Team Aeternum

Chapter 2: Instructions

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Enjoy!

Unbelievable.

Astronomy was a foreign concept in Konoha; I mean, does it really matter where the planets are aligned? Not really. But, it is conceived that the sun is really, really, really far away with plenty of obstacles in its way such as other planets, asteroids, rocks, etc. Not to mention the clouds, trees and buildings here on earth.

Despite all of those obstacles, the sun managed to bypass them all and somehow was able to score a ray of sunlight directly over the Nara's eyes as he slept in his room.

"Unbelievable." Shikamaru groaned as he sat up, not entirely satisfied with the way his sleep had ended. He groggily walked over to the window and closed the shades. With a yawn, he stumbled back into bed, burrowing his head into his pillow.

He smirked as he was just about to go back to sleep. His eyes were this close to shutting when his door flew open.

"Shikamaru!" It's time to wake up!" Yoshino Nara, Shikamaru's beloved mother, stormed in her son's room as loud as possible.

"Ugh, leave me alone mom." He moaned as he put a pillow over his head in an attempt to escape.

"Just like your father…" Yoshino grumbled before she removed the pillow from her son's face. "Today is a big day, baka! You're starting your first day in the Academy with Naruto-kun and Shino-kun, remember?" Shikamaru had no time to get a word in edgewise as his mother grabbed him from the shoulders and began to shake him back and forth.

Ah, yes. Today marks the first day of their generation's admittance into the ninja academy, where they will learn the fundamentals of being a ninja for the next six years.

Fun.

Nonetheless, Shikamaru opened his eyes and stopped his mother from giving him whiplash. "Fine, fine! I'm up! I'm up!"

"You should hurry up, Shikamaru. You're meeting up with Naruto-kun and Shino-kun before the start of class." Yoshino smiled victoriously before leaving her son's room.

He bristled. "I wonder if their mornings are as bad as mine…" The eleven year old sighed before getting ready for the day ahead.

xxOxx

"Tch."

There were very few things that could bother an Aburame. Pesticides aside, getting their sleep disrupted had to be number one. Despite the major annoyance the sun could bring at such an early hour of the day, it was there for a reason.

Unfortunately.

Shino contemplated whether or not to just don his sunglasses while he slept to bypass the almighty ray of sunlight that somehow managed to land right where his eyes were. With a groan, he decided against the idea and rose from his bed, popping his joints.

There was a knock on his door.

"Honorable heir, have you awakened?" A servant of the clan asked from the other end of the door. "I need not remind you of what today embarks, honorable heir."

"I am awake and fully aware of what today is. Thank you." Shino rubbed his eyes.

"We await your presence, honorable heir." The servant dismissed herself.

'The academy.' Shino processed the events from the day before; the news that they (Naruto, Shikamaru and himself) had been accepted into the academy. The three families (Aburame, Kizaki and Nara) held a celebration together that did not end until the twilight hours.

Shino yawned slightly before sporting his sunglasses. "Should be of no concern." He said out loud.

The Aburame was not being cocky, nor was he full of himself, but was instead confident in his abilities so far. For the past five years, he and his friends had been placed in a training regimen by the three families once the trio had spoken of their desires in becoming ninja.

The Nara clan was in charge of training the trio with chakra manipulation while the Aburame clan trained them in taijutsu, katas, and stances. The Kizaki family, surprising both clans, was very adept with physical conditioning such as strength, stamina, speed and flexibility.

They were more than ready, in Shino's opinion.

The Aburame got dressed and left his room.

'It begins.'

xxOxx

The sunlight was nice and bright as it snuck in from in between the shades. The ray of sunlight began to trace the bed, slowly moving upwards to the head of the bed before stopping where a pair of closed eyes would normally be, but instead was clear. The ray of sunlight almost seemed to be scanning the pillow before giving up.

No sunlight would be disrupting sleep in this household this morning. Why, you may ask? Simple really.

The members of this household have been awake since before the sun rose.

"Come on, Naruto! We need to clear these trees if we want to have the mine setup by next week!" Keima Kizaki, the man who adopted Naruto Uzumaki, called out to his son as he lifted a fairly large tree trunk and began to pile it with the others.

Keima Kizaki was young, his age being 24 years old. Years of physical labor in the sun gave Keima a surprising amount of upper body strength and a light brown tan. Standing at five feet nine inches, Keima was fairly tall for his age. His eyes and hair shared the same color; both being a dark brown, with his hair tied into a ponytail that reached his shoulders. As for his facial features, he had sleek narrow eyes, a smooth face save for the scar that runs over his right eye down to his cheek and the stubble he has around his jawline.

A true working man, Keima lives by the craft. Whether the craft are mining, fishing, hunting, blacksmithing or woodwork, Keima had proficiency for it. His biggest talent lies in alchemy, however. Using ingredients found in the wild – mushrooms, plants, bugs, etc. etc. –, Keima is a master in crafting potions and toxins for both local uses and combat needs.

The task at hand was simple enough; clear the trees on the newly acquired land to make way for home improvements and a mine underground for ores and gems. The trees will be used to not only upgrade the Kizaki home in size, but will also be used to make new furniture.

With Keima carrying the fallen trees off of the ground and placing them in piles, it was up to his wife Rei and his son Naruto to bring them down.

Keima's wife, Rei Kizaki (originally Rei Isigro) was older than her husband; her age being a comfy 27. Years of a regal lifestyle had graced Rei with stunning untarnished looks, poise and an aura of nobility. Despite what her appearance may hint at, she is no damsel in distress. Carrying devastating strength and near surgical precision in her strikes has caught many a foe off guard and in an early grave.

Rei not only had killer strength, but killer looks as well. Having luscious black hair that reached her waist in a smooth ponytail blended well with her thin – but built – structure. Her height was average at five feet five inches. Her eyes were a deep black, an extreme contrast to her white pale skin tone. Her eyes were full, yet regal like, her nose was sharp and her lips were a natural shade of pink. Her only bad quality (in her own opinion) was her lackluster chest size, a size B-cup.

Coming from a regal background, unlike Keima, Rei carries the polar opposite hobbies of that of her husband's. As she likes to read, drink tea and garden opposed to his hobbies of pranking, hunting/mining/fishing/etc. and manual labor. Rei would normally oppose manual labor such as "cutting" down trees; saying that it is a Neanderthal's job, but her husband asked her in the sweetest way possible.

"Rei-chan~ can I ask you for a favor?"

"What is it, dear?"

"C-Could you help Naruto-kun and I clear the trees off of the land for the mine?"

"Preposterous! As if I would degrade… myself… to… K-Keima! D-Don't give me that look, b-baka!"

*whimper*

"Aww… argh… f-fine, fine! I'll help you! B-But only because you look so p-pathetic when you whimper like that!"

Seems her husband found a way to control her. She'll have to fix that later.

Anyhow, Rei had a vastly easier time in falling the trees due to her strength. Using open-palmed strikes, Rei is able to take down foe and foliage alike using her clan's taijutsu style.

"Keima-kun~ you owe me for this!" Said Rei with an ironic sweetness as she downed another tree with her strikes.

Keima pretended not to hear her.

Naruto, on the other hand, did not possess his parent's strength, yet, and had to rely on an old axe to cut down trees. The axe was heavy, but nothing the blonde couldn't handle thanks to the intense physical training his family put him and his friends throughout the past five years. Thanks to the chakra manipulation training he received from the Nara clan, Naruto was able to channel chakra into his arms to slightly get more strength in his swings.

Getting to that level of chakra manipulation was no easy feat due to Naruto's unnaturally large chakra pool. His friends were way above him in the aspect of chakra manipulation, but as far as he was concerned, this level was acceptable for the time being.

He is only eleven, after all.

The sun had gotten bright when his mother called out to the blonde.

"Naruto-kun, go get ready! Today is the big day, remember?"

Naruto smiled with excitement as he swung the axe with more vigor.

"Okay mom! On…*thunk*…my…*thunk*…way…*thunk*!" Naruto chopped at the base of a tree rapidly before it collapsed.

His excitement was justified, for today was no other regular day. It was the day. The day he and his friends were going to start their ninja lives! Naruto embedded the axe on the new stump and made a dash to the house so he could get ready.

xxOxx

The trio, now accompanied by their respective fathers, all met in front of the academy several minutes before the opening ceremony began. The three fathers looked at one another before talking to their respective sons.

"Have a good day in the academy Naruto, show 'em what you got! I'll see you soon."

"All right, Shikamaru. Make your mom and me proud. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Good luck Shino, I will see you soon."

The boys nodded before entering the academy through the front doors.

xxOxx

After half an hour welcoming from the third Hokage, the students were all dismissed to their respective classes. Fortunately, the trio happened to have their class with one another. Moving quickly, they managed to snag three seats in the back.

Looking around the class, the trio found people they knew.

"Look, Kiba made it." Naruto mentioned to his friends as the Inuzuka walked in the room with a puppy on his head.

"So did Ino and Chouji." Shikamaru pointed towards the front of the class as they walked in.

"Hinata and Sasuke have arrived as well." Shino informed them.

Sasuke Uchiha, sole survivor of the Uchiha massacre, walked towards the trio, gave a curt nod and sat down in front of them. The trio had talked with the Uchiha regularly in the past and with the help from their parents, the trio managed to change Sasuke's plan for vengeance and instead changed it into a goal for information as to why his brother did what he did.

He still wanted to be a lone wolf, however.

Two men walked in, the instructors probably, and introduced themselves, signaling the start of the class.

Later that day

"That…"

"…had…"

"…nothing…"

"…to do with being a ninja!" The trio groaned as their first day at the academy was over.

"History…?" Naruto muttered bitterly.

"Chakra information…?" Shikamaru groaned.

"Mathematics…?" Shino bristled.

"Now, now boys. It was your first day. Surely it'll get better soon." Yoshino laughed as she and Rei took the boys out to eat once they were released from the academy. "Don't you think so, Rei?"

Rei shook her head. "I agree with them. They could be learning more practical subjects."

Yoshino rolled her eyes. "You're not from around here, right Rei-chan? What did you learn in order to become a ninja?" The older woman commented, going as far as teasing Rei with the nickname only Keima has permission to say.

Rei's eyes twitched, but she kept her calm. "I was born far, far west from here like Keima-kun. We came from two rival clans, the Kizaki and the Isigro. All we had to know in order to become a ninja was to either kill or be killed; any other subject was to be learned from the clan itself." Rei explained without missing a beat.

"You and Keima came from rival clans? How did you two even get together then?" Yoshino was surprised.

"That's another story for another day, Yoshino." Rei commented before ordering dumplings from the stand they visited.

xxOxx

Several weeks later

"…and that about does it for the history on the Land of Tea. Any questions?" Iruka, one of the teachers of the class, asked.

Iruka looked around the class and sighed when he saw the usual three sleeping in the back of the class. Before he could scream at them, however, someone knocked on the door before entering. The woman who entered walked towards Iruka and whispered something into his ear, surprising him.

"Really? Well then…" Iruka began as he snapped a piece of chalk into three pieces before launching them. "Aburame Shino, Nara Shikamaru and Uzumaki Naruto!" He called out as soon as the pieces collided with their foreheads, waking them up.

"You three will report with Uzuki-san immediately!"

The class looked confused, but not as much as the trio did.

"What?"

xxOxx

"Excuse me, Uzuki-san? Who are you and where are we going?" Shikamaru asked the woman before him.

She stopped walking and turned to face them. "My name is Yugao Uzuki and for reasons unbeknownst to me, I was chosen to take you three as my students. As to where we are going, I was asked to meet my partner, your second sensei, in a location outside the village."

The trio looked confused.

Yugao Uzuki, once a proud and formidable ANBU black ops member – now relieved of that duty due to an injury – stood before the trio with the help of a crutch. The crutch was held in her left hand to help balance her injured left leg. With long purple hair and stunning brown eyes, her appearance made for a pretty sight.

At the moment, Yugao was wearing a black sleeveless vest that exposed her shoulders, black combat pants with matching combat boots. On her right shoulder she dons the ANBU signature tattoo.

If it hadn't been for the etiquette taught to Naruto by both clans, he would have immediately asked what happened to her leg. The blonde, thankfully, did not ask; something she was grateful for.

"Let's get going, shall we?" The boys followed her once again.

Despite the crutch, Yugao managed to walk fairly quickly, surprising the boys behind her. From the academy, the group walked across the village towards the large gates that lead to the outside. After crossing the gates, the trio followed Yugao through the thick foliage away from the main road.

"This is perfect!" Naruto exclaimed as he pulled out several pouches and began collecting the various plants, berries, fungi and insects nearby.

Yugao raised an eyebrow at his antics while Shikamaru and Shino understood why their friend was doing this. After a year or so after Naruto was adopted, Keima had begun to teach him the craft that is alchemy.

The last time Shikamaru and Shino had seen Naruto's progress with alchemy was about two weeks ago when he accidentally paralyzed his father for about six hours.

Progress was good.

After filling up the many pouches he came with, Naruto smiled and rejoined the group. After five more minutes of walking through the forest, they reached a large circular clearing. The large circle was devoid of any trees – save for a large one in the center, - weeds and plants; nothing but short even grass. Nearby, one could hear the river towards the edge of the clearing as the water hit the stones lining the shore that connected with the clearing.

The trio was surprised to say the least.

"What is this place?" Shikamaru asked Yugao.

"I think this is our training ground."

"So you're not sure?" Naruto coughed as he looked around.

"It's not that I'm not sure, just that I have not heard of this training ground before." Their sensei explained before making her way to the tree in the center and sat down. Her students followed and sat down before her.

"Since we're here, why don't we introduce ourselves?" She suggested.

"You should go first sensei." Shino replied, to which the other two nodded.

Yugao gave an awkward smile. "Me? Okay, my name is Yugao Uzuki – you may remember that from before. I like swords, the color black and the nighttime. Someone else's turn."

She pointed at Naruto. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki! I like my friends, the color orange, being with my parents and alchemy. Oh! I also like to garden." The blonde then pointed to Shino.

Shino nodded. "Very well, my name is Shino Aburame. I am fond of my friends, bugs, sweets and reading. I do not have a favorite color, but I prefer warm ones."

"I guess that leaves me then, huh? My name is Shikamaru Nara. I like spending time with my friends, looking at clouds, sleeping, relaxing and learning new things."

Taking at as a cue, Yugao cleared her throat. "Nice to meet you three, but I am sure you have some questions – "

"What are we doing here?"

"Why us?"

"What's going on?"

The trio asked simultaneously, cutting her off. She smiled nonetheless.

"I know just as much as you do."

The trio sweat dropped.

"All I do know is that I am just one of your two teachers. I do not know why I got chosen, so I'm not sure as to what is going on here." Yugao took it upon herself to look a little coy in admitting that.

"So, we just wait?"

"Yep."

xxOxx

About two hours later, there was still no sign of the other sensei so the group took liberty in this free time to do whatever they wanted. Shikamaru laid down on the grass to look at the clouds, Shino was near the edge of the clearing looking for new insects and Naruto decided to sit down next to Yugao and show her his father's alchemy manual, where he put every possible effect an ingredient can have.

It was at that moment that the blonde decided that he liked his first sensei. She was nice enough to listen and patient enough to bear with him.

'I wonder who the other sensei is.'

Meanwhile in the area nearby

"So today's the day you talked about all those years ago." Shikaku Nara was the first amongst the group to speak up.

Shibi Aburame and Keima Kizaki turned to face the new man that made his appearance.

"It's best if I start early, you know?" The man grinned as he placed a hand on his chin.

"Do you think they are ready?" Shibi asked him.

He closed his eyes and nodded. "You did accomplish what I asked, correct? They have already begun their basics with chakra molding, right?"

Shikaku and Shibi nodded.

"Then they're ready."

Keima raised his hands in front of him. "Hold up. I was told a short explanation of this. I want a clear answer. What is going on here, Jiraiya?"

Jiraiya, member of the Legendary Sannin, nodded. "All right, Keima. Let me tell you the story."

"Let me hear it."

"Eleven years ago, Konoha was attacked by the nine tailed fox known as the Kyuubi. Eleven years ago, I was not present in the village when it was being attacked and by the time I had found out I was several minutes too late. I wasn't fast enough…"

An uncomfortable silence filled the space around them.

"…My student and Hokage at the time, Minato had already sealed Kyuubi at the cost of his own life. As you probably already know Keima, the only way he could have sealed such a beast was to use an infant…"

Keima sighed. "…Naruto."

Jiraiya nodded. "With the Kyuubi sealed away into his son, the village was saved, but at the cost of the Yondaime. I was moments too late and saw him pass away in front of me. In his dying breaths, Minato managed to tell me about the threat known as the Masked Man; the one responsible for the attack. He asked me to teach and protect his son in case the Masked Man was to return. I agreed and promised him that I would teach his son in the future."

He paused; letting it sink in to the others.

"So all of this was planned? Jiraiya, you saved Rei and I eight years ago and told us to come to Konoha, was that all because of that promise? What about their friendship? All planned?" Keima sent a barrage of questions, getting more irritated.

"It was pure coincidence that you met Naruto and an even bigger one that you and Rei adopted him. In all honesty, there isn't anybody more qualified to be his parents." Jiraiya explained while simultaneously cooling Keima.

"…So it was all…fate?"

"Some of it was. A year after the promise was made; I talked to Shikaku and Shibi here to form an alliance, so to speak. The plan was for them to simply train Naruto in the basics and in return I would train their sons alongside Naruto. But things didn't go as planned seeing as he not only got an extra father figure, but also became a part of the family to both clans." Jiraiya smiled at the Aburame and Nara.

"What can I say? Naruto rooted himself firmly within my clan. Everybody loves him there." Shikaku chuckled.

Shibi nodded. "He is quite charismatic."

"In the end…" Jiraiya began "…it works out better this way. If everything goes as planned then we'll be ready for any threat."

Keima narrowed his eyes. "So you're going to make them some sort of super soldiers? What will become of them then?"

Jiraiya walked towards Keima and placed his hand on Keima's shoulder. "I am not training them to become killing machines, Keima. Don't worry about that."

"Then what are you training them to become?"

Jiraiya smirked. "Legendary."

xxOxx

"How much longer do we have to wait, Yugao-sensei?" Naruto asked as he finished his set of push-ups.

Yugao had made the trio do exercise while they waited to pass the time. Truth be told, she was surprised by their stamina, particularly Naruto's. The blonde had more stamina than she had ever seen anybody his age possess.

Yugao was getting impatient, however.

What kind of ninja arrives late to a meeting?

'Kakashi-senpai, actually.' Yugao thought with a pensive look. She stopped herself from laughing.

Kakashi?

With a team?

Hilarious.

"I'm not sure, maybe a little longer." Yugao tried to reassure the trio, but found it difficult to belief herself.

She decided she did not like this other sensei.

As if by cue, there was a faint rustling on the trees before something landed before the group.

"A toad?" The group asked in unison. They then noticed man on top of said toad.

"Preeeesenting, the one, the only, legendary sage of Mount Myōboku, Jiraiya!" The man chanted as he did a strange dance on top of the toad's head, finishing with a flashy pose.

The group was stunned beyond words.

"I see that my fame is still present, but do not let your doubts get the best of you for this is not a mistake! I am the real Jiraiya!"

"J-Jiraiya of the Sannin…? W-What are you doing here?!"

Jiraiya chuckled at Yugao's disbelief before smiling lecherously. "My, my… You must be Yugao-chan, eh? If looks could kill, why, you'd be the best assassin there is!" Jiraiya closed the distance between them in less than a second, winking at her.

"W-What are you…?"

"I am here for the simple reason of being your teacher…" He pointed to the trio "…and your partner in training these kids." He finished with a grin pointed towards Yugao.

"W…What?"

"Obviously, you four are still in shock from meeting me. I'll say it slowly this time: I, Jiraiya, will be your sensei, kids. And I, Jiraiya, will be your partner in this, Yugao-chan. Understood?"

Their jaws were still dropped.

"Good! Let's begin, shall we?"

"W-What?!"

Seven hours later…

The sky had begun to turn orange as the sun set, and by that time, the trio had already collapsed on the floor from exhaustion. The training session was intense and unrelenting.

"That, my students, is chakra exhaustion; sort of an empty feeling, right? Anyway, this is what a majority of our training is going to consist of, so get used to it! Training your chakra reserves along with your chakra control is the key to being a successful ninja." Jiraiya explained as he drank sake from a cup. "Any questions?"

Yugao, now looking after the boys – making sure they were okay – spoke up. "I do. Why did you choose these kids? Why did you choose me?" She asked as her hand was on Shino's forehead. Her question was overdue considering her injury. The boys seemed to agree with her.

The older man nodded curtly, turning business-like. "That question is worthwhile an answer, sure." He cleared his throat.

"I chose you three…" He pointed to the trio on the ground. "…because out of all the potential pupils the village has, only you three exhibited the most crucial factor that makes a team; a bond. Having grown up together, you three possess a strong bond of friendship and trust, both of which can be the deciding factor in a life-or-death situation."

"That… That means you've checked on us before…" Naruto panted from the ground next to Shikamaru.

"Of course I did. I would never choose my students without having proper knowledge of who they were."

"Then how did you get that information, Jiraiya-sama?" Yugao asked.

"I have my methods. I have spoken to your parents about this three years ago, and each of them agreed to you three being my students."

"Then what about me? Why did you choose me?" Jiraiya smiled at Yugao's question.

"I chose you because I needed someone who was not only a pretty face, but someone who knew what they were doing. You were the most qualified person for this team."

"Surely you must have known about my injury, Jiraiya-sama." She sounded crossed. "I'm not part of the ANBU anymore. This feels like I'm being mocked! There is no reason as to why I would get chosen-"

"I chose you because I knew, despite your injury; you were not ready to just retire your life of being a ninja. You were a proud ANBU and a good one at that. I refuse to believe that a simple injury, no matter how crippling it was to you, would ever make you give up your career." Jiraiya's voice was stern and solid, not allowing for a single word in edgewise.

Yugao stayed quiet at the praise and knew that he was correct. She was not ready to give up anytime soon.

"This team, all of us, will be the best damn team there is. Got it?"

The group nodded.

Jiraiya smiled. "Then get up you three. Tomorrow we meet at six in the morning." He then vanished in a swirl of leaves.

xxOxx

The trio's training schedule for the next month and a half looked like so:

Starting early at six in the morning, their training began with cardio (running, climbing trees, etc.) for two hours. Already having some conditioning thanks to Keima, the trio did well in this section.

After the cardio, the trio was subjected to about four hours of physical training (push-ups, crunches, and the like). While tiring, the trio felt fine until they went against the final installment of their training regimen: chakra molding.

More frustration than actual training, the last part of their training lasted until sunset, where they would channel their chakra throughout their body to increase their control. The trio struggled in this last part for two different reasons.

On one hand, Shikamaru and Shino shared the problem of their somewhat smaller chakra pools. While they were able to channel their chakra more effectively, they ran short within several hours and had to wait for their chakra to restore itself. That was where their frustration came from.

In Naruto's case, the blonde had the exact opposite problems that his friends had. His larger-than-average chakra pool allowed Naruto to go for about three times longer than what his friends could and had a fairly short chakra regeneration rate. With such a big chakra reserve, consequences came along as well.

Trying to channel such a huge chakra pool proved to be a huge problem for the blonde, as he progressed almost twice as slowly as his friends. Not being that entirely patient to begin with, Naruto detested the slow progress.

As the weeks passed by, both Jiraiya and Yugao noticed the rate of progress. Something had to be done.

Luckily for the trio, Jiraiya had something planned.

xxOxx

Before the trio began their chakra control exercises one day, Jiraiya appeared before them.

"Okay you three; before you begin I have one question. In regards to the chakra control training, what problem is it that you possess?"

The trio looked at one another. "Shikamaru and I have a small chakra reserve that makes chakra control easier but hinders our progress in the long-run. Naruto has a larger chakra reserve than we do, allowing him to last longer than we do but hinders his progress in chakra control." Shino answered.

Their teacher nodded. "Right. Due to those complications progress has been on a crawl, which isn't a big problem in itself, but having you three in different levels of chakra control could get hectic later on." He explained. "To fix those problems, I present you with these!" Jiraiya held three slips of paper, each with different symbols on them.

"What…are they?" Naruto asked as he inspected them.

"These babies took me about a decade to perfect and they should help you three with your problems. I'll give a simple explanation so listen up…" Jiraiya began.

Using a fūinjutsu formula Jiraiya created and mastered ten years ago, he was able to create the first chakra reserve fusion seal in history. The seal – which is on the slips of paper – fuses the chakra reserves of those wielding the seal on their bodies, systematically rewiring and redirecting their chakra channels towards the center of those present. Since there were three seals in Jiraiya's hand, the three people who had this seal inscribed onto their bodies would merge their chakra pools together whenever they were within one hundred feet of one another. In return, those with the seals inscribed within them would have their chakra control equalized and would from then on share the same amount of chakra control as the others.

For example, if Shino were to spend the entire day practicing his chakra control both Naruto and Shikamaru would gain an entire day's worth of chakra control as well. To go even further, if Shikamaru were to join Shino in practicing chakra control, the effect is doubled meaning Naruto would also gain two days' worth of chakra control even if he did not do anything of the like. The benefits of these seals were extraordinarily beneficial, but the risk was great too. Jiraiya kept the risk out of his explanation.

"…understood?" Jiraiya asked as he finished.

For the benefit of Jiraiya's patience and the pacing of this chapter, the trio nodded before lining up in front of their sensei.

"Alright Shino, raise your shirt up so I can apply the seal." The Aburame nodded before slowly removing his coat and shirt. "Now, this is going to hurt, are you ready?"

Before Shino could even respond, Jiraiya slapped the paper on his stomach with a chakra embedded palm, transferring the seal onto Shino's stomach. He let out a gasp of pain before he fell to his knees then on his stomach. The newly placed seal began to glow a bright blue before it spread throughout his body then faded away. Pain was not close to being an accurate description as his chakra channels felt like they caught aflame.

Yugao flipped the young Aburame on his back and tended to him, a concerned frown adorned her face.

"Jiraiya-sama are you sure this is safe?"

The older ninja simply waved her off. "Your turn, Shikamaru." The Nara nodded gravely.

Shikamaru inhaled and prepared himself before Jiraiya performed the same procedure he had done with Shino. Shikamaru gasped out in pain as the seal transferred on to his body. Shikamaru's legs gave out, causing him to fall straight on his back. Yugao carried him before placing the unconscious boy next to his friend.

"Jiraiya-sama please stop this-"

"Yugao. Enough already." Jiraiya scolded his partner.

Naruto looked nervous but nonetheless removed his shirt like his friends did.

"Naruto, channel your chakra for me." Jiraiya ordered as he held the blonde's shirt for him.

"O-Okay…?"

Several minutes later of Naruto focusing, Jiraiya was able to see a big seal form in the middle of the blonde's stomach.

Yugao blanched. "Is that for the fox?" She whispered but got no response.

Jiraiya's eyes narrowed in concentration before his fingertips took on a blue hue. "Brace yourself, kid." He warned, before he struck the seal in several locations quickly before slapping the new seal over the older one.

"Agh!" Naruto screamed as he flew several yards behind him, landing several feet in front of his unconscious friends.

The trio's new seals began to radiate a very bright blue before the trio began to convulse violently.

"Jiraiya what did you do?!" Yugao yelled at her superior as she ran towards the boys, only to get stopped by Jiraiya.

"Just watch!"

After several seconds, the trio stopped convulsing before several tomoes began to form on their newly formed seal arrays; dark blue comma shaped figures on Shikamaru and Shino's and dark red comma shaped figures on Naruto's. Suddenly, the trio was covered from head to toe in a blue cloak made of chakra before it began to dissipate towards the area in-between the three boys. A sphere began to form as more and more chakra was collected from the trio, getting bigger and bigger in size and radius until it covered the boys and anything one-hundred feet around them. For the first several minutes, the sphere of chakra was a solid light blue, not allowing for the contents inside the sphere to be seen, but after a while, the sphere began to become lighter in color until it seemingly disappeared; revealing the trio once again.

"What just happened Jiraiya-sama?" Yugao asked before trying to move towards the boys, only to get stopped once again.

"It's not over yet."

Yugao looked at the boys again and stepped back.

From Naruto's seal array, a dark, blood colored energy began to pour out profusely before it gathered above the trio in a sphere – much like the blue chakra before it did. The sphere was massive for several minutes before it began to compact itself, becoming smaller and more dense. When the sphere became the size of a tennis ball it split into three different spheres –each the same size of the original – before they were each individually absorbed by the trios' seal arrays – one for each of the boys. Afterwards came an extremely large gust of wind that came from the location the trio was in, knocking the two older ninja back.

Then it became quiet.

Jiraiya and Yugao rushed towards the boys and were relieved to have found them breathing. Jiraiya laughed before placing a hand on his partner's shoulder. Yugao fought hard not to smile, but did so in the end.

"It is done… Yugao, alert their parents that their kids will be spending the night here." Jiraiya sighed with relief as he sat down next to the boys.

"R-Right." Yugao nodded before jumping out of sight.

There's a saying of how mankind can do anything; from the seemingly impossible such as crossing mountains and oceans to the gentle tending of a fragile flower. There have been stories of men, men who challenge the gods, but stories are stories; riddles that get lost with time.

But when legends are born, greater powers take interest. Whether from boredom or mild curiosity, new eyes – powerful all seeing eyes – tend to pay attention.

For a single man of stories told can't do much, but three?

Well, isn't that something?

"It is done." A voice so angelic and powerful it could bring the dead back just to hear it, gently called out.

"I'm sorry my goddess, but what is it?"

"The deciding factor is complete, Lydia-chan. The champions are up for grabs now." The voice said as the owner stood from her throne.

"I'll gather the scouts right away, Kami-sama." The current Champion of Heaven, Lydia, replied as she began to make her way out of the white chapel-like throne room.

"Lydia-chan, not just yet; we cannot rush this, for now we will just have to observe. After all, it is destined that they will come to us either way…" Kami smiled happily as she walked ever so gracefully towards a pedestal and opened a thick book before turning several pages. "Fate will bring them to us; either as enemies or allies is not of importance right now, for we will meet them."

Lydia nodded quickly. "I'll order our scouts to be prepared to intervene just in case those pieces of filth try anything. Better safe than sorry."

"Now, now, no need to be rude, Lydia-chan." Kami wiggled her finger in mock disapproval.

Lydia bit her lip. "Gomen, Kami-sama… but you understand that we cannot lose the new champions to that bastard devil king and his lowly followers."

Kami – her real name long disowned in place of her title – was beautiful without a doubt and as such had no flaws worth mentioning. Her white-silver hair that reached her ankles was bright, enhancing her deep blue eyes and her blemish-free pale white skin. Her lips were considered as soft as the clouds her realm rested on and had a natural pink hue to them that never faltered. Standing at a respectable six feet four inches, she was considered short by her predecessors. The true definition of beautiful. As for her attire, Kami donned an angelic white robe that exposed a shoulder and reached down to her knees where it parted, exposing her left leg.

She did, however, have some…quirks.

Kami frowned slightly, and that alone drained Lydia of her energy. "Lydia… Need I remind you that the "bastard" king you just insulted is my younger brother first and the enemy second? Please refrain from insulting him." Quirk number one: Kami, in all her glory, has a brother complex. A fairly large one at that.

"M-My apologies K-K-Kami-sama… Pl-Please f-forgive me…" Lydia begged as she fell on one knee.

Quirk number two: Not as much as a quirk as much as it is a trait that few could possess was omniscience, the ability of infinite knowledge and knowledge of everything there is to know.

'Oh, Author-kun, surely you have spent quite a bit of time on me…' Kami's thoughts echoed into the author's mind and engraved themselves in the chapter he was typing.

With a shrug, the author ignored her words and continued to describe the goddess.

Her third and final quirk was her self-conscious feelings towards her breast size.

'…What are you saying Author-kun…?' Kami warned mentally.

…Not the biggest size but not the smallest either. Nobody in her realm has said anything due to respect, but perhaps the fact that all the female guards having an A-cup breast size is not just a… *choked gasping*… co…coincidence…!

Kami smiled mentally. 'Oh Author-kun, you write too much…'

The author is fine, but moving on!

Kami laughed slightly, restoring Lydia's energy. "You are forgiven, Lydia-chan. Just please try to remember your place, hehehe.'

Lydia gulped at the semi-threat. "Hai!"

The current Champion of Heaven, Lydia, used to be a human – same as the champions before her. Losing her last name ages ago, she is known as the strongest warrior in the heavens and as such is Kami's most trusted friend, general of war, and guard chief.

Standing at an average five feet six inches Lydia is shorter compared to the habitants of the heavens. Her brown shoulder length hair was tied down to a ponytail matching her light brown skin. Her face was heart-shaped and blemish-free save for a scar that graced her left cheek. Her lips were full but not outward. Her time in heaven changed her eyes to a pure white color.

Being the champion of heaven meant having attire that demonstrated her title: a white angelic-plated armor designed to be effective in battle and beautiful to look at. The armor consisted of a white-gold chest plate that covered her breasts, shoulders, sides and back, but stopped at the navel, where her stomach was exposed. Her arms – from finger to shoulder – were covered by white arm guards that resembled the skin of a dragon due to the scales used to provide extra protection. Covering her lower half was a short armor-plated skirt that reached several inches before the knee. Her legs were protected from any and all attacks thanks to the white armor-plated leggings that resembled the dragon skin used in the arm guards, as white marvelous scales were used to add extra protection.

Around her neck was a pendant given to her by Kami, signifying her title as champion. The pendant itself was shaped to resemble the wings of an angel and as such the pendant always radiated a white light.

Lydia dismissed herself from the room and informed the scouts to be prepared to move at any moment.

For every story told there is always another side to it. A different perspective of it all; everything is the same yet different.

"It is done." A dark sinister sounding voice spoke. "The deciding factors have finally been recognized." The owner of the voice moved his hand and began to massage the bridge of his nose.

"Knowing her, she will use this as an opportunity to come and talk to me…"

"Maou-sama?" The Devil King's current champion Fero was confused over her king's discomfort. "What seems to be the problem?"

"The champions have been officially recognized, and I fear a meeting between myself and my sister will be unavoidable." The Devil King groaned as he made a fist.

Fero, concerned for her king, and possibly something else, attempted to raise his spirits. "Worry not, Maou-sama for I will be by your side in case anything happens!" Fero raised her fist with a confident grin.

Maou let himself smile at his champion's actions. "You have always been there for me, haven't you Fero?"

The champion of the underworld blushed but smiled. "H-Hai, and I shall stay by your side till the day I die, Maou-sama…"

"I appreciate your support Fero, thank you." Maou sighed.

"Shall I assemble the scouts?"

"No. They cannot rush this and neither can we. Destiny dictates that we will make first contact. For now, we wait."

"Understood Maou-sama."

The Devil King, Maou, definitely looked the part that his title exclaimed. Long black hair that remained unkempt covered his head except for the two yellow horns that protruded out the sides. His pale brown skin matched his sleek face with a pointed chin, sleek narrow red eyes with slits for pupils, thin eyebrows and a full bottom lip. His hands were thin, smooth and were topped with long black fingernails. Standing at an impressive eight feet ten inches, Maou towers over his subordinates with ease.

For his clothing Maou wore a black cape to match his title. The cape reached his waistline; it had layered shoulder armor and had two chains on the front, underneath the neck that connected both sides of the cape. Underneath the cape Maou wore a thin, long-sleeve black coat that covered half of his neck. The coat had a red lining in the middle that reached down to his abdomen where the coat spilt apart, revealing the black slacks he wore underneath.

Like his older sister Kami, Maou also had several distinguishing quirks to his being.

Despite being the ruler of Hell, his first quirk was the unease he had when his sister, the goddess of heaven, was nearby. His unease was not due to them being on opposite faction, no, for he did not feel his life was threatened when she was around, but threatened in some way he could not understand. Almost as if he were prey for some predator somewhere, but "strangely" enough, he only felt that way when his sister was near.

Like his older sister, Maou shared the ability of omniscience, where all information was known to him. Well, most of it anyway.

'Oi, what are you getting at?' Maou mentally asked.

The author continued without a hitch.

His third and quite frankly his most impressive quirk was that Maou had a hard time trying to comprehend a woman.

'Don't we all?'

With Maou focused on ruling his realm, matters of the heart, especially love, was foreign to him, ESPECIALLY THE FEELINGS OF THE WOMAN NEXT TO HIM.

'Hmm?' Maou looked confused before turning towards Fero and caught her staring at him. Fero stammered and turned the other way. Maou tilted his head in confusion.

An author can only do so much, unfortunately.

Fero used to be a human once, but that was before she was chosen to be the Champion of Hell ages ago. Known as the fiercest warrior of the underworld, Fero has retained her title from countless battles, civil wars and revolutions. Her time in Hell, unlike many others, has not changed her appearance, remaining mostly the same from when she was a human.

Having short hair as black as Maou's clashed with her tanned brown skin. Her face was sleek and refined with no blemishes save for the clean scar that runs from above her left eye downwards to the middle of her cheek. Her eyes were round and full, holding an ironic purity despite her title. Her lips were thin and had a shade of red to them naturally; adding to the traits that were changed when she was accepted into Hell were her canines – turned sharp – that could only be visible when she laughed or smiled widely. Standing at an astute five feet and eight inches, she was much shorter than those around her – especially Maou. Her time in Hell changed her eyes from a warm brown to a fierce crimson red.

Her title demanded respect and what better way for her to show her title than by the armor she wears? Fero's attire was forged, sowed and tailored to maximize combat compatibility and to show her rank as an elite. Made from a special type of steel that can only be found in Hell, her armor was extremely durable, resilient from attacks and also unimaginably flexible. The steel used was no ordinary steel as her armor moved with her body at a thickness of only an inch and a half. Despite being so thin, her armor could shrug off even the strongest of strikes as if they were nothing.

Her chest, breasts and sides were covered by the armor; colored a dark red was her chest piece, fitted with thousands of miniature scales that minimized impact and also functioned as a way to cut any foe that got too close. Her arms were covered by the same red armor that her chest was, but the scales were larger to diminish even more impact. Her shoulders were covered by black layered armor guards that could be used to deliver brutal shoulder bashes in combat. The entirety of her legs were covered by the red armor her chest and arms used, once again covered with layered scales to offer the best type of defense. Over her legs she wore an outfitted combat skirt that reached several inches before her knees; the skirt itself was short but durable. Her armor was made to fit the wearer as tight as possible to allow flexibility yet comfortable enough to move in.

Around her neck was the pendant that Maou had presented her when she first fought alongside him. Resembling a demonic eye, her pendant was the sign of her title and she held it proudly every day. On her hands were three rings that Maou gave to her after the first revolution that Hell had. Used for combat, the rings add extra strength to the one wielding them by placing them on the index, middle and pinky fingers of her right hand. She has yet to have ever removed them since she received them.

Just in case it was missed, Fero was madly infatuated with Maou, and every single attempt of hers to let him know went unnoticed.

But that is life, after all.

"WHAT…WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

The trio jumped up simultaneously from their slumber.

"Where… are we…?" Naruto asked as he tried to sit up but stopped when he noticed the wires that were connected to him. "Why is my body so sore?" He whined as he tried to turn his neck.

Shikamaru groaned. "Are we in a hospital?"

"I… I believe so…" Shino grunted as he and his friends began to remove the wires off of themselves, causing several of the machines in the room to go haywire.

"I think those things that Jiraiya-sensei put on us caused this. Great." Naruto nodded at Shikamaru's explanation.

The trio stepped out of the hospital beds and stretched, popping their joints and removed the tension from their muscles. They took one look at one another and sighed.

"Ha, you guys are wearing hospital dresses!" Naruto laughed.

"So are you, Naruto."

The blonde deadpanned as Shikamaru moved towards the door.

"I don't assume we can just walk out of here, can we?" He suggested as he opened the door to the hallway, revealing a young nurse about to walk in.

"Eh?"

The trio was quiet for several seconds before Shikamaru closed the door slowly as if nothing had happened.

…

"You three should not be up and about!" The nurse scolded.

"Gomen." They apologized from their beds, now fully wired once again.

"It shouldn't even be possible to move around for you three yet." The nurse replied with a confused tone.

"Nurse-san, how long have we been here?" Shino asked.

"Hmm… about six, seven days I guess."

"A week?!"

The nurse cringed, but smiled nonetheless. "I'll go alert the staff that you three awakened. Stay put!"

With the nurse gone, the trio sighed once more before removing the wires and stepped out of the beds.

"Yugao-sensei?" Shino looked towards the window, revealing their sensei climbing in.

"It's about time you three woke up!" She smiled.

Naruto looked around. "What happened to us?"

"It worked, that's what happened. The seals did the job."

The trio nodded slowly, only to look towards the door as the nurse from before walked in; Jiraiya right behind her.

"I'm serious, sweetheart. With legs like those, you could model in magazines!" Jiraiya flirted, causing the nurse to giggle.

The trio deadpanned while Yugao bit her lip to keep her anger in check.

Jiraiya looked at them and smiled. "It's good to see you three are finally awake." He turned to the nurse "Thank you sweetie, but I'll take it from here." He winked.

The nurse smiled before walking out of the room.

The older man tossed a bag filled with clothing to the trio. "I'm glad to see you three awake, but we cannot waste any more time. I need to get going in about a month and I would rather teach you as much as I can before I leave."

There's no rest for the wicked after all.

The first couple of days were different for the trio since they were getting used to the seals. Naruto found it slightly easier to channel his chakra while Shikamaru and Shino found it slightly harder than before. In return, Shikamaru and Shino found that they did not have to wait for their chakra to restore itself; a nice addition indeed.

The seals would end up helping the trio in their chakra exercises in the future, as they were able to easily mold their chakra. The progress was impressive, but that did not mean they could slow down.

Two weeks before Jiraiya had to depart; he had the trio find their chakra nature type by administering a simple test. As it turned out, Naruto's chakra type was Fūton (Wind Style), Shikamaru's was Katon (Fire Style) and Shino's was Raiton (Lightning Style). Having discovered their nature types, Jiraiya had them learn how to use them properly.

In the following couple of days, the trio's clones had begun to focus solely on chakra nature manipulation. Progress was slow, but that was to be expected.

The day Jiraiya had to leave; the trio was asked to meet before the front gates to see their sensei off. It was mid-morning, very cloudy and the feeling was somber.

As it turned out, the old man had gone and grown on the group, Yugao included.

"When will you be back, Jiraiya-sensei?" Naruto asked as a single rain drop landed on his head.

Jiraiya smiled the same way he had always smiled when they first met. "Several months, maybe even a year or two." His smile grew when he saw their expressions drop slightly.

"So you're going to leave them all to me, huh?" Yugao asked, trying to hide her somber tone with one of sarcasm. It didn't really work.

Jiraiya put a hand on top of her head. "You'll be fine, Yugao. Honestly, I expected you to be happy about me getting out of your hair for a while." He joked.

"B-Baka…"

He smiled as it began to drizzle. "I'm not leaving you guys with nothing to do, so don't get comfortable. The real training begins now." He tossed Shino a backpack. "Inside is what I want you guys to learn before I return, understand?" They nodded.

"I have high expectations for when I return, okay? Do not let me down." He ordered his team before pointing a fist towards them.

The group looked at his fist and smiled. The drizzle turned to a downpour.

The trio and Yugao raised their own fists.

"Not just a team…" Jiraiya began.

"…but a family!" They finished together as they bumped their fists in unison.

They stood there, waving good-bye, as the rain continued to pour heavily.

xxOxx

Taking refuge inside the restaurant the team had become regulars in, the team got their usual table after drying themselves off.

Yugao opened the backpack and began to remove the contents. Inside were several books, a scroll and a picture. The picture had all of them together, smiling as they stood against the tree in the center of their training fields. Jiraiya was in the back, his hand around Yugao's shoulder; from right to left was Shikamaru, Naruto and Shino standing in front of their taller teachers. The photo was taken the day before.

"There's something written on the back." Naruto noted as he saw the handwriting.

Yugao read it aloud. "The team that became a family." She smiled along with the others. She put the picture down and opened the scroll.

"Hello my students and partner! If you are reading this then that means I have already left the village (don't cry too much!) As you can see, I left behind several books…"

Naruto grabbed one and opened it, only to find it blank. "What the…? These books are empty!"

Yugao looked at Naruto then back at the scroll and smirked. "Naruto must have opened a book and realized that they are blank, right?"

Shikamaru and Shino shared a small laugh as Naruto grumbled.

Yugao continued to read. "The books are left blank until you place chakra on the cover. Depending on your chakra nature, the books will show different information. Inside these books is what I want you three to learn by the time I come back. The books are quite large, I know, but I'm going to give you three a hidden gem to help you out!" Yugao stopped reading the scroll when a separate piece of paper was placed in the way of the text. She pulled it out and saw that it was a hand sign.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Jutsu)?" Yugao read the name of the jutsu before taking a look at the hand sign. A pair of hands with both index and middle fingers crossed against each other.

She looked back at the scroll. "This jutsu is extremely beneficial for it makes solid clones that allow the user to gain the experience the clones received. For example, if each of you use this jutsu to make five clones each and have them train with chakra exercises, you would gain all the experience those clones gained! Sounds impressive, right? Just be careful when using this jutsu for it has a massive chakra consumption requirement to pull it off. I'm sure you three can manage what I want you to learn before I return. Good luck!" Yugao finished reading before she looked at the boys in front of her.

"Wow…" Naruto whistled as he looked at his friends.

"This sounds like a drag, but I'm looking forward to it." Shikamaru admitted with a grin.

"I agree." Shino nodded.

The trio looked at one another before they turned towards their sensei.

"When do we start?"

A/N: So what do you guys think so far? Is the pace too slow? I think it might be… Anyways, TIME SKIP NEXT CHAPTER – well actually a series of time skips as it shows the development of the trio's training, so look forward to that!

Please review.

Thank you for reading and as always, have a good day.

-TheRedGhillie