Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

"Naruto" – Speaking

'Naruto' – Thoughts

Naruto – Flashback

Naruto – Jutsu

Spiraling Comet of Konoha

Spoils of Shinobi

Previously on Spiraling Comet of Konoha,

"Jake Bunshin no Jutsu?" The Genin were understandable but it was how this new Ninjutsu style had gotten the Jonin amazed and interested that really made a difference. It is not every day that someone invents a completely different, separate style of Ninjutsu. Everyone thought that all the styles were already made. In fact, more people had made Jutsu under those styles since that is much easier.

But then again, there was still that duel between Naruto and Kiba left unsettled. And Naruto continued by taking out a bunch of kunai to send flying towards Kiba. The dog boy managed to jump and dodge but Kiba then found himself surrounded by some kind of fog. But that wasn't the worst. Kiba then felt like some kind of sharp whip had hit him in the stomach. "Suiton: Mizurappa!"

"What!?" Kiba couldn't believe what just happened and it happened so suddenly that he had to let his guard down. That could explain how he felt really bad around the bruising from that Jutsu.

"What? Taijutsu and weapons are out and now it is time for Ninjutsu." Kiba then realized that he had lost sight of Naruto and could only hear his voice throughout the mist. "And what do you think of the Kirigakure no Jutsu? It is a memento of a friend that I lost a while ago."

'Keep talking…I will find you in this stupid mist…' Kiba thought to himself and saw something of the right shape to be, "Gotcha Dobe!" Kiba lunged and pierced what he thought to be Naruto and instead, the sound of water splashing into flesh bouncing on the ground. Kiba growled that he only hit the Mizu Bunshin that Naruto had made through that Jake Bunshin style.

If only he had paid more attention, then Kiba would have noticed that the water from the Mizu Bunshin had suddenly and somehow receded in another direction. 'Just where is the dobe!? I can't get his scent and Akamaru…'"AKAMARU!" Kiba then realized at last he couldn't find is partner but also didn't realize until too late that he had given himself away to the creator of the fog; Naruto himself.

"Suiton: Mizuankashindou!" Kiba felt like he some sea animal hit by a ship's anchor falling to secure it at the sea floor. It sent the dog trainer Shinobi away several feet with an even worse bruise than the last Jutsu.

'Dammit!' Kiba cursed to himself, actually learning something from all this. 'My senses are useless here and I can't call out to Akamaru without alerting the Dobe to where I am.' Kiba tried to think of a way to move around this disadvantage of his. 'But…if I leave this fog…' Kiba thought to be a good idea and hurried as silently as he could to exit the fog.

And when he managed to leave it, Kiba tried to turn back and see if he could find his partner. But he never counted on a white chain appearing from outside the fog and piecing him! But instead of pain, Kiba felt a little dizzy and weak in his balance. That was prevented him from easily being dragged back into the fog and right into Naruto!

"That was just a dandy idea but you made yourself an easier target without the fog to hide in. That was your latest mistake Kiba." The said boy could only see faintly that Naruto had his Kaze Jake Bunshin to be the source of the white chain, like the tongue of a frog or a snake. And then there was the anchor made of water that surrounded Naruto's opposite fist coming at his face, with Kiba barely able to stop it from reaching him.

"I win."

Those two words weren't going to be the last Kiba will hear. It was the ones after his accelerated heart beats rose again, after the whimpering of a puppy and the shackling of chains. Without his partner to back him up, his body betraying him, Kiba felt like even his own spirit was leaving him high and dry. He couldn't fight anymore. "I lose. "

Those words were low and yet peaceful which matched how Kiba felt like his spirit was forced out of his body in a burst of a sensation didn't feel like pleasure or pain. That was the sensation of losing conscious. And yet Kiba never saw what could have given him hope to fight further; Akamaru racing for him with a desperate look on his face. That was the source of the whimpering after all.

"Akamaru was fine all along!?" Kiba shouted from his bed in the hospital room. After being admitted and treated, Tsunade gave the verdict to Team Eight the Inuzuka Clan. Kiba only got several, non-fatal cuts around his body, a swollen cheek and a temporary imbalance flux in his chakra system. Meanwhile, Akamaru wasn't harmed at all.

"Yes Kiba. We know because Naruto was the one to comfort your partner when you lost and went into unconsciousness. Who do you think got here in the first place?" Sakura said with annoyance, and also taking inspiration from the annoyable doctor act that Tsunade shown when she took command of the Konoha Hospital.

"I can't believe it." Kiba then huffed and ignored Sakura after being verified on that first sentence. "If I've known that then I would have fought back. The dobe cheated." Kiba muttered before getting hit in the eyes by Akamaru. Then the two started a little boy-to-dog conversation. "What do you mean he didn't!?"

"What Akamaru probably means is that Naruto never cheated and that you are just a sore loser." Kiba growled to hear that with Sasuke's voice around the words. But the dog boy knew that it was useless to make everyone see his point so he gave up on trying.

"And where is this dobe!? I want to give him a piece of my mind for toying with me!" Kiba shouted, ignoring the groans of everyone else to his loud voice and stubbornness.

"He said that he felt like training after his 'joke match' with you Kiba." Shino said in his usual emotionless tone. "But he used the Shunshin no Jutsu before any of us heard where exactly."

"He knows a Jutsu that none of us does!? I don't care if he is a Chunin or not, that is not fair!" Once again, everyone moaned in annoyance at how Kiba is taking the news. Just when will he grow up from all this?

XXXXX

And it took a while to search all the Training grounds for Naruto's signature. Just like when Naruto took Sasuke from the patient room to places unknown. That is, until Hinata was able to find him. And this time, both Hinata and Neji are going to be the ones to look.

In fact, the entire Konoha Twelve minus Kiba, are going to look for Naruto. Kiba had to be strapped to the bed when he even tried to disobey Tsunade's orders. That boy didn't seem to even care if his body is already broken, he just wanted to savage his 'macho' image that he had put in danger when he foolishly challenged Naruto.

Still, the two Hyuga had managed to find a trail leading to the blonde and this was without Kiba's enhanced nose to help. And it led to one of the many training grounds indeed but it looked rather unused in a while. And when they first set foot there, they had to scatter when a chain that had a blade on the end landed where they did, causing some of the ground to crumble violently. Then came a certain boy running up to the mess he made,

"Sorry." A blonde said, gathering up the chain length. "The boss said barely anyone comes here so we didn't expect any visitors." This was definitely a Kage Bunshin given his speech and he did indeed went back to training with the chain that had a blade as a weight on an end.

"And where is your boss?" Tsunade asked by the time the blonde had finished retrieving his chain.

"He should be more in the center of this place. He had us try out this strange style with a chain and a blade, but no one is complaining. After all, he is most likely challenging yet another one of us single handily." The Kage Bunshin answered and ran off with the chain, to practice again.

And when he did, the others helped themselves in following the clone. And when they did, they came across an entire training camp filled to the brim with blondes in identical uniforms. And while some were weight lifting and some were studying, a little over a half of them were doing the same thing; practicing with the chain weapon.

"Amazing." Tenten said, as the usual weapon expert and weapon-lover. "They all are using Kusarigama and so effectively too. Maybe that is why I got a huge order for them a week ago." Tenten then said so causally and didn't know why everyone suddenly stared at her.

"Who gave that order Tenten? Did the order say who sent it?" Tsunade asked of what could be her biggest fan. Tenten was the happiest of the Kunoichi and pretty much of all the Shinobi in the village when she heard that Tsunade became Hokage. The girl with weapons up her sleeves loved the fact that there were some Kunoichi proving that they can be as powerful and respected, even more, than most Shinobi that are male. In fact, Tenten wanted to be the next one to do so; and she thought that the only way to do it was to be unique, to master a field that every other Shinobi is not interested in.

And when being the daughter of an owner to a weapons shop for Shinobi, that dream seemed to be her destiny. That is why Tenten chose to learn, practice, master and utilize every weapon ever made and become well-known for it; as a Kunoichi that is in league with Tsunade, Kurenai Yuhi and another Kunoichi that is a Kage of another land.

Back to the present, Tenten tried to look at her idol without awe clouding her eyes and stuffing her throat. But she also didn't want to look like a fool in front of Tsunade, the Hokage. "No. There wasn't a name at all, just an address to where to bring a twenty five supply of Kusarigama to. I even heard that there was a bookstore that got a similar order, to bring Ninjutsu, Taijutsu and Bukijutsu; all to the same address."

"And when you delivered the order, were you able to find the address? Maybe you could have seen who placed the order." Shino said and Tenten nodded but she still had something to say.

"To tell the truth, the address was more like a drop-off because it wasn't for any house. Just a place in town that I never seen anyone near. I really lost a good hour of sleep because it was late at night when I finally found it." Tenten shivered at the memory. "So no, I still didn't see who placed the order. Only that the books were placed there first and I had to leave as soon as I arrived to be at home before the shop closed up for the night. My dad is that strict about my curfew."

"Hey look over there! Those are really going at it!" Sakura shouted, pointing towards something that sticks out more than the other blondes. It was an actual duel with

Everyone was amazed that there were two blondes going it out. The one with a Kusarigama chain like the first Kage Bunshin was no surprised but it was the other blonde that had some kind of small sword that also had a loose string dangling off the handle, all with his other arm tied to his black! That blonde must be confident or stupid to fight against a weapon that has a lot more range than a simple blade with an accessory attached.

And yet the Konoha Shinobi still watched as the two blondes went it out for what seemed to be a while now. The sign that gave it away was that the ground under their feet were riddled with footprints and skids that were each fresh, seconds apart. But then came the ending blow when the blonde with the blade had parred the blade on the chain so that it will fall to the ground, only for his foot to step on it hard and secure.

So hard and so secure and yet so sudden, it caused the other blonde to tumble forward. But that first blonde didn't give his opponent a chance to recover when he switched feet on the blade and used his free one to sharply pull on the chain and thus, pulled the owner of the chain towards him. And then the first blonde took down his blade to pull it faster before changing at the blonde heading in his way.

After a few seconds, the blonde with the chain fell to the ground and dissipated into smoke, the sign of a Kage Bunshin being slain. But the remaining blonde was still there and wiping off something from his cheek; a smear of blonde! This has got to be the original Naruto!

"Only a cut? The last time was two. We are definitely getting somewhere." The real Naruto said to his clones who just nodded and continued their training. Meanwhile, the original blonde somehow untangled his arm and pick up the Kusarigama chain link, dropped when that clone was slain.

Then he heard clapping coming from behind, "That was so cool Naruto!" The blonde Chunin felt a little light hearted to hear that from his former teammate who ran while still clapping.

"I guess that I lose myself in my demonstration that I forget you were watching." Naruto said while doing his signature sheepish expression.

"It was still awesome! You can beat even yourself, how cool is that!?" Ino then shouted and pretty soon, Naruto found himself surrounded by over eager Genin until Tsunade finally arrived.

"Hokage-sama, I hope our training didn't bother you. We were trying to find the most remote training ground around." Naruto then bowed to his superior by a mile. No matter how good he is showing with every next surprise, Naruto can never last to Tsunade's strength or her ability to heal at a rate greater than his own.

"That is not why we are here Naruto. We are just interested in just what are you trying to learn. I thought that you were strong enough already to be a Chunin and try out for the next rank." Tsunade said.

"Sorry Hokage-sama, the love and thrill of learning just won't go away. And what better way to kill some time since Hinata is sometimes too busy to sneak out and hang out." Naruto said and the said girl blushed tomato red again when everyone stared at her. But instead of yelling at her, they all just shrugged and smirked in their own way.

"Then carry on. We will going too." Tsunade said and when everyone turned to leave the training ground, she had one last question. "By the way, since when you were so interested in using a Kusarigama?"

"Sorry Hokage-sama but as a Shinobi, I need to keep my secrets until I decide to share. After all, if I can't fool my friends and comrades than who can I fool?" Naruto then left for another part of the training ground while asking one of the clones to come with him. "But then again, the spoils of war are never best kept to yourself."

XXXXX

And so, a week has passed since that day at the remote training ground. And things were not bad, not actually good but not bad. The scars about Orochimaru ambushing the village and killing the man that was once called the 'God of Shinobi' and then there was the fact Sasuke was acted by his older brother and another S-rank criminal; the former bought his younger brother in a coma.

But everyone was taking it slow to get used to Sasuke acting like an innocent child again and saw that this kid was a good hider; got it all from Naruto himself. And speaking of whom, the blonde managed to get some respect among his peers, comrades and fellow villagers to the point they never insulted him or threw rocks again. But the stares were still there, that was the only problem Naruto had.

Right now, Tsunade was taking a little walk when she got her paperwork done early. But only for a good half hour before it is desk work again. So the Hokage decided to go to the same place that Naruto had asked for him to use reservedly; so no one will get in trouble during his training hours. And over the week, Naruto was always at the training ground at this hour.

But when Tsunade arrived, she felt like something was at his foot. Looking down, she saw a very old scroll just lying on the ground. Kneeing down to get a better look, Tsunade saw a label in Kanji on one side. And it read, "Salamander?" She said to herself and wondered what could be inside.

That is, until a memory that she had buried years ago had bubbled to the surface and won't go away. It was a bad memory of a time during a war she found herself fighting in; a lot of her fellow shinobi were killed. But this was a memory of a squad she was part of along with a certain two men of her age as the only survivors. Survivors against a certain foe from one of the warring villages, this one had rain all year long. This man was the ruling Shinobi and seemed to be undefeatable at the time.

But before Tsunade could try to cast this aside, she heard something faint but clear in the distance. It was definitely Naruto as the sound of chains were to be heard too. But that wasn't what froze the Hokage as she watched the blonde launch an attack at a wooden target; it was this,

"Hagama no Mai: Rakukō no Yaiba!" And just then, Tsunade felt like she saw a ghost. A ghost of a man. He was a rather muscular man of above-average height, with long blond hair reaching down to his back and a prominent scar on his right cheek. He had a dark hat on his head and his lower face was mostly obscured by a helmet-like respirator, which he used to keep his own poison at bay and that differed from the ones worn by other Amegakure shinobi she ever seen, as it was notably larger and featured two filter cartridges instead of the typical one. The upper portion of this mask bore the symbol of his village and was mirrored by four indentations on the part covering his mouth.

His attire consisted of a loose wetsuit-like outfit typical of his village, accented by bandages wrapped around his wrists and lower legs, a flak jacket with swirls on the chest-plate, standard shinobi sandals and a dark cloak that reached down below his waist. Underneath this wetsuit, he donned a dark, short-sleeved, midriff shirt which exposed his lower abdomen.

It was a long time before she seen such a thing. But this proves the scroll that Naruto had been studying and had shown her before this battle started. "Hanzō, you still live you bastard."

"Spoils of Shinobi, Sennin. Simple as that." As if the wind was speaking, Tsunade was sure to have seen the spirit of a man that she hoped to be dead.

End of Chapter 4.

*Hey everyone! What do you think!?*

Translations:

Shunshin no Jutsu – Body Flicker Technique

Kage Bunshin – Shadow Clone

Ninjutsu – Ninja Technique

Taijutsu – Body Technique

Bukijutsu – Weapon Technique

Hagama no Mai: Rakukō no Yaiba – Dance of the Sickle Blade: Falling Descent Blade

Amegakure – Village Hidden in the Rain