I am attending a family do this weekend, so rather than risk a delayed chapter post, I'm giving you this one early.
Disclaimer – Kishimoto owns Naruto and the characters therein.
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Memories Of Others
Chapter 9
Revelations Of A New Genin
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"When were you going to tell me that my old man was the Yondaime?"
Hiruzen stared in shock at the young genin, then he gathered his wits.
"Tell me what you've worked out and what you think might be, but are unsure about." He commanded.
"First, my parents were Uzumaki Kushina and Yondaime Hokage Namikaze Minato." Naruto stated. "I've seen a picture of him at the academy, draw whiskers on him and he looks almost exactly like me. Since he had enemies that are still around, they would almost certainly try to kill me to get to him, even though he's dead.
"Second, they both died on the night that I was born and the Kyuubi attacked. Somehow, I doubt that it was a coincidence, but I don't know for sure.
"Third, something happened to the Kyuubi at the Valley of the End when Hirashima and Mito faced off against it, something that kept it hidden until I was born. I can't help but think that my birth had something to do with it, but I can't make the connection, kaasan wasn't even alive back then.
"Fourth, the Kyuubi was sealed into me, how did dad know it was possible to do that? Has it been done before?"
Hiruzen held up a hand to stem Naruto's rapid-fire statements and questions.
"You have most of the pieces." Hiruzen admitted. "Your mother was the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi before you, but she was the second one. Uzumaki Mito, the woman who became Hirashima's wife, was the first, she transferred the burden to your mother when she was dying.
"The seal used on a female Jinchuuriki to contain the Biju weakens when she gives birth, which is one of the reasons why why your mother moved to a hideout outside the village walls when you were due to be born. We don't know what happened, but your parents died to re-seal the Kyuubi, leaving only you and no witnesses. My wife was helping your mother, but she was killed by whoever or whatever caused your mother's seal to break.
"I had intended to tell you all of this when you either turned sixteen or you reached the rank of chunin since either would hopefully mean you could learn it without instantly running off to shout out the news all over the village, alerting your father's enemies and getting killed as a result. Since you found most of it out, though…"
Hiruzen trailed off and Naruto nodded thoughtfully.
"Did they leave anything for me?"
"Not as much as you might think." Hiruzen admitted."Kushina was the last of the Uzumaki from Uzushiogakure and when it fell, all her family's wealth was lost, either destroyed in the attack or seized by the other villages. As for your father… well,the position of Hokage doesn't actually pay all that well and his custom kunai were relatively expensive, especially with how many he used, so your father never amassed a large fortune. There are several technique scrolls from your parents, your mothers Fuuinjutsu scrolls and a more… eclectic collection that your father owned, but most of those were damaged in the Kyuubi's attack. Fortunately, there are those who know your father's two most famous moves, the Rasengan and the Hiraishin."
"Can I meet them?" Naruto asked and Hiruzen frowned.
"Those who know the Rasengan or those who know the Hiraishin?"
"For now, the Hiraishin." Naruto decided after several seconds of deep thought. "While learning dad's attack jutsu would be cool, I think I should pay more attention to the technique that lets me escape to fight another day."
"Two of them are currently on a mission and it takes all three of them to perform the technique." Hiruzen said. "I'm afraid you'll need to wait a couple of weeks to see it in action."
Naruto nodded, then glanced at the clock and cursed. "Kuso! I really need to get some sleep, or I'll be late for my practice with Hinata-chan tomorrow and I have a D-rank helping team nine after that!"
"Practice? Is that what they're calling it now?" Hiruzen chortled as he lowered the security seals.
"DAMMIT, ERO-JIJI!"
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"Ah, Naruto! You have joined us!"
Naruto grinned nervously at Gai's bombastic greeting, then looked at the trio of genin staring at him.
"Tenten?"
"Hi, Naruto." Tenten replied with a smile.
"Ah! So you know this paragon of youthfulness!"
Tenten rolled her eyes. "Yeah, he came to dad's to replace his old bright-orange rags with something more suited to being a shinobi. He was with your cousin and her teacher, Neji."
Neji glared at Naruto for a long moment before turning away.
"And the mini-Gai is Rock Lee." Tenten said with a wave of her hand.
"I am pleased to meet you!"
Naruto blinked, wondering if he should try a genjutsu dispel.
"So." Gai boomed. "Now you are here, we can begin. We will finish our warmups while you set a series of traps on the route we agreed on, then I shall send my genin in to test their youthful prowess! While they are doing so, I shall help you find a taijutsu style of your own!"
Naruto nodded and summoned two-dozen clones. "Alright, guys. You know what to do."
"YOSH!"
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"It's done." Naruto said as he re-entered the clearing.
"That was fast, barely twenty minutes." Gai said with a slight frown.
"Kage Bunshin."
"Ah, of course!" The Jonin exclaimed, his face brightening. "So, my students, your task is simple. Make your way from one safe point to the next until your route brings you back here."
"The safe-points are marked by yellow ropes on the ground in the shape of a square." Naruto added. "There's also an arrow in each one pointing to the next safe point."
"Sounds simple enough." Tenten said. "Is that the first one there?"
Naruto nodded and Lee seemed to blur into the rope-marked area. "I see the arrow! It goes down the path!"
As the other two ran to catch up, Lee vanished down the path, only for a TWANG! to sound, followed by a yelp of surprise.
"Snare trap." Naruto shrugged at Gai's inquisitive look.
"I see." Gai mused, then he grinned. "It will be educational for them! Now, let us see about building a proper foundation for your youthful fighting skills! Show me your stances."
Naruto started to move through the Katas he had painstakingly learned under Ko's supervision and Gai frowned.
"I see that you were taught badly at first, but someone… probably a Hyuuga, has tried to help you correct it." Gai said. "However, given your body shape, I believe I have a better style for you to learn."
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"Son of a bitch!" Neji cursed as the trap he had carefully triggered from a safe distance with a thrown kunai triggered no less than three other traps in turn, forcing him and his team to dodge out of the way of three logs, a spray of shuriken and six eggs.
Neji blinked and grabbed one of the ovoids out of the air.
Yep, an egg.
"Naruto-kun is most tricky with these traps!" Lee exulted and he sprang back to his feet.
"Yeah, tell me about it." Tenten growled as she tried to brush the shattered egg out of her hair. "It's like he knows all the standard ways to disarm traps and has set more traps against those methods."
"Then we shall have to use non-standard methods!" Lee grinned as he stepped forwards, only for the path to cave in under his feet.
"Lee!" Tenten shouted as she and Neji managed to grab the falling boy's arms and drag him back. For a long moment, the trio remained motionless, then Neji glanced over the edge of the pit and frowned.
"Who fills a trap pit with… fish?"
"What?"
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Gai walked through the crowd of Narutos, correcting an occasional punch, altering the path of a palm-strike or adjusting a stance. To one side, the real Naruto concentrated on the crunches, jumps and push-ups that he had been assigned.
"No." He said, stopping in front of one of the clones. "You need to flow with this move, not… clomp. Like this."
The clone watched as Gai slowly moved through the four-stage Kata portion.
"Now try."
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"I'm… going… to… kill… him…" Neji panted, his normal reserve in abeyance as he knelt in the penultimate safe zone, his normally-pristine appearance marred by innumerable stains, rips, tears and other less-identifiable substances.
"He's… tricky." Tenten gasped as she re-tied the sting holding her shredded top together.
"How is he so youthful in the art of traps?" Lee asked, bouncing up and down as he prepared himself for the final stretch, ignoring the fact that he was missing an entire leg and sleeve from his spandex unitard while the torso resembled a net more than anything else, thus revealing that he wasn't wearing a vest underneath.
"I think… I've seen him reading a book." Tenten mused as she rose to her feet. "Something about traps by… who was it? Aha! Uchiha Madara!"
"He was renowned for his trapping skills." Neji stated. "There is a copy of his manual of traps in the Hyuuga library, the only book in there that was written by an Uchiha."
"And the traps it shows?" Tenten prompted.
"I… have not read it." Neji admitted. "But I will as soon as I get home. I will not let another day like this happen again!"
"Then let's go!" Lee shouted as he leapt forwards.
TWANG!
Neji and Tenten shook their heads in disbelief as Lee bounced up and down, suspended by his ankle.
"Has he hit every snare trap we've come across?" Tenten asked.
"Perhaps it is his fate."
Tenten gave Neji a shocked look.
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"Excellent." Gai declared as Naruto used the memories attained by his clones to flow smoothly through the first complete Kata. "You have done well… and it seems as though my youthful team has finished their training for today in the art of traps."
Naruto turned and his eyes widened at the sight of the trio of bruised, battered and disheveled shinobi glaring at him.
"I think I'd better leave…" Naruto said nervously as he saw Tenten's fingers twitching as if she was about to go for her kunai. "Thanks for the lesson, Gai-sensei… bye!"
Gai blinked as Naruto sprinted off, then turned to his team.
"So, my youthful apprentices," He grinned, "What lessons have you learned from this?"
"Naruto. Needs. To. Die." Neji ground out as Tenten nodded in agreement. "Painfully. And. Slowly."
"That… is not the lesson I was hoping for you to learn…"
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"Kosuke."
"Hiruzen." The genin replied as he sat down in front of the Hokage's desk.
"How goes Naruto's education?"
Kosuke blinked a couple of times, as if re-ordering his thoughts, before answering.
"The boy's an information sponge. I still have to dumb it down a bit, but nowhere near what his file says is needed. He also uses his clones to do research, all I have to do is mention a subject and he sends several clones to read up on it."
Hiruzen nodded thoughtfully.
"I've been mainly covering the stuff the Academy doesn't teach." Kosuke continued. "International politics and why they're important, non-verbal communication, the acquisition of information through various means, battlefield psychology… and I'm going to have to seriously hurt the Academy Councillor for telling Naruto that he'd probably enjoy killing because he's a monster."
"I'll help." Hiruzen growled.
"Anyway, right now, Naruto could probably pass for Chunin in the non-physical aspects. I'm not certain about his physical skills, though."
"Maito Gai has begun teaching him a new style, Hyuuga Ko occasionally drills him in the Academy Style, the proper forms, and he spars with several of the teams." Hiruzen supplied, causing Kosuke's eyebrows to shoot up.
"Really? My Kohai is growing stronger, then. That's good."
Hiruzen hid a smile at Kosuke's declaration. "You know, there is a pile of mission requests for you building up."
Kosuke shrugged. "Give me the rest of the week on the Wall and I'll start looking at them again."
"He's impressed you that much, has he?" Hiruzen chuckled, then the amusement vanished. "Any idea how he found out about who his parents were?"
Kosuke blinked as he carefully considered his answer.
"Well," He began, "Part of it is that I have, as I mentioned, been teaching him how to acquire information…"