In retaliation, Suzuka lunged forward with the bokken at her side. She began a slash at Naruto's open side when he moved the hilt of his sword. Just halfway through her swing, her sword hit the bottom of his, stopping. Naruto spun, pushing her sword back in doing so, and went for a slash across her stomach. Suzuka flipped her sword to get it back around and stabbed down, stopping Naruto from cutting her in half. Naruto flipped backwards and ran forward, stabbing at her chest. Spellblade assassination technique, Hell's Thrust. It called for the attacker to rush at his target as fast as possible, making a single stab at their heart with as much speed as possible. The momentum from running plus the thrust is enough to get pass even a ninja's reflexes if the Spellblade is a master.
Which Suzuka was. She raised her bokken up and braced the back of it with one hand and the sword itself with mana. The two met and both strained a moment before the magic exploded outwards, pushing them apart. Despite them using wooden swords, Spellblades were only a quarter swordsmen. Much of their attacks could be found in the styles used around the world, heightened and sharpened by the use of magic and mana. But the key point of it, the focus the Spellblade uses is in the dedication of sword study. The sword is merely a focus; the blade is the Spellblade themselves.
Suzuka made a slash in the air sending a blast of mana and wind at Naruto. Naruto stood steady, knowing he couldn't reach the edge in time so instead he raised his sword and brought it down on the attack, breaking it before it could even reach him. His breathing remained calm and steady. Suzuka smiled at him, signaling she was going to increase his difficulty. Looking around at their field of training, this one was at the foot of a cliff. For the most part wide open grasslands but behind them a rocky cliff faces with unsteady ground and loose stones. A lot could change quickly for those standing on it. Exactly why she chose to test him here. Three steps and she jumped through the air, landing on the side of the mountain and beckoning Naruto to follow. Naruto took five steps and jumped; coming short of the distance she did but was still high enough that if the ground gave under his weight, he would die from the fall. Standing on the vertical surface, they move softly, testing their steps and each other as they moved. Naruto made a series of quick stabs, trying to avoid her blade to cause the least amount of pressure on the rock. Suzuka kept this in mind to so instead fell in the pattern of guiding the sword away from hitting her instead of blocking it outright.
Satisfied with his offense, she moved on his defense. Naruto slipped under a slash and cartwheeled to the side of an overhead slash. Trying to counter attack, Suzuka was already on him again. Taking several steps back, Naruto jumped off the wall only to pull himself back on it through magic, flipping and bringing the blade down , sending three blades along the ground a short distance. The rocks shook and they lunged off before it fell to the ground below. Still they never took their eyes off the other. Until Suzuka moved above him on the cliff. She kept on smiling before facing the sky and slashing at the rock higher up, causing a good deal of boulders to begin falling. She vanished inside the falling rock. Naruto swallowed a moment before jumping into them as well. Slashing a rock so fast it looked like one move; the thing fell into four pieces around him as he jumped from one piece to another. He guessed he had five second before it hit the ground. Jumping to the next rock, Suzuka lunged at him while he was in the air. Their swords sang out in meeting as they passed each other. Looking at the other, Suzuka motioned to his shirt. She cut it. With a smirk, Naruto motioned to her dress; he cut it along the left leg.
Higher they climbed, Suzuka causing more rocks to fall until they were nearly to the top of the Barrier Mountains that protected Uzu no Kuni. Standing on solid, horizontal surface for the first time on the climb up, now Naruto breathed hard. "Having fun," Suzuka asked, still totally calm and poised.
"I'm having a blast," Naruto said with a smirk, his tail twitching.
"No…" She stabbed down into the rock behind her and a rune spread out from it. "Now you are."
"…Uh oh." The ground beneath them shook as the explosions destroyed the support for their ledge. The sound of rock breaking and stone shattering echoed through the mountains as the mountain face began to slide down.
"Three minutes, thirty seven seconds," Suzuka warned him. "At that point, this slab of stone will free fall to the ground. If you are on top of it when it hits, you will break every bone in your body."
"And if you're under it," Naruto said with a gulp, "…I think we both know what happens then."
"Paste," Suzuka supplied, looking around at how fast over three tons of stone could move. "And of course I just won't let you off."
"That would be too easy, sensei," Naruto stated before slashing down at the air between them. A beam like blade of mana cut a path through the stone, heading for her. Suzuka cut the stone before her and flipped a barrier between them before jumping back. The beam hit it, cutting it in half, before half of it split off. The two curved around to come at Suzuka from the sides.
"Impressive, Naruto," Suzuka said, admiring his skill before swinging her sword, breaking both. "Very impressive."
Naruto locked his gaze on hers again, his face stoic once more. 'Give nothing away, the face and eyes are gateways to the mind. Clear the mind. Let nothing through; act, react, not plan and calculate.'
Suzuka watched Naruto carefully, keeping a careful watch on his eyes and face and using her peripheral vision to watch the rest of him. Their steps sure as they began to move, despite the moving ground. Lunging at each other, they traded blows, focusing on the swords over the mana now. Naruto made only one glance to see they were about to go over. His sensei didn't look worried and wasn't getting off. Then it was in the air and Naruto figured in thirteen second he and his sensei would die. He wasn't interested in going out like this. Slamming his bokken in the forward most edge, Naruto ran to the back end to find it spinning now like he planned. When the top was about to begin to turn down, Naruto had reached the top most edge and kicked off, using the spin to get thrown clear. Unsurprisingly, Suzuka was right with him. "Now what will you do Naruto," She asked calmly.
"…I figure I'll do one of two things. First, use my mana to break my momentum and land somewhat softly on the ground. Or two, I splat against it, turning myself into fertilizer." As dire as the situation was, both his arms and legs were crossed as he waited to get close enough. A hundred feet from the ground, Naruto flipped until he was facing the ground and suddenly stabbed at it, causing the wind to bunch up under him. Too soon and it would dissipate. Too late and it wouldn't be strong enough. Knowing this, he could only think of one thing. What a rush. Both Suzuka and Naruto were caught by the wind and landed on the ground with a thump. Naruto stood there a moment before tingling. "Ah…that tingles," he said in a slight pained voice.
"Almost perfect, Naruto," Suzuka said to him. "A little too soon. You're calves will stop hurting in a minute but make sure to see a healer when you get home tonight. From the look of it nothing broke here but stress fractures can begin like this."
"I will sensei."
Suzuka nodded after a moment and bowed; a sign their training has ended today. Naruto returned it and began to follow her to his tree. When flowing your mana into a sapling, it becomes a direct representation of your mana as it fed on that instead of water and minerals. The size indicated your reservoir of mana you can draw upon. The strength of the wood is the strength of your mana. Hard wood, hard mana; soft wood, soft mana. Finally, the color of the leaves and branches indicates what it should be used for. Light in color meant the mana was more disposed to wind, water, and light magic. While dark leaves and bark for fire, earth, and darkness. Suzuka brought Naruto to a clearing with a three hundred and some odd foot tall, forty three feet wide black oak tree. She still marveled at its size. Naruto moved up to it to place his remaining mana inside. "No Naruto," she stopped him. "You have one last exercise today. And then, when you have finished, you will return to me the bokken I gave you to use."
Naruto stared at her for several moments. "…What will happen to the rest of it," Naruto asked, looking up to the top.
"The spirit of the tree will know the time has come for its next form and will pull all the mana that has built up inside it to the bokken you make. The wood will turn to dust and blow away on the wind, a sign of good luck. The surrounding land will enjoy many years prosperous growth where the ashes land."
"…Okay," Naruto said, stepping back and looking at the tree.
"No, not yet," Suzuka said before coming behind him and wrapping a cloth around his eyes. "Your sword is part of you, Naruto. It will forever be you and you will forever be it. It will guide your hands."
Naruto nodded and faced the tree once more. She knew what he saw, in the darkness there would be bright glimmers. Naruto would have to follow those. Raising his bokken tip to the sky, he jumped forward and slashed. He landed on the ground and turned back to it. For a moment, all seemed as it was before the tree began to move six feet from the ground. It slid to the side and fell, hitting the ground with a great shake before turning to ash just as Suzuka said. Taking another breath, Naruto rushed forward; shaving and whittling the tree down. She held her breath through parts of it. So long as Naruto was truly ready for this, it would turn out well. Should his training be incomplete, he will make a mistake. She could only watch and wait.
—oo000oo—
Gaara and Kankuro stood across from the other, both wearing mithril plate armor. Kankuro's armor was bright and almost reflective. Gaara wore armor that seemed to pull into it all the light around. Kankuro held a hammer with a giant amethyst atop it that he affectionately called the Hammerthyst. Gaara on the other hand had several weapons attached to his body. In his hands at the moment were a dagger and a sword. Another dagger was on his belt with a hilt that was too long for it. On his other side was an ax shaped like a bat's wing. And on his back was a two handed battleax. The two were sparing, their weapons singing as they blocked and countered one another.
Inside their house, Temari looked over a few components in her spell book before nodding. "Eye of needle, tongue of shoe, hand of clock that points at two. Neck of bottle, tail of coat, whiskers from the Billy-goat!" She held the whiskers in hand a moment before dropping them inside the cauldron, making it froth and boil. Both Temari and Bleu looked inside it before Bleu tasted it.
She breathed out fire for half a breath and her hair flared out. "…Nice kick to it," she said, smoke coming out of her mouth. "And this is for?"
"Kankuro left the seat up," she growled.
"You could just hit him with a fireball," Bleu said, smoothing out her hair. "Be more humane."
"This is the third time this week," Temari said without mercy. "He doesn't deserve humane." She dipped a ladle into the mix and poured it into a glass bottle. She took it to a bowl with pieces of candy inside it. She poured it into the bowl and chuckled evilly as it was absorbed into the chocolate.
"Just make sure not to get Gaara-kun with it," Bleu warned her.
"Yes kaasan." She went and set the bowl on the table before going outside. "Brothers, lunch is ready!"
Gaara, Kankuro, and an undead ghoul all looked to her. Gaara had caught the Hammerthyst with his hand ax while his dagger was about to dig into Kankuro's side while the Ghoul was about to claw Kankuro from behind. "Yes, oneesan," they all said before heading inside.
"Gaara, don't you dare bring that thing inside," Temari warned him.
"Huh? Oh, yes, oneesan," he said before waving his hand and it fell apart.
Inside, Gaara and Kankuro took off their armor, bathed, and dressed in regular clothing. Kankuro preferred linen pants with a short sleeve tee shirt while Gaara put on shorts, a vest without a shirt, and his bamboo hat resting on his back. Sitting down on the table, teasing each other in some way, Gaara noticed the chocolate and reached for a piece. "You can't have one, Gaara," Temari said. "You know they ruin your appetite."
"I'm made my special lunch too," Bleu said as she scratched Ichibi. Kyuubi growled from inside his cat cage since he was in timeout. She prepared several bowls of dragon turtle soup, her favorite.
"Yeah Gaara," Kankuro said with a smile before eating one. After swallowing, he blinked a few times before his stomach made a groan and he turned the most interesting shade of green. He rushed to the bathroom while holding his butt. Getting inside, he found the lid up. Trying to lower it, Kankuro discovered that Temari had charmed it so it would stay up until she broke it. Nothing to do about it, Kankuro could only hover over the toilet.
—oo000oo—
"What's the rush," Gaara asked.
They all stared wide eyed at the bathroom door when Kankuro shouted, "IT BURNS! OH KAMI IT BURNS!"
Gaara looked to the chocolate, picked one up, sniffed it, and then took a bite. "Gaara, don't…!"
Gaara blew a smoke ring out of his mouth and smacked his lips. "…Should've use hand of clock that points to three instead," Gaara said before getting up. "I'll help, kaasan."
"Thank you, Gaara-kun," Bleu said; trying not to laugh at Temari's flabbergasting look.
—oo000oo—
Din chanted and the circle of power before lit up before a gate opened inside it. It swirled a moment before a demon called a balor stepped through. "Disgusting creature," it said before reaching for Din. Only to touch the circle and getting that claw burnt. It roared in anger while Din scolded it.
"Now, now, no need for that. Can't have the key component of my work die now can we?"
"What? What work?" It then looked to its wings as they began to fall apart. The particles that made it got pulled over a set of daggers before they glowed and absorbed the energy from them. "No!"
"Oh yes, you will become the weapons of a dark knight," Din said to it before continuing. Soon, nothing remained from the demon but the memory of it. When it was done, several Dark Knights came and took possession of the weapons to finish their crafting. Din let out the breath she was holding and suddenly looked tired and ragged, her bravado gone now. "I can't believe I actually did it!"
"Heh. Always knew you would," Ayame said, leaning against the wall nearby.
"Ayame, I didn't expect to see you today," Din said happily.
"Of course," she said, hopping off the wall. Even after all these years, she still wore leathers but now they were decorated by trinkets she discovered on her journeys. At her waist was a magical rapier and dagger she found far from Uzu no Kuni. "I couldn't miss seeing the final test of one of my friends. But a balor? Isn't that a little weak for a dark knight?"
"It's going to one of the trainees," Din replied. "What's with the shield?"
"Oh, this? Got in on my first jump," she said, showing the Iwa shield to her. "How you been, I know you were shook up by that attack."
"That was years ago, I'm better now," Din said, waving it off. "I was more worried about Naruto-kun than me."
"And don't forget Konan," Ayame reminded.
Making Din scowl. "And that mangy cat as well…" Din and Konan were friends, really, but at times…it was like cats and birds trying to get along.
"Well, I better go see Naruto, Carol, and Yuki. Heavens help me if I come to Uzu and not see them."
"Okay, thanks for coming, Ayame-san."
"Glad I came," Ayame replied before vanishing.
—oo000oo—
Ayame appeared outside of the Uzumaki estate and walked in, not even being questioned by the guards. "Morning guys."
"Morning Ayame-chan," they said to her.
Ayame entered Naruto's home and called out, "Hey, I'm back."
"Neechan," Carol said from the next room before running to her to get a hug.
Ayame wrapped her arms around her and smiled. "You're getting bigger," she said before hugging her again. "Where's Yuki?"
"She's just in here," the six year old said to her before pulling her into the next room. There, playing on the floor was a toddler only four months old with white hair on her head. "It's so funny; tousan is worried that he'll only ever have daughters aside from Naruto-oniisan. Big sister Kushina, me, and now baby sister Yuki." She looked over to a picture taken over her parents and big sister over twenty years ago. The way Kushina held onto Deis and Rei looked exactly like how Naruto did.
"Hello Ayame-chan," Rei said when he entered from outside after training.
"Rei-sama," she said, bowing her head to him. "Carol-chan was just telling me of your worries that you won't have any more sons."
"Well, I do get concerned," Rei said with a wave of his hand.
Making Carol wrinkle her nose. "Daddy, your fur smells, go bath!"
"Heh, sorry, Carol-chan." Excusing himself, he walked away, tickling Yuki with his tail as he went. "Deis, my love, Ayame-chan is here."
"Thank you, husband," she said from her study. "And go bath, you stink."
"Everyone's picking on me! It's not my fault fur catches sweat." Rei laughed before closing the bathroom door behind him. Deis walked out, holding her spell book.
"Welcome back, Ayame, and how is your father?"
"He's good, he still thinks hard for anything he might ever want or need. I think he feels guilty for not having something to release you of your debt to him."
"Perish the thought," she set as she set her tomb on the table and picked up Yuki. "I will always be indebted to you two for how you helped Naruto."
Ayame laughed and replied, "I think that would just make him feel worse." She looked to the picture again and asked, "Deis-sama, what was Kushina like?"
Deis looked at it as well, a little sad. "…Kushina was a very wonderful woman. A bit of a tomboy as she was growing up, she had a bad temper when you got her riled up. You know, she was the great…great grandniece of the first Hokage."
"Really?"
"Really. The Uzumaki and Senju have been friends and companions for a long time." She sighed in remiss. "What would Hashirama say, seeing what his village has become?"
"Konoha isn't so bad," Ayame said. "It can't be if Naruto turned out as he did."
"It has its moments and bright spots," Deis conceded. "Seeing you, I can see her glory days still. Doesn't matter, you asked me what Kushina was like, yes? Hmm. She had round cheeks and because of the color of her hair with it, kids teased her by calling her a tomato when she was young. Very active girl, she got it from her father. She never liked to sit and study, she preferred to always be moving." Ayame started giggling. "What?"
"That sounds just like Naruto. He was the same way in school."
Deis smiled and gave a nod. "It's scary how alike they are. She also had some special mana in her hair. She could cause it to form chains that could restrain anything… I miss her so much." She sighed but smiled as Yuki started to fuss a little. "I'm here," she cooed to the child. "Ayame, Naruto is training with his sensei right now, he should be home soon."
"I'll wait for him then," Ayame said as she sat down while Deis went to feed the baby.
—oo000oo—
Naruto held his bokken, waiting for the next move to come to him but it didn't. "It's done, Naruto," Suzuka told him. Naruto pulled the blindfold off and saw a bokken floating in the air before him, ash covering the ground. Oddly enough, he watched as a design burned itself into the hilt. It was the Kyuubi with its head at the bottom and its tails spiraling around the bottom of the blade. His training bokken paled in comparison. Naruto looked to the one he held and took notice of all the dents and scratches. While he had put a fair number of them on it, a great deal more was from prior users. He also took note that some of the wood had begun to crystalize from mana use. "Give me your training sword Naruto." He held it out for her to take. "This sword has been used by every Spellblade from our line. My master used it; his master used it, as did his, and so on for over three hundred years. This sword was first made from a tree fed the mana of seven different people. It was made to have many different masters and to last forever. Eventually, it might even fully crystalize." She set it inside her obi next to her sword. "But your sword has only ever been fed the mana of one. It was made for you by you." She took a breath and began to recite the same speech her master told her. "This sword marks you as the guardian of those that stay behind. Of the ones that have been forgotten. You will stay in the dark as those that must guard against the darkness only can. You will walk the light as those that have sworn to defend it. You will have no guidelines except what we have taught you and know in your heart should you betray them, we will hunt you as well." She sighed and said, "Long ago, Spellblades were a type of guardians. Demon hunters that forsook all others to protect them. Even still, we follow no law but our own. And still we take care of our own, even if it means hunting them down to protect others."
Naruto nodded and stepped forward. He gripped the hilt and felt a connection to it that he had never felt from his previous sword. It was like it really was part of his limb. "…Cutter," Naruto muttered. "It's called Cutter."
"You already know?"
"No, it told me," Naruto said.
"It…told you? Naruto let me see Cutter." Naruto shrugged and held it out. Suzuka took it and froze.
"Uh…sensei? Are you alright?"
He face began to change into a grimace. "Now you…listen to me. I swear…if you ever cause trouble, I'll kill you," she said stabbing it into the ground. Forcing her hand to let go, she stepped back from it.
"Uh…sensei, what was that?"
She took a deep breath and smiled at him. "You magic formed a living weapon, Naruto. This has rarely ever happened, and only with the masters that were bound for greatness. I just needed to know its personality. If it was one that was bound to cause trouble, I would have had to destroy it."
"Why," Naruto asked as he took it. 'That woman is crazy!' Cutter told him.
"Because intelligent weapons are known to take control of those that wield it if their spirit isn't strong enough. But I was worried over nothing. This weapon was made from you and your personality. Even should another wield it, it will always do the honorable thing even if it is against what the wielder wants."
"Oh," Naruto replied. 'Whew, she had me worried for a moment,' the sword said in the back of his mind. "Wait, I read from kaasan's spell books that intelligent weapons are always…" He trailed off as he thought about it.
"Yes, intelligent weapons are all artifacts of great power. The sword of Dorogan is one such blade, allowing him to summon fire around the blade, the creation of a wall of fire, and the ability to detect undead creatures. This blade was made to hunt down the undead. I can only imagine what your sword can do."
"It…I don't know."
"Ask then."
"Um, right. Cutter," He raised the blade to look at it, "what can you do?" He could almost feel it bouncing up and down in excitement.
'I can do a few things,' Cutter said happily. 'In making me, you were worried about ninja, so naturally, I counter ninja. You will know of every person that comes within fifty yards and which of them means you harmful intent. And as we are now, once a day I can make a barrier that last for a minute. No chakra or mana may be used inside it besides your own.'
Naruto blinked in surprise. "As we are now?"
'Of course, we aren't done growing in strength, now are we? As you grow stronger, so too will your will and mana. Meaning I will grow stronger. Eventually, you will be able to make several barriers a day.'
"Ah. I know of everyone around me, if they mean me harm, and I can prevent the use of mana and chakra within a small distance of me."
Suzuka stared at him a moment, sorely tempted to have him show her but knew not to yet. "We shall end training today, Naruto." She bowed to him as an equal now. "You are a true Spellblade now. Do not think that your training is done, Naruto, for it never will be and there is much still I can teach you but now you are a warrior of Uzu."
Naruto took a deep breath and beamed with pride. "Thank you, sensei," Naruto said, returning the bow. "Will you be joining us for dinner?"
"I wouldn't like to impose, Naruto."
"Impose, I insist," Naruto urged. "I won't take no as an answer, sensei."
"So you're in one of those moods, eh? I guess it can't be helped. I will join you."
—oo000oo—
Naruto walked into his home to smell a scent that made his eyes widen and his mouth water. "…Kaasan, are you making ramen?"
"Nope, not me," she replied from her study.
"It's me, Naruto-kun," Ayame said from the kitchen. "Go clean up and I'll have a bowl ready for you."
"…Right away!" 'NO! I don't have a mouth!' Cutter complained. 'I want ramen too, damn it!' "Hush you," Naruto said as he went to his room for a change of clothes then the bathroom, leaving Cutter on the sword stand in his room. 'No! No! No! Ni! Na! Nanka! Don't leave me behind! I want Ayame-neechan's ramen too! …This is so unfair.'
—oo000oo—
"So, Bleu, your children are ready to fight then," Rei asked her a few days later.
"They are, Rei-rei," she said with a smile. "Temari is quite the little enchantress. You should see her control wind, quite impressive for only having studied for a few years."
"And would they be willing to go to the Chunin Exams," Aoi asked her.
"Oh yes, they are all itching for a challenge to put their skills to use," Bleu said as she conjured up a cushion to sit on.
Althor looked to his fellow clan leaders. "And are all your children ready and willing?"
"Naruto has said he will go. So has Konan."
"My niece has passed all test to be a competent mage," Sora Aoi said to them. "She has agreed to go."
Uzumaki Laylia pulled a folder from between the books she carried and said, "I have put in the proper paperwork and have received the needed forms and passports." Unlike most Uzumaki who had red hair, Uzumaki Laylia had brown hair. She was a mousy woman with glasses, green eyes, and freckles on her cheeks that would have been more at home in a library than her home. Which was alright as her home was more a library than a home anyway. She was wearing a long sleeve shirt and tie, vest, and dress instead of robes like most of the summoners. "I have the forms for a total of four teams. Three 'genin' and one 'jonin' each team." She handed a sheet of paper to Aoi, three to Bleu, and two to Rei. "Please sign these and choose a jonin for each."
"Thank you, Laylia," Rei said, reading over the forms. "…Bleu, these are wavers to absolve Konoha of responsibility should they die."
"…Deis and I will make contingency spells so that if they're ever hit with something that would kill them, they'll be teleported home," Bleu said as she read it over as well. "They do their homework. Laylia, I assume you read this."
She pushed her glasses back up her nose, "Of course. Konoha went through great care to make sure that any and all deaths, even those caused by their own actions, could not be blamed on them. Legally anyway. This would mean a Daimyo could not issue action against them."
"I guess it's good we don't have a Daimyo," Aoi said. Uzu no Kuni was ran by the council, no single leader could decide anything that affects the whole.
"Who will go with them," Althor asked.
"I would like to see any of you try to keep Kushina away," Bleu said with a smirk. "I would go as well but I would be away too long. The Bijuu needs constant watch. Sanbi and Ichibi are okay but Kyuubi… Even still, if someone was to try and take them, I could do little from across the continent."
"Uzumaki Deis," Althor said, "and… Velve?"
"No," Aoi said, shaking her head. "He has recently found a lead on the location of the Rokubi as well as the Gobi. He and the rest of the Pathfinders are scouting for them now."
"…I will," Dorogan said, making the others look to him. "Something tells me it would be a good idea for me to go."
"Two members of the Dragon Clan on one city," Rei mused. "I pray nothing happens to get you both upset. I pray but expect something will."
Dorogan stood and said, "Then I better go see if my armor will still fit after all these years. Only been fifty years since I last used it." Excusing himself, he walked away, his sword in its sheath behind his back, shaking.
—oo000oo—
"Naruto-kun," Din called as she flew to the docks, staff in hand. She was about to hug him when Konan jumped on him first.
"Naruto! Isn't this exciting, we're leaving home!"
"Just a little," he said with less enthusiasm.
"Get off him," Din growled.
"Nya, Naruto, saved me," Konan said, hugging his arm to her chest and giving Din a Cheshire cat grin.
"Do I gotta," Naruto moaned, seeing they were going to fight again. "Don't be too excited, I've been to Konoha."
"Ayame-chan lives there," Konan reminded. "I'm sure things will be fine."
"But Naruto is right," Din said, smiling smugly at Konan. "These are people that judge by appearances. These are ninja. We have to always keep our guard."
"That's correct," a man said as he dropped down behind them with a heavy thud, making all three of them freeze and stare at him wide eyed. "Hello children, ready to go," Ryu Dorogan asked.
"Uh…we're just waiting for kaasan," Naruto said.
"I'm right here, Naruto-kun," Uzumaki Deis said, wearing her robes and holding out a silk bag. "Here, everyone take one and put it on." Naruto reached in and pulled out a ring.
"…Magical rings of protection," Din said, looking it over. "These will increase our own defensive skills as well as our resistance to poisons and other such things."
"That's correct, Din-chan," Deis said. "Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari will already have some and no doubt other things. Once they get here, we will leave."
They didn't have long to wait as soon, a large flying carpet came zooming up. "…Well, are we going," Temari asked from a cushion she was sitting on with two fans around her shading her from the sun and fanning her. Kankuro was sitting cross legged quietly while Gaara was in his shorts, vest, and bamboo hat, watching the clouds.
"…EH! How can you abuse the gift of magic like that," Din demanded.
"…Because that's what kaasan does," all three said to her.
"Give up," Deis said with a sigh. "I have been losing this battle for over a thousand years." Nothing to do about it but go along with; Deis stepped on the floating carpet and sat down. And watched as a floating tray with a glass of wine came over to her. "I see she hasn't toned down the comforts." She took the glass and sipped from it. "Hmm. She always made the best wine. Vanilla with a hint of citrus." Naruto stepped on after her and was given a milk shake, followed by the others. "Well, let's go."
Temari snapped her fingers and said, "Forward, Jeeves."
"Yes, mistress," an air elemental said, flying them away.
—oo000oo—
Kotetsu and Izumo were standing gate watch on what they thought would be another boring day. Izumo had just started to yawn when Kotetsu started stuttering. "What is it?" He only pointed up in the air. Izumo looked up and dropped his jaw at seeing the flying carpet circling down. It stopped a foot above the ground and Deis was the first to step off.
"…IT'S HER!" they screamed while backing up into the wall.
Deis blinked at them and then smiled. "Weren't you two the guards that were on duty the last time I came here?"
"Y-Yes, ma'am," Kotetsu stuttered out.
"Good, this will go smoothly then," Deis replied. "Here are our passports," she said, collecting them up and showing them to him. "Here is the documentation to allow us to participate in the chunin exams as Teams Dorogan and Deis from the village of Uzushiogakure no Sato."
Izumo swallowed and took the papers. And his face grew deathly pale when he saw that was exactly what they were. "A-All s-seems to b-be in order, m-ma'am. H-How long will you be staying?"
"Oh, unless something happens, we'll be staying from now until the end of the Chunin Exams."
"Nya! Look at the size of this gate! They must be compensating!"
"It's unladylike to say such thing, Konan," Din shouted.
"Oh!" Konan smirked and looked to Din slyly. "And how would you know if it's improper, hmm?"
"Quiet ladies," Kankuro said, standing in his armor. "We can make jokes after we find a place to stay."
"Brother," Gaara said, his sand swirling around him a moment before jumping to his feet. "Lighten up. You going to walk, Temari-neechan?"
"Oh, I'm fine," she said, the carpet shrinking down to where it would only hold her.
"Is there a problem," Dorogan asked, chainmail barely making any noise as he moved.
Kotetsu looked to all those there and swallowed. Somehow, he didn't doubt that the other dragon was as dangerous as the other. "No." He quickly stamped all their passports and gave them back. "Enjoy your stay in Konoha."
"Thank you," Dorogan said as he walked through the gate, followed by Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari.
"I would apologize for my actions against you," Deis said to them, "but I am in no way sorry for them." She led the way in followed by her team.
"Hey guys, long time," Naruto said with a small wave as he went in.
When they were through, Izumo looked to Kotetsu and said, "Think we should've kept them out?"
"Not our job, they had the papers to go through. Leave to someone else so they can get smashed instead."
—oo000oo—
Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed as he went through a quick walk through the village. Life was a little lackluster now. All of Konoha's jobs out on the ocean have all but ceased. Uzu appears to be quiet for now but he knew appearances were deceiving. He knew that they were just biding their time until they were ready to make a very loud statement. "Old Man!"
"Naruto, how many times do I have to…?" He spun around and stared at a woren about four feet in height, wearing a red vest, white pants, a bokken resting inside his sash, and wrappings around his feet and hands, with a special pair of daggers at his sides. "Naruto?"
"Yup!" He looked happy a moment before glaring. "HYA!" Naruto gave the old man a solid right punch to his cheek.
"What was that for!"
"Lying to me," Naruto shouted back before hugging him.
"And that," Hiruzen asked more calmly.
"Caring enough to watch out for me."
"Hiruzen," a cold voice said from behind Naruto.
The Hokage swallowed the lump in his throat and looked to the one woman that scared him in the entire world. "Lady Deis, a pleasure to see you again."
"Stop with the bullshit," Deis said angrily. "We're here for the exam, that's all. You may get out of our way now." Hiruzen didn't hesitate, he stepped aside much to the surprise of everyone that watched. "Ladies, Naruto, let's go now."
She started away but Naruto stayed behind. "Don't mind Kaasan, she isn't as angry as she appears, I think. But if nothing else, I forgive you what you did, old man."
"…Thanks, Naruto, that…means a lot to me." He watched the boy head after his grandmother and smiled. Maybe things might get better after all.
"Konan drop kick!" The panther woren said, jumping out the side to get Naruto with a kick to the head. Making the girl with golden eagle wings shout at her.
—oo000oo—
Author's notes. I don't know if four feet is the correct height at thirteen but I'll go with it. Digi-cookie to the one that guesses who Uzumaki Laylia is modeled after.