Puppets of the Leaf
Ch 12
By Riotv2
Naruto was currently sitting in a hospital bed, fiddling with the senbon shooting mechanism within his fox-like puppet's head. It was a mindless task, something to take up his time, while he thought back over the three intense fights he had just participated in mere hours ago. All of his puppets had preformed beautifully, even his newest puppet, which he had yet to come up with a suitable name for, had, far, surpassed his expectations.
Now he was recovering from his match against Neji, who was also sitting in a bed near the window, waiting for Sakura to finish making an antidote for the paralyzing toxin he had been hit with. Naruto had assured him that he would recover with out it, but the white-eyed boy, was far too impatient. Besides, Naruto got the impression that he made Neji a little uncomfortable.
'Sore loser…'
At this point both of their attentions had been drawn to the door, as it slowly opened to reveal the only other member of the Hyuga clan Naruto had ever had any sort of contact with.
"Hinata-chan!"
The girl 'eeped', and went stiff as she met his gaze. She began to press her fingers together and slowly inched her way into the room.
"N…Naruto-kun, N…Neji-ni-san…"
"Ni-san?"
"H…Hai…Neji-ni-san…is…m…my c…cousin."
Naruto had to strain to hear what she was saying. The poor girl had always been pretty shy, and fidgety, though he couldn't figure out why. Still, she seemed nice enough, and she had never treated him badly, nor put down his puppets, and, he had to admit, she had impressed him during the prelims, with her sheer guts.
He definitely counted her among her friends.
"Ohh, I get it, so you just came to visit him?"
"H…Hai…Neji-ni-san…F…father wished…that I inquire…as to when you will be able to…resume…h…helping me…train."
Neji seemed to stiffen at the mention of her father. "I will be able to leave the hospital soon, and then I will report to the compound immediately."
Hinata, nodded, and both boys expected her to turn and leave the room as quickly as possible. So both were, of course, confused when she remained in her place, looking at the ground.
Then Neji understood. "What else does he want to know?"
Hinata seemed to shrink. "He…he wanted to know w..why…y…you were…"
"…why I was sent to the hospital?!"
The edge that had crept into Neji's voice almost seemed to cause Hinata pain, something that Naruto couldn't sit by and let pass.
In response to her question, Neji looked pointedly at his blonde roommate, in time to get hit in the face with Naruto's pillow.
His face burned with anger as he stared at the laughing puppet user.
"Ohh just knock it off Neji. It's not her fault I kicked your butt."
Hinata's gasp was loud enough to hear in the hall.
"I'm not the only one who was put in the hospital…but I'll be glad to make your stay more permanent!" Neji began to rise, and was stopped as the door opened again.
Sakura walked into the room, followed by an older man in a white coat. He had graying hair and small glasses on his nose.
"Now, now…both of you stop that." He had a gentile voice, and was one of the few doctors in the hospital who didn't treat Naruto like a monster. A fact that the boy was highly grateful for with the others around.
He nodded to Sakura, who had filled a syringe with the clear liquid from the vial. She proceeded to inject it into Neji's arm, and within minutes he could feel the lethargy begin to lift off him.
"That should do it." Sakura said confidently. "You can go now if you want. You should be good as new soon enough."
Without even acknowledging anyone else in the room, Neji stormed out. Hinata began to follow him, but stopped as she looked at Naruto. "Um…a…ano…but…what did…um…why…"
Naruto looked at the struggling girl and knew what she wanted to ask.
"He just did something to my chakra system. Some technique that hit me a lot of times all over…um… I think it was called…"
"The sixty-four Palms!?"
All eyes now looked at the white-eyed girl as she stared at Naruto in awe.
"Y…yea… that was it." He absent-mindedly rubbed a small chakra burn on his arm, one of many that he had received as a result of the devastating technique.
Silence reigned in the room for a moment before the doctor took pity on them all.
"Anno, Hinata-sama, but shouldn't you be hurrying along after your cousin. I'm sure that your father is eager to resume your…training."
The mention of the girl's father was enough to snap Hinata out of her stupor. She made her way towards the door, and before closing it after her, paused to take another shy look at the target of her admiration. 'Naruto-kun…he managed to beat Neji-ni-san, even after being hit by 'that' technique.'
The realization firmly cemented his strength into her mind, even if she already knew he was strong before, now she had something with which to measure herself. She knew full well what that technique did. In fact it had been the sole focus of her training for the first week of the break, followed by the Kaiten.
Both of these techniques were the staple of the Main Branch, even though Neji had somehow learned them both on his own. A fact that had been made painfully clear during their first sparing session.
After the girl had gone, the Doctor shook his head sadly. "That poor girl."
Naruto shifted his attention to the man next to him. "What do you mean?"
"Naruto, Hinata has been going through some very…intense…training with her father and cousin." Sakura stood next to her teammate.
"How intense?"
"…" When no body answered right away, a sense of dread overcame him, and it was over a minute before Sakura could muster up the courage to speak.
"She's been brought to this hospital unconscious three times since the prelims ended."
The shock was so severe it was all he could do to keep from rushing out the door after his friend. The urge to protect his precious people, even from their own fathers, was overwhelming, and the other two in the room could feel it coming off of him clearly in the form of a potent killing intent.
The doctor placed a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently. "Naruto, I understand, but Hinata-sama has asked us not to interfere. She wants to handle the situation with her family on her own, and I agree, albeit reluctantly, that she should."
When they both looked at him for an explanation, he had to remind himself that despite their skills, they were still just emotionally driven teenagers. "You've noticed that she has a certain lack of confidence? Well, taking the full brunt of this training, as she has been, and benefiting from it, will help to prove herself to her family and will also serve to instill a sense of self worth. She needs this to be able to face them on their own terms." He shook his head. "Those kinds of clan politics are always so confusing, and mostly pointless to us outsiders."
After another moment, he again focused on the two children before him and smiled. "Ohh well no use in dwelling on it. Let's take a look at those chakra coils. Sakura…what is the first step in repairing this type of injury?"
She smiled and after a few seals, both hands were covered in a soft greenish blue glow.
Naruto was unsure as to how he should proceed with his training for the remainder of the month. Sakura was continuing her training at the hospital, and flourishing, if the treatment he received from her was any indication. He had been immediately released after she was done, and after the other doctor checked her work on him, pronounced that he could continue training when ever he wished. Sasuke had all but disappeared, but Naruto figured that he would be busy with Kakashi-sensei.
For now, Naruto was on his way to collect his puppets from the old man's shop, where he had asked Tenten to bring them after their fights. As he walked into the building, a bell rang above his head to herald his entry, the old man, Busho, stuck his head out from the back of the shop.
"Ahh Naruto…I've been expecting you." He disappeared for a second, and reappeared with Blade slung over his shoulder. Tenten followed him, with his white-covered new puppet. "I've taken the liberty of repairing the damage to these, I'll put it on your tab, and restocking the weapons in Blade and Kunoichi."
"Thanks, I promise I'll pay you after the exam. I haven't exactly been able to take any missions lately." He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.
"Bah, forget it. I know you're good for it." Tenten went back to retrieve Kunoichi from the back room and when she came back to the front with it, she was glaring at Naruto, as if she had just remembered why she had wanted to pummel him when she first saw it.
"Now calm down Tenten. I told you the strategic advantages of that puppet. Naruto didn't have any other reasons in mind when he built it. Did you Naruto?"
Said blonde began to frantically wave his hands before him. "N…no way! She…IT…was just meant to be a distraction that's all, I swear!"
Busho laughed. "It certainly had an effect on the rest of your team."
In a huff, Tenten stomped out of the shop, slamming the door behind her.
Naruto flinched at the bang and the shop owner laughed again. "Don't mind her. She'll get over it. By the way, I've been meaning to ask you who your opponent for the finals will be."
It took him a moment to remember, and when he did, he suddenly became very nervous about the prospect.
"He's from Suna…" At the mention of the Sand village, Busho stopped what he was doing and turned to the boy. "…Sabaku no Kankouro…he…he's a puppet user…like me."
"I see. You watched his fight during the preliminary rounds?"
Naruto nodded.
"How many puppets did he use?"
He thought back over the Suna Nin's fight with Shino. "He only used one. And it didn't look like he had it in a scroll or anything. I think he keeps it bundled up on his back."
Busho nodded. "Ok so it's probably safe to assume that he only had that one with him, if he even has any others at all. Did you see its capabilities?"
Naruto nodded his confirmation. "It used a lot of poison. He even got Shino with it, and had to give him an antidote. It was how he won the match."
"He traded the antidote for the victory? Then it's safe to assume that he'd do it again."
Silence reigned for a moment. "You know…if you could get some of that antidote, then you could eliminate that particular threat…" Naruto's eyes lit up. He knew just who he could ask. Working at a speed that actually impressed the shop owner, Naruto quickly resealed all of his puppets in their scroll, and made his way to the door.
He was about to rush out of the shop, but was stopped by the old man. "Hey, one more thing."
The boy turned in time to catch a small bundle that had been thrown at him. "My daughter told me about her match with you. So I put that together for you, consider it a gift, but…if you don't get promoted, I'm putting it on your tab."
Too excited to even look in the bundle, Naruto took off out the door thanking Busho as he went. The old man just shook his head with a sly grin. 'Give'em hell kid.'
Naruto stopped at his destination, gasping for breath. He had run all the way there from the weapons shop, which was on the other side of the village. Shakily he reached up and rapped on the door before him. Within moments the door cracked open, and a somber monotone voice spoke out of the opening.
"May I help you…?"
Naruto was just relieved to find that voice wasn't filled with contempt for him, and so eagerly answered.
"Yea…um…is Shino home?"
The final week of the break seemed to fly by for Naruto. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of either of his teammates since paying another visit to the hospital, not as a patient, to see Sakura about something, after his visit with the bug using clan.
Since then he had spent his time training, against his clones, now using three puppets at once, and was getting better about keeping track of them all in the fight. He knew it was just something he could only learn through experience, and so wasn't too hard on himself when he forgot to press an advantage with one while concentrating on the others.
Finally, it was the night before the exams, and Naruto returned home just as the sun was setting, unlike when he would usually fall asleep at the training grounds. Tonight, though, he was determined to get enough sleep so that he could be at his best for the exam. His three consecutive matches against Gai's team had shown him what to expect from the tournament style test, and he knew he'd need all the rest he could get.
As he was about to turn in for the night, he heard a light tapping at his window, and went to see who it was. Most people would be a little wary of someone coming to the widow instead of the door, but in a hidden ninja village like theirs…it was more common place than using the door.
What did surprise him though was finding Kakashi-sensei sitting on the side of the building, reading his book, with his sword leaning up against the wall, at ground level below them.
"K…Kakashi-sensei…?"
"Yo…I wanted to see how your training had progressed."
"It went great, wait till you see my new puppets…"
"I'm sure I'll be pleasantly surprised, Naruto, and I'm glad to see you calling it an early night for once."
"Yea…hey how'd the teme's training go?"
Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. "You'll have to see for yourself. Just remember you don't have to kill each other to win a match. You are still teammates."
"Hai, hai, I know that, I won't hurt him too badly."
The comment elicited a slight chuckle from the man. "I heard about your fights with Gai's team. Thanks for not losing; I never would have heard the end of it."
Naruto smiled faintly at the joke. "Hey Sensei…am…am I ready? To become a Chunnin I mean."
Kakashi closed his book. "Naruto…I'll admit that when I first nominated you for the exam, it was so you three could gain the experience. Rookie teams who are entered rarely get promoted in their first exams."
Naruto's shoulders fell as if he'd been expecting that answer.
"More than that though…my own sensei nominated us as rookies, and I was promoted, but we all grew so much from the experience. We learned so much from the exam, that my teammates never regretted going through it. You've already gotten much stronger as a result right?"
This lifted Naruto's spirits slightly, but it was the mention of Kakashi's sensei that reminded him of a question he had been wondering about since overhearing the Jonin talking to the memorial of hero's.
"What was he like…your sensei?"
Kakashi smirked under his mask. "Minato-sensei was a great man…a hero to everyone in the village. He was greatly feared by his enemies, and loved by those who called him friend."
Kakashi seemed to draw in on himself while he talked.
"What kind of ninja was he? What did he specialize in?"
Kakashi quirked his eye at the boys question. 'Could he…no there's no way he could know about sensei.'
"He was a ninjutsu type. He specialized in using common jutsu in surprising ways, and he was always creating new jutsu. He was truly unpredictable."
Naruto smiled, he liked the man already.
"How did he die?"
Kakashi hesitated. "He died protecting the village…from the Kyuubi."
Slowly, Naruto's hand went to his stomach, as it often did whenever someone mentioned his prisoner.
"I'm…I'm sorry sensei…"
Kakashi looked at him squarely. "Why? You didn't attack the village. Naruto I know that a lot of the village chooses to blame you since it's the closest they can get to punishing the demon… but always remember…you are not the demon fox. You are the one who is keeping him from getting out and attacking again."
Naruto nodded. He knew what Kakashi was saying was true, but still…he felt sad for the loss of not only Kakashi's own sensei, but also Iruka-sensei's parents. When he was young he lived in a very crowded orphanage. How many of those children were there because of the monster sealed within him.
As he thought this his hand balled up into a fist and he felt a distinct anger which he hoped the demon could feel.
"Don't worry sensei…this monster will never harm our village again. I promise."
Kakashi nodded. This wasn't what he had intended by coming here. He just wanted to see that his students were as prepared for tomorrow as they could be. Before he took his leave he thought about Naruto's first match.
"I never doubted that. Ohh, I know I haven't been much help to you in your training…" He held up a hand to forestall the protest from leaving Naruto's lips. "…however I have some advice for you if you want to hear it? Tomorrow you are going to be fighting Suna's puppeteer right?"
Naruto nodded.
"I've done some checking up on him. He's supposed to be their newest prodigy when it comes to puppets, and it is hopped that he will revitalize the art in Suna. He follows the traditions of the Puppet Corps very closely." Kakashi's words weren't exactly instilling confidence in his student. "That is his weakness."
"Huh? W…weakness?"
"Naruto you have been studying the puppetry techniques of Suna for a long time…you know how they fight. So why not show him how a puppeteer of the Leaf fights."
Naruto's eyebrows came together as he started to understand.
Kakashi stood up, which now put him completely horizontal on the wall.
"Naruto…the most dangerous type of ninja are the ones you cannot predict."
With that he, and his sword, vanished.
Naruto closed the window and sat on his bed. His eyes wandered to the large stack of scrolls sitting on a shelf across the room, the only semblance of cleanliness in the room.
He started thinking back on everything he had ever read about the tactics of a puppeteer.
"'…One you cannot predict…'" He had heard something similar, once, back when they had first encountered Zabuza in the Wave.
"That 'bake' is the Leafs number one unpredictable knuckleheaded ninja…"
Naruto rose from his bed and took one of his new scrolls of the stack. The one detailing a theory that Chiyo had come up with. A fox-like grin appeared on his face.
"He'll never expect this."
In a blur of movement, Naruto grabbed Blade, and his toolbox and set to work.
AN: ok this was a very short filler chapter, but I thought it was important to get that scene with Kakashi in. Sorry it's been so long, but my computers been down for a while.
What did you all think of his fight with Orochimaru in the last chapter? Please Read and Review.
Next Chapter: The finals begin!! We see the results of everyone's training. I'm especially looking forward to the reactions to Garra vs. Hinata. *grins evilly*
